Defeated Without a Fight

"So those villagers died because of us?" Shirakawa asked through gritted teeth.

"That's right. It's because of you, so go down and join them."

"But they were your own people!"

"Hmph. A bunch of commoners. Isn't it only right that they die for their country?" Rogue showed not the slightest compassion as he spoke, acting as if it were only natural.

"Shanks, Buggy, find a chance to get Kaiser Lynn out of here. I'll try to hold him off."

"Trying to leave? It's already too late." In an instant, Rogue became a blur. Shirakawa held his sword in both hands, bracing it in front of him.

BANG! The sword shattered on impact, and Rogue's fist punched straight through its defense and into Shirakawa.

"Armament Haki!" Seeing Rogue's arm turn pitch-black, Shirakawa knew he couldn't block the blow. But he couldn't dodge it either, so all he could do was take it head-on.

"It hurts..." When the attack landed, Shirakawa's vision went black. He rolled across the ground several times before coming to a stop.

"Shirakawa!" Shanks, Buggy, and Kaiser Lynn cried out in alarm. Tears even welled in Kaiser Lynn's eyes.

"Damn you! You bastard, I'll take you on!" Shanks had completely forgotten whether he stood a chance. All he wanted was to fight Rogue to the death.

But that reckless move was bound to be futile. Shanks couldn't withstand even one of Rogue's blows and collapsed unconscious.

"Shanks!" Buggy, too, forgot his fear and rushed forward without thinking.

"Stop, Buggy! Don't act recklessly!"

Shirakawa had recovered enough to speak. His voice was very faint, but it carried an unusual resolve.

"Oh? You're not dead yet?" Rogue looked surprised to see Shirakawa get back to his feet.

"Dead? I won't die." Shirakawa took a deep breath and steadied himself.

"Is that so?"

Rogue attacked Shirakawa again. He moved so fast that Shirakawa couldn't react at all. All he could do was feel the blows landing on his body, like he was a sitting duck.

"Damn it!" Shirakawa roared, and a wildly powerful wave of Conqueror's Haki burst out of him.

This was the first time Shirakawa had fully unleashed his Conqueror's Haki.

The shock wave snapped the surrounding trees. Buggy and Kaiser Lynn, caught in its wake, trembled with fear. Shirakawa had deliberately kept the force away from them.

Otherwise, they might have passed out on the spot—or even died of shock.

"Conqueror's Haki. How interesting." Rogue's lips curled into an intrigued smile. "Though its intensity is actually a little frightening. It's strong enough to make me feel oppressed."

Then Conqueror's Haki rose from Rogue as well.

The two powerful waves of Conqueror's Haki collided. Even Buggy and Kaiser Lynn, whom Shirakawa had tried to protect, immediately passed out.

"As I thought, you have Conqueror's Haki too." Shirakawa's expression grew more and more serious.

"Oh? You knew?"

"I guessed. It's no surprise that the strongest person in a country would have Conqueror's Haki. Besides, this place is part of the New World."

"Hahaha." Rogue laughed proudly at Shirakawa's words.

"Still, I don't want to drag this out any longer." Rogue had been at a disadvantage in their Haki clash. Perhaps to save face, he said this instead.

Then, they both withdrew their Haki at the same time, and the surroundings instantly fell quiet.

"Actually, I don't think we need to fight to the death. Just let me take Kaiser Lynn with me. What do you say?"

For some reason, Rogue suddenly made the offer to Shirakawa.

"Impossible," Shirakawa replied without hesitation.

"In that case, I'll finish this quickly." Rogue's voice suddenly turned ice-cold. Shirakawa could clearly feel the killing intent radiating from him.

The best defense was a good offense. With his sword shattered, Shirakawa could only attack with his fists.

To Shirakawa's surprise, he landed a punch directly on Rogue's face. It didn't hurt him at all, though—Rogue had defended himself with Armament Haki.

Before Shirakawa could react, Rogue's Armament Haki-coated fist struck him in the abdomen. Like an uppercut, it sent him flying into the air.

But Rogue didn't stop there. He leaped up after him, and just as Shirakawa neared the peak of his ascent, Rogue clasped both hands together and hammered them down. The force behind the blow was clearly immense.

BANG! Shirakawa crashed to the ground, smashing a huge crater into it.

"Immortal? How could anyone be immortal?"

Just as Rogue was about to leave with Kaiser Lynn, he suddenly froze. He could feel the life force of the white-haired boy slowly returning.

"What's going on? How are you still alive?" Rogue turned around sharply and asked in disbelief.

"I told you. I'm immortal."

Shirakawa wiped at the blood that wasn't there at the corner of his mouth and spoke haltingly.

"I see. Is it some kind of Devil Fruit ability related to recovery? How interesting."

A cruel smile crept across Rogue's lips. He looked at Shirakawa as if he were some kind of experimental subject, his gaze full of menace.

"Let's see just how much punishment this fruit can take."

He drove a knee into Shirakawa's chin, knocking several of his teeth flying.

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

"How interesting. Very interesting." Then he knocked several more of Shirakawa's teeth out.

"Damn it!"

Shirakawa clenched his fists, his heart full of frustration. But he couldn't fight back. He could already imagine how agonizing the torture awaiting him would be.

"Let go of me." Each time Shirakawa recovered, it took a tremendous amount of stamina, and his healing was getting slower and slower.

"Oh, I can let you go. Just beg me. Beg me like those commoners did, and ask me to spare them."

"Ptooey!" At those words, Shirakawa spat right in Rogue's face.

Feeling the filthy spit on his face, Rogue flew into a rage. He grabbed Shirakawa by the head and slammed it hard into the ground.

"If you're so eager to die, then I'll grant your wish," Rogue snarled.

"You're immortal, aren't you? Let's see if you can survive with your head chopped off."

With that, he picked up a cleaver from the ground. It was impossible to tell which bandit's corpse it had belonged to.

He planted a foot on Shirakawa's body and prepared to bring the blade down.

At that moment, a figure appeared beside him in a flash and punched Rogue flying.

Shirakawa looked up at the figure and smiled with relief before passing out.