A day later.
The war raged on. The Roger Pirates had lost more than ten fighters.
Buggy and Shanks, the two apprentice pirates, hid in the ship's hold with several noncombatants.
They knelt in a corner, sobbing. More than once, they tried to rush out, but the other crew members stopped them.
They were not frontline fighters. In a war like this, going out would only get them killed, so the Roger Pirates had kept them out of the battle.
At sea, some noncombatants were even more important than the frontline fighters.
The ship's doctor, Crocus, was one of them.
The Roger Pirates felt guilty about Crocus. They had invited him aboard to treat Roger's illness and prolong his life.
He had signed on as a ship's doctor, yet that work had thrown him into danger again and again.
They had not wanted Crocus to take part in this battle.
But Crocus was skilled in two forms of Haki, was a capable fighter, and considered himself a member of the Roger Pirates.
So he refused to retreat. Harpoon in hand, he fought for his life.
The sounds of battle never stopped. The crew members hiding in the hold did not dare look outside.
It was too brutal. Whenever they heard someone fall, they knew they had lost another companion.
In a battle at this level, finishing off an opponent quickly was extraordinarily difficult when neither side had a great advantage in strength.
It was harder still when facing more enemies at once.
For the Roger Pirates, turning the tables and killing their attackers was no easy feat.
So far, no one on the World Government or Marine side had died. Only two Vice Admirals had withdrawn from the battlefield because of severe injuries.
With that advantage, it made sense to