Their Conqueror's Haki clashed in the air, black and red lightning tearing through the clouds.
"Kyahahaha! Roger!" Shiki crossed his twin swords, their blades wrapped in terrifying Haki. "You think you can beat me like this?"
Roger grinned, pointing Portgas D. Ace directly at Shiki. "Shiki, no need to chase after me! I'm not stopping you from ruling the seas."
Before the words even finished, both men lunged at each other!
"Divine Departure!!!"
"Lion's Thousand Ravines!!!"
The moment their blades and sword slashes collided, a shockwave erupted, radiating outward from their clash. Then—
"BOOM!!!"
In the deafening explosion, the sea was forcibly split apart, leaving a trench hundreds of meters long. The water on either side rose like sheer cliffs.
Rhett leaned against the wall, watching the battle on his ship. "Damn, Shiki's grown pretty fast. He can actually go toe-to-toe with the Captain now? None of these old-timers are weaklings."
Shiki was actually holding his own against Roger. Sure, he was still at a disadvantage, but he wasn't getting instantly crushed like before.
When Rhett watched the special episodes, those old guys were portrayed with so much tension by Oda—each one had Admiral-level strength.
Huh? To maintain peace on the seas under such conditions, Kong and Sengoku must be something else.
Rhett felt that if Shiki hadn't been fully buffed by the later stages, Monkey D. Luffy would've had a tough time winning.
Gaban wiped the sweat from his forehead. "Hey, hey, isn't this power a bit too ridiculous?"
At the center of the battlefield, Roger and Shiki were locked in a fierce battle. Their figures flickered through the air, each clash accompanied by thunderous roars.
"Roger! Join me!" Shiki's swords rained down like a storm. "Together, we can rule these seas!"
"Kahahaha!" Roger laughed, parrying the strikes. "Shiki, the seas aren't meant to be ruled!"
Suddenly, a flash of malice appeared in Shiki's eyes. He abruptly retreated, his left sword, "Sakura Ju," flying out of his hand!
"Lion's Roar: Blizzard Slash!"
Roger's pupils contracted as he swiftly dodged. The blade grazed his cheek, leaving a trail of blood.
"Got you!" Shiki sneered, thrusting his right sword straight at Roger's chest.
At the last possible moment, Roger's blade suddenly turned—
"CLANG!!!"
Shiki's eyes widened. His killing blow had been blocked by Roger's sword hilt!
"What?!"
"Kahahaha!" Roger laughed. "You think I didn't see that coming?"
As he spoke, Roger's left fist, wrapped in pitch-black Armament Haki, slammed into Shiki's stomach!
"BANG!!!"
Shiki was sent flying like a cannonball, crashing through three wrecked ships before finally stopping. He knelt on one knee, blood trickling from the corner of his mouth.
"Damn it..." Shiki wiped the blood away, his eyes burning with furious rage. "Roger!!!"
He leaped into the air again, but this time, his blades weren't wrapped in ordinary Haki—they were coated with the pinnacle of Conqueror's Haki!
"Die! Lion's Twin Heavens: Thousand Ravines!!!"
Roger's gaze sharpened as he also wrapped his blade in Conqueror's Haki. "Bring it on! Divine Departure: Conqueror's Clash!!!"
At that critical moment, the sea suddenly churned violently. A hundred-meter-high super tsunami rose out of nowhere, forcibly separating the two!
Rhett, who had just regained some strength and was about to join the fight, saw—
(Internally moved): Tsunami, I've been waiting for you!
Even with Rhett joining the fight, it wasn't easy. While they hadn't lost, the Oro Jackson's exterior had sustained severe damage. Water was already seeping into the lower decks—so much that Rhett was struggling to keep it under control.
If it weren't for this natural disaster, this might've been the closest Shiki ever came to truly defeating the Roger Pirates. (Note: Defeating the Roger Pirates, not Roger himself.)
"What?!" Shiki stared in shock at the sudden chasm.
An eerie silence fell between the sea and sky.
Roger retreated to the ship's bow, his eyes narrowing beneath his straw hat. His years of seafaring instincts made every hair on his body stand on end.
Almost simultaneously, the calm sea suddenly bulged with a massive water dome. The seawater was being pulled by some invisible force, rapidly converging toward the center.
"Ooo—!" Laboon let out a warning cry, instinctively shrinking his body to shield Shanks and Buggy.
Laboon rocks! (Roar)
Shiki floated in the air, his golden hair blowing without wind. He stared intently at the forming super tsunami, his facial muscles twitching unnervingly.
"Captain Shiki!" his first mate shouted from the wrecked flagship. "We need to retreat!"
Shiki ignored him. Victory was within reach—how could he give up now?
His gaze pierced through the forming tsunami, locking onto the Oro Jackson.
"Roger..." His voice was terrifyingly hoarse. "Don't mess with me!!!"
The sea began to tilt violently. The water was pulled by the hurricane, and the raging whirlwind swept everything in its path.
The Oro Jackson was already climbing the water wall.
But the ship remained remarkably steady. Rhett marveled, "Is this what it means to be the chosen one?"
Rayleigh clung tightly to the ship's railings, his glasses reflecting the approaching wave crest. "It's coming!"
"Rhett! I'm counting on you!" Roger suddenly shouted.
Rhett, who had been slumped on the deck, snapped his eyes open. He bit his tongue, forcing out the last bit of his energy.
Even if he recovered fast, he couldn't keep using it like this.
Crimson mist seeped from every pore of his body. Rhett utilized the lingering blood mist, forming a massive blood-red sail at the ship's stern.
Rhett struggled to speak. "I told you, this ship would capsize without me."
"Blood Mist: Tsunami Wings!"
"BOOM—!"
The super tsunami finally fully formed.
With the blood-red sail's boost, the Oro Jackson surged up the water wall. The ship groaned under the strain, but its keel held firm.
The Adam Wood's shining moment.
Shiki finally moved. He charged madly toward the ascending Oro Jackson, his twin swords wrapped in the last of his Haki.
"Don't you dare run, Roger!"
"Sayonara, Shiki."
Roger, Rayleigh, and Gaban combined their strength, sending Shiki flying.
The Supreme Grade Oars accurately pierced the top of Shiki's head.
Classic Shiki fashion.
"Sorry, Shiki." Rhett weakly smiled. "This time... we won..."
Rhett admired the original Roger Pirates even more. Escaping this? Impressive (censored).
"No—!!!"
In a hoarse roar, Shiki was flung backward.
The next second, the tsunami roared, completely separating the two groups.
The Oro Jackson, propelled by the tsunami's force, landed steadily on the distant sea.
Behind them raged the super tsunami; ahead lay the boundless free sea.
It divided the ocean into two distinct halves.
This weather wasn't even trying to hide its bias.
Laboon cautiously nudged the unconscious Rhett with his fin, letting out a worried hum.
Crocus examined Rhett—just exhaustion, nothing serious.
Roger took off his straw hat and gently placed it over Rhett's face. He turned to his worried crew and suddenly grinned:
"Kahahaha! Let's have a feast!"
The gears of fate continued to turn silently. Damn, don't underestimate the bond between Roger and Shiki.