The Roger Pirates fled quickly, showing that this wasn't their first time making such a hasty escape.
In the blink of an eye, the Oro Jackson had already raised its sails and sped out of the inner sea of Fish-Man Island.
Along the way, the Roger Pirates' crew jumped onto the deck, greeting each other with loud laughter.
"Everyone! We're setting sail again!"
Roger grinned, rubbing the bruises and wounds on his face, and waved his Meito sword with a loud laugh.
"Roar!"
Everyone cheered in unison, immersed in joy.
"You think you can escape like this? Are you being too optimistic?"
Just then, a cold, hoarse voice came from far behind them, causing the smiles on their faces to freeze.
"Speed up!"
Rayleigh's expression changed slightly, urging the helmsman to increase speed.
Everyone turned their heads toward the voice, their expressions suddenly becoming serious. Some couldn't help but cry out in surprise.
"How can he still stand?"
All they could see was a tall, straight figure swaying in the thick smoke.
In the desolate and mottled ruins, a tall and straight figure stood up unsteadily in the thick smoke.
His body was covered in blood and crisscrossing scars, looking like a devil from hell.
The black aura representing the Devil Form gradually faded from his body, revealing a Vice Admiral of the Marines, who was panting heavily.
"That really hurt... You really are 'Dark King' Rayleigh."
A burning pain pierced Daren's back, causing him to frown and turn even paler.
Rayleigh's strength had long since reached the Yonkō level, almost on par with Roger.
Such a sneak attack, and at a moment when he and Roger were locked in a bloody battle, was completely unforeseeable.
If it weren't for his "Indestructible Body" and his devil form, that single slash wrapped in Conqueror's Haki would have easily cut him in two.
With this thought in mind, Daren raised his eyes and glanced casually at Roger's pirate crew as they sailed away. Suddenly, he curled his lips and revealed his bloodstained white teeth... a ferocious smile!
"Damn it... Fire! Fire the cannons!"
Seeing Daren's vicious glare, the Roger Pirates on the deck felt their hearts race, and for some reason, a bone-chilling coldness crept into their hearts. Buggy turned pale and couldn't help but let out a scream.
That murderous gaze was like being stared at by a ghost, sending shivers down their spines!
At that moment, every one of them remembered one thing.
"King of the North Blue" Rogers Daren... was a guy who never forgave anyone!
The Oro Jackson was suddenly filled with the sound of cannons, and one after another, black cannonballs whistled through the air, falling like a rainstorm on the Vice Admiral.
Boom!
The cannonballs exploded one after another on the Vice Admiral's body and around him, and the ground was suddenly filled with raging flames and rolling black smoke.
Amidst the swaying sea of fire and black smoke, the demonic figure remained motionless.
With their view blocked, the members of Roger's pirate crew could only vaguely see the distorted figure slowly make a move.
He raised his right hand.
Rayleigh's pupils contracted as if he had thought of something. His eyes were bloodshot, and he subconsciously grabbed the hilt of the sword at his waist and shouted coldly,
"His slash is coming!"
When he finished speaking, the Roger Pirates were taken aback.
A slash?
What slash?
Wait... It couldn't be...
Their expressions immediately changed.
Kozuki Oden, who was seriously injured and unable to move, could only be carried onto the deck, his eyes bloodshot.
"Go, Oto."
A cold voice came from the raging flames.
Whoosh!
In the next moment, it was as if cherry blossoms were flying through the air, like a dream.
The sea of flames was cut open, the thick smoke was cut open, the air was cut open, the earth and all obstacles such as buildings in the flight path were cut in an instant.
Everything was cut!
Dragging the electromagnetic propulsion force wave, the Meito sword crossed a distance of thousands of meters in an instant with unstoppable speed.
"Let me do it!"
A dashing figure suddenly appeared at the bow of the ship, with black hair tied into a handsome high ponytail and a headscarf wrapped around his head.
He held a pair of cold, gleaming battle axes in each hand, crossed them, and charged head-on at the Meito with a fierce expression!
Boom!
A dull roar echoed, and Gaban's entire body was thrown back as if he had been hit head-on by a Buster Call warship traveling at full speed. His eyelids fluttered wildly as his body slid back a full ten meters.
The powerful impact spread out, and everyone felt the ship rock violently beneath their feet, making it difficult to stand.
At that moment, they finally saw what Gaban was blocking!
A sword!
It was the legendary Great Pirate, Shiki the Golden Lion's sword!
Shanks and Buggy both gasped in unison.
That Marine was clearly too badly injured to move, yet he still possessed such terrifying offensive capabilities!
A drop of cold sweat slid down Gaban's forehead. He pursed his lips uneasily, feeling his hands go numb.
"He's the third-ranked member of Roger's pirate crew, after all..."
Before the others had time to rejoice, that ghostly voice rang out again.
"Then, what about the second sword?"
Swish!
The fierce sword light tore through the air again, and everything in its path seemed to be severed and withered!
One of Shiki's Meito swords... Kogarashi!
"Damn it!"
Rayleigh cursed under his breath and drew his sword to meet it.
This Marine brat was just too troublesome.
His attacks were complex and varied, and his physique was nearly indestructible... He couldn't imagine anyone on this sea who could take him down one-on-one.
But he had no choice but to act.
Anyone could see it—the insidious Marine brat wasn't aiming for the people on their ship, but for the Oro Jackson itself!
The silver-white long sword clanged as it left its sheath, trailing black and red lightning, and struck the speeding sword light with pinpoint precision.
Clang!
Sparks exploded as Kogarashi was knocked flying by Rayleigh's sword.
Landing with a slight gasp, Rayleigh gritted his teeth and urged,
"Use that. Don't drag this out!"
Everyone froze.
It was the first time they'd ever seen the normally calm and composed First Mate Rayleigh look so tense and uneasy.
But the next second, they understood why.
At some unknown point, a heavy, cold, suffocating killing intent had engulfed them all.
The very air around them seemed to freeze and stop flowing.
Roger's pirate crew instinctively froze in place, their faces draining of color as if their blood had been sucked away.
"Hey, hey, hey... it can't be..."
Shanks swallowed hard, his face pale, stiffly raising his head.
"This lunatic! We're all gonna die here!"
Buggy grabbed his head in panic, screaming in terror.
One after another, the rest of Roger's crew noticed it too.
Their expressions turned to horror as they slowly looked up—only to feel as if they had plunged into a frozen abyss.
Reflected in their tightly contracted pupils—a colossal, pitch-black sword with flickering purple flame patterns hovered high above Fish-Man Island.
The tip of the sword pointed straight at them.
It was like the legendary Damocles' sword, symbolizing judgment and the boundary between life and death.
"Shoot them..."
Kozuki Oden's face turned ashen in an instant.
"...Enma."
...
(40 Chapters Ahead)
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