Chapter 513: Escape from Death (2)
Compared to Borsalino, Dragon was undoubtedly more skilled and daring.
This was the confidence that came from his strength.
"Dragon's Claw!"
His figure transformed into a gust of wind, rushing towards the Cliff, his target the Pirate Ship.
Moving with wind-like speed, he was keenly spotted by Roger, whose figure shot into the Sky like a ghost.
"Divine Departure!"
A sword strike coated with Conqueror's Haki, Dragon had no way to avoid it.
His body had to materialize, and he similarly coated a claw with Conqueror's Haki, intending to clash with Roger.
Black-red lightning spread like ripples, colliding fiercely in the air.
However, Roger's sword strike evaded Dragon's claw at a strange angle, directly hitting Dragon's chest.
Dragon's body was sent flying over a thousand meters by the terrifying destructive power.
Facing Roger at his peak, even Dragon had to temporarily yield to his edge.
Even though he was now one of the few Monsters in the Marines, this fact remained unchanged.
A few minutes later, "The Storm Dragon" and the CP0 Director-General joined the fray.
The real great battle began.
Facing four Monsters.
Roger targeted Dragon, Rayleigh faced Borsalino.
Gaban dealt with Black Dragon, and Kozuki Oden faced "The Storm Dragon".
Compared to the two Zoan Devil Fruit Users, Logia-type users like Dragon and Borsalino were considered more difficult to handle by the Roger Pirates.
Their extremely high mobility was fatal; a single mistake could disrupt the coating process.
Therefore, the two strongest Strongmen were needed to counter them.
"Truly powerful! Garp's son."
Roger could clearly feel Dragon's strength.
Roger had interacted with Dragon when he was young.
He hadn't expected Dragon to become so powerful after so many years.
At the same age, he himself was far from being Dragon's opponent.
In Roger's memory, the only one who possessed such deterrence was "Pluto" Hades.
Unlike the still young Borsalino, the current Dragon was a Monster that even he dared not underestimate.
The other Crewmates weren't idle either, preventing any sudden attacks.
The intense commotion of the great battle caused the entire Cliff to totter.
It felt as if it could collapse at any moment.
In fact, this was the objective of the others.
Realizing he couldn't bypass Rayleigh, Borsalino made destroying the Cliff his primary target.
Although most of his attacks were blocked by Rayleigh, as long as some got through, it would be a success for him.
He could use his speed advantage to constantly maneuver in the Sky, while Rayleigh could only passively defend.
The CP0 Director-General couldn't even achieve this.
He opened his large mouth, condensing Black Dragon Roar, but before he could unleash it, Gaban's powerful punch directly struck the CP0 Director-General's lower jaw.
The powerful energy had to be swallowed by the CP0 Director-General, exploding inside his body.
Stepping on Moonwalk, Gaban's twin axes also carried terrifying lethality.
This prevented the CP0 Director-General from diverting any energy.
And as for "The Storm Dragon," there was even less to say.
Under Kozuki Oden's resistance, he couldn't even get close to the Cliff.
Based purely on raw strength, "The Storm Dragon" was not Kozuki Oden's opponent.
Especially considering Storm Dragon was now over sixty years old.
It was normal for stamina to decline with increasing age.
Storm Dragon, who was already considering retirement, hadn't maintained his strength through training in recent years, putting all his energy into enjoyment.
His own strength had partially declined, but more importantly, he had lost the spirit for fierce fighting.
Not daring to go all out led to being suppressed by Kozuki Oden.
Or perhaps, he was holding back.
Kozuki Oden also realized this and paid attention to the other Battlefields while fighting, ready to provide reinforcements at any time.
The stalemate of the situation was advantageous for the Roger Pirates.
As time passed, the Roger Pirates' coating was nearing completion.
The two Coating Craftsmen were working overtime.
Sweat had already soaked their clothes.
They were physically and mentally exhausted.
The consumption of stamina, the stress on their minds, the survival of the Pirate Crew could be said to rest entirely on their shoulders.
For three days, they had been coating non-stop, without sleep.
Their bodies were close to their limit, but they still focused intently and persevered.
All external battle seemed unable to affect them; they ignored it.
More accurately, they trusted their companions.
They trusted that their companions could protect them, and they just needed to do their job.
Marine Warships were constantly approaching from afar.
Fortunately, no true Monsters arrived.
If they appeared, the current fragile balance would be broken.
Fish-Man Sambell continued to act, using Fish-Man Karate to overturn and sink Marine Warships one after another.
Any single cannonball could potentially affect them.
He would not let any warship get close.
The warship casualties were heartbreaking, but with Sambell present, no amount of warships was useful.
Realizing this, Marine Headquarters directly ordered that no warships were allowed to approach.
This powerful Fish-Man was an unbeatable presence in naval battle.
A thousand meters away in the Sky, a Reporter Bird was holding a Visual Den Den Mushi, live streaming the war from a distance.
The well-informed World Economic Journal had dispatched a large number of Reporter Birds to the surrounding Sea Area at the first opportunity.
Especially those following the Marine Warships.
Although the great battle had already begun when they arrived, it wasn't too late.
As long as the result wasn't out, it was a good thing for the World Economic Journal.
At the first moment, Morgans started the World live streaming.
The latest Visual Den Den Mushi now had a zoom function specifically for live streaming great battles between Monsters like this.
Reporter Birds that got too close could easily be killed by the aftermath.
The speed of combat between Strongmen was too fast.
Through the live streaming, it was difficult to see clearly with just one camera.
The clearest was the battle between Gaban and the CP0 Director-General.
Some footage, even if only fleeting, made people incredibly excited.
Most people watching the live streaming didn't understand the crisis currently faced by the Roger Pirates; they were merely yearning for the battle of Strongmen.
"Quick, quick, there's a bonus for the first ones to arrive."
Morgans urged constantly, holding a microphone.
Just one Reporter Bird was not enough for the live streaming needs.
At least four Reporter Birds were needed to cover the great battle between the eight Strongmen.
In the distant Sea Area, Reporter Birds were desperately flapping their wings.
The incentive of a bonus filled them with motivation.
Finally, the Oro Jackson's coating was completed.
The entire ship seemed to be wrapped in a transparent bubble.
The two Coating Craftsmen sighed in relief, then collapsed to the ground in exhaustion, helped up by the Crewmates.
"Everyone get ready, call Sambell back. We'll go first, Captain and the others will be right behind."
Roger, still in battle, showed a smile on his face.
Dragon on the opposite side inwardly cursed.
He tried to bypass Roger but was easily blocked.
In terms of short-distance burst, Roger was also not inferior to anyone.
The ocean current was influenced by Roger's ability, forming a current flowing towards the Deep Sea.
The Oro Jackson slowly sank below the Sea Surface.
Before that, a signal flare shot into the Sky was noticed by Sambell in the distance, and he quickly swam back.
"Hahaha! Let's go!"
Seeing the Oro Jackson sink into The Sea, Roger laughed excitedly.
Breaking away from Dragon, he jumped into The Sea from the Sky.
The other Crewmates were similarly excited and also jumped into The Sea.
"Tornado!"
Dragon waved his hand, and soon, a terrifying Tornado appeared on the Sea Surface.
Under the influence of the Tornado, a whirlpool formed on the Sea Surface.
However, Sambell arrived, holding an iron chain.
Roger and the others grabbed the iron chain and were pulled by Sambell, breaking free from the whirlpool and quickly approaching the Oro Jackson.
Then, their bodies broke through the coating layer and boarded the ship.
The coating layer did not break like a bubble.
The few of them looked at the Sea Surface for a long time without speaking.
Borsalino tried using Yasakani no Magatama, but it was useless.
After a long while, Sengoku and the others finally arrived late.
This was their biggest chance, but they failed.
As for the Roger Pirates, everyone was filled with the joy of escaping from death.
(end of chapter)