Completely Crushed

"So those villagers died because of us." Shirakawa gritted his teeth and asked.

"That's right, because of you. So go down and keep them company."

"But they were your own people?"

"Hmph, a bunch of worthless rabble. Isn't dying for the country what they're supposed to do?" As he said this, Rogue's face showed not a trace of pity, only an attitude of utter entitlement.

"Shanks, Buggy, find a chance to take Kaiser Lynn and get out of here. I'll hold him off as long as I can."

"Trying to leave? Too late." In an instant, Rogue turned into a blur. Shirakawa held his blade with both hands in front of his chest.

With a loud crack, the blade shattered on impact. The fist broke straight through the sword's defense and struck Shirakawa's body.

"Armament Haki!" Seeing Rogue's arm turn pitch black, Shirakawa knew he couldn't block it. But he couldn't dodge either—he could only take it with his body.

"It hurts." When the blow landed, Shirakawa's vision went black. He tumbled across the ground several times before stopping.

"Shirakawa!" Shanks and the other two cried out in alarm. Tears even spilled from Kaiser Lynn's eyes.

"Bastard, I'll kill you!" Shanks had completely forgotten whether he could win. He only wanted to fight to the death.

But such reckless action was doomed to fail. Shanks couldn't withstand even a single blow and collapsed unconscious.

"Shanks!" Buggy forgot what fear was too. He wanted to charge in without thinking.

"Stop, Buggy. Don't be reckless anymore."

By then, Shirakawa had recovered enough to speak. His voice was very weak, but it sounded unusually firm.

"Oh? Still alive?" Seeing Shirakawa stand up, Rogue looked mildly surprised.

"Alive? I won't die." Shirakawa took a deep breath, steadying his breathing.

"Is that so?"

With that, Rogue attacked again. His speed was so great that Shirakawa couldn't react at all. He could only feel the blows landing on his body like he was a living target.

"Damn it!" Shirakawa roared. A violent, overwhelming wave of Conqueror's Haki burst outward.

This was the first time Shirakawa had fully released his Conqueror's Haki since mastering it.

The shockwave of Conqueror's Haki snapped the surrounding trees. Buggy and Kaiser Lynn, caught within its range, trembled in terror—and that was only because Shirakawa deliberately avoided hitting them directly.

Otherwise, they might have passed out on the spot, or even died instantly.

"Conqueror's Haki. Interesting." A intrigued smile curled at the corner of Rogue's mouth. "But this intensity is honestly terrifying. It can even make me feel oppressed."

Then, Conqueror's Haki erupted from Rogue as well.

The two powerful forces clashed. Even Buggy and Kaiser Lynn, whom Shirakawa had tried to protect, immediately lost consciousness.

"As I thought, you have Conqueror's Haki too." Shirakawa's expression grew increasingly grim.

"Oh, you knew?"

"I guessed. As the strongest person in a country, it's no surprise you possess Conqueror's Haki. Besides, this is still the New World."

"Hahaha." Hearing Shirakawa's words, Rogue laughed with great pride.

"But I don't want to drag this out with you." In the contest of Haki, Rogue was at a disadvantage. Perhaps to save face, he said this.

Then, both of them withdrew their Haki at the same time. The surroundings instantly fell silent.

"Actually, I don't think we need to fight to the death. Just let me take Kaiser Lynn away. How about that?"

For some reason, Rogue suddenly made this proposal to Shirakawa.

"Impossible." Shirakawa answered without hesitation.

"Then if that's the case, I'll settle this quickly." Rogue's tone turned ice-cold. The killing intent he radiated was something Shirakawa could clearly feel.

Strike first. His blade was already shattered, so Shirakawa could only attack with his fists.

To his surprise, he actually landed a hit on Rogue's face. But it caused no damage—Rogue had already defended with Armament Haki.

Before Shirakawa could react, Rogue's hand, coated in Armament Haki, struck him directly in the abdomen. Like a rising dragon fist, it launched him into the air.

But Rogue didn't stop there. He leaped into the air himself, and just as Shirakawa was about to reach the apex, Rogue clasped his hands together and hammered downward. The force behind it was clearly immense.

With a thunderous crash, Shirakawa was slammed into the ground, carving out a massive crater.

"Immortal? How could anyone be immortal?"

Just as Rogue was about to take Kaiser Lynn and leave, he suddenly froze. He sensed that the white-haired youth's life force was slowly recovering.

"What's going on? How are you still alive?" Rogue whipped around, asking in disbelief.

"I told you. I won't die."

Shirakawa wiped at the corner of his mouth—there was no blood there—and spoke haltingly.

"I see. Some kind of recovery-based Devil Fruit ability, is it? Interesting."

A cruel smile spread across Rogue's lips. The way he looked at Shirakawa was like he'd found some kind of experiment subject—extremely dangerous.

"Let me see just how much punishment this fruit of yours can take."

With that, he drove a knee into Shirakawa's chin, knocking several of his teeth clean out.

But he didn't stop there. He grabbed Shirakawa by the head, forced his mouth open, and watched as the teeth slowly regenerated.

"Interesting. Truly interesting." With that, he knocked out a few more of Shirakawa's teeth.

"Damn it."

Shirakawa clenched his fists, his heart full of resentment, but he couldn't fight back. He could already foresee the agonizing torment awaiting him.

"Let me go." Each time he regenerated, Shirakawa wasted a great deal of stamina, and the recovery grew slower and slower.

"Oh, I can let you go. You can beg me, just like those lowlifes did—beg me to spare them."

"Hah." At those words, Shirakawa spat in his face.

Feeling the filth on his cheek, Rogue instantly flew into a rage. Furious, he grabbed Shirakawa by the head and slammed him hard against the ground.

"Since you're so eager to die, I'll grant your wish."

Rogue snarled angrily.

"Aren't you supposed to have an Immortal Body? Let's see if you can survive having your head chopped off."

With that, he picked up a cleaver from the ground, one that had belonged to some dead Mountain Bandit.

He planted a foot on Shirakawa's body and prepared to swing down.

Just then, a figure appeared beside him in an instant and punched Rogue flying with a single blow.

Shirakawa lifted his head, saw the figure, and let out a relieved smile before passing out.