Roger sighed heavily. They had found several rubbings of the Poneglyphs, but none of them could decipher the ancient text. Oden, that was the key. Rhett had mentioned him, and that was enough.
Lying lazily on the deck, Rhett called out to Roger, "Whitebeard's crew has a samurai from Wano named Kozuki Oden. He can read the Poneglyphs."
Roger's eyes lit up with unprecedented excitement at the news.
"Captain, what are you scheming now?" Rayleigh adjusted his glasses, a smirk playing on his lips.
"If Rhett mentioned it, then he must be our future crewmate!" Roger laughed heartily. "He's on Whitebeard's ship right now. We'll just have to 'borrow' him!"
Rhett raised an eyebrow. "Whitebeard isn't exactly the easygoing type, Captain. How do you plan to convince him?"
Roger clenched his fists, his eyes blazing with fighting spirit. "What else? We'll settle it with a fight first!"
Rayleigh shook his head in resignation. "Here we go again…"
Shanks and Buggy eagerly crowded around. "Captain, are we going to battle Whitebeard's crew again?!"
Last time, they had been outnumbered and outmatched, leaving Shanks and Buggy fuming for days.
Roger ruffled their heads and laughed boisterously. "Kuhahaha! That's right! Don't let those brats scare you!"
Shanks tightened his fists, his eyes burning with determination. "I won't lose!"
Buggy puffed out his chest. "Me… me neither!"
Rhett stood up and stretched. "Buggy, you better fight properly this time. If you run away, I'll spin you like a top."
"Let's go. I'm curious to see how strong Whitebeard's crew is now."
Under the Roger Pirates' deliberate pursuit, the Oro Jackson cut through the azure waves, racing toward Whitebeard's crew.
Meanwhile, aboard the Moby Dick—
"Pops! The Roger Pirates are approaching!" the lookout shouted.
Whitebeard sat on his custom-made chair, a faint smile on his lips. "Gurarara… Roger, that brat. Never thought we'd run into them here."
The two legendary pirate ships drew closer, eventually landing on a small island.
Roger stood at the prow, hands on his hips, laughing loudly. "Newgate! Long time no see!"
Whitebeard chuckled deeply. "Gurarara… Roger, what mischief are you up to this time?"
Roger's eyes burned with fighting spirit. "Nothing much. Just wanted to fight you again! We'll talk after that!"
Whitebeard snorted. "Gurarara… Roger, bring it on!"
Before the words faded, two terrifying bursts of Conqueror's Haki collided. The sky darkened instantly, and monstrous waves surged across the sea.
Marco and Jozu immediately sought out Shanks and Buggy.
"No more sand tricks this time," Marco said, his blue flame wings spread as he hovered in the air, his tone challenging.
Shanks grinned fiercely. "Don't worry, this time—I'll take you down fair and square!"
Without warning, Shanks lunged forward, his blade slicing through the air, aimed straight at Marco's chest. Marco's flames flared as he sidestepped, his right wing whipping out like a lash, forcing Shanks back with a scorching gust.
Shanks' swordsmanship had shed its clumsiness. Each strike was sharp and precise, and his budding Observation Haki allowed him to faintly predict Marco's movements.
But Marco's combat experience gave him the upper hand. Using the Phoenix's agility, he danced between Shanks' slashes.
Shanks suddenly changed tactics, his blade now coated in a black sheen.
"Swish—!" The blade cleaved through Marco's flames, leaving a bloody gash on his shoulder.
Marco's eyes widened. "Armament Haki?! You brat…"
Shanks panted, but his grin grew wilder. "Rhett said—'the only way to truly hurt a Mythical Zoan is with Haki!'"
Marco got serious. The kid's growth rate was terrifying. His flames surged. "Then let me show you… the true power of the Phoenix!"
"Phoenix Seal!"
His wings expanded violently, unleashing a torrent of flames toward Shanks.
Shanks didn't dodge. Instead, he gripped his sword with both hands, channeling all his Haki into the blade—"Divine Departure!"
It was a simplified version of Roger's technique, but it looked convincing enough.
"Boom—!" The flames were split in two.
At the last moment, Marco's talons forced Shanks back. The two separated, eyeing each other.
Shanks was clearly exhausted. That move had drained him.
Marco's flames slowly healed the scratch. Mythical Zoan stamina was monstrous, but his earlier disdain was gone.
Shanks vs. Marco—though Shanks lost, the two might become good friends in the future.
Buggy stood before Jozu, a bundle strapped to his back. Upon closer inspection, it was filled with daggers.
Gone was the fear from the original timeline. Instead, confidence radiated from him as he stared at Jozu's diamond-coated body. "Hey, Diamond Jerk! Don't get knocked out again!"
Jozu clenched his fists, sparks flying as he sneered. "Quit gloating, Red Nose! You're just a trickster!"
"Who needs cheap tricks?" Buggy planted his hands on his hips. "Come on, less talk, more action."
Jozu's expression darkened. Without another word, he stomped forward, his diamond fist slamming toward Buggy.
"Crash—!"
The ground caved in, dust flying. But Buggy's body had already split apart, leaving Jozu's fist to hit nothing but air.
"Missed missed" Buggy's head floated above Jozu, grinning cheekily. His severed hand even stuck out its tongue.
Rhett, bro... I'm really eating good on your training now. Heheh.
Jozu roared, his arms swelling as the diamond sheen intensified. He spun rapidly, his fists raining down like a meteor shower!
"Diamond Meteor Fist!"
The barrage of punches filled the air, but Buggy's fragments danced through the gaps, his Paper Art making him as elusive as scattered leaves. He taunted while dodging, "Put some muscle into it! I'm not even sweating!"
Jozu's veins bulged. Suddenly, he changed tactics, slamming his fist into the ground.
The shockwave sent debris flying outward, forcing Buggy's fragments to regroup.
Jozu seized the moment, his diamond arm swinging toward Buggy!
"You can't dodge this!"
At the last second, Buggy's lips curled into a sly grin.
His body split apart again, each fragment now holding a dagger. They stabbed at Jozu from all angles!
"Shick shick shick—!"
The blades scraped against Jozu's diamond skin, leaving fine cracks. Jozu winced, his momentum faltering. Meanwhile, Buggy's right hand snuck behind him and gave a forceful shove!
"Take that!"
Jozu stumbled, nearly falling. He steadied himself, disbelief in his eyes. "You… actually hurt me?"
Buggy's head floated in the air, grinning smugly. "How's that? Each dagger's coated in Armament Haki. Do you know how many months I've trained for this?"
Jozu's expression turned deadly serious. He took a deep breath, his diamond sheen intensifying. "Then try this!"
He charged at Buggy like a tank, his fists no longer wild but calculated.
Buggy's ability to split at will made him a nightmare for brute-force opponents. Blunt attacks were useless.
Buggy! Split however you want!
But Buggy wanted to test the new ability he and Rhett had developed. He reached out and touched Jozu's diamond arm—
"Split!"
Something unnatural happened. Fine cracks spiderwebbed across Jozu's diamond fist, as if an invisible force was dismantling it molecule by molecule. The effect lasted only a heartbeat—but that was all Buggy needed.
*THUD—!*
His dagger slipped through the fissure and struck true.
Blood sprayed. Jozu grunted, staggering back as he stared at the wound on his arm. "You—you can even affect my ability?!"
Buggy flicked his dagger clean with a handkerchief, grinning. "How about it? Want another go?"
Rhett had theorized this ages ago: If Buggy can split himself, why not split others' attacks? Awaken his fruit, and maybe he could dismantle even Conqueror's Haki coatings—
Like Law's Room, but instead of cutting, just disassembling anything his fruit can overpower. The Chop-Chop Fruit never specified it only worked on himself.
Jozu gritted his teeth, bracing to charge—
A bomb detonated between them. Through the smoke, Buggy's severed left hand waved a smoking Buggy Ball tauntingly. "Damn it! So close! Gotta make quieter ones next time."
The bastard fought dirtier than a back-alley brawl. Who'd notice a missing chunk or two mid-combat when he'd already split into a dozen pieces?
Smoke cleared. Jozu knelt, diamond skin scorched but unbroken. The explosion hadn't done real damage—but his inability to counter Buggy was undeniable. He glared up, only to see the clown reassembled, hands on hips in triumph.
"Match over! Total victory for yours truly!"
Jozu stayed silent a beat—then barked a laugh. "Not bad... Next time, I won't lose."
Buggy waved him off, strutting toward his crew. "Anytime, big guy!"