New World, Bristol Sea, Squid Island
Angelie and Bull stood slack-jawed. Roger had been dueling Shirokiri for an entire afternoon, from post-lunch to nightfall. What kind of stamina and grit did it take to keep up that pace?
Roger fought at full throttle the whole time, his power exploding with every move. If he was facing a pirate of his own caliber, this battle could've stretched eight days and nights!
Holding his own against Shirokiri's overwhelming strength for four or five hours was nothing short of miraculous. This fight alone could catapult Roger to the top ranks of New World pirates!
"Night's falling—we can't drag this out! Let's hit him together!"
Rayleigh shouted to Gaban, leaving Angelie and Bull to decide for themselves. Without hesitation, he drew his sword and charged. Gaban, gripping his twin axes, roared into the fray.
Angelie and Bull exchanged a glance and rushed in. After all, they'd lured Shirokiri here—there was no way they'd just stand by and watch!
...
Shirokiri's crew, aboard the ship, had been utterly crushed by Roger's ragtag pirates. These weren't just any grunts—Shirokiri's handpicked elites included pirates with bounties over 100 million Belly. Yet, Roger's boisterous crew had flattened them all.
Even Shirokiri hadn't seen this coming. The Navy had seriously underestimated Roger's crew. If Orion and his men had come instead, they'd likely have been wiped out, captain included.
Were the new generation of Supernovas this ferocious? Naguri, World—were they all this insane?
Shirokiri recalled Vesper's words: this era was about to spiral into chaos, with titans rising and powerhouses multiplying. Was this what he meant?
This year's Supernovas were something else. The Hell Pirates were a freak show of monsters, no question. Then there were Conqueror's Haki wielders like Naguri, and now Roger.
And the Devil Fruits! World-breaker Byrnndi World with his More-More Fruit, and the Hell Pirates? They had the Thunder-Thunder Fruit, the mightiest Logia; the Quake-Quake Fruit, the ultimate Paramecia; Shiki's Float-Float Fruit; Linlin's Soul-Soul Fruit; and Brook's bizarre Revive-Revive Fruit. One was more terrifying than the next!
Lost in thought, Shirokiri was caught off guard as Rayleigh's blade forced him back. Gaban's axes followed, and Angelie and Bull's attacks piled on.
"Another Conqueror's Haki user?!"
Shirokiri felt the familiar pulse of Rayleigh's Conqueror's Haki and reeled in shock, barely dodging the onslaught from Gaban and the others.
Roger's crew had multiple Conqueror's Haki wielders, just like the Hell Pirates? Even top-tier crews rarely boasted such a lineup.
And this glasses-wearing swordsman—his skill was nearly on par with Roger's!
Surrounded by five attackers, with his entire crew groaning on the beach, Shirokiri felt a rare twinge of retreat. Continuing this fight seemed pointless.
He'd fled plenty of times before—from Dawei, Saracha, Edward, even Rocks himself. He always slipped away, though Vesper often had to clean up his messes.
He was the carefree playboy, crashing into others' territories, chasing adventures and women. Running from stronger overlords or pseudo-overlords was no big deal.
But retreating from a no-name Supernova crew like Roger's? That'd be a blow to his pride, especially in front of the crew.
And he hadn't even nabbed Angelie. Pulling out now would sting.
...
Despite his tangled thoughts, Shirokiri held his ground against the five attackers until full darkness fell. Roger, exhausted from his potential-unleashing technique, had long since dialed back.
The five fought on in the dark, relying on Observation Haki, but the intensity waned. Finally, Shirokiri made his call: retreat with his crew and regroup for tomorrow.
"Angelie, think it over tonight. This guy won't be pulling that potential trick again tomorrow. I'll take you all down one by one!"
Shirokiri unleashed a burst of power, shoving the five back. With a shout to Angelie, he darted to his wounded crew, intimidating Roger's pirates into backing off.
He shielded his men as they limped back to the ship. Rayleigh halted his crew's pursuit, aware of Roger's lingering weakness from overexertion.
Pushing Shirokiri further could risk a counterattack. Roger's crew had already trounced Shirokiri's elites, which clearly rattled him.
Shirokiri's fear of losing his long-time crewmates had thrown him off. Roger's crew played it smart, surrounding but not killing, keeping Shirokiri on edge.
If they'd gone for the kill, Shirokiri might've erupted. Could the five of them have stopped an 1.1-billion-Belly man in a full-blown rampage?
...
As the ship sailed off, Angelie let out a relieved sigh. Her plan to redirect Shirokiri's wrath to Roger's crew had worked—they'd held their own against him.
"Captain Roger, thank you so much for stepping in! Your crew's incredible!"
Angelie bowed sincerely. Without Roger's crew, Shirokiri would've nabbed her for sure.
"Haha! No big deal. That was the most thrilling fight I've had on the Grand Line or in the New World!"
Roger laughed heartily, oblivious to the consequences of crossing Shirokiri. This duel outshone even his clash with Golden Lion Shiki—more intense, more exhilarating. He'd given it 120%, and still couldn't bring Shirokiri down.
Fighting Shiki lacked that life-or-death edge, since they weren't true enemies, and Shiki wasn't strong enough to push Roger to his limits.
"Let's celebrate tonight! And don't worry too much—I've sent an urgent call to Captain Brook. They'll be back by tomorrow!"
Angelie noticed Rayleigh's worried frown and reassured the crew. The news visibly eased Rayleigh's tension, though his mind drifted to that vampire girl from the Hell Pirates.
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