The Strong on Roger's Ship!

"Strong on Roger's Ship!"

"Oden!"

"Mr. Oden!"

"Lord Oden!"

After Kozuki Oden was sent flying by Garp, Roger could not help turning to look in the direction Oden had been knocked toward, calling out worriedly. His crewmates cried out in alarm as well, while Rayleigh leaped straight off the Oro Jackson and rushed toward where Oden had fallen.

The others aboard the Oro Jackson also began worrying for Roger when they saw how formidable Garp was. They disembarked one after another and gathered behind Roger.

"Captain Roger!"

"Mr. Oden, he..."

Shanks ran over to Roger with his companions. After softly calling his captain's name, he asked after Oden. Before he could finish, Roger placed a hand atop Shanks's head and reassured him.

"Don't worry, Shanks."

"That guy's tough. He'll be fine. Haven't Rayleigh and the others already gone over?"

With Roger's Observation Haki, he could easily locate Oden. By now, Rayleigh had already gone into the sea to retrieve him.

At the same time, Roger could sense that Oden was not dead. Garp's punch had merely left his body unable to move. He had fallen into the sea and passed out after choking on water. Of course, if they did not pull him out in time, then he really would die...

"That bastard actually attacked without my orders."

"He brought this upon himself."

Roger smiled as he spoke to the crew behind him, sounding as though he was not concerned about Oden at all.

Oden's Haki was powerful, and his defenses were astonishing. When Roger had first encountered Oden, Oden had taken a Divine Departure head-on and still been full of life. Garp's strength was about on par with Roger's. Oden would not die!

Though that was what he thought, the moment he finished speaking, Roger looked toward Garp.

"Garp, you attacked my companion. Are you prepared for the consequences?"

Roger's tone turned solemn. He no longer sounded as if he had run into an old friend, though a smile still remained on his face.

"Roger, what nonsense are you talking about?!"

"Why do you think I came looking for you? Do you think I came to chat?!"

After saying that, Garp tossed the two blades in his hands toward the Dog-head Warship. Then he grabbed his tie and loosened it before unbuttoning two buttons of his shirt from top to bottom. He smiled at Roger.

His meaning could not have been clearer.

Before Roger could react, Garp bent slightly, fixed his eyes on Roger, and violently kicked off the ice. He shot forward like a cannonball. In the blink of an eye, Garp had arrived before Roger and threw a punch at his chest.

Clang!!!

Roger reacted swiftly, raising his sword before his chest to block. Yet the tremendous force still sent him flying. After landing from that punch, Garp launched himself again. His figure flashed as he caught up to the airborne Roger, then he threw another punch at Roger's head.

Clang!!! Roger raised his sword to parry, but the massive force still smashed him fiercely into the ice. The ice cracked, and Roger was blasted into the sea by Garp's strike.

Garp was unbelievably fast. To the other Roger Pirates, they saw only a streak of light flash past. The next second, Roger and Garp had vanished from everyone's sight.

Boom!!!

Shortly afterward, Roger burst out of the sea. Laughing loudly, he launched two slashes at Garp. After Garp blocked them, Roger swiftly closed in and engaged Garp in close combat.

On the ice dozens of meters away, everyone could only see two dark figures rapidly flashing and crossing paths. Terrifying Haki shockwaves surged from the battlefield. Even from so far away, they could feel just how terrifying Roger and Garp were.

Boom!!!

Boom!!!

For a time, thunder roared without end. The white clouds directly above where Garp and Roger fought had long since been scattered by the spreading Haki shockwaves. The ice, too, could not withstand the aftermath of their battle and began to crack apart.

Yet Garp and Roger seemed utterly unaware of it. Their clash sent wave after wave rolling across the sea.

"My, my, what a huge commotion."

Just as Roger's crew watched the distant battle, a somewhat flippant voice suddenly sounded beside them.

A tall, lean man condensed out of the ice.

Aokiji, dressed in a white suit with his hands in his pockets, suddenly appeared behind the Roger Pirates. As he spoke, cold mist drifted from his mouth.

"Hm?!"

Shanks and the others all cried out in surprise, turning around at once.

"Ice Time!"

The instant everyone turned, Aokiji called out softly and raised both hands. Two pillars of ice extended from his hands and shot directly toward the Roger Pirates.

Elio and Amon could not dodge in time and were immediately frozen by Aokiji's Fruit ability, becoming ice sculptures. Both men were combatants aboard the Roger Pirates, each with a bounty exceeding a hundred million. In the Four Seas, they were famous pirates in their own right, yet Aokiji froze them in a single exchange.

"Mr. Elio!"

"Mr. Amon!"

Seeing the two senior crew members lose their fighting ability in a single exchange, Buggy could not help crying out.

At that moment, Aokiji used Soru to flash before Buggy. Looking up at Aokiji's towering figure, Buggy swiftly drew a short blade from his waist and slashed at him.

Only twelve years old, Buggy showed no fear in the face of a monster like Aokiji. Instead, he wanted to fight back and avenge his companions.

"Oh?"

Buggy not only refused to surrender but even dared to counterattack, making Aokiji mutter softly. Icy cold air rapidly surged from his body. Just as he was about to freeze Buggy, his Observation Haki sensed a figure rapidly charging toward him.

"Ora!!!!!"

A muscular giant standing roughly four meters tall suddenly appeared at Aokiji's side just as Aokiji was about to act. His Haki-coated fist smashed fiercely toward Aokiji's face.

Douglas Bullet!

Only seventeen years old, he was known as the "Heir of the Devil."

Despite his young age, he had already awakened Conqueror's Haki. Douglas Bullet was also the user of the "Paramecia Merge-Merge Fruit."

His ability allowed him to merge inorganic matter with his body and reconstruct it into a new form. He could also merge objects with one another to create weapons.

His strength was formidable enough to fight Vice Captain Rayleigh to a draw.

The instant Aokiji sensed the incoming attack, his body transformed into icy mist. He elementalized before the attack could reach him and vanished from where he stood.

Douglas Bullet's attack missed, and his expression tightened slightly as a hint of surprise appeared on his face.

The icy mist in the air suddenly clung to Bullet's body. The next second, Aokiji condensed behind him, placed one hand on Bullet's shoulder, and murmured, "Ice Ball!"

In an instant, Bullet was frozen into an ice sphere. Through the transparent ice, Shanks and the others could even see Bullet's slightly surprised expression.

Frozen. Bullet, who could fight the vice captain to a draw, had also been frozen by Aokiji in a single exchange.

The terrifying Logia Fruit user cast a shadow over the hearts of the Roger Pirates' remaining crew members.

"Now then, who's next?!" Aokiji swept his gaze over the remaining Roger Pirates. Just as he was about to make a move, he suddenly discovered that the ice sphere before him was cracking apart.

Bullet, whom he had clearly frozen, had actually broken free of his restraints.

"!"

Bullet's Haki-coated hand shot toward Aokiji's face. His swift escape had truly caught Aokiji off guard. In that instant, Aokiji did not even have time to react and evade.

Just as Aokiji was about to be caught by Bullet's Haki-coated hand, a blaze suddenly appeared at Bullet's side. Within the flames was a crimson blade, rapidly slashing toward Bullet's neck.

Sun Breathing—Second Form—Azure Sky!

Scarlet Blade, Haki, Sun Breathing.

At that moment, the red-haired youth who had suddenly appeared beside Bullet held nothing back, unleashing the strongest slash he could use at his current stage.

His goal was to take Bullet's head in a single strike!

"You finally came, Yoriichi!"