Roger: I Have the Protagonist and Max Luck—What Makes You Think You Can Compete with Me, Shiki?!

Normally, it would have been absolutely impossible for the Roger Pirates to defeat Shiki's massive Flying Pirates fleet in the Ed War Sea Battle.

It was not merely a difference in numbers. As a pirate overlord, Shiki had quite a few formidable subordinates under his command. Otherwise, how could he have single-handedly suppressed ambitious figures like Kaido, Charlotte Linlin, Ochoku, and Silver Axe?

So whether in terms of combat manpower or elite quality, Shiki held the advantage. That was why he believed victory was his.

But Shiki really was unlucky. In the Ed War Sea Battle, he would have had every reason to win against any opponent he encountered—even the Marines, known as the rulers of the seas.

That was where his confidence came from. Yet among those possible opponents, the Roger Pirates were not included.

If one had to say why, it was probably because the Roger Pirates' fortune was simply too prosperous. Not only did they have Roger, the protagonist of an era who bore the destiny of ushering in the Great Pirate Era, but they also had the great Buggy, whose Conqueror's Haki luck was the strongest in all the seas!

If those two had not been together, Shiki might still have had a chance. But how could the protagonist possibly lose when paired with the luckiest man alive?

It was like twenty years later, when Luffy of the Straw Hats, the protagonist of the next era, would never have been strong enough to storm Impel Down and escape with a huge group of prisoners. Yet with the protagonist working alongside the great Buggy's max-luck aura, he practically turned on cheat mode and pulled it off!

So in a sense, the Ed War Sea Battle and the later great Impel Down riot might have been caused by the same underlying factor.

A protagonist plus the great Buggy—who could possibly endure that?

In this naval battle, Shiki had the honor of experiencing firsthand what happened when one opposed the protagonist and the great Buggy!

At first, everything had been going well. Just as Shiki had anticipated, his side had gained an overwhelming advantage. As long as they surrounded the Roger Pirates and prevented them from escaping the encirclement in this sea, victory would be within easy reach as time passed!

But just as Shiki was basking in triumph, fantasizing about how he would pluck the fruits of victory—and even wondering whether he should spare Roger's life to see if the man would still be so stubborn at the very end—an unexpected change occurred!

The New World's climate changed rapidly and extremely, but it was not truly without warning. As the user of the Float-Float Fruit, a top-tier Paramecia ability, Shiki naturally knew his own weakness well: he feared storms!

Once he was caught in a storm, his ability would be suppressed to the limit, and even his own personal strength could not be properly brought to bear. It felt like a Devil Fruit user falling into the sea. He would not suffocate, but within the storm, his body would become limp and powerless, like a ribbon swept up in violent winds!

That was why Shiki had recruited many outstanding meteorologists and navigators as safeguards, minimizing the chances of encountering storms while out at sea.

Before coming to the Ed War Sea to block Roger, Shiki's top meteorologists and navigators had conducted meticulous calculations, as well as extensive surveys and observations of the surrounding waters.

In the end, they had all reached the same conclusion: no major storm could possibly occur near the Ed War Sea for a very long time!

It was precisely because he had received that answer that Shiki had chosen to act with complete confidence.

But now, a terrifyingly powerful storm that had formed within mere seconds and blanketed the entire Ed War Sea suddenly descended upon the battlefield, leaving everyone utterly dumbfounded!

"Roger! This storm is too terrifying! If we stay here, we'll definitely be torn apart! We have to break through!" Jabba shouted through the torrential rain after knocking down one of his opponents with a swing of his axe.

Storms at sea were terrifying things. Even in Ortolan's previous life, in an era with far more advanced maritime technology, the horrifying disasters caused by a great storm could destroy every vessel within its range and even endanger major coastal cities.

Not to mention that this was the New World, and most of the ships here were still at the technological level of wooden sailing warships.

Even the Oro Jackson, despite being made from Adam Wood, could still hardly withstand the mighty power of nature!

Moreover, the intensity of this Ed War storm was one that the New World might only see once every ten, twenty, or even thirty years!

Roger, who had not feared Shiki in the slightest, now wore a panicked expression as he said, "Quick, quick! Our ship is faster! That bastard Shiki can barely look after himself now! As long as we run faster than them, we win! Hurry up and get out of here!"

Most of Shiki's ships operated by relying on his ability. Under normal circumstances, they came and went without a trace, elegant and unrestrained. But when they encountered a storm, they were in serious trouble and could not compare to the Roger Pirates' Oro Jackson at all!

Shiki braced himself against the howling wind with all his strength, standing beneath the mast as he watched the Oro Jackson sail away. His eyes were filled with unwillingness and fury!

"Roger!!!" Shiki roared at the retreating figure.

Perhaps his voice had been too loud and offended the storm, because a ship's wheel not far to his side was suddenly torn loose by the wind. Then it smashed directly into Shiki's head, knocking him to the deck.

Then a violent gust swept through, directly carrying Shiki away. He quickly vanished into the storm.

With Shiki gone, his fleet was left leaderless. Combined with the power of the storm and the limitations of their ships... a devastating disaster had arrived.

Three days later, Cake Island, Totto Land.

Today, Ortolan did not go to the back mountain to train. Instead, he once again buried himself in the library.

This time, however, Ortolan was not reading the book Rocks had written, Haki: From Beginner to Burial. Instead, he was studying an unsigned book titled A Brief Discussion on Devil Fruit Ability Development.

At first, Ortolan had merely opened it casually. But after reading it, he found that its arguments made a great deal of sense. Many of the situations it described were exactly what he was currently encountering. The book carefully divided Devil Fruit abilities into the traditional three categories—Paramecia, Zoan type, and Logia-type—before offering a basic discussion of each.

It was not particularly profound, but that made it perfect for a beginner like Ortolan.

Most of his understanding of Devil Fruits came from impressions left by the original story. He had imagined many possible directions for development, but when he thought carefully about the most basic fundamentals, he found his mind completely blank!

For his earliest questions, he had previously gone to ask Katakuri. But Katakuri was busy as well, and constantly asking him would leave Ortolan owing too many favors. Being able to find answers in this book therefore pleased him greatly.

"So that's how it is. The energy contained within Logia-type Fruit abilities is inexhaustible, but the amount a Devil Fruit user can command depends on their own 'capacity.' The main determining factor is stamina. Comparing Devil Fruit users of the same Logia type, those with greater stamina can use far more energy than others!" Ortolan nodded as he read the analysis in the book.

This was the container theory. After eating the Goro Goro no Mi, the lightning power Ortolan possessed was infinite, like an ocean. But how much he could use depended on how much he, as a container, could hold. If his stamina was insufficient, then he was merely a cup: he could scoop up one cup of water from the ocean, and once he used it, it was gone. But if he were a water tank, then naturally he could wield far more power!

"So what limits Logia-type energy isn't the ability itself, but the Devil Fruit user?" Ortolan muttered.

After pondering that question for a while, Ortolan looked at the classification of Logia-types. It was obvious that his Goro Goro no Mi was listed at the very top. There was no such thing as a superior ability to it; on the contrary, it had quite a few inferior abilities, such as the Electromagnetic Fruit and various others.

At the same time, Ortolan noticed the introduction for the Mera Mera no Mi. Sure enough, the book's unknown author had placed the Mera Mera no Mi beneath the Magu Magu no Mi.

And the author's reasoning was not some crude claim that flames were less hot than magma. After all, the upper limit of a flame's temperature was far greater than that of magma.

The reason given for this hierarchy was that magma was a more advanced form born from flame. Most applications that could be developed from the Mera Mera no Mi could also be achieved by the Magu Magu no Mi, but with greater power. Or perhaps because magma was born from fire, it was also more capable of countering flames in most situations. That was why the Magu Magu no Mi was classified as the superior form of the Mera Mera no Mi.

Looking more closely, it was not just those two abilities. Most of the superior and inferior classifications in the book followed this same logic. For instance, Ice-Ice was considered superior to snow.

Just as Ortolan was reading through these theories, Katakuri hurriedly pushed open the door and entered. "Something huge has happened. I'm leaving Cake Island now to join Mother at the front line. Do you want to come with me?"

"Huh? What happened?" Ortolan looked at Katakuri in confusion.

Katakuri said with a grave expression, "Three days ago, Shiki encountered the Roger Pirates in the Ed War Sea. At the same time, a superstorm erupted there, and Shiki's fleet was almost completely wiped out!!!"