Clang!
Bzzzt!
Blades collided, and lightning ran wild!
The Elder wielding the Cursed Blade against Rocks finally noticed something:
"No!"
An anxious cry escaped his mouth.
Then a ruthless glint flashed in his eyes. He actually relaxed his grip, letting Rocks's slash send him flying.
Boom, boom, boom, boom!
Before the others could ask, a burst of Conqueror's Haki swept away the dust filling the air.
Blood trickled from the corner of his mouth as he rose from the rubble, clutching his chest. He said to Kong and Garp:
"Keep Rocks occupied."
Then he turned to the burly Elder and said:
"Get beneath the temple, now."
He stamped his foot, vanished, and rushed toward the Palace, which had already been reduced to rubble.
The burly Elder realized what was happening too and rushed toward the Palace with a grim expression.
At that moment, inside the underground Palace, Roger stood beside the colossal battleship.
Countless CP Agents lay dead on the floor, not a trace of life left in them.
His right hand gently stroked the battleship, as though he were caressing his own child.
Feeling the joy coming from the battleship, Roger's lips curled slightly, yet he could not bring himself to feel happy.
"The bloodline of the D. Clan, huh."
Through his Observation Haki's Voice of All Things, he sensed a joy like that of a child who had found its parent.
Roger fell silent. For an instant, his heart softened, but he immediately banished the thought.
He could not take this battleship away now, nor could he let Rocks have it.
And if he left it here, the Celestial Dragons would unlock its secrets sooner or later.
If that happened...
He closed his eyes, then extended his Haki's Voice of All Things.
Sensing the voices of all things, he learned the battleship's past, as well as its weakest point.
The instant Roger extended his Observation Haki, the battleship seemed to realize something.
Within the Voice of All Things, its joy vanished, leaving only waves of sorrow that sounded like weeping.
"I'm sorry, child."
Roger slowly opened his eyes, his face expressionless. He drew his sword and coated it in Conqueror's Haki, his voice slightly low.
He raised his hand.
"Stop!"
With a furious roar, the Elder wielding the Cursed Blade appeared.
A surging wave of Conqueror's Haki swept toward Roger, followed by an enormous flying slash.
Roger ignored the slash hurtling toward him at tremendous speed. He stood motionless, his face expressionless.
He swung his sword.
"Divine Departure."
There was no trace of emotion in his low voice.
Ace, the Famous Sword in his hand and one of the Twelve Supreme Grade Blades, sliced through the battleship's armor and cut into its interior.
Then the Conqueror's Haki coating the blade erupted inside the battleship, spreading in every direction.
The black-and-purple lightning seemed to have a will of its own.
In an instant, it reached and destroyed a particular spot.
Meanwhile, the slash sent Roger flying, embedding him in the underground wall and leaving an enormous crater shaped like a sword slash.
"Damn it!"
After sending Roger flying, the Elder wielding the Cursed Blade was instead consumed by fury. It was too late...
The burly Elder arrived next. Seeing the colossal battleship beginning to shake, he too was utterly furious.
As members of the Five Elders, both men naturally knew the situation with this battleship.
In truth, whether they could unlock the battleship's secrets did not matter, because Lord Imu held that trump card.
A trump card powerful enough to cleanse the world.
To them, this battleship was merely a powerful weapon capable of destroying nations.
Whether they succeeded in unlocking its secrets did not matter at all.
Otherwise, they would never have ordered its destruction along with the island if necessary.
What enraged them was that Roger had played them.
They, who occupied the highest positions and stood far above all living beings, had actually been played by Roger!!!!
Even if I don't care about this thing, even if I smash it and throw it in the trash, that doesn't give you the right to touch it.
Yet Roger had taken advantage of everyone's distraction during the battle.
He had entered their room and smashed their belongings for them. That was what truly enraged the two Elders.
Someone who refuses to stay under our control...
The two Elders exuded boundless killing intent, pressing it toward Roger.
Roger paid it no mind. He shifted a little, then pushed himself free of the wall and jumped down.
"How about we head outside first, gentlemen? This place is about to collapse."
Landing on the floor, Roger grinned broadly and spoke in a hearty voice.
It was as though nothing had happened.
He addressed the two of them without a care in the world.
And just as Roger had said, the battleship shook more and more violently, while a savage energy surged ever more fiercely within it.
The two Elders gave Roger a dark look and temporarily suppressed their killing intent.
They were a hundred meters underground. Being buried down here would indeed be troublesome.
Besides, killing Rocks was their most important task.
The person with the special ability who had joined Rocks was actually an agent of the World Government, deliberately sent out.
Their plan was now only one step from completion.
"Hmph. Let's go."
After a few seconds of confrontation, the Elder wielding the Cursed Blade gave a cold snort and spoke.
He turned and left with a dark expression, the burly Elder following close behind with an equally grim face.
Roger also headed toward the passage, grinning broadly and laughing.
When he reached the entrance to the passage, he paused and then continued forward, only to stop again after a few steps.
He turned back to look at the battleship. The smile had vanished from his face as he said softly and sincerely:
"I'm sorry."
Then he turned and left again, his mouth spreading into a broad grin.
As though nothing had happened.
Rumble!
The battleship's increasingly violent energy poured out, and the underground hall began to collapse...