Roa immediately got a headache. He had no intention of fighting the Roger Pirates to the death. It wouldn't benefit him at all. If it wasn't Roger but someone else who became the Pirate King, Roa wasn't sure they would declare the existence of the Great Treasure to the world like Roger did. Whether it was Shiki, Kaido, or Big Mom, their first reaction would definitely be to keep it for themselves. Whitebeard might, but that guy had no interest in the Great Treasure whatsoever.
So, it could only be Roger. That's why Roa had come with the intention of a fixed fight. Just put on a bit of a show to justify the Devil Fruit that Uncle Shiki gave him, and it would be over. He also had an excuse: without enough dark energy supply, his combat power was inherently reduced. The inability to use his abilities recklessly would naturally greatly lower his output.
But now, Rayleigh was practically in his face. What was he supposed to do? Big Brother Kaido, come save me!
"Anyway," Roa slightly turned sideways and said to the three cadres behind him, "According to the original plan, you go."
"Yes!" Dylan nodded slightly.
The next instant, the three simultaneously used their abilities. Bullet transformed into mercury vapor, Dylan became a pterodactyl, and King turned into a tengu. The three ascended into the sky, heading directly towards the Roger Pirates members who were fiercely battling the Flying Pirates' cadres.
Speaking of which, it was a pity that Doflamingo hadn't grown up yet. If he had, Dylan could abdicate, and his three cadres would consist of a Logia, a Paramecia, and a Mythical Zoan. How neat that would be.
While thinking of these irrelevant things, Roa heard Rayleigh slowly speak, "Truly astonishing. A Logia, an Ancient Zoan, and even a Mythical Zoan? Give them some more time, and those guys under Golden Lion wouldn't even be qualified to be mentioned in the same breath as them."
"Not at all," As the saying goes, "many hands make light work." Since Rayleigh had taken the initiative to praise them, Roa naturally couldn't fall short. Roa said with a smile, "I've always told them to strive to be like you, Rayleigh, or Jabra."
Rayleigh smiled. He had to admit, this wasn't Roa's wishful thinking. Leaving aside the middle-aged man, those two youngsters truly had that potential.
"However, for them to defeat our companions with just that, it might be a bit of wishful thinking, Roa." Rayleigh continued.
"Exactly," Roa still maintained an 'you're absolutely right' expression. "So besides you and Jabra, the Roger Pirates have so many other powerhouses."
The future Red-Haired Pirates would be known as the Iron Wall Pirates, but in Roa's view, the current Roger Pirates were the true impregnable fortress. Below the super-level cadres Rayleigh and Jabra, there were actually two disaster-level cadres, and several strong individuals at the Six Powers level. They were truly all-encompassing from top to bottom, with no gaps whatsoever. If it weren't for the Flying Pirates' cadres holding the front line, Roa would have already made Bullet and the others retreat.
Behind Rayleigh, the sycophantic Buggy kept making faces at Roa, while Shanks had already sensed that something was off. Roa's attitude was too different from Shiki's and Kaido's. The red-haired boy had noticed, and Rayleigh's brows furrowed even more. "You don't seem to want to start a war."
"I have high hopes for you all. More than anyone, I anticipate Roger finding the Great Treasure and then ushering in a new era," Roa said with a serious expression.
"Great Treasure?" Shanks was startled. How did he know the Captain was looking for the Great Treasure?
Rayleigh pushed up his gold-rimmed glasses and remained silent.
"But there's nothing I can do," Roa spread his hands. "Uncle Shiki gave me an offer I couldn't refuse. How about it, Rayleigh? Do you have a Mythical Zoan? If you also give me a Mythical Zoan, I'll immediately retreat with my men and even provide you with information that should be very useful to you."
"That would be a shame," Rayleigh's lightning-imbued sword gleamed brightly. "We don't have Golden Lion's wealth and extravagance."
"Yes, that truly is a shame." Roa sighed.
It seemed that simple words wouldn't make Rayleigh cooperate with his fixed fight.
Then.
Black fur instantly grew out, dark wings spread, and the horn-like patterns on Roa's forehead extended. The next moment, Roa shot out.
"Triple Annihilation!"
Without any hesitation, he started with his strongest ultimate move. And Rayleigh's expression had already changed. "You despicable demon!"
So, he could indeed do it? Observation Haki: Future Sight! How many tricks did you hide when you were teaching Luffy? But it didn't matter, the plan had already succeeded.
"Shanks, Buggy! Run!"
Rayleigh anxiously swung his sword to meet the attack. The surging black lightning on his blade erupted with astonishing power, directly sending Roa flying with a single slash. Hmm, quite a bit weaker than Uncle Shiki. Though still terrifyingly strong, of course.
But, it was already over.
Rumble!
The moment the two collided, the ground suddenly vibrated. The ground beneath Buggy and Shanks abruptly collapsed, and the two boys, instinctively turning to run, fell directly downwards. Rayleigh immediately turned back, wanting to rescue the two from the deep pit. But he immediately stopped in his tracks.
"That's right, being able to see the future doesn't mean you can change the future." Roa shook his aching hands as he flew back. "Next, I look forward to your guidance, Dark King Rayleigh!"
Rayleigh's eyes were dangerous, like a wild beast about to devour someone. It was precisely because he could use Observation Haki to see the future that he could see that as soon as he made a move, Shanks and Buggy would be swallowed by lava.
This brat!! Too despicable! Now Rayleigh finally understood how this brat had defeated Zephyr.
"Why so serious, Rayleigh? Smile a little!" Roa had already lunged forward directly, his twin blades, wrapped in violent elemental turbulence, made the air scorch just by being swung. Heh heh, still the Version TOP! Rayleigh, you old geezer, you were watching the show at Sabaody Archipelago when Ace was executed, and you didn't even go to Marineford to be morally pressured. Now, I, Roa, will make sure you experience this important part of your life!
Rayleigh's brows were tightly furrowed. He swung his sword to meet the attack. "Shanks! Buggy! Don't move! Wait for me to save you!" He had glimpsed the future again, but the future he saw left him somewhat puzzled.
Clang!
Blade met blade for the first time. From this point, the two began a fierce exchange.
"What exactly do you want to do?" Rayleigh intensely clashed with Roa. Although the two were fighting fiercely, both knew very well that Rayleigh was holding back significantly. Rayleigh was puzzled because in the future he had just seen, Roa didn't threaten him with Shanks and Buggy to make him drop his guard; he merely asked him to cooperate.
"Wow, this is truly something." Roa clicked his tongue. Future vision was a real headache. He hadn't even said anything, and Rayleigh was already acting according to what he wanted him to do.
But it didn't matter. Roa raised an eyebrow. "Anyway, I've already held you back. I've done enough to earn Uncle Shiki's fruit, right? As for how I held you back, does it matter?"
It was just one Mythical Zoan; why should he risk his life? He had no quarrel with the Roger Pirates; he was still counting on them to kick off the Great Pirate Era.
Hearing this, Rayleigh slightly breathed a sigh of relief. If this brat truly unleashed his full power, it would definitely be a disaster for the ordinary members of the Roger Pirates. Of course, Rayleigh guaranteed that he would also make this brat pay with his life! This was also good. Could Roger really lose to Shiki? Could Jabra not handle Shiki's subordinates and Kaido?
"You're truly a cunning demon," Rayleigh sighed. He was indeed as Rocks had said, this brat was his successor. This kid truly perfectly inherited the qualities of the Rocks Pirates. Back then, Golden Lion and the others had also chosen to retreat without hesitation.
And so, the two very tacitly began their "fierce" exchange. The earth was torn apart by the aftershocks of their attacks, and dense forests were blown away by the impact of their clashes. Such a spectacle exhilarated the Flying Pirates' cadres, who were fiercely battling the Roger Pirates members nearby.
He actually managed to hold back Dark King Rayleigh! As expected of Lord Roa! The Captain was indeed brilliant; that Mythical Zoan Devil Fruit was truly given to the right person!
While fiercely clashing with Rayleigh, Roa spoke, "Just fighting like this is a bit boring, Rayleigh. How do you do Armament Haki: Internal Destruction? I can already make Haki flow, but I have no clue how to make it permeate an enemy's body."
Flowing, externalized Armament Haki could already be called advanced, enough to bypass Kaido's defenses. But internal destruction Armament Haki was truly top-tier, a supreme technique that even the samurai of Wano Country hadn't mastered. Even Luffy had figured it out on his own.
"Huh? Are you serious, brat?" Rayleigh's mouth twitched. At a time like this, in a place like this, asking him?
"I'm just passing the time," Roa said casually. "You don't want to—hmm? Right?"
"You damn brat!" Rayleigh really wanted to just slash Roa to death. He couldn't tell if Roa looked down on him or respected him. But for Shanks and Buggy...
"To achieve internal destruction, you need a stronger form of control than flowing Armament Haki," Rayleigh explained, the black lightning on his blade having vanished, replaced by an invisible fluctuation wrapped around it. "Make Armament Haki more active, like flowing water, able to seep into the interior of an object through any crevice!"
"I see, I completely understand now!"
Completely clueless and thinking Rayleigh was talking nonsense, Roa's sword clashed fiercely with Rayleigh's blade again without hesitation. I understand the principle, but how do I make Armament Haki flow like water?!
And then, immediately, as their blades touched, Roa felt it: what it meant for Armament Haki to be like water. The intensity was far greater than flowing Armament Haki! Moreover, it was more flexible, more like an extension of his will! Each time his twin blades met Rayleigh's, the elemental turbulence wrapped around them would slightly explode. Roa meticulously felt it. With flowing Armament Haki as a foundation, it seemed surprisingly easy to understand.
Thus, even on a fiercely contested battlefield, Roa didn't forget to diligently learn. This was the quality of today's youth!
However, just as Roa was diligently studying under the guidance of his tutor, Rayleigh, a figure descended from the sky.
"Hey, Rayleigh, is this demon really that strong? To be able to fight you to this extent?" Jabra, carrying his twin axes, landed on a slanted tree nearby and spoke with interest.
Rayleigh immediately felt a surge of relief. He had arrived at the perfect time.
Roa's mouth twitched. So useless, those subordinates of yours, Uncle Shiki.
But it was alright, his reinforcements had also arrived.
"Roa!"
A colossal figure crashed to the ground. Kaido, who had been sent flying by Roger's sword earlier, finally returned to the battlefield. He roared excitedly, "That bastard Roger, he's strong as a monster!"
"My opponent has arrived too?" Jabra finally gripped his twin axes with slight excitement. "Kaido, the Beast, come!"
"I'm not interested in you!" Kaido glanced at Jabra, snorted, and then continued speaking to Roa in an agitated voice, "Use that move! I'll go find Roger first!"
Roa thought about it and decided it was fine. It was time to go tell Roger that big secret. So, here it came, their combined ultimate technique!