The black aura released from the pentagram formation seemed to resonate with the remains of Garling and the others—who had just been shattered into pieces by Valthior.
Their "corpses" rapidly reformed. In just a few moments, all four of them reappeared, and in the blink of an eye, they were teleported beside the pentagram.
Garling stared at Valthior with a dark, hostile expression.
Sommers rubbed his shoulder, cursing under his breath.
"I knew he got stronger, but I didn't think he'd become this strong…"
Maffey, on the other hand, had a flushed face, her eyes filled with a seductive gleam. Her voice trembled strangely as she spoke:
"Just as expected of the man I've got my eyes on… so amazing, truly amazing…"
Gunko looked at Valthior in shock. Even the bandages on her face seemed slightly loosened, as if she had recalled the agreement they made back in Mary Geoise.
But soon, all four of them suppressed their thoughts and stood respectfully beside the pentagram formation.
Right after that, a figure stepped out from the teleportation array. As the black mist dispersed, one of the Five Elders—Saint Nasujuro—appeared before everyone, holding the Shodai Kitetsu in his hand.
Then, Valthior's own "old man"—Saint Saturn—emerged from the black smoke as well, leaning on his cane as he glanced around at the battlefield.
Moments later, his gaze landed on Valthior.
Valthior frowned slightly, just about to say something—
But Saturn moved faster. A vicious glint flashed in his eyes, and an invisible force slammed into Valthior instantly.
Bang!
Blood burst into the air as Valthior was sent flying.
There was no intention of conversation whatsoever.
At the same time, Saint Nasujuro pushed off the ground and shot forward at incredible speed toward Roger and Rayleigh. A cold gleam flashed from his blade—the cursed sword Shodai Kitetsu carried a chilling aura like something from hell as it slashed toward them.
As he moved, his form began to change. His upper body remained human, but his lower half transformed into a skeletal horse, accelerating his charge even further.
Immediately after, Saint Saturn's body expanded, transforming into a massive monstrous form—the Gyuki. His Conqueror's Haki spread out as well, sweeping across the battlefield.
The members of the Holy Knights seemed to receive some kind of command. One after another, they followed Nasujuro and charged into battle.
Roger and Rayleigh didn't hold back either. Each drew their blades and quickly clashed with them.
Compared to Harald, this fight was clearly easier for them. Even though the enemy had the advantage in numbers, they still lacked enough strength.
The Five Elders possessed tremendous raw power, but perhaps because they rarely fought real battles, their combat experience was lacking. Despite their overwhelming presence and domineering aura, they couldn't suppress Roger and Rayleigh.
Far in the distance, beneath the shattered remains of a mountain, Harald struggled to his feet. His aura had weakened significantly.
Even as the King of the Giants, unmatched across the seas, taking his own ultimate attack head-on had left him heavily injured. The armor over his chest was shattered, revealing a deep wound that cut down to the bone. Blood poured out endlessly, and parts of his internal organs were even visible through the gash.
After taking a few heavy breaths, Harald ignored his injuries. Watching the two Five Elders and the Holy Knights engage Roger and Rayleigh in battle, he hesitated for a brief moment—then gritted his teeth, lifted his sword, and charged forward again.
Despite his serious injuries, Harald's return to the battlefield quickly made a difference. Roger and Rayleigh began to struggle under the pressure, and the balance of victory seemed to tilt once more.
...
Amid the ruins, Valthior rubbed his dizzy head. His hand felt sticky—when he looked, it was indeed covered in blood.
"Not holding back at all, huh… old man…" Valthior muttered with a curse.
It wasn't just Saturn's earlier attack—his vision was now blurred, crimson blood clouding his sight, making it hard to see clearly.
Sure enough, forcing himself into Harald's level of battle had been too much. In just a few minutes, his stamina and Conqueror's Haki had been completely drained.
He wiped the blood from around his eyes and narrowed them, observing the situation… Hmm, maybe orders had already been given—despite how intense the battlefield was, no one came to deal with him.
Valthior wasn't too worried about his declining vision. Back on Linderland Island, when he first awakened his Mangekyō and used that power, his eyesight had also deteriorated for a while. But as his Zoan-type recovery ability improved, his vision had gradually returned to normal within half a month.
That proved his earlier assumption was correct. Using the Mangekyō put immense strain on the body, but as long as your regeneration could keep up, it wouldn't be a problem—just like transplanting Hashirama cells.
Using his Observation Haki to sense the battlefield, Valthior quickly calculated the situation in his mind.
Things were bad.
Gaban still hadn't taken down Charlotte Linlin. On Roger's side, they could still keep fighting, but they were already starting to fall behind.
If things kept going like this, it could really turn disastrous. The Roger Pirates' journey might end right here.
After all, only two of the Five Elders had shown up so far—there were still three more who hadn't appeared. And that pentagram formation could summon reinforcements at any moment.
Just then, the Den Den Mushi in Valthior's arms started ringing.
He picked it up immediately.
"How is it?"
Sunbell's voice came through, steady and low.
"I've secured the rubbing of the Poneglyph. Looks like the situation's getting ugly—we need to get out of here."
"Meet at the ship. I'll go wake the others!" Valthior replied, his brow lifting slightly as he felt a wave of relief.
From the very beginning, the Roger Pirates had anticipated a situation like this—and the possibility that Charlotte Linlin would refuse to hand over the Poneglyph.
So according to their plan, the main force would draw the enemy's attention on the front lines, while Sunbell would sneak into Whole Cake Island during the chaos to locate the Poneglyph and make a copy.
Now it seemed Sunbell had completed his task. With that, the previously dire situation suddenly became much clearer.
Next step—regroup and run.
As for Charlotte Linlin… well… sorry about that, but we'll leave the rear guard to you!
That's just how the Roger Pirates do things!
Since no one was paying attention to him, Valthior quickly made his way back to the Oro Jackson.
The moment he boarded, he saw Spencer slumped under the mast—still conscious, but completely unable to move. The others were either lying unconscious in the cabin or sprawled out on the deck like corpses.
"Man, you guys are seriously pathetic…" Valthior muttered.
He stepped forward and slapped Bullet hard across the face—twice.
Bullet groggily opened his eyes. A moment later, he suddenly sat up.
"Damn it… I couldn't even withstand the clash of their Conqueror's Haki!?"
"You're just an eleven-year-old kid who happens to look older. It'd be weird if you could handle it…" Valthior said, trying to reassure him. Then he added, "Go wake the others. We're getting out of here."
Because of the fierce battle, the once-frozen sea had already broken apart into a drifting "ice ocean." Before long, Sunbell emerged from the water, dragging a chain-linked anchor behind him.
"Everyone here?"
Valthior glanced at Roger, Rayleigh, and Gaban still fighting on the island and answered without hesitation:
"Everyone's here. Let's move!"
Sunbell didn't waste a second. He tied the anchor to himself, dove into the sea, and began swimming rapidly.
His older brother, Babel, was known as a catfish powerhouse with immense strength—a standout among Fish-Men. Sunbell was no less impressive, possessing monstrous strength of his own.
Under his pull, the Oro Jackson quickly moved away across the sea.
Once they had created enough distance, Valthior took a flare signal from Spencer, pulled the trigger—
Bang!
A firework shot into the sky and exploded into a brilliant display of light.
...
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