"Where do you think you're going?!"
Though he was still a thousand meters away, the furious roar rang clearly in the ears of every member of the Roger Pirates.
A white streak burst across the sea's surface. A massive figure shot forward at terrifying speed, feet kicking off the air itself. The shriek of sonic booms trailed behind him—but even that couldn't keep up with his velocity.
In the blink of an eye, Roldy appeared above the Oro Jackson.
"You think you can come and go from Golden Lion Shiki's territory whenever you please?!"
A cannonball in his palm suddenly expanded. Black lightning crackled around it as exceptionally dense Armament Haki wrapped the entire shell.
Roger's pupils shrank.
Rayleigh's breathing slowed as if facing a mortal enemy.
The only outlier was the newly joined Bullet—
His body trembled with excitement.
"Fitt Roldy!!!"
Youth truly feared nothing. Without hesitation, Bullet charged.
His entire body was coated in Armament Haki. He had heard of Roldy's reputation—a top-tier Armament Haki master within the Golden Lion Pirates. Bullet prided himself on his own Haki. He wanted to see the gap with his own eyes.
"A new face? You're that guy called Bullet, right? Doesn't matter. If you're on Roger's ship—then die!"
Roldy sneered.
The cannonball—magnified sixty-sixfold—felt like a pebble in his hand. He hurled it without hesitation.
The combined force of its monstrous weight and Roldy's strength sent shockwaves ripping across the sea, driving the water backward.
This single strike could level an island.
Yet Bullet failed to grasp the severity of it.
Grinning fiercely, he threw a punch. The power of the Gasha Gasha no Mi (Clank-Clank Fruit) surged through his body. Metal from the Oro Jackson ripped free and wrapped around his right arm, forming a massive mechanical limb.
The punch carried the might of a giant.
But the moment it collided with the colossal shell—
An indescribable weight crushed down.
More than half of his mechanical arm shattered instantly.
Bullet's heart sank.
Armament Haki flowed desperately through the steel—but a sharp crack rang out, followed by a web of fractures.
The opponent's Haki was on an entirely different level.
Bullet's expression changed drastically.
Roldy gave him no chance to recover.
With a cold laugh, he descended from above and kicked the massive shell.
The already strained Bullet was overwhelmed instantly. His Armament Haki shattered like broken glass. His body warped under the crushing force as the cannonball drove him downward into the sea.
He plunged countless meters beneath the surface—
Then an earth-shaking explosion erupted, as if the world itself had been torn apart.
"Reckless brat! Sunbell!"
Cold sweat slid down Rayleigh's forehead.
Roger had already launched himself at Roldy.
Bullet had potential—but far too much recklessness.
On deck, the Roger Pirates' sole fish-man combatant answered the call.
Sunbell.
He leapt into the sea without hesitation. A hundred meters below the surface, he found Bullet's unconscious body.
To his surprise, despite such a devastating attack, Bullet was merely gravely injured.
A monster's physique indeed.
Though… his right arm was a ruined mess. It might not be salvageable.
Grabbing Bullet, Sunbell swam upward swiftly.
But in the depths, something felt wrong.
The fish had grown frenzied. The undercurrents were turning violent.
As a fish-man—beloved child of the sea—Sunbell had witnessed countless strange weather phenomena. His instincts screamed a warning.
He accelerated.
Breaking through the surface with a splash, he hurled the unconscious Bullet onto the deck. His large hands seized the surrounding seawater, taking the stance of Fish-Man Karate.
Muscles bulged as he exhaled sharply.
"Fish-Man Karate: Ocean Current Shoulder Throw!!!"
A massive torrent of seawater roared skyward like a water dragon, aimed directly at Roldy, who was locked in combat with Roger.
Sea spray exploded in every direction.
For Roger, it posed little threat.
For Roldy—a Devil Fruit user—it was another matter.
Even scattered seawater splashing against his body triggered a wave of weakness. His strength faltered for a split second.
Roger seized the opening.
He swung his blade.
If not for Roldy's full-body Armament Haki coating, blood would have been drawn.
"Looking to die?!"
Murder flashed in Roldy's eyes—
But Roger re-engaged him immediately.
Sunbell used that brief moment to retreat to the deck.
In the distance, towering waterspouts were already spiraling skyward. The massive flying fleet of the Golden Lion Pirates hovered less than three hundred meters away.
Sunbell glanced toward the darkening horizon and suddenly shouted:
"Rayleigh-san! We can't keep fighting!"
Rayleigh paused mid-preparation.
He followed Sunbell's gaze.
The sky in the distance had turned pitch-black—as if night had fallen.
At times like this, ending a battle wasn't simply a matter of choice.
Sensing Rayleigh's hesitation, Sunbell shouted again:
"What's coming is a storm unlike anything we've ever seen! In the face of a disaster like this, both us and the Golden Lion Pirates will face near-certain death! We must retreat—now!"
"You mean… use that?"
Rayleigh's expression grew grave.
They couldn't gamble with the lives of the entire crew.
But if they used that secret trump card, they would only have one chance.
They would have to wait.
Wait for the exact moment the storm descended.
Wait for the moment the Golden Lion Pirates were caught off guard.
Just as that thought crossed Rayleigh's mind—
Golden Lion Shiki arrived.
Without hesitation, he gave the order to attack.
And at that very instant—
A strange wind swept across the sea.
On the distant horizon, even the ocean seemed to turn black.
Then they saw it.
A colossal waterspout—like a pillar holding up the heavens—
Rising toward the sky.
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