Before the words had even faded.
Roy abruptly accelerated, evading both attacks and closing in on a Giant Vice Admiral's waist like a phantom.
Advanced armament haki coiled around his fingertips as he thrust them forward without mercy.
"Argh..."
A scream rang out.
The Giant Vice Admiral's abdomen was pierced clean through, blood and entrails spilling out instantly.
It was clearly a fatal wound.
Roy's gaze remained indifferent, his assault unbroken as he vanished again in the blink of an eye.
"Damn you! How dare you kill..."
The other Giant Vice Admiral roared in despair, watching helplessly as his brother died.
"Heh, since you miss him so much, go join him down below."
"Finger Pistol!"
Roy far surpassed this Giant Vice Admiral in both speed and strength. In an instant, he leaped before him and unleashed another Finger Pistol.
"How is that possible..."
The Giant Vice Admiral's face filled with shock.
But before he could finish, his head was shattered.
His body crashed to the ground.
Blood splattered, staining the deck red.
The scene abruptly fell deathly silent.
Apart from the unconscious Marine Soldiers and a handful of criminals, everyone-including the other Vice Admirals, Zephyr, and even Red and Bullet-was stunned by the sight.
The criminals in particular swallowed hard, their eyes brimming with shock and fear.
Simply calling Roy strong was no longer enough.
This was ruthlessness. He was a true demon.
Everyone could see that Bullet had held back throughout the battle, but Red had pulled his punches the most.
He had never killed a Vice Admiral, clearly having something else in mind.
Put plainly, he simply did not want to add to his bloodshed after escaping Impel Down, so he restrained himself at every turn.
But Roy was different.
He truly showed no mercy.
He killed Marine Soldiers without hesitation, tore Zephyr's arm off, and killed the two Giant Vice Admirals who ambushed him on the spot.
He was making himself an enemy of Marine Headquarters until one side was utterly destroyed!
"Hehe, are you shocked? Do you think I did something wrong?"
"Or do you idiots actually think you can become good people after leaving Impel Down?"
Roy swept his gaze over the crowd, his voice ice-cold.
"I'll say this one last time. We're criminals, and the Marines are hunting us down right now.
"Since ancient times, Marines have been the natural enemies of pirates and criminals. When they meet, they fight to the death!"
"Anyone who still fucking thinks they're a good person can crawl back to Impel Down right now and get reacquainted with prison life!"
At this point, Roy's gaze grew even darker.
Fuck, sure, I'm a villain.
But this is a prison break. We're fighting the Marines for our lives!
Ever since he had launched the Impel Down escape plan, it seemed he was the only one giving it his all.
Threatening Dragon, the Revolutionary Army's leader, defeating Garp and his group.
He had tried everything he could just to leave Impel Down.
But only now, after all this fighting, did he realize that while he was still risking his life, slackers had already slipped into the group.
Especially that old bastard Red.
He had kept going easy on Kuzan back in Impel Down, and now he was fighting a Vice Admiral to a standstill.
Wasn't he just putting on an act at my expense?
The look he gave Red had completely changed.
These people were unreliable. In the end, he could only rely on himself.
One day, he would use shikigami to build an army that obeyed him absolutely.
Otherwise, sooner or later, someone would get him killed.
Honestly, he was starting to understand Sakazuki, the MVP of the Paramount War.
He could also better appreciate Ryomen Sukuna's situation, fighting successive opponents alone until all his energy was exhausted.
At those words, Red and some of the criminals stiffened, the latter feeling chills down their spines.
Roy was about to set his sights on them!
"Ahem, well... Roy, don't misunderstand. I really am very weak right now."
Seeing Roy's gaze locked firmly on him, Red sensed trouble and hurriedly revealed his strength.
He abruptly unleashed his swordsmanship.
Crack!
The Vice Admiral fighting him had already been badly injured by the blast of Conqueror's Haki and had only just managed to recover.
But in an instant, a single slash sent him flying into the sea, his eyes filled with bewilderment.
Seriously, was all that acting necessary?
Why had he suddenly started going all out halfway through the fight?
"Hmph, Red, you really... Forget it. It's time we left!"
Roy gave Red a long, hard look, then leaped onto another warship.
But just then, his expression abruptly changed.
"Who's there?"
A powerful shock wave was hurtling toward him.
He wanted to dodge, but it was already too late.
The attack seemed to have locked on to him long ago.
In that split second, he could only instinctively activate his advanced armament haki and throw a punch with every ounce of strength he had.
With a thunderous crash, his fist collided head-on with an immense shock wave.
Boom! Boom!
Terrifying energy erupted instantly.
"A shock wave this terrifying, infused with haki-who else could it be but Sengoku!"
"But trying to kill me in one hit? You're underestimating me!"
Veins bulged on Roy's forehead. Even with his formidable strength, he felt crushing pressure bearing down on him.
He roared, unleashing his haki, cursed energy, and punching power all at once.
Boom! Boom!
In an instant, a scorching, violent blast exploded across the sea.
The aftershock hurled Roy away.
When the smoke cleared, the warship had been smashed apart, leaving only countless wooden fragments floating on the sea.
Everyone else's expression changed.
Roy had suddenly come under attack!
Once Roy steadied himself, he felt an intense pain in his hand.
Looking down, he saw that despite his protective haki, three of his fingers had been shattered.
He jerked his head up. Aboard a gigantic warship behind him, Sengoku had activated his Buddha Form and was fiercely exchanging attacks with the Crescent Moon Hunter's side.
Nearly a kilometer separated them, but their gazes clashed fiercely in midair.
"Roy, you really did manage to escape."
Clearly, Sengoku had unleashed that shock wave.
Its purpose had been to kill him outright in one strike.
"Sengoku, I'll remember this!"
Roy's gaze turned icy as he forcibly suppressed the urge to heal himself with Reverse Cursed Technique and turn back to fight Sengoku to the death.
Sure enough, the old bastard was still terrifyingly powerful.
Against Luffy, he'd been timid, dragging his feet before unleashing his big attack.
Now that it was my turn, he seized the opportunity to strike to kill.
One day, he would make the Marines pay it all back with interest.
But now was not the time to act rashly.
He had fought one battle after another.
First Garp, then Zephyr, and now he had taken a direct hit from Sengoku.
His condition was already terrible.
Getting away quickly was what mattered.
"You idiots! What are you still standing around for?"
At that thought, he leaped onto Sanjuan Wolf's body and shouted harshly,
"Everyone, retreat now! This is our last chance! Do you want to die?!"
Bullet and Red snapped out of their daze and hurried back aboard.
They had indeed been stunned by that clash between Sengoku and Roy.
Emporio Ivankov and the others also fell back.
As for the ability users, they took the opportunity to use their powers to transfer the unconscious criminals onto the warships.
Roy did not stop them.
After all, these people might still prove useful someday.
Meanwhile, Yamakaji and the other Vice Admirals struggled to stop them, but no longer had the strength.
"Damn it! You accursed criminals! You wounded Chief Instructor Zephyr and killed the Giant Vice Admirals, and now you think you can escape? Stop them!"
But every Marine Soldier present was unconscious. Not one responded.
As the criminals roared in unison, Sanjuan Wolf churned up waves and sped forward like a gigantic warship.
"We have to leave now! Otherwise, we're really finished!"
"Faster! Hurry up! Otherwise, we really won't make it!"
All that remained upon the sea were Zephyr's agonized screams, the powerless roars of Yamakaji and the other Vice Admirals, and the Marine Soldiers knocked unconscious by three blasts of Conqueror's Haki.
They could only watch helplessly as Roy and his group swiftly disappeared into the distance.
Before you continue