Kenji stood at the edge of the beach. The tide ebbed and flowed, but not a single drop of water touched him.
On the sea far opposite him, the Oro Jackson steadily halted amidst the waves, with Roger standing proudly at the bow.
The two looked at each other across the sea, the atmosphere, if not exactly hostile, was certainly explosive at a touch.
At this moment, Roger stared intently at Kenji, with no malice in his eyes, only blazing fighting spirit.
"This kid… it seems he won't be leaving easily today." Kenji had already seen Roger's intention and wasn't particularly surprised.
If his strength were still what it was when he had first become an Admiral, this battle would most likely not have happened today.
In other words, it was precisely because his strength had greatly increased that Roger would go all out.
Roger has a bit of a 'combat fanatic' temperament. Once he recognizes an opponent's strength, he can't resist the urge to fight when they meet again.
And the better the relationship, the more ruthless his attacks.
For example, with Whitebeard, the two were considered close friends. Every time they met, they would have a very passionate and vigorous 'greeting,' sometimes even fighting for several days and nights.
Of course, Whitebeard also had a similar temperament, or rather, all top-tier powerhouses in the world were like this.
They tempered themselves in successive great battles, surpassed their limits, continuously improved their strength, and finally stood at the pinnacle of the world.
"Long time no see, your strength fills me with awe, old man Kenji!" Roger grinned, looking at Kenji on the shore, his eyes gleaming.
It was as if he had discovered a great treasure.
Clearly, he had long since used Observation Haki to sense the powerful aura emanating from Kenji.
Everyone in this world passively emits a special aura.
To precisely capture this aura, especially the aura of a top-tier powerhouse, requires Observation Haki that matches it.
Roger's Observation Haki could clearly sense the intensity of Kenji's aura. Similarly, Kenji could sense his opponent.
Unlike a little over a month ago, Kenji's Observation Haki was no longer purple, it had already advanced to gold.
Under the Gold Observation Haki, he had 'seen' the entire Roger Pirates across from him clearly.
"…As expected of the Roger Pirates, they indeed possess great potential." Kenji couldn't help but sigh in his heart.
Through his Observation Haki, he saw that on the Oro Jackson, besides Roger, the strength of the other crew members was also not weak.
Previously, he knew that the Roger Pirates harbored hidden talents, but he was somewhat unclear about the extent of other crew members' strength.
"No wonder they were the first to complete the Grand Line journey…" Kenji's eyes flickered, and he was thoroughly convinced at this moment.
"Among the three legendary pirate forces, at least for now, the Roger Pirates should be the strongest."
In this era, three legendary pirates dominated the seas, their status comparable to, or even surpassing the Four Emperors.
Among them, the Whitebeard Pirates were essentially one superpower leading many smaller ones, with the smaller ones having great potential for the future.
Golden Lion's Flying Pirates were in a similar situation, with only Shiki being truly formidable, lacking helpers of the same caliber.
Only the Roger Pirates possessed the most formidable overall strength.
At this moment, on the Oro Jackson, a group of crew members gathered behind Roger, with Rayleigh and Gaban standing on either side of Roger.
Such a group of individuals, even without releasing their aura or using Conqueror's Haki, simply by standing there, exuded an intense sense of pressure.
Each person's life experiences form a unique presence.
And across from them, the combined presence of numerous individuals converged, ultimately centered on Roger, pressing towards the shore.
Even the group of young cadets watching from the distant cliff were affected.
"Whoa!"
In an instant, their eyes widened, and in their vision, it was as if colossal waves were suppressing them.
It was as if they were in an extreme blizzard, their bodies and even their consciousness rapidly freezing.
They almost thought they were going to die, their breathing stopped, and even their hearts gradually ceased to beat.
Fortunately, in the next moment, a powerful aura, like the radiance of the morning sun, instantly broke through the giant waves and melted the blizzard.
Kenji stood on the coast, the aura surging from his body spanning the sea, confronting the entire Roger Pirates.
Between the two sides, the originally invisible auras became visibly tangible in their fierce confrontation.
"Haha, indeed very strong!"
Rayleigh's lips curved into a smile, and he couldn't help but reach for his sword.
On the other side, Gaban's twin axes were already itching for action.
Just then, Roger suddenly raised his hand to interrupt them and while swinging his sword, he laughed.
"This battle is very dangerous, so I can't let you two get hurt."
"…He actually said it's dangerous? You don't need such a clumsy excuse just to want to fight yourself, do you?!" Rayleigh and Gaban felt speechless upon hearing this.
As he spoke, Roger had already stepped onto the ship's railing, preparing to take flight and unleash a powerful slash.
And on the opposite shore, Kenji had already moved, stepping on the ground first, leaping into the air, and charging straight towards the distant Oro Jackson.
Crack~ Rumble!!
The ground on the coast was forcibly shattered, and cracks like a spider web rapidly spread, while Kenji had already vanished into the distance.
In mid-air, his heavy fist clenched tightly, the power of Conqueror's Haki surging wildly, bringing with it endless light.
The light flickered between his fingers, and terrifying energy surged with a roar.
At this moment, Kenji truly displayed the might of his Conqueror's Haki Infusion.
Opposite him, Roger also leaped into the air, using the entire Oro Jackson as a stepping stone, causing its stern to tilt high, almost capsizing the ship.
Roger gripped the hilt of his sword with both hands, the blade enveloped in an intensely dense Conqueror's Haki.
As he unleashed his sword, space cracked open, and wherever the blade passed, there was only deep, dark light.
Holding nothing back, he used his strongest power.
"Divine Departure!"
The blade carried a momentum that seemed capable of sweeping away the galaxy, tearing open space, and meeting Kenji's heavy fist.
At this moment, the light above Kenji's heavy fist was intensely bright, as if what he was about to unleash was not a fist but a small sun.
"Titan Breakthrough!"
Haki swirled, the light erupted, and the heavy fist collided with the blade in an instant.
Buzz... Boom!!
Two powerful energies exploded across the air, Conqueror's Haki fiercely colliding with each other.
Centered on the two, a terrifying pressure wave burst open spherically.
The sea below seemed to be intimidated. The tide receded, and the sea surface was forcibly pressed into a spherical depression, with the seabed visible at its deepest point.
"Are you kidding me? He actually possesses such power?!" Gaban looked up at the sun-like blazing light in the sky, his eyes almost bulging out.
"Indeed, this kind of power… is truly very dangerous." Rayleigh's smile vanished, his eyes filled with serious solemnity.
Previously, they thought Roger's words were just a casual excuse, treating them as a joke.
At this moment, both of them, as well as the other crew members on the ship, had to quickly change their attitude, concentrating all their spirit and strength to respond, showing respect.
This was respect for strength.
When facing a strong person, or even a stronger person than oneself, respect is both polite and necessary.
Those who refused to show respect had all died.