"Oden!"
"Lord Oden!"
"Master Oden!"
As Kozuki Oden was sent flying by Garp's powerful blow, Roger instinctively turned his head toward the direction Oden had been launched, a note of concern in his voice. The rest of the crew erupted into cries of alarm, and Rayleigh immediately leapt from the Oro Jackson, sprinting toward where Oden had fallen.
Seeing firsthand the overwhelming might of Garp, the rest of the crew aboard the Oro Jackson began to worry for their captain. One by one, they disembarked and gathered behind Roger.
"Captain Roger!"
"Oden, he..."
Shanks ran over with the others, his voice low with worry. But before he could finish, Roger reached out and gently placed a reassuring hand on the boy's head.
"Don't worry, Shanks," Roger said with a warm smile."That guy's tough as nails. He'll be fine. Rayleigh's already gone to get him, hasn't he?"
With his sharp Observation Haki, Roger could sense Oden's location. Rayleigh had already dived into the sea to retrieve him.
Oden wasn't dead. He had taken Garp's punch head-on and was now paralyzed, his body rendered motionless as he sank into the sea, unconscious from water inhalation. Of course, if they didn't fish him out soon, it'd be another story…
"That idiot acted without my order," Roger muttered."He brought this on himself."
He turned back to his crew and laughed as if nothing had happened, his tone light, carefree.
Oden's Haki was formidable, and his resilience astonishing. The first time Roger met him, Oden had taken a Divine Departure head-on and still managed to roar afterward. Garp's strength was on par with Roger's—there was no way Oden would die from this.
Still, even as he reassured himself, Roger's gaze turned cold as he looked back toward Garp.
"Garp. You laid hands on one of my crew… Are you ready to face the consequences?"
His voice was no longer that of an old friend, but a commander ready for war. Yet the ever-present smile still played on his lips.
"Roger, what nonsense are you spouting?"
"You think I came here just to chat?!"
Garp scoffed and casually tossed aside the two sabers he had been holding, sending them clattering toward the distant Dog-Head Warship. Then he loosened his tie, unbuttoned the top two buttons of his shirt, and grinned.
The message was clear.
Before Roger could respond, Garp bent his knees and launched forward with explosive force, crossing the icy surface in a flash. In the blink of an eye, he was in front of Roger, slamming a fist toward his chest.
"CLANG!!"
Roger reacted in time, raising his sword to block. But the sheer power behind Garp's punch still sent him flying backward. The moment Garp landed, he surged forward again with incredible speed. In a heartbeat, he caught up to Roger mid-air and launched another devastating punch at his head.
"CLANG!!"
Roger blocked again, but the blow drove him downward, crashing hard into the ice. The frozen surface shattered violently, and Roger was sent hurtling into the sea.
Garp moved with terrifying speed. To the Roger Pirates, it was as if a streak of light had cut across the battlefield—then both Garp and Roger were gone.
"BOOM!!"
Moments later, Roger burst up from the sea, laughing heartily as he unleashed two flying slashes at Garp. Garp blocked them with ease, and Roger immediately closed the distance, engaging him in close quarters.
From dozens of meters away, the crew could only make out two dark figures clashing at high speed, the air around them bending from the force of their blows. Violent shockwaves of Conqueror's Haki burst outward with each collision. Even from afar, the overwhelming pressure of their duel was palpable.
"BOOM!!"
"BOOM!!"
Thunderous impacts echoed across the ice. Above, the clouds had long since scattered under the onslaught of their Haki. Below, the ice cracked and buckled.
But the two titans fought on, unaware—or simply uncaring. Each clash stirred waves across the sea.
"Aiya-ya… That's one hell of a commotion."
While the crew's attention remained on the battle, a lazy, teasing voice echoed beside them.
A tall, slender figure materialized from the frozen sea.
Dressed in a pristine white suit, his hands tucked lazily into his pockets, Admiral Aokiji emerged behind the crew. His breath curled visibly in the freezing air.
"Hmm?"
Shanks and the others whipped around toward the unfamiliar voice, eyes widening.
"Ice Age!"
Aokiji exhaled and raised both hands. Twin spears of ice burst forth, launching directly at the pirates without warning.
Caught off guard, Erio and Yamon failed to dodge. In an instant, they were frozen solid—transformed into gleaming ice statues by the Admiral's terrifying Devil Fruit powers.
These two were no lightweights—each had bounties in the hundreds of millions and were feared across the seas. Yet they fell in one move.
"Mr. Erio!""Mr. Yamon!"
Buggy's panicked cry rang out. Fear and disbelief were written across the boy's young face as he watched two veteran comrades fall without resistance.
Before he could react further, Aokiji appeared before him in a blur, using Soru, one of the Navy's Six Styles.
Looking up at the towering figure now standing over him, Buggy drew a short dagger from his waist and lunged without hesitation.
Only twelve years old but faced with this god of death, Buggy showed no fear. Only instinct, the drive to protect and avenge.
"Oi-ya~"
Aokiji raised an eyebrow at the boy's courage. No surrender. Even a counterattack? He murmured, slightly impressed, as a deathly chill began to radiate from his body, ready to freeze the impudent child.
But just as he was about to strike, his Observation Haki flared.
Someone was coming fast.
"OORAAAAAA!!!"
A thunderous roar exploded from nearby.
A hulking figure nearly four meters tall, muscles bulging like steel cables, burst onto the scene. His fist, clad in black Haki, flew toward Aokiji's face like a cannonball.
Douglas Bullet!
Seventeen years old. Known as the Heir of the Devil.
Still a youth, yet already awakened to the rare and terrifying Conqueror's Haki. Wielder of the Paramecia-type Fusion-Fusion Fruit, capable of merging with inorganic matter to enhance his body and forge devastating weapons.
His strength was said to rival Rayleigh, the First Mate of the Pirate King.
Aokiji's body instantly dissolved into misty frost, vanishing just before the punch could land. The perfect mastery of a Logia-type.
Bullet's strike hit nothing but air. His brows furrowed, a flicker of surprise crossing his face.
Then.
The mist around him condensed rapidly.
Aokiji reformed behind him, one hand already resting lightly on Bullet's shoulder.
"Ice Ball."
A whisper.
In a flash, Bullet was trapped in a massive sphere of glistening ice. Through the translucent shell, the crew could see the faintly stunned look still frozen on his face.
Bullet, a monster who could battle Rayleigh toe-to-toe, subdued in one move.
The terror of a Logia user, Aokiji's overwhelming power—cast a deep shadow over the hearts of the Roger Pirates.
"Well now…" Aokiji scanned the crew, his tone calm and almost bored."Who's next?"
Just as he was about to move again, the ice sphere before him cracked.
Bullet was breaking free.
"!?"
With a roar, Bullet's Haki-clad fist lunged toward Aokiji's face, catching the Admiral off guard. He didn't have time to dodge.
But then...
A burst of flame erupted at Bullet's side.
Within the blaze, a crimson blade arced toward Aokiji's neck like a flash of sunlight.
Breath of the Sun, Second Form: Clear Blue Sky!
Crimson steel. Armament Haki. Breath of the Sun.
The red-haired youth who appeared beside Bullet didn't hold back. He unleashed the strongest attack he could muster.
With a single goal: to sever Aokiji's head in one strike.
"You've finally come… Yoriichi!"
*********
Hey everyone! I'll be dropping an extra 1 chapter once we hit 100, 200, 300 power stones! If you're enjoying the story, don't forget to spend some power stones. I'd really appreciate the support. Thanks a bunch!
For advance chapters, please do visit and consider joining me on Patreon, it really helps me out and I'd love to have you along for the journey!
p(a)treon.com/Lnee
*remove () to open it