When Buggy thought about how he and Shanks... well, mainly himself... had almost been killed by that sinister Marine, his teeth itched with anger and cold sweat poured down his back.
Other Marines always targeted their captains. What did the Roger Pirates have to do with him, Buggy?
Look at Garp — for ten years, he only went after Roger, never bothering the rest of the crew. The rest of them could just stand aside and watch the show.
But that insidious Marine, after failing to beat Roger, actually had the nerve to go after him and Shanks, two mere apprentices!
What kind of Marine does that!?
Even pirates have to follow some kind of code!
And now, finally, a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity had arrived — to kill that Marine once and for all!
Fish-Man Island was isolated, buried 10,000 meters beneath the deep sea. Even if that Marine had rare flight abilities, so what?
He was still a Devil Fruit user — cursed by the sea, with no real way to escape this place.
As long as all the Roger Pirates charged together, they could absolutely kill him before Marine reinforcements arrived. Follow current novᴇls on novel※fire.net
However, when Buggy shouted, the others in the crew remained unmoved, looking at him like, "You want to go? Go ahead."
Rayleigh smiled bitterly, patted Buggy's shoulder, but said nothing.
Roger was completely lost in the fight now, blood boiling — nobody could stop him.
Those who were weak would be crushed just trying to survive between those two monsters,
and those strong enough to interfere knew better than to get involved.
Rayleigh and the others understood Roger's personality too well — once he got serious, nothing and no one could pull him back.
Even if they tried to help, Roger himself would be the first to object.
Exchanging a glance, Rayleigh and Gaban could only sigh helplessly.
This battle wouldn't be decided easily.
Although Roger, with his strength at the very peak of the seas, could suppress Daren, the Marine brat's physique was simply too monstrous.
He had trained an "Indestructible Body," which could reduce most of the damage even from Armament Haki's Internal Destruction attacks, not to mention the added defense of his "Devil Form."
With the combination and amplification of both, that Marine brat's raw physical toughness might already surpass Big Mom's "iron balloon" body — and maybe even Kaidou's.
The only area where he might fall slightly short compared to Kaidou was in recovery ability.
After all, Kaidou, the "strongest creature on land, sea, and air," was a Zoan-type user with monstrous durability and regeneration, whereas Daren was a Paramecia-type.
Even so, it would be nearly impossible for Roger to finish Daren quickly.
Rayleigh suddenly realized something...
Why was Daren here on Fish-Man Island?
And with his past behavior — so cunning, so decisive, so cautious — how could he dare to attack the Roger Pirates alone?
Rayleigh's brow furrowed deeply.
A heavy sense of unease welled up inside him.
Fish-Man Island sat at the throat of the New World, 10,000 meters under the Red Line.
Surrounded by the crushing depths, it was paradise for Fish-Men, but a deathtrap for humans.
Buggy's words weren't wrong.
Fish-Man Island was indeed a perfect place... to trap an enemy.
But that enemy didn't have to be Daren.
It could just as easily be them — the Roger Pirates.
Rayleigh's eyes widened, his heart pounding.
Fish-Man Island wasn't far from Marine G1 Branch or even Marine Headquarters.
Reinforcements could reach them within a few hours.
And with Daren's deep scheming... who knew how many forces he had already stationed nearby?
What if —instead of them killing Daren, it was Daren who was stalling them?
By then, once the main Marine forces arrived and locked down Fish-Man Island, Roger's crew would have no way out!
Rayleigh narrowed his eyes, staring at the Vice Admiral who was repeatedly cut down by Roger yet kept laughing maniacally, charging forward again and again.
The feeling of unease in his chest grew heavier by the second.
That brat was deliberately using Roger's combative nature against him, dragging him into a one-on-one fight, even willing to suffer heavy injuries just to buy time!
He was waiting for reinforcements from Marine Headquarters!
Otherwise, why would he grin so wildly, the more injured he became?
If he just wanted a good fight, why not go after someone else?
Whitebeard, Kaidou, Big Mom... all were excellent targets.
Why pick them — Roger's Pirates?
They had almost fallen right into his trap!
The more Rayleigh thought about it, the more wrong it felt — his palms were already starting to sweat.
"Everyone, get ready. We're retreating."
Rayleigh suddenly spoke in a cold, sharp tone.
As soon as the words left his mouth...
"I'll go prepare the ship," Gaban said, his expression tightening. He immediately understood Rayleigh's intention.
Without the slightest hesitation, he turned and sprinted toward the inner harbor of Fish-Man Island, disappearing from sight after a few quick steps.
They had gotten the information they needed — there was no reason to stay any longer.
Seeing Rayleigh and Gaban's reaction, the others quickly caught on and began packing up without a second thought.
Only Buggy stood there, confused, anxiously blurting out,
"Retreat? But we clearly have the advantage!"
Shanks grabbed Buggy's red nose, gritting his teeth in frustration.
"Wake up! Why do you think Daren's attacking us so recklessly? The Marine Headquarters fleet might already be on its way!"
Buggy froze for a second, then immediately took off running after Gaban, his legs spinning like windmill blades.
"Gaban-san, wait for me!"
Just as the Roger Pirates were feeling restless, a sudden, overwhelming aura surged from the distance, causing the ground to tremble beneath their feet!
Rayleigh and the others all turned their heads in disbelief.
On the torn and barren ground...
The blood-soaked Vice Admiral of the Marines slowly rose from a massive crater, blood streaming from his arms.
The blood covering his face made his already fierce and handsome features look even more savage.
An uncontrollable wave of aura erupted from his body, and faint strands of black and red lightning seemed to flicker and crackle through the air.
Under the horrified gazes of the countless soldiers of Ryugu Castle—
Cracks began to spread inch by inch across the ground, the walls of nearby buildings, and the surfaces of coral reefs, creeping outward as the earth itself seemed to groan under the sheer pressure.
"His Conqueror's Haki... it's affecting matter!"
Shanks swallowed hard, his face turning pale, and muttered under his breath.
Conqueror's Haki: 80.715 (Affects Matter)!
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