The Roger Pirates' ship slowly approached the island.
Even from a considerable distance away, they could still feel the waves of shock and power erupting from the island, causing the surrounding air to tremble.
"Men... prepare to land!"
With one foot planted on the ship's railing, Roger shouted excitedly as the vessel drew close to shore.
The crew erupted into cheers as well.
In their eyes, this expedition would not only allow them to personally kill Bondi World, but also obtain the blueprints for the Pluton Battleship.
With those blueprints, they would possess the qualifications to rule the world.
"C-Captain Roger..."
Just as everyone was eagerly preparing to disembark, Scopper Gaban's expression suddenly became tense.
A bead of cold sweat even appeared on his forehead.
"What is it?"
Roger immediately noticed something unusual and turned to ask.
"Look over there."
Gaban took a deep breath and pointed toward the Marine warship.
Following Gaban's gesture, Roger shifted his gaze toward the vessel.
The moment he saw the two figures aboard, his brows immediately furrowed.
Rayleigh followed Roger's line of sight.
In the next instant, it felt as though a bucket of ice water had been dumped over his head.
A chill ran through his entire body.
"Damn it! That's Is's ship!"
Roger cursed.
They had assumed it was a Marine vessel.
Who would have thought it actually belonged to Is?
They had believed Is wasn't present, only to discover that he had already arrived and was battling the pirates on the island.
All of their excitement had been for nothing.
Before reaching the island, they had already prepared themselves for casualties and had steeled their resolve to face Is.
Then, as they neared their destination and failed to spot him, they thought he wasn't here.
A sense of relief had washed over them.
Without Is, their losses would be far lower.
For a moment, they had seen hope.
But now that the ship had finally reached the island...
That hope had been completely crushed.
This wasn't a vessel carrying the Marines' main force.
It was Is's ship.
The people aboard were Is's subordinates.
Just when they thought they had escaped despair, reality dragged them right back into it.
"Is... is really here?"
Merely hearing Is's name caused many members of the Roger Pirates to suck in a cold breath.
"Roger Pirates, huh?"
Yoriichi Tsugikuni, who had been reclining in a chair while drinking fruit juice, also noticed Roger and the others aboard the approaching ship.
However, he paid them little attention.
"Roger Pirates?"
Acnologia had just rolled over to continue sleeping when he caught sight of Roger's ship.
Immediately, he sat upright.
"Since they're here, they can help me stretch my muscles."
A smile appeared on Acnologia's face as he stood and looked toward the Roger Pirates.
"Wait, Acnologia."
Seeing that Acnologia intended to attack, Yoriichi quickly stood up and stopped him.
"What is it, Yoriichi?"
Acnologia asked in confusion.
"Is's orders were for us to protect Rem and Ram."
"Attacking the Roger Pirates isn't part of our mission."
Yoriichi patiently reminded him.
He knew Acnologia's hands were itching for a fight.
But protecting Rem and Ram was the task Is had personally entrusted to them.
"Fine."
Acnologia nodded helplessly and lay back down in his chair.
He had no intention of disobeying Is's orders.
Remaining on the ship and properly protecting Rem and Ram was his responsibility right now.
Seeing Acnologia lie back down, the members of the Roger Pirates exchanged puzzled glances.
They had no idea what had just happened.
...
"Let's land first. It looks like those two don't intend to participate in this battle."
After watching the pair aboard the warship for a moment, Roger spoke in a serious tone.
The fact that Is was here couldn't be changed.
Since they had already resolved themselves to face him, there was no point hesitating now.
Yet many members of the Roger Pirates were beginning to waver.
They looked at one another nervously, reluctant to step onto the island.
"It's only Is. Why are you all so afraid?"
Gaban said, forcing himself to sound calm.
"We've come this far. Are you really thinking about backing out now?"
Rayleigh swept his gaze across the crew and questioned them sternly.
"Captain, based on my judgment, Bondi World is definitely going to die this time."
"How about we just go back?"
One crew member spoke with visible fear.
"What kind of joke is that?"
"Has a single Is really scared all of you this badly?"
Gaban snapped coldly.
"If you don't want to land, then stay on the ship."
"After this battle is over... leave the crew yourself."
Roger let out a disappointed sigh.
This truly was Is's era.
There wasn't a pirate alive who didn't feel nervous when facing him.
Even Roger himself had no desire to confront Is.
But he had no choice.
He had to personally kill Bondi World and avenge Tom.
That was his determination.
Even against a monster like Is, his resolve would not waver.
After speaking, Roger leaped into the air and landed on the island.
Rayleigh and Gaban followed immediately without the slightest hesitation.
The remaining crew members exchanged uncertain looks.
In the end, more than half of the pirates chose to follow Roger onto the island.
The rest remained aboard the ship.
Once the battle was over, they intended to leave the Roger Pirates for good.
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