Mary Geoise—inside a vast castle.
One of the elders stood by the window, seemingly gazing outside, but in truth, he was deep in thought.
Two others sat on the sofa in silence.
Of the remaining two, one held a Den Den Mushi, lost in contemplation, while the other paced back and forth.
"It's too late… it's already too late…"
The bald elder muttered as he walked.
"Even if the Marines rush there at full speed, by the time they arrive… everything will have already changed," one of the elders on the sofa said quietly.
"You're drawing conclusions too early," the swordsman elder said. "What if Is and the others manage to hold out until Marine reinforcements arrive?"
At those words, the other four all shook their heads.
"Don't try to comfort yourself. The enemy is the Roger Pirates. Based on the Marines' reports, that crew will one day rival the Rocks Pirates."
As soon as those words fell, the bald elder reacted strongly.
"Damn it… damn it! If I'd known this would happen, I would've sent more powerful Marines to escort him!"
"And that kid, Is… of all times to travel, he had to choose now! Just when a 'sensible' Celestial Dragon finally appears… in the end, he still couldn't escape fate."
"Complaining won't change anything," another elder said calmly. "Perhaps this is simply his fate."
"That's right. The Marine reinforcements… are our last hope."
Half an hour later—back on Is's side.
There was no doubt about it.
He had fallen into a bitter fight.
Since coming to this world, this was the first time he had truly felt the threat of death.
"Boom! Boom! Boom!"
Roger, like a ferocious beast, launched relentless attacks.
"Clang!"
Another collision between spear and blade.
Crack!
Is's spear shattered instantly.
In the next moment, it broke completely—but thanks to his quick reflexes, he barely managed to evade.
The ship behind him wasn't so lucky—it lost an entire section to Roger's strike.
After dodging, Is spread his paper wings and shot into the air.
He was about to counterattack—
—but out of the corner of his eye, he saw Madara still fighting rather leisurely in the distance.
"Madara, if you keep messing around, you'll be collecting my corpse later!"
The moment his words fell, a massive slash came flying toward him.
Is had no time to worry about Madara anymore—he quickly dodged.
But Roger showed no signs of letting up, continuing to swing his blade, sending wave after wave of slashes at him.
For nearly five minutes, Is did nothing but evade.
"Boom!"
An explosion rang out in the sky.
This time, Is failed to dodge.
He was struck by the slash and crashed back onto the ship.
"Ha… ha…"
He panted heavily.
The hit hadn't caused serious damage—just superficial wounds.
But while his injuries weren't severe, his stamina had been heavily drained, and his Haki had already entered a cooldown phase.
"Step… step… step…"
Roger walked toward him, speaking in a low voice:
"The difference in strength is clear… and yet you've managed to hold on this long. That's impressive."
"If you weren't a Celestial Dragon… I might've invited you to join my crew."
"Heh…"
Is let out a cold laugh.
"Of course, I don't really care about status. If you're willing, even a Celestial Dragon could become my companion."
Roger continued calmly,
"But if that happens… you won't be able to live as freely as before."
"You've got guts saying that, Roger. Do you really think that's possible?" Is shot back.
Roger laughed again, clearly having expected that answer.
"It's a shame… but this ends here."
"Crackle…"
Armament Haki once again coated Roger's blade.
But just as he took a step forward—
A voice came from the side.
"Are you sure you want to end it?"
Both Roger and Is turned instinctively.
There—
Madara stood, holding Scopper Gaban in one hand.
It was obvious—if Roger made a move, Gaban's head would hit the deck in the next instant.
"Gaban?!"
Roger's composure cracked.
To him, Gaban was just as important as Rayleigh.
"Roger… looks like we've evened things out."
"…."
The Haki coating on Roger's blade faded.
He sheathed his sword.
"Let's make a deal."
"This ends here."
"I'll take my people and leave. You take yours and leave."
"Deal."
Is didn't hesitate.
Continuing the fight would benefit no one.
His original goal had only been to excavate the system's treasure—Roger's appearance had been completely unexpected.
There was no reason to fight to the death here.
Madara glanced at Is.
Is gave a slight nod.
Given Roger's character, he wouldn't go back on his word.
Understanding his intent, Madara casually tossed Gaban forward.
Roger rushed to catch him.
"You're the most interesting Celestial Dragon I've ever met. I'll remember you… Is, was it?"
Is said nothing—silently acknowledging it.
"I am Gol D. Roger."
With that, Roger lifted Gaban and began to retreat.
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