Encounter: Clash Between the Pirate King and the King of the Marines! (Combined Chapter)

Waves pushed waves, spray piled atop spray.

Across the boundless sea, the Oro Jackson sailed slowly onward, leaving a white wake behind it.

On board, the Roger Pirates had gathered on the deck. Food and fine wine filled the tables. With cups clinking, the crew threw their arms around one another's shoulders and sang at the top of their lungs. Their jubilant atmosphere turned this once-tranquil stretch of sea into a lively scene.

This was a pirates' banquet.

"Captain Roger, this time we got the Road Poneglyph from Zou. Together with the one we found at Fish-Man Island—"

"We already have two Road Poneglyphs."

"Once we find two more, we'll be able to head to Final Island!"

"Congratulations, Captain!"

On the deck, Rangram raised his cup high and congratulated Captain Roger, his face brimming with excitement. Legend had it that Final Island held endless treasures. It was the dream of every pirate.

"Hahahaha!"

"It's still too early for congratulations, Rangram."

"When Linlin left the Rocks Pirates, she took the Poneglyph Rocks had with him. I managed to snatch a rubbing from her, but seawater blurred it beyond recognition."

"This time, I plan to have Oden translate it directly."

"But taking something from Linlin won't be that easy!"

"Hahahaha!"

Roger laughed heartily. He raised the bottle in his hand toward Rangram, then drained it in one gulp.

After drinking, Roger's smile faded. Though the crew celebrated merrily, Roger did not seem very interested. Only when the others came to toast him would Roger answer with a smile.

"What's wrong, Roger?"

Silbaz Rayleigh, who was drinking beside Roger, noticed his low spirits and asked quietly. Rayleigh had been Roger's first companion when he set sail. Everyone else called Roger Captain, but only Rayleigh affectionately called him by name.

"We already know where the remaining two Road Poneglyphs are. Getting them is only a matter of time."

"Besides the one in Linlin's hands, the last Road Poneglyph is in Oden's homeland, Wano Country."

"But there's something that's been bothering me."

"I learned from Oden that the Poneglyphs were indestructible stone monuments made by the ancestors of the Kōzuki Clan in Wano Country."

"There are two kinds of stone monuments. One records a route leading to Final Island, and it is called a red Road Poneglyph."

"The other records the history of the Void Century—the Information Poneglyphs. There are twenty-six of them."

"I've collected eighteen Information Poneglyphs so far. I want to uncover the history of that vanished century! I want to know why the World Government erased that part of history."

"There is a world-shaking secret hidden within it. Only by collecting every Poneglyph can we reveal the truth."

"But we still have no leads on the remaining eight Information Poneglyphs."

"Rayleigh, time is running out!"

Roger and Rayleigh spoke in low voices. There was urgency in every word Roger said. He was far from satisfied with the current progress of their search for Poneglyphs.

Roger already knew that he had a terminal illness. He did not have much time left. Before he died, Roger could not help wanting to uncover the truth of history, fulfill his dream of traveling around the world, and reach Final Island.

His dream of traveling around the world was nearly complete. Only Final Island remained unconquered. And as for the century erased by the World Government, he had only lifted one corner of the veil.

The history he had glimpsed alone was enough to leave Roger deeply shaken. Even a figure as worldly and experienced as him was shocked by that buried history.

""

"Don't overthink it, Roger."

"Finish what's in front of us first. We can talk about the rest later."

"Maybe as we continue our journey, we'll find news of the other Poneglyphs?"

Rayleigh fell silent for a while before offering comfort.

Everyone knew about Roger's illness, but apart from Rayleigh, no one tried to comfort him. Roger had always taken his own life lightly. What he pursued were dreams left unfinished!

"Captain Roger, why do you look so down?"

"Let me show you a special trick. Cheer up~"

As Roger and Rayleigh spoke, a red-nosed boy of about three also noticed Roger's mood. He put down his cup, pushed through the crowd, and came before Roger with a smile.

Without waiting for Roger to respond, he took five apples from the table and put on a juggling performance for Roger. The red-nosed boy tossed the five apples into a circle.

"Idiot Buggy!"

"Captain Roger doesn't want to see your clumsy act. Stop blocking the Captain from eating and drinking."

Just then, a red-haired boy suddenly sprang out from behind Buggy and kicked him in the rear. Caught completely off guard, Buggy fell flat on his face.

One apple after another struck Buggy on the head before rolling away.

Roger stared in astonishment as Buggy slowly got up from where he had fallen in front of him. Then he suddenly pointed at Buggy and burst out laughing. "Hey! Buggy, your nose is bleeding!"

"Hahahaha!"

Buggy sat on the floor, touched his nose, and saw bright red blood on his hand. He turned toward the culprit, leaped to his feet in fury, and pounced on the red-haired boy.

"You bastard!!!"

"Shanks, I'll kill you!"

Seeing Buggy fly into a rage, Shanks laughed as he dodged Buggy's pouncing attack. Then, with Buggy chasing after him furiously, he began racing around the ship while laughing and teasing him.

"Buggy, you're too slow."

"You'll never catch me like that! Hahahaha!"

As everyone watched Buggy and Shanks fool around, the banquet grew even more cheerful. Influenced by his crew's mood, Roger stopped thinking about his troubles and joined the festivities with a smile.

Just as the Roger Pirates were immersed in the joyful atmosphere of the banquet, Roger and Rayleigh suddenly stiffened at the same time. They exchanged glances and saw a trace of surprise in each other's eyes.

A moment later, Roger and Rayleigh stood up and walked to the bow, gazing out across the distant sea.

"An old friend has come. What perfect timing—we're holding a banquet!"

Roger looked at the empty sea and suddenly smiled. Their movements also drew the attention of the other crew members. One by one, they came to Roger and Rayleigh's side and looked in the same direction, but saw nothing.

"Captain, what are you and Uncle Rayleigh looking at?"

By then, Buggy and Shanks had stopped fighting as well. They squeezed in beside Rayleigh and Roger, looking at the sea in confusion.

"Hehe, here they come!"

As Roger spoke, a mast suddenly appeared on the empty horizon. Not long after, a Marine flag entered the Roger Pirates' field of vision.

"The Marines!!!" Shanks and Buggy cried out together upon seeing the distant flag.

Before long, a Dog-head Warship appeared in the Roger Pirates' sight, and Shanks and Buggy could not help crying out again.

"Hero Garp's ship!!!"

The Marine hero, Vice Admiral Garp, was no stranger to the Roger Pirates. They had fought Garp dozens of times, yet every time, they had managed to escape from his grasp.

Shanks and Buggy had an especially deep impression of Garp, for a very simple reason—

"Bzzzz!!!!!"

Suddenly, Roger, standing at the bow, widened his eyes slightly. A terrifying aura burst from his body and pressed down toward the distant warship.

Conqueror's Haki!

Without warning, the calm sea erupted into turmoil.

On the Dog-head Warship, Garp stood at the bow. Behind him, Aokiji, Bogard, and Tsugikuni Yoriichi stood together, all staring solemnly at the distant Oro Jackson.

Suddenly, a terrifying aura crossed the sea like something tangible and surged toward them. In that instant, even the air became heavy.

Crack!

Fine cracks suddenly appeared in the wooden railing at the bow.

On the warship's deck, the lookout crew could not withstand such pressure. Their eyes rolled white as they collapsed one after another. The same thing happened in the engine room.

The Dog-head Warship, which had been speeding forward, suddenly came to a stop.

Roger's Conqueror's Haki had actually affected the Marines aboard a warship over a thousand meters away.

At the bow, Tsugikuni Yoriichi, standing behind Garp, bent forward slightly, his right hand instinctively gripping the hilt of his sword. Like a beast that had been provoked, he was ready to attack at any moment.

"Hehehe, not bad!"

"You actually withstood it!"

"Yoriichi, you'll soon get to witness the true powerhouses of the sea."

Garp turned his head slightly. Seeing that Tsugikuni Yoriichi was still standing firm, he chuckled, then leaped onto the warship's dog head.

Through the Transparent World, Tsugikuni Yoriichi saw Garp's muscles swelling all over his body. His feet spread into a braced stance, his right hand clenched into a fist, and Haki gathered around his knuckles. Dense black lightning appeared out of nowhere, crackling with terrifying snaps.

"Roger, let me say hello!"

Garp grinned and threw a fierce punch!

Dense black lightning erupted in front of Garp, shooting in every direction. The Armament Haki gathered around Garp's fist actually left his body the instant he punched, blasting toward the distant Oro Jackson.

Tsugikuni Yoriichi's pupils shrank sharply at the sight. He had never heard that Haki could leave the body without even being attached to an object!

Wasn't Haki meant to strengthen the defense and offense of one's body and weapons? It could leave the body and become a tangible attack?!

Boom!!

A muffled explosion suddenly rang through the air as the terrifying Haki rushed straight toward the distant pirate ship.

At that moment, Roger aboard the Oro Jackson also sensed Garp's attack. He swiftly drew his long sword from his waist, leaped to the bow of the Oro Jackson, and swung his blade fiercely toward the warship with a low shout.

Divine Departure!!

A black crescent-shaped slash wrapped in dense black lightning appeared before Roger's blade and crashed directly toward the Haki punch unleashed by Garp.

Bzzzz!!!

The tangible Haki of Garp and Roger collided in the middle of the sea, and a sudden hum resounded through the air.

At the point where their attacks met, the sea sank across a radius of several hundred meters. Above them, the clouds were split apart in an instant, and a blue ribbon suddenly appeared through the center of the white cloudbank.

In the blink of an eye, enormous waves rose from the sea for no apparent reason, surging toward the Dog-head Warship and the Oro Jackson respectively.

Crash— The waves struck both ships, pushing each of them back over a hundred meters.

"So Garp found us again!"

"Yarudem~ The banquet is over!"

"We're going to start—running!"

After canceling Garp's attack with a single Divine Departure, Roger jumped back onto the deck, raised his sword, and quickly gave the order.

The aftershock of Roger and Garp's attacks had yet to dissipate, and the sea was still rough. Now was the best chance to escape!

As for fighting the Marines led by Garp? Roger had never even considered defeating Garp head-on.

His time was tight. He had no time to waste tangling with Garp.

Moreover, Roger knew Garp's strength well. If the two of them fought, it would never end. Setting victory and defeat aside, time would certainly be wasted.

Roger could not accept such a loss.

"I don't have time to waste on the Marines. I need to make the most of my time alive!"

Roger's goals were the Poneglyphs, traveling around the world, and Final Island—not the Marines.

Taking advantage of the wind and waves, the Oro Jackson quickly got underway and sped away from the area. Though the Oro Jackson was a sailing ship, it was the masterpiece of Tom, Water 7's greatest shipwright. Its speed was in no way inferior to that of a Marine warship.

In the blink of an eye, the Oro Jackson had sailed over a hundred meters away and was about to vanish from the Dog-head Warship's sight.

On the Dog-head Warship, Garp watched the rapidly departing Oro Jackson, and a smile suddenly appeared on his face. He casually tore off the coat of justice draped over his shoulders and jumped off the warship without a word.

Boom!!!! A moment later, a muffled explosion suddenly came from beneath the sea.

Splash~~~~~~ The next second, a massive wave rose from beneath the Dog-head Warship, forcibly lifting it dozens of meters into the air. Even after hoisting the warship up, the terrifying wave continued rising.

Boom!!!! After another muffled blast, the rising wave seemed as though someone had shoved it.

Carrying the Dog-head Warship, it surged at high speed toward the distant Oro Jackson.

"!!!!" Tsugikuni Yoriichi gripped the warship's railing tightly with both hands to keep from being flung overboard. At the same time, his face was filled with shock, hardly able to believe what Garp had done.

His Observation Haki had clearly sensed Garp diving more than ten meters after jumping into the sea, then throwing a punch at the bottom of the ship. The terrifying wave that had suddenly risen was created by Garp. Afterward, Garp rapidly surfaced and punched the rising wave again, winding it up like a clock!

That unbelievable maneuver had been accomplished with just two punches from Garp!

By then, Garp had returned to the ship with Geppo. Gripping the railing with one hand, he laughed and roared at the Marines.

"Hold on tight!"

"We're going up!!!"

The enormous wave carried the warship swiftly toward the Oro Jackson.

Roger and the others, who had already escaped some distance away, also noticed the strange scene in the distance.

"Wh-what!!!!"

"That warship, h-how—"

Buggy's jaw nearly dropped as he stared at the warship rapidly approaching atop the waves, stammering in shock. The other Roger Pirates were also staring dumbfoundedly at the incoming wave and warship.

Even Roger slightly opened his mouth at that moment. Holding his head, he exclaimed in amazement.

"Garp really does whatever he wants!"

"A talent like him is wasted in the Marines..."