Roger and Sambel returned to the Deserted Island at once.
Seeing that the Marines had not found the place, they could not help breathing a sigh of relief.
"Thank goodness."
Yet every member's heart was racing. There was no telling when the Marines would find them.
They had less and less time. Even the coating artisans' hands trembled slightly, but their only task was to finish the coating as best they could.
The sooner they finished, the sooner they could escape this nightmare, and they could not afford any mistakes.
Half a day passed, and two warships slowly approached.
"Search this island thoroughly, especially any cliffs with concealed areas. Don't miss a single one."
The two Navy Warships came within a hundred meters of the Deserted Island's shore, intending to circle the island from opposite directions.
Roger spotted them immediately.
"Do we attack, Captain?"
"No. Buy as much time as possible. Wait until they're almost on top of us before taking them out. Don't give them any chance to send a message."
The members of the Roger Pirates remained hidden as orders were issued.
They knew that once they attacked, the Marines would be close to discovering them.
The Marines would confirm that they were in these waters and concentrate their search here.
The time was almost right.
Roger and Rayleigh took action themselves.
Boom!
Terrifying Conqueror's Haki erupted instantly. Aboard the Navy Warships, most of the Marines' eyes rolled back as they lost consciousness.
Two slashes cleaved the Navy Warships in half, one each.
And that was only the beginning.
Roger and Rayleigh immediately singled out the strongest officers aboard the warships and cut them down with ease.
Minutes later, the warships sank to the seabed.
Sambel, the Fish-Man, even dragged the sinking warships down himself, keeping as much