The year 1496 of the Sea Calendar.
The sky was a flawless blue, the sea a perfect mirror.
The Oro Jackson sailed steadily. Shanks and Buggy bickered in a corner. Laboon carefully polished his tiny top hat. Rhett leaned against the railing, eyes closed.
Then, the lookout shouted, voice tight, "Captain! Trouble in the sky!"
Everyone looked up. Five massive pirate ships hovered midair, golden lion-head flags snapping in the wind.
"Shiki again?" Rayleigh adjusted his glasses, brow furrowed.
Roger grinned, but his eyes sharpened. "Kuhahaha! That bastard just won't quit!"
Rhett already knew the Battle of Edd War firsthand. He was genuinely curious—with Roger in perfect health and the crew at their peak, how the hell could Shiki even stand a chance?
"Join me, Roger! Let's rule this New World together!" Shiki's mad laughter boomed from above.
After Rocks' defeat, his crew had splintered. Newgate sought family, Charlotte wanted heirs, and Kaido? Ambitious, sure—but what kind of pull did a mere apprentice from Rocks' ship really have?
Shiki and Wang Zhi had gobbled up the scraps. Years of expansion later...
The Flying Pirate Fleet had grown monstrous. Skyborne mobility, Shiki's "recruit anyone" policy—their numbers swelled endlessly.
Now, the fleet moved. Five warships descended like locusts, cannons locking onto the Oro Jackson.
Roger laughed. "Sorry, Shiki! I just wanna sail free! Ruling the world sounds boring as hell. How 'bout you come down for a drink instead? Let us go, yeah?"
Gaban tightened his grip on his axe, sneering. "Last beating wasn't enough? Now you're dumb enough to float right above us?"
"FIRE!" Shiki roared.
*BOOM—BOOM—BOOM—!*
Cannonfire rained down. The sea erupted in geysers. The Oro Jackson shuddered violently, wood splintering.
"All hands, defend!" Roger barked. The crew sprang into action.
—But for the first time, they were completely outmaneuvered.
Rhett unleashed his Blood Mist Domain.
"Damn it, these shells are laced with seastone powder. Is Shiki burning money for fun?!"
Seastone wasn't cheap. Each shot was like gold coins fired into the abyss.
Though his mist corroded the shells, preventing detonation, the sheer hardness of seastone still punched craters into the Oro Jackson's deck. And with this endless bombardment...
The ship's keel wouldn't snap, but riddled with holes? She'd sink for sure.
"Bastard! Every time I leap, they just rise higher!" Gaban snarled, cleaving a falling shell in half.
Rayleigh deflected another, expression grim. "We can't counterattack recklessly—if the hull's compromised, we lose mobility!"
The Roger Pirates' strength lay in close combat. Shiki denied them even that.
Shiki was a true warlord—no scruples, just results. Couldn't beat you? Cheat. Thanks to Rhett, both times Shiki had tangled with Roger's crew, he'd limped back alone. Not a single underling survived.
These seastone shells? Tailor-made for Rhett.
A king's ransom spent just to kick aside the "obstacle" blocking his path to Roger's affection—Rhett.
Hit-and-run tactics. The fleet ascended after each volley, dodging all retaliation, only to dive again from new angles.
"Damn coward!" Buggy stomped furiously. "Fight us properly, you bastard!"
Shanks gripped his sword, teeth clenched. "If only we could reach them..."
Laboon expanded his body, shielding Buggy and Shanks, but against artillery? Useless.
Rhett narrowed his eyes at Shiki's gloating silhouette. A plan crystallized.
"Captain. We can't just tank hits forever," he said lowly.
Roger's grin faded—a rare sight.
Then Rhett smirked. "Since he loves flying so much... let's clip his wings."
He turned to Roger. "I need time to prep."
Roger understood instantly. "Kuhahaha! It's yours, Rhett!"
The crew shifted to full defense, weathering the storm while Rhett worked.
Shiki grew bolder. "Join me, Roger! Your strength's wasted on this dinghy. Together, we could rule—!"
His attacks intensified. Yet he failed to notice—Rhett hadn't made a move since.
"Now." Rhett timed it perfectly—the fleet's descent.
His eyes snapped open. Crimson pupils gleamed. Hands slammed together—
*"Blood Mist: Heaven's Chains!"*
The mist exploded upward, thinner than his usual density but vast enough. A crimson fog swallowed Shiki's fleet, the sea, the sky itself. Then—
Tendrils of mist solidified into chains. Scarlet shackles shot from the waves, coiling around every ship. Corrosive energy ate at hulls. The Float-Float Fruit's power wavered.
"What?!" Shiki recoiled, struggling to control his vessels—but his ability flickered erratically.
"Shiki. You like flying?" Rhett's voice dripped mockery from below. "Think you're the only one who got stronger?"
The chains *yanked*.
Ships lurched. Tilted. Then—
*CRASH—!*
Like wounded birds, they plummeted. The impact sent tsunamis roaring across the sea. Pirates flailed in the water, chaos absolute.
Shiki stabilized midair, face twisted with rage.
Rhett's attack had been flashy, but its real effect was disrupting Shiki's control long enough for gravity to do the rest. Now, glaring down at the Oro Jackson, he howled:
"ROGER! RHETT! YOU SONS OF BITCHES—!"
Rhett collapsed. Spreading mist across miles, wresting an entire fleet from Shiki's grasp—
Only his monstrous stamina kept him conscious. The River God's blessing had its limits. Right now, moving a finger felt impossible.
First time he'd ever pushed himself to utter exhaustion.
And as Shiki's crew clawed their way onto wreckage...
The real fight was just beginning.