An Incredibly Tough Wooden Cage!

In the New World, on Potemado Island, it seems a great battle has just taken place. The wreckage of two headquarters-class warships is partially exposed on the sea, with large amounts of supplies and the corpses of marines bobbing in the waves.

"Although I didn't have high expectations to begin with, it's still a bit of a disappointment to find that there really isn't anything here!" Rayleigh, holding a long sword, sighed as he looked at the wrecked sea on the beach.

"Haha, isn't this the fun of searching!"

Roger, grabbing the naval officer's collar, turned and burst into laughter, "If it's too easy to find, I'd think the Laugh Tale isn't so bad after all!"

After saying that, he casually released the unconscious navy officer, letting him fall onto the white sand.

Eight-year-old Shanks wore a red captain's hat that was a little too big for him.

While perched on a marine's back, chewing on a bag of chocolates, he stammered, "Captain, what are we looking for?"

"Idiot Shanks!"

Before the adults around them could speak, Buggy, who was standing on the top of the island rock with binoculars and looking at something, started to laugh.

"What else could we pirates be looking for? It's definitely treasure!"

"And the captain and his crew must be looking for a huge treasure, a super huge treasure!" At this, eight-year-old Buggy's eyes lit up; his love for treasure seemed to be innate.

Shanks wanted to retort, but Roger laughed loudly, "A treasure? You could call it that!"

He didn't say what it was, Shanks and Buggy were still too young. Just then, Gaban navigator on the ship, came over.

"Roger, something very interesting is happening in Sabaody right now, would you like to take a look?"

Gaban held a small Image Den Den Mushi in his palm. Roger laughed, "Alright, since we're resting here anyway, let's just say we've got some fun for everyone."

He didn't care at all whether more warships would come.

The surrounding crew members curiously gathered around, and Buggy, who was on top, nimbly jumped down and then hopped and skipped over the marines scattered on the ground to Shanks' side.

Soon, as the light screen was projected by the Den Den Mushi, the scene of Vidal and Moria's fierce battle in the Sea of Trees appeared before the entire Roger Pirates.

[Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!]

The first thing they saw was the two engaging in a close-quarters battle in the sea of trees.

The fist and sword clashes that seemed incredibly awe-inspiring to millions did not elicit much surprise from the Roger Pirates crew.

It's not that everyone here is stronger than Moria and Vidal, but rather that they've witnessed far too many top-tier battles.

Compared to the scenes of splitting the sea and cleaving the sky with a single stroke, the visuals are utterly insignificant.

"I never expected that the Navy would produce such a talented brat." 'Pluton' Rayleigh immediately recognized that Vidal's Armament Haki had reached the level of Emission projection.

This is no easy feat; even on their ship, there are fewer than ten people who have reached this level.

Of course, this doesn't mean that Vidal is so strong that he's on par with them.

One has only recently broken through to the Emission, while the other has been around for several years or even more than a decade. There is a huge gap between the two in terms of quality and reserves.

But this is enough to prove just how terrifying Vidal's talent is.

"Indeed, if this kid can grow up smoothly, he'll probably become a top-tier fighter in the future," Gaban said with a smile, wiping his sunglasses.

They've been searching for the Poneglyphs in the New World these days, so they don't yet know that Vidal is a disciple of Sengoku.

After all, this was not a matter of great concern to Roger Pirates.

"They're so strong. I wonder when I'll be as strong as them," Shanks muttered to himself enviously.

"Hmph, it won't be long before I leave them far behind!" Buggy boasted, tilting his chin up, which made the surrounding crew laugh, some even teasing Buggy.

"Hey! Who told me I have Red Nose!"

"Step forward!"

"I challenge you to a duel!!"

Amidst the laughter and commotion, Roger quietly watched Vidal in battle, and suddenly realized that Vidal looked very much like himself.

A handsome face with sharp features, and thick, slightly curly black hair.

He looks like a younger version of himself without his signature mustache.

"Do you think that if I had a son, he would look a lot like this little navy kid?"

"Well"

Roger's thoughtless remark silenced the entire room, leaving only the sound of crashing waves and the sounds of intense fighting from the video feed.

Rayleigh looked Vidal and Roger up and down, stroking his chin and chuckling, "They really do look somewhat alike."

"Roger, you wouldn't happen to have a son back home before you went to sea, and now that son has joined the navy?"

He was quite certain that Roger hadn't touched any women since they went to sea, so he played along with Roger's joke.

"What!!"

But Rayleigh seemed to have overestimated the intelligence of everyone except Gaban. They all seemed to take it seriously, staring at Roger in disbelief, then at Vidal in the picture, and the more they looked, the more he seemed to think he looked like him.

"Haha, wouldn't that be quite interesting?"

Roger, oblivious to the crew's expressions, was amused by Rayleigh's joke, but in his mind, he was thinking that if he really had a son, it would be nice for him to be in the Navy.

What he didn't know was that this matter would unknowingly become a seemingly ambiguous little mystery among the future Roger members. Some believed it, some didn't, but most were skeptical.

Outside Grove 53 of the Sabaody Archipelago, Antoine finally couldn't resist and stepped out of the base.

He hadn't originally planned to come so early. If Vidal won, he would let things take their course; if Vidal lost, he would then make his move.

This practice is entirely in accordance with naval regulations.

But there's one crucial condition: Vidal cannot die!

Normally, even if Vidal were dead, it wouldn't matter if he took action again; the navy loses countless soldiers every year.

But Vidal is different; he's Sengoku's disciple. If he just stands by and watches Vidal get killed, who can guarantee that Sengoku won't come after him in the future?

If it weren't for the wooden prison that covered the entire area, Antoine Vice Admiral wouldn't have been in such a hurry. But when he heard that the entire 53rd district had been sealed off by Vidal himself, he couldn't sit still any longer.

Antoine Vice Admiral inwardly cursing Vidal, thinking, "What a reckless brat!"

[Screeching sound]

A flash of light, and Antoine drew his longsword. He walked to the wooden cage at the edge of the stone bridge, sword in hand. Behind him, the navy men, including Gumir, Vincent, and Commodore Bevis, watched him nervously.

Is the Vice Admiral preparing to forcibly break through the blockade?

But wouldn't doing this displease Vidal?

Antoine didn't care about any of that; compared to Vidal's dissatisfaction, he was more worried about incurring Sengoku's wrath!

"Cut!!"

A bright blue-white slash burst forth from the blade, striking the thick wooden planks in the blink of an eye. But what happened next left Antoine completely dumbfounded.

The wooden strips did indeed crack under the onslaught of the blows, but the cracks spread too slowly.

So resilient?!

Moreover, he noticed that the cracks were actually healing themselves!

The repeated process of cracking and healing only stopped when the light from the strike dissipated, and in less than three breaths, the wood was restored to its original state.

"Am I... am I really getting old?"

Antoine Vice Admiral down in disbelief at his hand holding the knife, noticing it trembling.