Defeat, the Strength of the Future "King Crew"!

Defeat, the Strength of the Future "King Crew"!

After Tsugikuni Yoriichi retreated several meters, Rayleigh did not continue his pursuit.

Buggy and Shanks, who had narrowly escaped Tsugikuni Yoriichi's blade, only now realized the danger they had been in. At the thought of it, cold sweat broke out across their foreheads.

If Rayleigh, who had been watching from the sidelines, had not intervened in time, the two of them would probably have been corpses on the ground by now.

"Th-that was close..." Buggy patted his chest, still shaken with fear.

Shanks stood beside Buggy, gripping the short sword in his hand tightly and remaining silent.

"The Marines really are getting worse and worse."

"Even a child like you has been sent onto the battlefield."

"Garp really is pathetic!"

Rayleigh looked at Tsugikuni Yoriichi's young face and suddenly spoke with a sigh. His tone seemed full of disappointment toward both the Marines and Garp.

"Tch! Rayleigh, what nonsense are you spouting?!"

"Aren't the two brats beside you also on the battlefield?!"

"What right do you have to criticize our Marines?!"

Just then, Garp's booming voice sounded from behind Yoriichi. Yoriichi turned his head and saw the disheveled Garp slowly walking to his side, one hand resting on Yoriichi's shoulder as he spoke to Rayleigh.

Garp was in excellent condition. His voice was loud and full of vigor, and aside from his rumpled clothes, there was not a single wound on his body. Only his suit had been soaked by seawater.

"Vice Admiral Garp?!" Yoriichi was somewhat surprised when he saw Garp. Had his battle with Roger already been decided? So quickly?! Since Garp had returned, then Roger...

"Garp, you're the one talking nonsense!"

"We're pirates! Isn't it perfectly normal for there to be a couple of young apprentice crew members on our ship?!"

"On the other hand, how can your Marines let underage children sail out and fight? Is that what you call justice? Hahahaha!"

The facts proved that Yoriichi had been overthinking things.

Before Rayleigh could speak, Roger suddenly appeared behind Shanks and Buggy. He placed a hand on each of their heads and laughed as he retorted.

Yoriichi looked toward Roger and found that Roger was just like Garp. Other than his seawater-soaked, somewhat disheveled clothes, he too bore no injuries.

In other words, the terrifying battle that Garp and Roger had just caused such a commotion with had merely been a warm-up for them.

At the same time, through Transparent Time, Yoriichi sensed something unusual about Roger's body.

Every muscle and organ in Roger's body contained terrifying vitality. Only the pair of lungs in his chest were utterly out of place compared to the vitality of his other organs.

If the vitality of Roger's other muscles and organs was like an erupting volcano, then the vitality of his lungs was like a dead sea devoid of all life.

"Is that a lung disease?!"

Feeling the vitality in Roger's lungs, Yoriichi knew that this man who had dominated the seas probably did not have long to live!

Yet Roger, who was bickering with Garp, seemed completely unaware. He showed no abnormalities on the surface, laughing and chatting freely.

Garp curled his lip at that, patted Tsugikuni Yoriichi on the shoulder, and suddenly said with some pride, "If the young ones on your pirate ship can sail, why can't the young ones in our Marines?!"

"Hehehe!"

"When it comes to young people, our Marines are still better!"

"Roger, this kid will definitely grow into a pillar of the Marines in the future and send every last one of you pirates to Impel Down!"

As he spoke, Garp glanced at Shanks and Buggy beside Roger, then grinned.

Though his battle with Roger had been intense, Garp's Observation Haki had been monitoring the situation here the entire time. Garp had paid no attention when the Roger Pirates clashed with the Marines, but the moment Rayleigh attacked Tsugikuni Yoriichi, Garp immediately broke away from the battle and rushed back.

Roger, unlike Garp, had been fully focused throughout his battle with Garp. It was not that he did not worry about Shanks, Buggy, and the other youngsters. Rather, Roger trusted Rayleigh. He believed Rayleigh could take care of the crew, so he had been able to fight Garp without holding back.

Only when Garp withdrew from the battle did Roger hastily return to his crew's side, afraid that Garp might attack them.

The Roger Pirates were not a purely elite pirate crew. On Roger's ship were children as young as Shanks and Buggy, noncombatants such as the ship's doctor and shipwright, and even Oden's three family members, who possessed no combat ability whatsoever.

Of course, there were also pure combatants like Rayleigh and Bullet.

Among these people, only Rayleigh and Bullet could hold off Garp for a while. If Garp truly decided to wreak havoc, the Roger Pirates would likely suffer considerable losses. Roger still had his reservations when dealing with Garp.

Roger was like this, but how could Garp be without concerns of his own?

Although Garp kept saying he wanted to send Roger and the others to Impel Down, the main purpose of this encounter was not actually to wipe out the Roger Pirates. If that had been the goal, the Marines would not have sent Garp alone.

At the very least, Garp's ship would have needed another seven or eight powerful vice admirals accompanying him. They might even have needed Admiral Sengoku and Vice Admiral Tsuru to stand a chance of contending with the Roger Pirates.

Garp had come this time more to test them and to find out why Roger had contacted Charlotte Linlin. Of course, he had also brought Aokiji and Yoriichi along to let them witness the powerful figures of these seas.

By now, Garp's objectives had all been achieved, and he was already inclined to call it off.

While Roger and Garp, the two leaders, were chatting, the other battles on the ice were still raging fiercely.

Boom!!

On a nearby battlefield, Bogard was once again smashed into the ice by Oden. This time, Bogard failed to get back up. Against Oden, Bogard had lasted less than ten minutes before being defeated.

Meanwhile, Aokiji was fighting Scopper Gaban. Jabba's physical skills and Haki were both formidable. Aokiji was inferior in hand-to-hand combat, but with his Devil Fruit ability, he was able to fight Jabba to a standstill. Neither could determine the victor in a short time.

In the other areas, the Marines were at a tremendous disadvantage. Many Marines were knocked down by Roger's Crewmates and lay on the ground, unable to rise and fight again.

Looking across the other battlefields, only Kyros, who had recently joined the Marines, performed brilliantly. He was holding out against the combined assault of three Roger Pirates crew members, while beside where Kyros and the others fought lay seven or eight of Roger's crewmen. Judging by the sight of them, Kyros had defeated them.

Roger fell silent when he heard Garp claim that the Marines' young people were more outstanding. He had to admit that the red-haired brat standing beside Garp was indeed exceptionally powerful, far more outstanding than Shanks and Buggy.

But as the battles between the distant Marines and pirates neared their end, Roger's face once more broke into a brilliant smile.

"Hahahahaha!"

"Garp, your crew is still far too lacking!"

"Hey, Garp, those crooked melons and cracked dates alone won't be enough to defeat our Roger Pirates!"

"Yarudem~ Hurry up and finish off the Marines. We need to get back to the ship, so don't waste time!"

Roger's shout greatly boosted the pirates' morale in the distance. In an instant, the Marines' collapse accelerated. Kyros too was swiftly defeated under the pirates' siege and knocked unconscious.

Another five minutes passed, and Aokiji was the only one on the Marine side still able to hold out.

After defeating the Marines, Roger's crew began retreating in an orderly fashion and quickly returned to Roger's side.

Scopper Gaban had been unable to defeat Aokiji for a long time. Hearing Roger's call, he found an opportunity to break away from the battle and quickly returned to Roger's side.

Aokiji watched Jabba rapidly depart but did not pursue. He swept his gaze across the battlefield, looking at the Marines lying one after another on the ice, his brows drawn tight.

From beginning to end, Garp had remained in a standoff with Roger and the others. His face dark, he had not intervened in the Marines' battle. He had to stay alert for Roger, Rayleigh, and the others.

Once Roger saw his crew gathered around him again, he laughed at Garp.

"Hahahaha! Garp, I won this time!"

"Next time, bring more Marines to capture me! If the opponents are too weak, we won't enjoy ourselves either!"

"When you catch up to me again, we can reminisce then! Hahahaha!"

"Oh, right, that red-haired brat. Next time we meet, Shanks and Buggy will definitely defeat you."

"The young people on my ship will never lose to the Marines!"

After Roger finished speaking, he waved his hand and led his crew back onto the ship. Then Roger unleashed two strikes of Divine Departure, shattering the ice. Without lingering, the Oro Jackson swiftly sailed out of Garp and the others' sight.

Garp had no intention of stopping Roger again and watched the Oro Jackson vanish from view. He knew very well that he could not stop them.

This encounter between Garp and the Roger Pirates ended in the Marines' defeat.

"Eh?!!!"

"Lord Oden, where are your swords?! D-didn't you take them back?!"

On Roger's ship, Nekomamushi suddenly noticed that the swords in his lord Oden's hands had become two unknown, battered blades and cried out in alarm.

"Take them back? What are you talking about? I was defeated, so the swords are the other party's spoils of war."

"When we meet again, I will defeat him and win them back fair and square!"

"How could sneaking around befit a samurai?!"

Kozuki Oden answered loudly, carrying the two battered blades in his hands, his expression resolute.

"This is a reminder for me! I'm still not strong enough. I must become stronger!"