Leaving Raftel

Raftel.

"Don't take anything! That's Captain Roger's treasure, it's all mine!"

After Roger disappeared, Buggy seemed to suddenly realize something, and adhering to the principle that whoever gets it keeps it, he rushed to Nami's side and frantically dug at the ground.

"You bastard! You're despicable!"

Seeing this, Nami was not to be outdone and sped up her work.

"These two money-grubbers have really hit it off."

Zoro slapped his forehead in exasperation.

The two dug frantically, as if they were competing with each other, and no one else came forward to interfere.

"Hey~ So you're the man known as the new era's Rocks? Tell me, what makes you think you can be compared to that man!"

"Strength? How about a spar with me?"

At this moment, a new face emerged from the crowd among the Straw Hat Pirates. Although his eyes were covered with something resembling bandages, his provocative intent could still be felt through the bandages.

At the same time, his height of only about three meters was trembling slightly, as if he was about to burst with uncontrollable bulging.

"Rocky, don't cause trouble. This is underwater. The other party is the World's Strongest Man. Besides, we are not enemies."

Sanji frowned, then reached out to block him, preventing him from getting himself into trouble.

"Tch~"

Rocky gritted his teeth and decided to temporarily heed his advice, intending to return to the surface of the sea to launch another challenge.

Rocks was his idol, and he didn't want anyone to be called "the new Rocks" until he had personally experienced the power of the guy in front of him.

Even Whitebeard, the World's Strongest Man, and Pirate King Roger, were never feared like Rocks was.

If there really is such a person, it can only be yourself!

"First, I never intended to become anyone; second, in my opinion, Rocks was nothing special and there was no need to idolize him."

"Also, if you want to challenge me, feel free to do it now. It won't take much time and you won't cause any trouble."

Cifer met his gaze, his eyes filled with disdain, like pouring hot oil onto a fire.

"Huh? You all heard that... I'm going to show this guy what true power is and teach him a lesson in how to talk!"

Rocky could no longer hold back. He pushed away Zoro's hand that was blocking his way, and at the same time, he used his power to suppress his shrinking body and began to grow rapidly.

In the blink of an eye, Rocky, who was originally only three meters tall and looked at Cifer at Cifer level, had regained his giant body, and the giant hammer "Iron Thunder Ragnir" in his hand had also grown to a handy size.

In his eyes, Cifer was as insignificant as an ant that could be easily crushed.

"Grit your teeth and bear it!"

Beneath the sea, Rocky couldn't summon the heavenly lightning, but the Iron Thunder, wrapped in Two Types of Haki, slammed towards Cifer like a hurricane.

"Get out of the way!"

The companions on both sides tacitly made way for each other to avoid getting involved.

"Bang!"

The instant Cifer blinked, black Spiritual Pressure enveloped his entire body. When he opened his eyes again, his dark green pupils became even deeper, and black wings, like those of a demon, unfurled.

Then, he simply raised his left hand and effortlessly blocked the terrifying blow.

Upon closer inspection, one would notice that Iron Thunder did not even touch the back of his hand; it was as if he had struck an invisible wall.

"Haven't you eaten?"

Cifer stood firm against Iron Thunder, his face expressionless, yet Loki's massive hammer remained unmoved despite Rocky's best efforts.

"Are you kidding me... I'm not the same person I was back then!"

Rocky gripped Iron Thunder with both hands, his arms bulging with veins that were almost larger than those of Cifer's men, yet he made no progress in the struggle.

In his mind, the scene of being crushed when he challenged Rocks as a child decades ago could not help but flash through his mind.

"You are indeed strong, but I am much more than that!"

Black, ribbon-like clouds of flame rose from Rocky's body, and he then wielded his Iron Thunder, launching a frenzied attack. The resulting gale even caused the entire island to shake.

Yet, even such terrifying attacks were repeatedly blocked by Cifer with just one hand, making it impossible for him to break through the defense.

"Today I'll show you what it means to have someone above you."

"Hadō #90: Black Coffin".

Cifer had no intention of getting entangled with such an arrogant person, nor did he plan to wait for him to display all his abilities.

In the blink of an eye, a black energy substance exuding a strong aura of destruction extended from the west, enveloping the two of them before closing in, like a coffin being sealed.

"The Cifer really doesn't hold back!"

Looking at the enormous black building, Luffy touched his hat and couldn't help but swallow hard.

He had personally experienced the power of this attack, but he never expected that his opponent would use it as the first move.

"After all, that guy is too arrogant. It's good to teach him a lesson."

Zoro thought this was a good thing, so that he wouldn't have to keep wearing that arrogant, self-important face on the ship.

"Bang!"

As the Black Chamber dispersed, Rocky was covered in wounds, kneeling on the ground, panting heavily, unable to even maintain the flames around his body.

"I'm not playing anymore, it's pointless."

Seeing that the other person's clothes were not even dirty, Rocky felt extremely defeated and simply collapsed to the ground, not moving at all.

Anyway, his companion said they weren't enemies, and the previous exchange had made him realize the difference in strength, so there was no need to make things difficult for himself.

"It's a good thing to be able to see the gap clearly."

As he spoke, Cifer released his Resurrección.

"Hey, Cifer, what are you planning to do? I remember you said you were going to fight the World Government!"

At this moment, Luffy, contrary to his usual behavior, stood properly in front of Cifer and looked up at him.

Although he didn't quite understand what Joy Boy was saying, he knew that Cifer must have.

"What, are you already so eager to become a member of the New Marines?"

Before Cifer could even speak, Lucci couldn't help but tease him, saying that what kind of "Sun God" was he, who could only obediently bow his head before Las Noches?

"I just wanted to try to fulfill another wish, and that person said that we need to gather all our strength to win."

For Luffy didn't argue. He had lost, so he would keep his promise.

This is not a constraint, but a means to achieve inner freedom.

"Now that we know Im's weakness, we should immediately gather our forces to destroy her, as well as all the forces belonging to the World Government."

"The time is almost right. Your father sent people to intercept the supply of various resources to Mary Geoise, and with my forces also secretly obstructing it, they will probably be driven to desperation soon."

After a moment's thought, Cifer gave his answer.

For others, the information obtained here is far from enough; there is still much to be prepared.

But for him, that was enough, so there was no need to wait any longer; he should resolve the trouble as soon as possible.

"Take us with you! I want to do something too."

"Although we don't need you, it's your own business whether you want to help or not. Just don't hold us back."

The conversation between the two captains ended there, and they went their separate ways.