Though watching from high above, Shin had no intention of stepping in to help.
He wanted to see Roger's strength, and there were other things he needed to observe as well.
Judging by the apparent disparity in strength, no matter how powerful Roger was, victory should have been impossible.
The Golden Lion Pirates outnumbered Roger's crew by nearly a hundredfold. Those men were no mere rabble; even sheer numbers alone could have buried them.
Even if Roger's individual strength defied the heavens, Golden Lion Shiki was also a famed great pirate. With Shiki on guard, it would not be easy for Roger to defeat him.
Shin had seen little of the pirates' world. The Battle of Edd War was also an event he knew nothing about. But since Roger later became the Pirate King, Roger should have won in the end—or at the very least, he had not died here.
That was precisely what made Shin curious. He wanted to see what power Roger would rely on to turn the tables.
Below, facing Shiki's charge, Roger took a deep breath. A different kind of resolve shone in his eyes.
Roger had his own pride. He wanted to become the freest man on these seas. If so, he could never become anyone's second-in-command or subordinate, not even for the man who commanded the greatest force among all pirates.
Drawing the long blade at his side in a backhand motion, Roger shouted, "Come on, Shiki!"
Haki burst from his body as Roger shot straight toward Shiki. A blade of sword energy tore through the sky, splitting the sea beneath it.
Shiki burst into laughter, gripping the famed blades Sakura Ten and Withered Wood at the same time.
"Lion Slash!"
Sakura Ten swung downward. Its razor-sharp sword energy plunged into the sea,