Ha... haha... hahahaha!
Amidst the smoking ruins and shattered stone, Roger suddenly burst into a fit of laughter that seemed to shake the very foundation of the world. The sound was raw and defiant, echoing across the devastated landscape where the earth had been scorched clean.
He used his famous blade Ace to support his weight, digging the tip into the cracked ground. Even though his muscles were spasming uncontrollably and he could feel that more than half of his ribs were likely pulverized, he stubbornly forced his back to straighten, inch by agonizing inch. He refused to greet his end crumpled in the dirt like a common thief.
Roger... Beside him, Rayleigh gritted his teeth in a display of pure agony. He reached out to support Roger's trembling arm, his eyes filled with a heavy mixture of deep sorrow and unshakable resolve. He knew his captain was pushing past every physical limit left in his dying body.
It is nothing... Rayleigh, I will not die here.
Roger spoke with a raspy voice, casually wiping away the thick layer of blood that had begun to coat his eyes and blur his vision. Those eyes, which had grown somewhat cloudy from the progression of his terminal illness, now shone with a brilliant light as if he were burning through the very last of his life force to keep them bright.
He looked up toward the sky, staring intently at the figure that was slowly descending through the clouds. His lips curled into a wide, exaggerated arc that defied the pain racking his frame.
Marine brat... although I do not have a clue where a monster like you managed to pop out from... and frankly, I do not care one bit about whatever bullshit version of justice you claim to be fighting for...
But I am Gol D. Roger!
Boom!!!
A massive, dark red shockwave violently exploded outward in a crushing ring with Roger at the very center! The sheer pressure of his spirit was enough to warp the air itself, turning the atmosphere heavy and suffocating.
This was the power that stood at the absolute pinnacle of this vast sea—Conqueror's Haki! It was the manifestation of a king who would never bow, even to death.
The surrounding vitrified ground, already turned to glass by the heat of battle, began to crack and shatter once again. Large chunks of rubble levitated into the air in total defiance of gravity before being reduced to fine white dust under the weight of that terrifying pressure.
I still have many things I must do! How can I... ever allow myself to fall in a place like this!!
Roger gripped the hilt of his sword with both hands, his knuckles turning white. Pitch-black Armament Haki coiled around the steel like flowing, viscous water. At the same time, jagged streaks of dark red lightning crackled wildly around his body, emitting sharp pops that sounded like the world was tearing apart.
At this exact moment, his aura surpassed any other peak he had reached in his long life. The sheer intensity of his presence was overwhelming.
In this brief window of time, he was no longer a terminally ill patient struggling for his next breath. He was the undisputed King of the Sea, the living legend who was destined to usher in a brand new era for the entire world!
Rayleigh! Let us give him the final blow!
Yeah... I will go crazy with you until the very end! Rayleigh roared in response, his own voice filled with a wild, infectious energy. He squeezed out every single drop of Haki remaining in his body, causing the silver light on his long blade to surge and pulse like a dying star.
Looking down at the two soaring flares of red and silver light rising from below, the usual calm composure on Kane's face finally began to fade. He could feel the weight of their determination pressing against his skin.
Replacing his casual smirk was an unprecedented look of seriousness. It was not fear, but a supreme mark of respect for the truly strong.
Impressive.
He praised them sincerely, his voice carrying clearly over the roar of the wind. He recognized that he was witnessing the final, glorious spark of a fading era.
In response to your spirit, I will use my strongest technique to see you off.
Kane gripped the hilt of tensa zangetsu with both hands, his stance widening as he prepared to unleash everything. He was no longer holding back a single ounce of his power.
Buzz—!
The massive reservoir of Conqueror's Haki within his body poured into the black blade without any reservation. The metal seemed to hum and vibrate with the sheer volume of energy being forced into it.
At the same time, the destructive power of the Storm-Storm Fruit flooded into the steel, mixing with his spirit. The air around the blade began to swirl and howl with the force of a localized hurricane.
His terrifying Physique of 90 points provided an endless, bottomless supply of raw physical strength to back up the strike. His muscles coiled like steel springs, ready to snap.
And, most importantly, he channeled the ultimate sword intent of a Peak Great Swordsman! It was a focus so sharp it could cut through the concept of distance itself.
The unique properties of tensa zangetsu were pushed to their absolute limit at this very moment! The pitch-black blade began to compress the energy to the extreme, letting out a low groan as if the weapon itself was unable to bear the immense weight of Kane's power. The surrounding space began to visibly distort and collapse under the pressure.
Come!!!
Below him, Roger let out a final, gutteral roar. His legs kicked off the ground with such explosive force that the very foundation of the island let out a groan of its own, unable to withstand the structural stress.
He turned into a blinding streak of red and black lightning, soaring directly into the sky like a spear aimed at the heavens! This was his answer to the world.
This strike held no hidden technique or clever trickery. It was built from only the purest strength and the most stubborn will. It was an expression of absolute dominance that would force everything in its path—whether it be man, beast, or god—to step aside or be crushed.
This was the ultimate technique of the Roger Pirates—
Divine Departure!!!!!
Simultaneously, Rayleigh followed closely behind his captain. His sword light was like the Milky Way hanging upside down in the night sky, creating a shimmering curtain of steel that sealed off all of Kane's possible paths to evade the coming strike.
Facing the desperate, combined counterattack of these two strongest men in the world, Kane did not retreat a single inch. Instead, he chose to advance.
The storm wings on his back suddenly retracted toward his spine and then exploded with a thunderous boom, propelling him forward like a dark meteor falling toward Roger's rising blade!
The black blade in his hand swung down with a speed that bypassed the senses.
Getsuga... Tenshō!!!
Boom——————!!!!
The entire world suddenly went silent.
There was no sound of a typical explosion. There was no sharp ring of clashing metal hitting metal. All sound in the vicinity was simply annihilated the moment the two massive energies made contact. The atmosphere was pushed away so violently that it created a vacuum.
In that frozen instant, only two distinct lights remained in the entire world.
One was a jagged, dark red bolt of domineering lightning representing the old era. The other was a pitch-black crescent of pure annihilation representing the new.
They frantically eroded, devoured, and squeezed against each other in mid-air! Neither side was willing to yield a single millimeter as the energies ground together.
Time seemed to stand still for three long seconds as the balance of power teetered on the edge of a knife.
Then.
Crack.
A crisp, clear cracking sound rang out through the silence.
On Roger's famous blade Ace, which was wrapped in the highest level of top-tier Haki, a tiny, jagged crack appeared right where the red and black lightning met Kane's strike.
What?!
Roger's pupils shrank down to the size of pinpricks in an instant. It was a level of pure shock he had never experienced in all his years of pirating.
His Haki... was actually being suppressed?
It was not just the Haki. He could feel the superior strength, the overwhelming Physique, and that vast natural power that felt like a walking natural disaster. If he were still in his prime, with his body healthy and his lungs clear, he might have been able to fight this monster to a standstill.
But now, just as Kane had correctly pointed out, he was merely a candle flickering in a violent wind. His flame was guttering out.
The era has changed, Mr. Roger.
Kane's cold, steady voice drifted through the violent flow of energy, sounding like a final judgment.
In the next second, although the pitch-black Getsuga Tenshō had dimmed slightly from the collision, it maintained its complete, terrifying form. It continued its path toward Roger and Rayleigh with an unstoppable, crushing force!
There was no time left to think or plan. The cold shadow of death had already enveloped them both.
Roger!
Rayleigh let out a desperate roar, moving his body instantly to shield Roger from the brunt of the impact. He was the first mate until the very end.
Roger also reacted with his instincts, holding the blade Ace horizontally across his chest to form a final line of defense. The two legends, at this moment, poured every remaining scrap of their strength into one final act of defense!
RRRRRRUUUUUMMMMBBBBLLLEEE——————!!!!!
The delayed explosion finally thundered through the sky, loud enough to be heard for miles. The terrifying shockwave turned into a visible white ring of compressed air, instantly sweeping through and destroying everything within ten nautical miles!
The already dilapidated island, which had been holding on by a thread, completely disintegrated under this final force. It turned into countless fragments of rock and soil that began sinking into the dark sea below.
On the surface of the ocean, the water was pressed down into a giant depression several hundred meters deep. The sea was forced back so hard it was unable to refill the hole for a long time.
After a long while, the storm finally subsided, and the thick clouds of dust cleared away.
Where a large island had once stood, only a single, jagged reef less than a hundred square meters remained lonely amidst the waves.
Roger and Rayleigh lay spread-eagled on that small reef. There was not a single patch of healthy, unbruised skin left on their bodies. Bright red blood stained the dark rocks beneath them, pooling in the crevices.
Roger's famous blade Ace was stuck in the stone nearby. The blade was trembling slightly and letting out a low, mournful wail, as if it were crying for its master.
Kane landed softly on the ruins of the reef, his chest heaving violently from the exertion. The Soul-Slayer Blade in his hand was still slightly hot to the touch, steam rising from the edge.
His white Marine cloak had been completely shredded into white rags, revealing his lean, muscular upper body. A shallow, bloody gash ran across his chest—a small graze from the very edge of Divine Departure that had managed to get through.
Ha... cough, cough, cough...
Roger gasped painfully, his lungs burning. However, as he looked up at the young man standing over them, there was no resentment or hatred in his eyes. There was only a profound sense of relief.
Ha... ha... truly... what a terrifying junior you are...
The battle was finally decided.
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