Hachinosu Island, at the center of the ruins where Hitler and Rayleigh had previously fought.
Hitler and Roger stood opposite each other, while the other members of their respective Pirate Crews gathered on either side of the battlefield.
"Is everyone ready?!"
Rocks roared, then picked up a stone and threw ithigh into the air.
The moment the stone landed, Hitler charged at Roger.
His right fist clenched, without a named technique, but first, Armament Haki coiled around it like flowing water, followed by black-red Haoshoku.
Dark, seemingly destructive black-red lightning seeped into the flowing water, making the entire fist appear to be encased in a layer of black-red plasma.
Faintly, Roger seemed to see the shadow of a certain scoundrel in Hitler .
"This kid… surely not…"
Roger gulped inwardly, then calmed his mind and gripped his treasured sword, Ace, with both hands.
Zzzzzzzzt!
Black-red lightning coiled around the blade. Roger took a step forward and delivered an upward slash.
"Divine Departure!!"
The upward-slashed longsword collided with the punch Hitler threw from a distance.
Boom!
Deafening thunder exploded, and the lightning generated by the collision instantly pulverized the ruins of the entire battlefield.
Then, lightning shot skyward.
The clouds in the sky gathered, forming oppressive dark clouds, which then churned and split apart to either side.
"Haoshoku splitting the sky…"
Rocks looked up at the sky, astonished by Hitler 's growth Over The past months.
Four years ago, when Hitler first arrived at Hachinosu Island, he was just a rookie who relied mainly on his Devil Fruit ability, with Haki barely at an introductory level.
He never expected that in just four years, he had already mastered even Haoshoku coating.
"What a pair of monsters…"
Among the Rocks Pirates, Wang Zhi's forehead broke out in a cold sweat.
Hitler 's growth had also exceeded his expectations. His original plan had to be scrapped; he could only choose Shakky!
Boom!
At the center of the arena.
With the intense collision and compression of Haki lightning, a larger-scale black-red lightning erupted, instantly engulfing half of the island, about four kilometers in diameter.
All pirates within this range, except for the Roger Pirates and the core members of the Rocks Pirates, almost entirely rolled their eyes and foamed at the mouth.
In a distant corner, among the very few pirates not knocked out by the battle's aftershocks...
Two pirates in kimonos stared intently at Hitler , who was fighting Roger, their eyes shining.
"Found him! It's him!!"
"Destroy the hope of Kozuki!!"
Back to the battlefield.
The first clash was merely Hitler and Roger greeting each other.
After their fist and longsword forcibly collided, Hitler fists moved like a whirlwind, mimicking Luffy's Gum-Gum Gatling, creating countless afterimages.
Roger did the same, his longsword a phantom sword dance, clashing with Hitler 's fists.
Bang, bang, bang… After dozens of punches, Hitler gained no advantage.
He knew that continuing to compete in attack frequency with an expert like Roger was meaningless.
So he voluntarily distanced himself, charged briefly, then threw a punch from afar.
Dazzling light bloomed on his fist.
The moment his fist extended to its limit, the concentrated power magnified hundreds and thousands of times. A fist-shaped shockwave, seemingly connecting the sky and earth, surged towards Roger like an overwhelming tide.
"Whoa, whoa, whoa! This can't be!!"
Jabba, watching the battle, exclaimed.
"Isn't that Drum of Oppression Garp'smove!!
How does this kid know it?!"
Roger grinned. He didn't have time to blabber like Jabba. He gripped his longsword tightly and delivered a powerful vertical slash.
It was still Divine Departure. This single slash cleanly split the shockwave Hitler had launched into two halves.
Terrifying impacts whistled past Roger's sides, plowing the ground in front of him into a V-shaped gully.
Rumble!
The sea behind him Made Big Wave Water Splashing Sound, and the nearby Pirate Ship bobbed with the waves.
Meanwhile, on Hitler 's side.
Facing Roger's incoming slash, he chose to block with crossed arms.
The black-red crescent-shaped slash had immense impact force, pushing his feet back on the ground repeatedly.
After retreating more than a meter, sliding out two shallow grooves, Hitler finally sent Roger's slash flying into the sky.
Slightly out of breath, Hitler 's eyes were grave.
He could tell that Roger wasn't using his full power.
Especially during the first clash, he had used exactly the same amount of strength as Hitler .
"The gap is quite significant indeed!"
"However… it's not completely without a chance!"
Hitler 's eyes sharpened. He would exploit Roger's carelessness, or rather, his playful attitude, to make him suffer a loss!
Pulling his feet out of the shallow grooves, Hitler stomped hard, and his entire body shot out like a streak of light.
Roger's eyes flashed red.
He saw it!
Hitler would feint as he charged forward.
First, he would pretend to throw a punch, but the real blow would be a knee strike.
In the real world.
As Hitler was about to reach Roger, he clenched his fist and bent his arm, gathering power, seemingly intending to punch Roger into the ground.
In reality, as he pulled his bent arm back, his knee also rose simultaneously.
If Roger chose to counter the punch he hadn't yet thrown, he would be solidly hit by that knee strike.
Roger raised his sword and easily blocked Hitler 's feint, then looked up, revealing a smile that showed he had seen through everything.
Hitler lowered his head, a similar smile on his face, one that saw through everything.
He had known for a long time that Roger possessed Observation Haki that could foresee the future!
How could the future Pirate King not know this move!
Therefore, his actual move was not the knee strike.
The knee strike was the feint! The continuously charged fist was the real attack!
Boom!
With a violent downward smash, Roger theoretically should have seen this move as well, but he didn't dodge.
"Intentionally letting me hit you! I'll make you regret it!!"
Hitler Grinned as he forcibly slammed Roger into the ground.
The ground cracked, and plates of earth buckled. Before the dust settled, Hitler quickly delivered a second punch.
Muda.. Muda ..Muda ..Muda..Muda..Muda..Muda Within a second, Hitler simultaneously landed over a dozen punches on Roger's head and back.
Roger endured all of them.
Suddenly, a burst of Haki erupted, and Hitler was sent flying by a shockwave.
Roger, looking somewhat disheveled, climbed out of the deep pit.
"That hurt! Kid! You've vented enough, haven't you?"
Roger swung his sword, scattering the smoke and dust. His expression became serious and solemn.
"Now I'm getting serious!"
Hitler , who had been sent flying, landed, a slight smile playing on his lips.
"You let me touch you, Roger!"
"Hmm?!"
Roger was puzzled. The next second, his entire body stiffened.
"This… this is…"
Hah!"
With a roar, Haki erupted, clearing all the abilities Hitler had imposed on him.
However, Hitler was precisely seizing this momentary flaw.
Just as Roger dispelled Hitler 's ability, he had already rushed in front of Roger.
His re-charged fist heavily struck Roger's face, for the first time sending him flying far away.
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