Roger wasn't affected at all by Sakazuki's mockery.
The longsword in his hand spun, coated with Conqueror's Haki, and he swung it down in a solid slash.
The condensed sword energy shot out like a streak of light.
It rushed straight toward Sakazuki.
Sakazuki's eyes narrowed, and both his arms were instantly coated in Haki.
He raised his left arm to block the sword energy diagonally.
His right hand clenched into a fist, and his elbow unleashed a massive shockwave.
It smashed into his left hand with great force.
The powerful impact blasted the black sword energy away.
It shot off to the side and crashed into the forest.
A mushroom cloud rose into the air.
Followed by a roaring gust of wind and a wave of heat.
The dense black smoke covering the town was swept away.
The moment the black smoke vanished—
Both men disappeared from where they stood, reappearing somewhere else.
Their bodies collided for an instant, then vanished again.
The spot where they had just clashed exploded as if a bomb had been buried beneath it.
Debris and magma burst skyward.
The sounds of metal clashing rang out continuously, while afterimages of their battles kept flickering in and out of view.
Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! ...
Countless magma pillars erupted from the ground.
The two figures appeared again, and a flash of cruelty passed through Sakazuki's eyes.
Sparks flew as his pitch-black left hand firmly grabbed Roger's longsword.
His right hand rose, coated in Armament Haki like a sharp blade.
He thrust it toward Roger's heart.
But Roger's left hand, also covered in Haki, grabbed Sakazuki's wrist directly.
The sound of bones fracturing rang out, but Sakazuki showed no concern.
He turned his right hand from a palm into a claw and likewise gripped Roger's wrist.
Then, his right leg, coated in Armament Haki, kicked toward Roger's knee.
Roger also blocked with Haki, and the two locked in a stalemate.
At that moment, magma vents formed on Sakazuki's back—six in total.
Endless magma and explosive force erupted, as if rocket boosters had been mounted on his back.
They blasted the two, still locked together, toward the coast.
Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! ...
No one knew how many boulders and trees they smashed through. The scorching aura pouring off Sakazuki's body surged with a manic intensity.
His body glowed with crimson light as he held tightly onto Roger.
That searing heat triggered a sharp alarm in Roger's instincts, and he saw the madness in Sakazuki's eyes.
Roger's pupils shrank sharply.
A massive mushroom cloud of lava erupted into the sky.
Thick smoke and scalding lava instantly engulfed the entire beach.
Lava surged out endlessly, spreading in all directions.
In mere moments, it devoured everything within sight.
At the center of the explosion—
The immense impact cracked the earth like an earthquake.
The entire island trembled violently.
Fierce heat waves swept outward, dragging dense black smoke and molten lava with them.
Like a volcanic mudslide, it swallowed everything in its path.
The beach at the blast center had completely vanished.
In its place was a colossal lava crater over a thousand meters wide and a hundred meters deep.
At the bottom of the pit, the two men stood facing each other.
Magma oozed from every part of Sakazuki's body. Whether it was blood or just molten rock, no one could tell.
His magma-formed body was covered in cracks that refused to heal.
Roger was still standing upright, but under such a terrifying explosion—
Even with Armament Haki, he couldn't emerge unscathed. His body was covered in countless dense wounds.
Half of his coat had been burned away.
Under the extreme heat, no blood could be seen—it had all evaporated.
Roger no longer wore his usual grin.
He glared grimly at Sakazuki.
"Do you have a death wish?"
Sakazuki looked at Roger indifferently.
A crater several meters wide formed beneath their feet.
Their afterimages streaked across the air as twin shockwaves clashed in the middle.
The collision sent hurricane-like blades of wind slicing outward, shredding everything around them.
Moments later, a figure was flung backward through the air.
Roger's form appeared right after, chasing swiftly.
He stomped toward the airborne Sakazuki.
Sakazuki, coated in Armament Haki, raised his arm to block.
The massive force slammed Sakazuki into the ground.
Up above, Roger gripped his blade in both hands. His Haki condensed into a tangible form as he slashed down.
Sakazuki didn't hesitate. He rolled to the side.
Roger's longsword smashed into the ground, splitting it apart and sending lava flying in all directions.
Sakazuki seized the moment to activate his ability.
He formed a giant armored arm that enveloped his right arm.
A massive nozzle formed at the shoulder, with Armament Haki flowing across it.
He aimed it at Roger.
With a roar, violent magma blasted out from the back of the arm cannon.
A deep crimson afterimage shot through the air.
Roger extended his left hand and grabbed the cannon, holding it for a moment.
Then, he was hurled by the force, crashing into the lava at the bottom of the crater.
As he slammed into the rock wall, Roger revealed a savage grin.
He gripped Sakazuki's right arm with his left hand.
His right hand, holding the longsword, surged with Haki and slashed down viciously.
There was no time to dodge. Sakazuki's Armament Haki blocked for an instant.
Then he used Seimei Kikan, causing the bones in his shoulder to bulge outward.
He caught the sword—already buried a few inches into his neck—between his shoulder and head.
Expressionless, he muttered:
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