Watching Roger's Execution at the Start

Everyone in the city, from the fleeing slaves to the guards hunting them down, felt a crushing pressure settle over their hearts!

"You lowly slaves actually dare to run away? Urgh..."

The three Boa sisters watched the guard who had been threatening them moments ago slowly collapse. For a moment, they couldn't make sense of what had happened.

"Was that Haki...?"

Hancock, the most gifted of the three, was the first to sense something unusual. She glanced uncertainly toward the harbor, then grabbed her sisters and ran for the evacuation ship Fisher Tiger had prepared.

"That scared me to death..."

Tesoro, his hair gray-green, patted his sunken chest in lingering fear. Then he carefully picked up the weapon that had fallen to the ground and struck the guard lying there with all his might!

The same scene played out across the city. Many who should have died in the chaos might have had their fates changed that day!

"Hey, hey, hey! What the hell are you doing?"

The CP0 agent beside Atlas had noticed something was wrong and immediately demanded an answer.

"I'm terribly sorry. I only awakened Conqueror's Haki recently, so I can't quite control it yet. My mistake."

Atlas apologized, but his face showed not the slightest trace of remorse.

Like hell!

The CP0 agent seethed. Atlas was clearly helping the slaves, but there was nothing he could do about the bastard Marine. Beneath his mask, his face twisted with rage.

"Hmph! I'll report this to the Five Elders. You'd better think about how you're going to explain yourself to Sengoku!"

My Hand Slipped Just a Little

After a long while, the red sun rose, bathing the morning in a mellow glow.

The riot and fires gradually died down. Most of the slaves boarded the evacuation ships prepared in advance, while Atlas's warship followed the largest vessel at an unhurried pace.

"Rear Admiral Atlas! Sorry for the trouble, but could you go faster? If these slaves escape, you'll be responsible for the consequences!"

"You soldiers over there! Can't you aim those cannons properly?"

Ever since coming aboard, the CP0 agent in the black-and-white mask had been yammering in Atlas's ear. He had even begun overstepping his authority and directing the warship's operations for him.

"Well..."

The Marines nearby were troubled. Firing on unarmed slaves would devastate the beliefs they had always lived by.

"Shut up, you bastard!"

Atlas had had enough of the man's nonsense. Powerful Conqueror's Haki burst from him and bore down directly on the CP0 agent!

"Hey! What do you think you're doing?"

Cold sweat poured down the masked agent's forehead, soaking his back almost instantly.

"Nothing much. But if you don't shut that filthy mouth of yours, you'll never get another chance to open it!"

A threat!

A blatant threat!

The masked CP0 agent knew Atlas couldn't attack him unless he wanted to throw away his career in the Marines.

But he didn't dare gamble. If he lost that bet, he would lose his life!

"Heh..."

Seeing the CP0 agent fall silent, Atlas gave a contemptuous sneer. People raised and brainwashed by the Celestial Dragons from childhood were nothing more than mindless walking corpses.

"Don't mind him. Attack however you think best!"

"Yes, sir!"

This bastard! This bastard was unbelievable!

The masked CP0 agent raged inwardly, but his body knew better. He didn't dare move a muscle, afraid Atlas might misunderstand and kill him on the spot. That would be a damned unfair way to die.

Boom, boom, boom!

A barrage of cannonballs flew toward the evacuation ship, but most missed. The huge waves they kicked up instead pushed it farther and farther from the pursuing warship.

Aboard the largest evacuation ship.

"Benefactor, don't the Marines chasing us seem a little strange?"

A newly freed slave asked the red Fish-Man beside him, looking puzzled.

The Fish-Man was a sea bream Fish-Man with a headscarf, thick curls, a broad mouth, a full beard, and a little stubble above his upper lip. He was tall and powerfully built.

"Don't call me benefactor. My name is Fisher Tiger!"

"Those Marines don't seem too eager to catch us."

Fisher Tiger sounded uncertain. He had had little contact with the Marines, but he regarded the World Government—and humanity itself—with suspicion, even wariness.

He had once believed in Queen Otohime's words and dreamed of living alongside humans beneath the sun. But his miserable years as a slave had crushed that hope. He knew there were good and bad people in every race, yet deep down, he still hated humans.

"Never mind them. Full speed ahead! Let's shake the Marines behind us!"

Fisher Tiger gave the order, and no one aboard dared object. He had just rescued them from hell, and they trusted him.

Besides, Fisher Tiger could have abandoned the slaves and escaped into the sea. He was a Fish-Man, after all—a child of the ocean!

In an inconspicuous corner of the evacuation ship, the three Boa sisters huddled together, their attention drawn to the Marines' attack. With the enhanced physiques granted by their Zoan Devil Fruits, they easily spotted Atlas standing at the bow of the warship.

"Big sister, was that Marine the one who saved us just now?"

Sandersonia sounded unsure. She lacked Hancock's extraordinary talent, but her instincts told her that the Conqueror's Haki they had felt in the harbor city had definitely come from that Marine!

"Mm... I think so!"

Hancock nodded firmly, though her eyes flickered and she seemed distracted, lost in thoughts she did not share.

Aboard the warship.

"Sir! Those slaves are about to lose us. The gap between their ship and ours keeps growing!"

"That's all right. I'll give them a little push myself!"

An unreadable look crossed Atlas's face. His hands kept moving as he activated the Dragon Talisman!

"Explosive Flame!"

A thick column of Explosive Flame shot from the warship and struck with perfect precision... right beside the evacuation ship.

The terrifying blast threw up a towering wave, and its tremendous force surged against the hull.

"Everyone, hold on! Grab something fixed to the ship! Don't get thrown overboard!"

Fisher Tiger shouted with all his strength, but the roar of the rising wave quickly swallowed his voice.

"Sorry. My hand slipped just a little!"

Atlas tilted his head toward the black-and-white-masked CP0 agent and offered yet another apology utterly devoid of sincerity.

Soon, dense mist rose over the sea in the intense heat. Just as Atlas had expected, the warship lost sight of Fisher Tiger and the others.

"Sir! We've lost sight of the slaves ahead!"

"What a shame. Still, there's nothing we can do. Their luck was incredible. Admiral Sengoku won't blame me, will he?"

Atlas feigned regret, putting on a convincing show of anxious humility.

"Rear Admiral Atlas, you'll answer for everything you've done today!"

The CP0 agent could finally bear Atlas's wretched acting no longer. The mission had failed completely. Even if he somehow escaped execution upon his return, his career was finished. He might as well stop holding back.

"Hm? Interesting..."

A powerful presence suddenly entered the range of Atlas's Observation Haki, which had remained locked on Fisher Tiger. The newcomer had clearly sensed his Haki as well.

"Hey, you bastard, don't go making things up! I haven't lost track of them with my Observation Haki!"

As soon as he finished speaking, Atlas leaped from the warship and sprinted across the sea, spraying white water in his wake!

"Running on the sea? And this man is only a Rear Admiral?"

The masked CP0 agent was stunned. Atlas's Conqueror's Haki had been shocking enough. He had never imagined the man could run across the sea with such ease.

Silvers Rayleigh ### "Now this is frightening. I never expected someone like you to get involved in this affair!"

Atlas used Geppo to rise above the sea and looked down at Fisher Tiger's group—and at the man standing in the ship's bow.

The man had long, wavy blond hair and a thick beard. He wore round glasses, and a scar ran above and below his right eye. His piercing gaze fixed on Atlas in midair.

"Silvers Rayleigh!"

Atlas looked at the man before him and slowly spoke his name. "As Pirate King Roger's right-hand man, shouldn't you be enjoying retirement in some corner of the world?"

"Sorry, young Marine. I can't let you pass."

Rayleigh did not answer Atlas's question. Instead, he slowly drew his sword and pointed it at him.

"Fisher Tiger, take the others and go. I'll hold this young Marine off."

Rayleigh spoke lightly as he turned to Fisher Tiger behind him.

"All right. Be careful."

Fisher Tiger nodded. He knew Dark King Rayleigh's strength and had no concern for his safety. The man before him was among the very strongest in the world.

Atlas watched the ship draw away without trying to stop it. He had not come all this way to intercept Fisher Tiger's group.

What interested him was a chance to fight Rayleigh. It would also give him an explanation for the World Government's leaders: he had fought the Pirate King's right-hand man while pursuing escaped slaves. They could hardly blame him for failing to stop Rayleigh. He was still young, after all.

Atlas had already settled on what he would tell the Five Elders. It was a plan that served both purposes perfectly!

"Young Marine, you never really intended to catch them, did you?"

"We're on opposite sides, Mr. Rayleigh. No need for so much talk."

Seeing that Atlas had no interest in chatting with an old man, Rayleigh's expression remained unchanged. Power surged through his legs, leaving a deep crater in the sea beneath him.

Whoosh!

With a sharp rush of air, Rayleigh appeared before Atlas, his presence bearing down on him.

Rayleigh was sixty-three that year, the same age as Garp. An ordinary man of that age might have been frail, but for fighters at their level, it was still the height of their strength. Their stamina might have declined a little, but the difference was almost negligible.

Now that was a pressure I hadn't felt in a long time!

Atlas felt no fear. Instead, excitement spread across his face. The chance to fight the world's greatest warriors in their prime set his blood boiling.

Clang!

Fist met blade. Armament Haki flowed over both as sparks scattered from the clash.

"That's some formidable Haki, young Marine!"

Rayleigh was surprised. He had not expected the young man's Haki to match his own in quality.

"You're not bad yourself, Mr. Rayleigh!"

Atlas gave a derisive laugh as his body rapidly changed. He compressed to a height of roughly two meters, black-and-red Haki coating him from head to toe. Two markings ran from the corners of his eyes down to his neck, every muscle stood out as if carved, and searing heat poured from him.

Life Return: Armament Kami-e Martial Body!

"Oh?"

Rayleigh clearly sensed the change in the Marine before him. Atlas felt increasingly dangerous, and surprise entered Rayleigh's eyes.

"Let me see the mettle of the man they call the Pirate King's right hand!"

The moment Atlas finished speaking, the two figures clashed again. Their powerful Haki drove deep depressions into the surrounding sea, while terrifying impacts sent waves surging several meters high.