"A giant tsunami out of nowhere... gave me quite a fright. But that's got to be Valthior's ability, right? Freezing the entire ocean—how terrifying..." Maffey stood on Harald's shoulder, staring toward Whole Cake Island as he shouted in alarm.
"Come to think of it, the sea really tempers a person. Just a few years, and Valthior's grown to this level," Sommers muttered, stroking his chin. "Say… if we've got nothing better to do, how about we start a pirate crew ourselves?"
"You mean we rename ourselves the God Pirates? Sounds like we'd be lowering our status," Figarland said, raising an eyebrow.
Gunko remained silent as always, not joining the conversation.
Harald, carrying the group on his shoulders, ignored their nonsensical discussion and strode toward Whole Cake Island, his massive silhouette closing the distance rapidly.
...
Meanwhile, on Whole Cake Island—
Roger watched as Harald's overwhelmingly imposing figure approached, raising a brow. "Linlin, by the rules of the New World, shouldn't we be teaming up in a situation like this?"
As everyone knew, when pirates encountered the forces of the Marines or the World Government, they usually set aside grudges—either fleeing separately or joining forces to fight.
But what Roger got in response was Charlotte Linlin's furious cursing.
"Team up my ass, you bastard! If it weren't for you, would the World Government be coming to cause trouble for me?!" Linlin roared.
She wasn't stupid. Roger had just mentioned that the World Government might show up to interfere, which meant he'd already known this was going to happen.
At the same time, her Big Mom Pirates hadn't stirred up much trouble these past few years. They'd been quietly building strength, with barely any conflict with the World Government.
So why would someone like Harald suddenly come after her?
Putting it all together, it was obvious—the World Government was after the Roger Pirates, and this bastard Roger had dragged the trouble straight to her doorstep!
Charlotte Linlin had always been hot-headed.
Or rather, most great pirates were like that. When Roger got fired up, he'd team up with Garp to fight Rocks. When Shiki lost his temper, he'd even dare to take on Marine Headquarters alone.
And right now, Linlin was absolutely furious.
After cursing Roger out, she swung her Cognac Sword and bellowed, "All of you, just die!!!"
A terrifying aura burst from her body, rapidly gathering into the blade in her hand.
The first to sense this abnormal power wasn't Roger—but Harald, who was striding toward the island.
"This is… the power of Elbaf!?" Harald muttered, raising a brow.
"Ikoku Sovereignty!!!"
With a single swing, a violent force surged from her blade, forming a massive slash-shaped shockwave nearly a hundred meters wide. It engulfed Roger, Valthior, Rayleigh, and Gaban all at once. Wherever it passed, everything in its path vanished as if erased from existence.
Facing this terrifying attack, Roger grinned, excitement flashing across his face. Haki surged over Ace in his hand as he prepared to meet it head-on.
But before he could act, Rayleigh flashed to his side, grabbing his shoulder and dragging him away at high speed.
"Gaban, Valthior—Linlin's yours! Roger and I will go stop Harald!"
At the same time, neither Valthior nor Gaban had any intention of taking Ikoku head-on. They had already dodged out of its range.
Hearing Rayleigh's shout, Gaban swung his twin axes and replied, "Got it!"
Meanwhile, the shockwave tore past Whole Cake Island, carving a deep, abyss-like trench across the frozen sea before barreling straight toward Harald.
On his shoulder, Maffey's face stiffened. "You've got to be kidding me… what the hell is that!?"
"One strike that could destroy an island? Since when was Charlotte Linlin this strong?" Sommers exclaimed in shock.
Harald, however, broke into a wild grin. Raising his greatsword, he laughed loudly.
"Hahahaha! Not bad, Linlin! That strike actually has a bit of Elbaf's dignity to it!!"
Without dodging, Harald met the attack head-on. His greatsword slashed forward, splitting the unstoppable Ikoku clean in two. The divided shockwave surged past him like twin arcs of light on either side.
In an instant, the massive frozen tsunami behind him was shattered into fragments, its remnants blasting away toward the horizon with undiminished force.
Casually splitting Linlin's Ikoku in half—Harald's strength was undeniable.
At the same time, Figarland spotted Rayleigh arriving at the island's shore alongside Roger. His expression twisted instantly with ferocity.
"Rayleigh!!! Sommers, we're going in!"
Using Soru and Geppo in rapid succession, Figarland shot forward, taking the lead as he charged straight at Rayleigh.
Sommers froze for a moment before shouting, "Wait—!"
Seriously, man? You're actually going to lead the charge?!
To be fair, Figarland's fundamentals were solid. With Soru and Geppo alternating seamlessly, he crossed several hundred meters in just a few breaths.
Rayleigh had just landed, about to comment on Harald's strength—how easily he'd split Ikoku, and to warn Roger not to underestimate him—when suddenly, a shadow lunged toward him.
"Rayleigh, today I'll cut you down—!"
To be honest, Rayleigh didn't feel any major threat, but as a top-tier powerhouse, his body reacted instinctively.
The blade at his waist, Higan, flashed in an instant—cutting the incoming figure cleanly in two.
A spray of blood arced through the air. With two dull thuds, something fell beside him.
"…What was that?" Rayleigh muttered, finally focusing his eyes.
Not far away on the ice, Figarland had been sliced clean in half at the waist. His upper and lower body lay separated, blood pouring from the wound, his face frozen in utter confusion.
On Harald's shoulder, Sommers covered his face, utterly speechless. "Well… this is awkward. Makes us look like complete amateurs…"
"Maffey reacted first. "Harald, save him!"
Of course Harald knew—Figarland wasn't just anyone. He was the commander of the Holy Knights. Letting him die or even be humiliated here would be asking for trouble later.
"Got it!"
With a powerful stomp, Harald shattered the solid ice beneath his feet. Countless shards blasted outward like shrapnel.
Using that brief burst of force, his massive body launched into the air at a speed completely at odds with his size, leaping toward Roger and Rayleigh.
Midair, his greatsword erupted with overwhelming Conqueror's Haki. His eyes gleamed as he locked onto the two.
"Odin's Valhalla!!!"
His slash fell like a meteor, blotting out the sky. The terrifying aura and Haki-infused strike seemed capable of destroying the world itself as it crashed toward Roger and Rayleigh.
Both men's expressions shifted as they felt the immense pressure. Without a word, they tightened their grips on their blades.
"Now this is exciting…" Rayleigh muttered, raising a brow.
Roger grinned. "Let's go!"
The moment their voices fell, both men leapt into the air. One from the left, one from the right, they struck simultaneously.
"Higanbana: Kagutsuchi!!!"
Years of brotherhood had forged perfect coordination. Their slashes merged midair into a single, even more powerful force, roaring toward Harald.
...
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