"Hahahaha!" Roger suddenly sheathed his sword. Beneath the brim of his straw hat, his eyes glinted with mischief. "Kid, your swordsmanship is impressive, but…"
Ritter's pupils contracted. The figure of Roger in front of him warped and twisted. It was an afterimage left by extreme speed.
Bang!
The real Roger struck from behind, smashing his fist into Ritter's shoulder. Blood sprayed as Ritter staggered forward, barely stabilizing himself by driving the greatsword Black Tide into the ground.
Roger frowned. Something felt off.
Ritter wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth as crimson mist curled around him. "Looks like the captain's learned to fight dirty too. Sneaking up on people without a word?"
Roger's figure flickered rapidly. "I learned it from you, you little brat!"
"An illusion you can almost touch."
Ritter suddenly chuckled, his laughter echoing through the blood mist. "Then… I suppose it's time I got serious."
He slowly lifted his head, eyes glowing scarlet as he stared at Roger, as if he had never been wounded at all. His body gradually faded from sight.
"An illusion within an illusion…"
The blood dragon patterns on Black Tide flared to life, slithering along the blade. The surrounding mist twisted and reshaped itself, splitting into countless afterimages of Ritter.
Roger's Observation Haki screamed warnings at him, yet every single afterimage radiated genuine killing intent. "Interesting!"
"An illusion is born from something tangible…"
All of the Ritters spoke at once, their voices overlapping. Dozens of blood dragon slashes surged in from every direction.
"Sky Veil!"
Roger's sword light wove into an airtight net, yet several blood dragons still broke through, carving deep wounds into his body.
"Truth also contains lies…"
Ritter's true body appeared behind Roger without a sound, Black Tide thrusting toward his back.
At the critical moment, Roger spun around. "Got you!"
His blade crashed into Black Tide, but it only struck a mass of blood mist.
"Within lies, the truth hides."
Ritter's voice came from above. The real Black Tide descended with terrifying force.
"Prosperity!"
Roger was slammed hard into the ground, dust erupting everywhere. In the next instant, a blade of light pierced the fog.
"Divine Judgment!"
This strike, driven by the ultimate application of Conqueror's Haki in combat, tore open a裂口 in the blood mist illusion. Ritter grunted as blood flowed from his left eye.
"Kuahaha!"
Roger leapt out of the crater, battered from head to toe, yet his fighting spirit burned even hotter. "What do you call that move?"
Ritter wiped the blood from the corner of his eye. "Mist God Style: Six Paths of Reincarnation."
"Great name!" Roger laughed, raising his sword. "Final strike!"
"Just what I wanted!"
They leapt at the same time. Black Tide collided with Roger's blade in midair.
"Mist God Form: Blood Prison Dragon Emperor!"
"Godslayer!"
The power of the blood dragon intertwined with overwhelming sword energy. The resulting shockwave completely erased the canyon. When the dust finally settled, the two stood back to back.
Crack.
Ritter's mask shattered completely. Roger's straw hat finally gave in as well, a hole torn straight through it.
"A draw?" Roger turned around, wearing that familiar grin.
Ritter looked down at the cracked Black Tide in his hand and smiled faintly. "I won, Captain."
Roger felt the cold edge of Black Tide at his neck, while the Ritter in front of him slowly crumbled into blood mist.
Ritter casually dispelled the Illusory World he had been maintaining all this time.
He had used the illusion realm many times before, but this was the first time it had drained him so completely.
Illusion World: Hmph. Am I really that exhausting? I am embarrassed to say it!
"Hahahaha, you got fooled!" Roger burst out laughing. "You've really grown up, Ritter."
"Hahahaha!"
Roger slapped Ritter on the shoulder. "You little punk, daring to trick your own captain now?" He reached out and roughly ruffled Ritter's hair.
"Hey, hey, hey, Captain, what are you doing?" Ritter struggled to push him away. "Do you have no respect for your elders at all?"
"Huh? What did you say?" Roger let go and started picking his nose, playing dumb.
"Bastard, Captain!"
"Hahahaha! Come on, let's go drink!" Roger threw an arm around Ritter's shoulders. "This time, I want to hear about the future!"
Ritter sheathed Black Tide, the crimson glow in his eyes slowly fading. "Captain, some things… are better left unknown."
The night wind carried fragments of the torn straw hat between them. Roger's smile gradually faded. He studied the scars on Ritter's face, scars that did not belong to this era. "It must have been hard, huh?"
Those simple words made Ritter's fingers tremble. He turned his face away as the blood mist stirred uneasily around him. "I'm fine."
Roger suddenly hooked an arm around Ritter's neck with shocking strength. "Hahahaha! If you don't want to talk about it, then don't! Let's go drink! Rayleigh and the others are definitely waiting!"
"Captain…" Ritter was dragged along helplessly. "I should be going back."
"So soon?" Roger released him, a sly glint flashing beneath his straw hat. "At least tell me this. In the future… am I still worthy of being captain?"
Ritter looked at the vigorous man before him and recalled the image in his memories, that same man lying on a sickbed yet still laughing loudly. He nodded softly. "You are the best captain."
Roger's smile shone even brighter. He turned and strode toward the forest. "That's enough! Remember, kid. No matter the era, the Oro Jackson will always be your home!"
Ritter thought to himself, say goodbye to your Oro Jackson. Hahahaha.
"Wait," Ritter called out. "Don't tell the others I was here. Especially…"
"Especially the younger Ritter, right?" Roger waved without looking back. "Hahahaha! Don't worry!"
Kozuki Toki stepped out of the shadows, looking at Ritter with concern. "Are you leaving?"
Ritter nodded and took one last look in the direction Roger had gone. The blood mist gathered beneath their feet, forming a gateway through time and space. "We still have more important things to do."
"Ritter!"
Roger's voice suddenly rang out from the forest. "We'll meet again someday, right?"
Ritter did not answer. He simply raised his hand and waved. As the gate closed completely, he thought he heard the distant sounds of a lively gathering, along with the energetic shouts of a younger Ritter.
"Captain! Where did you go? Everyone's been looking for you for days!"
"My god! Who did this to you?"
"Hey, don't just laugh. Tell me who it was. Even if I can't beat him now, I'll get revenge for you someday!"