The next second—
a deafening explosion erupted!
A violent shockwave burst outward in a circular ring, sweeping wildly across the sea.
The Flame Fang's forward momentum was abruptly halted, its bow even forced slightly upward by the opposing force.
At the center of the collision—
the instant Sami's tentacle-heavy punch met that slash, his entire body was struck as though by divine punishment!
"UGHHHHHAAAAAA——!!!"
He only managed to let out one short, agonized grunt before—
his entire right arm, along with half of his shoulder, was almost completely shredded apart by the overwhelming sword aura.
Flesh, blood, and fragments of broken tentacles sprayed through the air.
Sami's body flew backward like a torn sack and slammed violently onto the Flame Fang's deck.
Yet—
his nearly suicidal interception had not been meaningless.
The terrifying slash that had originally been meant to split the Flame Fang in two—
after colliding head-on with Tentacle Art: Heavy Hammer at the cost of destroying Sami's arm—
shifted ever so slightly off course.
The sword aura grazed past the bow.
Alongside a horrifying metallic tearing screech—
it sliced cleanly through the Flame Fang's glowing crimson alloy ram like a hot knife through butter!
SHHHHK——!
The severed ram spun through the air before crashing into the sea with explosive bursts of steam, quickly swallowed beneath the waves.
The cut surface remained glowing dark red from residual heat—
its cross-section smooth as a mirror.
Meanwhile, the remaining sword aura continued diagonally across the ocean before finally disappearing into the distant horizon.
Although the impact wave had slowed the Flame Fang slightly and altered its angle—
its massive hull still slammed directly into the already heavily damaged side of Roger's ship!
KRAAAASH—— BOOOOOM——!!
"WAAAAAHHHH! HOLD ON TO SOMETHING!!"
"THE SHIP'S BREAKING APART——!!!"
Panicked cries exploded aboard Roger's vessel.
After enduring days of relentless pursuit by Garp, the battered ship simply could not withstand such a catastrophic collision.
A gigantic, horrifying breach instantly tore open along the ship's side.
Freezing seawater began flooding in violently through the hole.
In contrast—
thanks to the absurd durability granted by Treasure Tree Adam and Tom's exceptional structural design—
although the Flame Fang had also suffered tremendous shaking, its main frame remained intact.
Even the keel had suffered no fatal damage.
Thus—
an utterly absurd yet tragic scene appeared upon the sea.
The Flame Fang's bow had become deeply embedded into the midsection of Roger's ship.
The two vessels were tightly jammed together like conjoined twins, helplessly spinning across the waves.
Aboard the Flame Fang, the crew members who had barely crawled back to their feet after the desperate escape and violent impact stared blankly at this unbelievable boarding situation.
Their minds had gone completely blank.
Until—
a shrill scream shattered the bizarre silence.
"DOCTOR! Doctor Hiriluk! Hurry over here——!!!"
"Captain! Captain Sami—his arm!!!"
Everyone's horrified gaze snapped toward the source.
Riberra Riberra Riberra Sami lay collapsed beneath the mast.
His entire right arm and shoulder were gone.
Blood poured continuously from the torn wound, staining the deck crimson.
His face was pale as paper—
yet somehow, he still clung to consciousness.
"BOSS!!!"
Aldo's eyes split wide with fury as he charged over first.
"HIRILUK! WHERE'S HIRILUK?! BRING ALL THE MEDICINE—NOW!!"
Chaotic emergency treatment immediately erupted across the Flame Fang's deck.
On the other side—
Roger stood upon the slowly tilting deck of his flooding ship.
He raised his head and looked toward the Flame Fang directly beside them.
His gaze swept over the still-glowing severed ram—
then shifted toward the enormous hole ripped through his beloved vessel.
Silence.
Several suffocating seconds of silence.
Then—
Roger raised a hand and scratched at his sea-soaked hair awkwardly.
He gave two dry laughs, revealing an expression mixed with bewilderment, helplessness, and profound absurdity.
At his side—
Rayleigh, Gaban, and every member of the Roger Pirates wore similarly stunned expressions.
Their eyes practically screamed:
Who am I?
Where am I?
What the hell just happened?!
One second ago they had been fleeing for their lives from Garp—
the next second they had become physically fused together with another pirate crew.
The turn of events had simply been too ridiculous.
Roger slowly sheathed Ace.
The absurdity on his face gradually faded, replaced by thoughtful curiosity as he looked once more toward Sami.
"That feeling just now…"
"Was that Armament Haki?"
"Interesting."
Rayleigh stepped beside him, his expression equally complicated behind his glasses.
"Captain, that attack just now…"
Roger waved him off.
"Yeah, I saw it."
"That kid… he used his own body and life to protect his ship."
"What a reckless little monster…"
His gaze shifted back toward his steadily flooding vessel, then toward the Flame Fang still tightly jammed against it.
The helpless smile returned once more.
"Rayleigh," Roger said, hooking a thumb toward the disastrous scene around them.
"With things like this… there's obviously no way our ship can keep sailing, right?"
Rayleigh pushed up his glasses and sighed.
"That's right. Unless we find a place for major repairs immediately."
"Looks like we'll really need a new ship this time."
His eyes landed upon the Flame Fang—
which had only suffered catastrophic damage to the ram despite everything.
"Their ship's impressive. Even after taking attacks from Garp and then smashing into us head-on, it's still mostly intact."
"How about…"
Roger grinned broadly, flashing his white teeth.
A deeply interested light shone in his eyes.
"Then what are we waiting for?"
He slapped Rayleigh on the shoulder and immediately started walking toward the fused section between the ships.
"Come on, Rayleigh."
"Let's go visit our new neighbors."
Roger leapt easily over the shattered railings alongside Rayleigh, Gaban, and several core officers, landing upon the Flame Fang's deck.
Even without hostile intent—
their mere presence carried overwhelming pressure.
The Flame Fang's crew instantly tensed.
Aldo, Marcus, and the other officers immediately stepped protectively in front of Sami.
Roger acted as though he didn't even notice the weapons pointed toward him.
His eyes passed over everyone directly toward Sami, who was being hastily bandaged.
He rubbed his chin thoughtfully.
"That's a nasty wound."
"Kid… you're not dead yet, are you?"
Just as Aldo was about to roar angrily—
the unconscious Riberra Riberra Riberra Sami suddenly opened his eyes slightly.
His blurred vision slowly focused upon Roger.
"…Aldo…"
"…Stand down…"
You can read extra chapters ahead on Patreon if you're interested:
patreon.com/Luna023