"Take down the Roger Pirates!!"
With deafening cries of fury, the Marines surged forward, ropes in hand, fearlessly scaling the sides of the Oro Jackson.
Several officers, having mastered the Rokushiki technique Geppo, led the charge by leaping through the air, stepping on the sky itself, providing cover for their comrades below.
Only the finest elites from Marine Headquarters were qualified to fight alongside Garp. Their strength was formidable—even by New World standards.
They knew all too well: under normal circumstances, the most efficient way to crush pirates with minimal casualties was to unleash overwhelming firepower and eliminate the enemy from a distance.
But against a crew like the Roger Pirates—with perfectly balanced combat strength—cannons were nearly useless.
If they wanted to take them down for real, they had to board!
Charge their ship with blood and steel and engage in brutal close-quarters combat!
More critically... in order to push their warships faster and keep up with Roger's crew, the Marines had already jettisoned all their heavy cannons into the sea!
"Repel them!! Don't let them board!"
Rayleigh's expression shifted slightly as he shouted.
Just as he was about to act, a sharp screech sliced through the air behind him.
A streak of crimson light flashed in his eyes—he whipped around and slashed.
A dazzling blade of light arced like a silver moon.
Several dark green wind blades were cleanly deflected, scattering into the sea and slicing through the water's surface like razors before the waves closed back in.
"Dark King Silvers Rayleigh! Keep your eyes forward!"
A violent gale tore down from above as a gloved "dragon claw" burst from the wind, slashing straight for Rayleigh's face!
Tiny wind blades spiraled around the three-fingered claw, their force so fierce they tore three long white gashes in the air itself.
A massive shockwave erupted, forcing the nearby Roger Pirates to fall back, raising their arms to shield themselves from the impact.
In the midst of the twisting storm, Dragon's figure emerged—though a flicker of surprise passed across his face.
An index finger, coated in jet-black Armament Haki, was firmly pressed against his Dragon Claw.
"Not bad, junior Marine." ᴛʜɪs ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀ ɪs ᴜᴘᴅᴀᴛᴇ ʙʏ NoveIꜰire.net
"Garp must be proud to have such a talented son," Rayleigh said coolly, swinging his sword down without hesitation.
Dragon cursed as his body dissolved into a gust of raging wind, dodging Rayleigh's strike.
His form kept shifting into wind itself—unpredictable and agile—twisting around Rayleigh from every angle, launching attacks from all directions.
In a straight fight, Dragon couldn't win. His current power still wasn't enough to take on Rayleigh, the Vice-Captain of the Roger Pirates—one of the most fearsome pirates on the seas.
But that didn't matter. All he needed to do was hold Rayleigh back, buy the Marines time to board. That was enough!
Rayleigh, surrounded by swirling gales, was forced on the defensive, blocking Dragon's flurry of attacks with his sword. His brows furrowed tighter—he instantly saw through Dragon's plan.
Crafty kid... using his head in battle? That's not like Garp at all.
"Gaban! It's yours! Get ready!" he barked.
"Already preparing!" came a deep, hoarse voice from outside the hurricane.
In less than ten seconds since Dragon made his move, over a dozen Marines had already boarded the Oro Jackson and clashed with its crew.
In an instant, the deck erupted in chaos—shouts of war, the clash of steel, and the roar of combat filled the air.
"Ha ha ha ha!! With me, men!!"
At the bow of the warship, Garp burst into laughter. His presence surged like a towering mountain, his eyes locked onto Roger, who stood on the bow of the Oro Jackson.
Their battle-hardened gazes met across the gap between ships, clashing like lightning in the void.
In that moment, there was no one else. Only the two of them existed.
"Vice Admiral Garp, I believe our top priority should be to sink Roger's ship. That would give us the upper hand," Daren said quietly, narrowing his eyes as he assessed the battlefield.
From his vantage point, Garp's ship had already locked onto the Oro Jackson. More and more Marines were boarding, and fierce fighting had broken out across the deck.
"Leave that to you. You can command this warship too."
"I finally cornered that bastard Roger... This time, I'm going all out!"
Garp laughed heartily and, without another word, stomped down on the ship's bow—cracking it underfoot—before blasting into the air like a cannonball toward Roger.
Several veins popped on Daren's forehead.
What a reckless brute!
He couldn't help but curse inwardly.
But in the very next moment, the entire sea trembled.
With twin roars, two powerful figures—one in red, the other in white—leapt into the sky.
Thunder rolled across the dark heavens like a thousand electric serpents. Blinding flashes lit up the sky, and for an instant, the world turned to daylight.
Daren's heart pounded, his pupils narrowing.
Two immense and opposing auras surged skyward, colliding head-on.
The churning sea, the torrential downpour, the darkened world—
Everything slowed. Marines and pirates alike froze, their breaths caught.
Instinctively, they looked up—eyes wide in awe.
The two unstoppable titans burst through the storm like enraged gods, unleashing their Conqueror's Haki without restraint.
Black and red lightning crackled around drawn blades. Black-purple thunder coiled around massive iron fists.
A blood-red captain's coat. A pure white cloak of justice. Both whipped violently in the storm.
The two bellowed in unison, their auras surging to the peak.
Their attacks—launched simultaneously—descended!
A fist came crashing down. A sword came slashing through.
A vortex of pure Haki exploded between them—an orb of violent energy visible to the naked eye. With both men's full strength behind it, it swelled and contracted repeatedly, like a breathing beast.
Black lightning lashed out like a cage, twisting and dancing madly around them.
"Roger!!" Garp roared with laughter.
"Garp!!" Roger's black hair flew wildly.
At that moment, the entire world seemed to shake.
The sky collapsed in layers. Clouds were obliterated by shockwaves.
Waves soared hundreds of meters high. Warships and pirate vessels tossed like paper boats in the storm, on the verge of capsizing.
Gion, Tokikake, and the surrounding Marines were all struck by the shockwaves of Haki. They dropped to one knee, teeth clenched, barely hanging on. Weaker ones collapsed entirely, eyes rolling back as they passed out.
At the bow of the ship, Daren gripped the mast with pale knuckles, his eyes locked on the sky above—afraid to miss a single detail. Deep within his gaze, flames of ambition and desire burned fiercely.
This was... a clash between the strongest in the world!
p@treon com / PinkSnake