Around Roger's body, Conqueror's Haki surged violently.
Bang... Bang... Bang...
From the deck behind came successive thuds of heavy objects hitting the ground, it was the pirate crew's new recruits.
Because they were too close, the few newcomers were knocked unconscious and fell headfirst onto the deck.
"Hey, Captain! Don't suddenly make such a terrifying commotion." Gaban grumbled, scratching his head.
He had just given the newcomers a lecture as an elder, and now they were scared unconscious by Roger.
Won't they forget everything when they wake up?
Roger didn't turn his head, a serious and solemn expression contained within his grinning smile, focusing intently on preparing to unleash a slash.
He even used both hands to grip his sword.
Seeing this, even veterans like Rayleigh and Gaban were astonished.
"Is there really a need to be so serious, Roger?"
"Fighting with all your might is the greatest respect!" Roger replied with a firm attitude.
"Besides..."
As he spoke, Roger had already finished charging, and a blazing Haki erupted from the Ace he held with both hands.
With a mighty swing of his sword, Conqueror's Haki enveloped the blade, tearing through space and cutting a deep, dark crack in mid-air.
A vast and domineering slash travelled horizontally into the distance, leaving a continuous trail of lightning-like Haki marks.
Although Patrick wasn't Roger's target, the slash, after being unleashed, happened to collide with the crescent-shaped slash Patrick had slashed out.
Patrick's slash did not emit the Conqueror's Haki light like Roger's, but it was generally much larger than Roger's slash, almost as long as the Oro Jackson's hull.
Then...
Tear!!
The massive pure white slash was cut off by the deep dark light, its power seemed to have not yet fully erupted but had no chance to show itself again.
The giant slash split open and for a moment, the seawater 'steamed,' and a large number of fish remains emerged from the blood-colored water.
The Conqueror's Haki-infused slash continued to impact, its aftershock sweeping towards Patrick in mid-air.
At the same time, Kenji, who was on the distant island's shore, had already prepared to strike.
He immediately drew back his arm to charge, slightly leaning to the side and crouching down. Violent Conqueror's Haki swirled around his fist, and lightning-shaped Haki marks surged wildly.
Amidst the violent rotation of air currents, his fist was fully charged, and he threw a heavy punch from afar towards Patrick in the sky.
"Titan Impact!"
The terrifying power transformed into a beam of light, rapidly surging forward with sparks and lightning, instantly striking Patrick's face.
At this moment, Patrick was concentrating his power on dealing with Roger's Conqueror's Haki-infused slash.
"Despicable! A sneak attack!"
"I didn't expect an Admiral to use such despicable tactics!"
Patrick's eyes widened in anger as he noticed Kenji's move.
At this moment, Roger's Conqueror's Haki Haki-infused slash and Kenji's 'Titan Impact' beam arrived almost simultaneously.
One was a Legendary Pirate, the other an Admiral, two great powerhouses were attending to Patrick alone.
Patrick was actually doing well. After all, ordinary people wouldn't even be able to attract two powerhouses to act together, and just getting a glance from them would be worth boasting about repeatedly.
After this battle, Patrick would likely gain great fame—
Provided he survived the immediate crisis.
"My sea adventures will NOT end here!" Patrick's blood boiled intensely, and his eyes turned bloodshot.
Then he exerted his maximum strength, swinging his umbrella sword with both hands to unleash the strongest slash of his life.
Sizzle... Sizzle... Sizzle...
Armament Haki, Conqueror's Haki... at this moment, various powers converged.
The cold light of the umbrella sword rotated halfway around Patrick's front, and various Haki marks exploded and swirled with the sword light.
The next moment, Kenji and Roger's attack collided, right in front of Patrick.
Boom!!
Two powerful forces erupted in power from a distance under the effect of 'Conqueror's Haki Infusion'.
At the center of the impact point, surging energy violently converged to form a ball of light, and as the Conqueror's Haki shone, invisible energy shockwaves blasted in all directions.
The crescent-shaped slash unleashed by Patrick lasted only a few seconds before rapidly collapsing.
A massive, tsunami-like energy wave arrived instantly, slamming fiercely into the blade Patrick held defensively in front of him.
"Ugh... Is this my limit...?"
Sweat steamed from his entire body, almost as if he were burning his potential.
In just a few seconds, he reached his absolute limit. His umbrella sword was blasted away by the immense force, and he uncontrollably crashed into the sea.
At the same time, the full power of 'Titan Impact' and 'Conqueror's Haki-infused slash' finally erupted.
Suddenly, the punch exploded, forming a wide spherical pressure wave.
Within the pressure wave, the Conqueror's Haki-infused slash forcibly carved out its own exclusive domain.
The two forces intensely compressed the air, and even the sea surface below was affected, being pressed into a large, visible spherical depression, as if the seawater was receding.
The island was quite far from the impact point, so the aftershock had little effect.
However, under the violent air currents, the trees near the coast were uprooted from the ground.
Kenji stood on the coastline, lightning-shaped Haki marks continuously swirling around his right fist, as he began to charge again.
And on the sea opposite him, the Oro Jackson had already arrived nearby.
"That ship is… the Oro Jackson!"
"It's the Roger Pirates!"
On a cliff near the coast, Marie's face suddenly changed when she saw the pirate ship approaching the island, as if recalling their last encounter.
Behind her, a group of young cadets, led by Crocodile and Mihawk, watched the battle with rapt attention, their wide eyes filled with deep shock.
They had been drawn by the commotion of the battle on the coast, and the earth-shattering sounds of the clash were already enough to alarm them.
Now, seeing the full scope of the actual battle, even a young strongman like Crocodile, who came from the Grand Line and had witnessed the methods of some powerful pirates, was filled with terror, just like the other cadets.
The cadets present were momentarily frozen in place by the shock in their hearts, deeply engrossed in the distant battle scene.
Only Marie, who had followed Kenji through many storms, was able to remain undisturbed by external factors in this situation and make a clear judgment immediately.
"It's the entire Roger Pirates!"
"We absolutely cannot let Kenji be surrounded and ganged up on."
Marie pulled out a Den Den Mushi, her expression resolute.
"I'll contact Fleet Admiral Kong directly. Even if it means violating discipline and being punished afterward, we must request support from the main forces."
She quickly dialed, and soon, Kong's voice came from the other end.
(End of Chapter)
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