"Kuhahaha!" Roger suddenly sheathed his sword. His eyes beneath the straw hat gleamed with mischief. "Kid, your swordsmanship is impressive, but..."
Rhett's pupils contracted sharply. The Roger in front of him suddenly twisted. It was an afterimage left behind by extreme speed.
"THUD!"
The real Ace sword struck from behind, slamming heavily onto Rhett's shoulder. Blood sprayed. Rhett stumbled forward. He had to stab Black Tide into the ground to steady himself.
But Roger frowned. Something felt wrong.
Rhett wiped the blood from his mouth. Blood mist surged around him. "Looks like the captain has learned to play dirty too? How can you attack without warning like that?"
Roger moved at high speed. "I learned it from you, you little brat!"
"Illusion within illusion."
Rhett suddenly laughed softly. His laughter echoed in the blood mist. "Well then... time for me to get serious."
He slowly looked up. His eyes, blood-red, stared at Roger. It was as if he had never been wounded. His figure slowly faded. "Within an illusion hides another illusion..."
The blood dragon markings on the Black Tide Greatsword suddenly lit up. They moved along the blade. The blood mist around them began to twist and transform into countless afterimages of Rhett.
Roger's Observation Haki screamed warnings. But every afterimage radiated genuine killing intent. "Interesting!"
"Within the illusion is born another illusion..." All of the Rhetts spoke at once, their voices layered on top of each other. Dozens of blood dragon sword beams attacked from all directions.
"Canopy!" Roger's sword light formed an impenetrable web. But some blood dragons still broke through, leaving deep wounds on Roger's body.
"Within truth lies falsehood..." Rhett's real body suddenly appeared behind Roger. Black Tide thrust silently toward his back.
At the critical moment, Roger spun around. "Got you!" Ace and Black Tide collided, but Ace only cut through a mass of blood mist.
"Within falsehood hides truth." Rhett's voice came from above. The real Black Tide swung down with crushing force.
"BOOM—!"
Roger was slammed into the ground. Dust exploded everywhere. But the next moment, a sword beam cut through the mist. "Divine Punishment!"
This strike contained the ultimate use of Conqueror's Haki. It actually split the blood mist illusion open. Rhett grunted. Blood began to flow from his left eye.
"Kuhahaha!" Roger leaped out of the crater. He was covered in wounds, but his fighting spirit burned even brighter. "What do you call that move?"
Rhett wiped the blood from his eye. "Mist God Style: Six Paths Reincarnation."
"Great name!" Roger laughed and raised Ace. "One final strike!"
"Agreed!"
They leaped at the same time. Black Tide and Ace collided in mid-air.
"Mist God Style: Blood Prison Dragon Emperor!"
"God Slayer!"
The blood dragon and the sword beam intertwined. The terrifying shockwave flattened the entire canyon. When the dust cleared, they stood back to back.
"Crack."
Rhett's mask shattered completely. Roger's straw hat finally gave way. A large hole tore through it.
"A draw?" Roger turned. A familiar smile hung on his lips.
Rhett looked at the Black Tide Greatsword in his hand. Cracks had appeared on the blade. He chuckled. "I win, Captain."
Roger felt the tip of Black Tide against his neck from behind. The Rhett in front of him slowly crumbled into blood mist.
Rhett let the "Phantom World" dissolve.
He had used this technique so many times. But this was the first time he felt how much it drained him.
"Kuhahahaha! I was fooled! Kuhahaha! Rhett, you've grown up."
"Kuhahaha!" Roger laughed and patted Rhett on the shoulder. "You little brat, now you're even tricking your captain?" He reached out and ruffled Rhett's hair wildly.
"Hey, hey, Captain, what are you doing? Don't you know to respect your elders?"
Rhett struggled to push Roger away. "At your current age, you should be calling me big brother, you bastard captain!!"
"Huh? What did you say?" Roger picked his nose, pretending to be clueless.
"You bastard captain!!!"
"Kuhahaha! Come on, let's drink!" Roger put his arm around Rhett's shoulder. "This time, I want to hear stories about the future!"
Rhett sheathed Black Tide. The red in his eyes slowly faded. "Captain, some things... are better left unknown."
The night wind carried fragments of the straw hat between them. Roger's smile slowly faded. He looked at the scars on Rhett's face, wounds that didn't belong to this era. "It's been hard, hasn't it?"
Those three simple words made Rhett's fingers tremble slightly. He turned his face away. The blood mist swirled around him uneasily. "Not really."
Roger suddenly put his arm around Rhett's neck again. His grip was surprisingly strong. "Kuhahaha! If you don't want to talk about it, that's fine! Come on, let's go drink! Rayleigh and the others will be wondering where we are!"
"Captain..." Rhett was helplessly dragged along. "I have to go back."
"So soon?" Roger let go. His eyes beneath the straw hat sparkled with mischief. "At least tell me... was I a good captain in the future?"
Rhett looked at the man before him, full of energy and life. He remembered the figure in his memory, still laughing even on his sickbed. He nodded slightly. "The best."
Roger's smile widened. He turned and walked into the forest. "That's all I need to know! Remember this, kid. No matter what era you're in, the Oro Jackson will always be your home!"
Rhett: Say goodbye to your Oro Jackson! Hehehe!
"Wait." Rhett called after him. "Don't tell the others I was here. Especially..."
"Especially the younger version of you, right?" Roger waved without looking back. "Kuhahaha! Don't worry!"
Lady Toki walked out of the shadows, her eyes full of concern. "Are you ready to go?"
Rhett nodded. He looked one last time in the direction Roger had gone. Blood mist began to gather at their feet, forming a door through time. "We still have more important things to do."
"Rhett!" Roger's voice came from the forest. "We'll see each other again, won't we?"
Rhett didn't answer. He just raised his hand and waved. As the door of time closed completely, he seemed to hear the sounds of a banquet in the distance. And young Rhett's energetic voice.
"Captain! Where did you go? Everyone's been looking for you for days!"
"Whoa! Who could have cut you up like that?"
"Hey, don't just laugh! Tell me who did it! I can't beat them now, but I'll get revenge for you later!"