Sengoku arrived right after.
The moment he saw Roy standing beside Rayleigh, he froze for a beat.
He hadn't expected the brat who dared attack a Celestial Dragon to be this young.
"Kid, you've got guts."
As he spoke, Sengoku walked up to the enormous sphere that had sealed Borsalino inside. A flash of light gathered in his palm, and with a casual motion, the "Chibaku Tensei" ball shattered into dust, falling in a soft cascade and revealing Borsalino within.
"Get serious, Borsalino."
At this point, the young Borsalino still didn't have that clock-in-and-clock-out attitude he'd be known for later. He'd only just joined the Marines, fresh out of training camp, and there was still a trace of hot-blooded drive in him.
Not much, but it was there.
"Yes, Admiral Sengoku!"
Then Borsalino tilted his head, voice dragging lazily as ever.
"But that kid's a monster too. Awakening Observation Haki at that age… and it feels like he can even pry into people's thoughts. Plus, his Devil Fruit ability is kind of like Shiki's Float-Float Fruit. He's a real pain to deal with."
Sengoku still hadn't attacked yet. Roy, grinning like nothing mattered, actually greeted him first.
"Admiral Sengoku. I've heard a lot about you."
"Oh?" Sengoku narrowed his eyes. "You know who I am? Then give me your name, kid."
"Roy. Ronamir Roy."
"Roy, huh?" Sengoku repeated. "Never heard of you. You became a pirate this young?"
He stared at the boy smiling beside Rayleigh, then turned his attention back to the Dark King.
"Silvers Rayleigh. So this incident was planned by the Roger Pirates, wasn't it?"
"No, no." Rayleigh waved his hand with a helpless look. "I already told you, I just happened to pass by."
"Then it's perfect. I'll capture you all together."
Golden light burst from Sengoku's body as he transformed into a towering Buddha. A shockwave gathered in his palm. He kicked off the ground and vanished in a blur.
"Kid, he's getting serious," Rayleigh warned, drawing his sword as he stepped forward. "Watch yourself."
Boom!
Their attacks collided, cancelling each other out. The resulting blast scattered dirt and shattered stone in every direction.
Roy shot backward at full speed, putting distance between himself and their clash.
At the same time, Borsalino stopped holding back.
Lasers rained down from multiple angles.
Roy could only barely keep up. His Observation Haki could read Borsalino's intent, but Borsalino was simply too fast. Roy couldn't dodge everything.
A beam punched straight through Roy's abdomen.
Pain exploded through him, and in that instant, he could no longer maintain his Observation Haki.
"Oooh… looks like you slipped up, kid."
Borsalino flashed in, closing the distance instantly.
A whip-like kick came down, coated in black Armament Haki.
Roy's chest caved in.
He spat blood in thick bursts as his body flew backward, slamming into the ground and carving out a crater.
So that earlier fight…
Borsalino hadn't been serious at all.
Without Armament Haki, facing a Logia was already too much. Especially a top-tier Logia like the Glint-Glint Fruit.
Roy pressed a trembling hand to his chest. Several ribs were definitely broken.
"I can't keep letting him control the pace."
He forced his mind to focus, using his telekinesis to set his ribs back into place, sealing the bleeding wound. Then his body slowly rose into the air as he drifted toward the shore.
"Trying to run?"
Borsalino watched Roy, injured and fleeing toward the sea, and didn't hesitate. His hands formed a circle near his abdomen, and a thick beam of light refracted through the air.
"Yata no Kagami."
In an instant, he appeared above Roy, aiming to crush him in one clean blow.
The moment Borsalino struck that familiar pose, Roy threw caution aside.
His telekinesis erupted at full power.
He lifted both hands.
The sea surface churned violently. A massive pillar of water surged into the sky, twisting into a roaring water dragon that swallowed Borsalino whole, then dragged him straight down into the ocean.
Exactly.
If you didn't have Armament Haki, then seawater and Seastone were the correct answers against Devil Fruit users.
Seeing Borsalino get taken by surprise and dragged under, Roy finally lost the strength to stay upright.
His legs gave out.
He collapsed onto the ground.
His pale, delicate face was drained of all color. That last burst of power didn't just empty his mind, it chewed through his stamina too.
But even lying there, Roy wore a satisfied smile.
Forget how he did it.
The point was, he did it.
Meanwhile, Sengoku, still locked in combat with Rayleigh, saw Borsalino, who had been gaining the advantage, suddenly get dragged into the sea.
His eyes sharpened.
He forced Rayleigh back with a Buddha Palm shockwave and charged straight for Roy.
Conqueror's Haki surged out, coiling into his attack.
A Conqueror's-infused strike, meant to kill Roy on the spot.
Borsalino was the Marines' future. If he died here because of carelessness, it would be a real blow to the Navy.
Roy lay on the ground, still trying to recover, watching Sengoku close in.
All he could do was smile bitterly.
He was still too young.
Against an Admiral's killing blow, he had no way to resist at all.
And after that fight with Borsalino, he was already badly wounded. His Devil Fruit ability, drained by mental exhaustion and physical collapse, wouldn't respond anymore.
Just as Sengoku's Conqueror's-infused strike was about to land…
Screech.
Rayleigh caught up in a flash, swinging his blade.
His slash was coated in Conqueror's Haki as well.
"Sengoku. I'm not letting a kid from the new generation get killed in front of me by the Marines."
Their Conqueror's Haki collided.
Black-and-red lightning burst outward, crawling through the air like claws, as if it wanted to tear the sky apart.
Roy could only lie there and stare upward.
The shockwave of their Haki smashed into him, making his mind go foggy and heavy.
Conqueror's Haki.
The highest power in this world, a force only the absolute top monsters could wield.
Even the aftermath of that clash was too much for an already-injured Roy. He couldn't withstand it.
For the first time, from smoothly sailing with merchant ships, to stumbling into Sabaody and unexpectedly taking in the future "Golden Emperor" Tesoro…
For the first time, from stealing a Devil Fruit from a Celestial Dragon, rescuing Stella with her gift for navigation, and obtaining the foundation for future strength from Shakky…
Everything had gone his way.
So much so that he'd gradually lost his fear of this world.
But under the crushing roar of Conqueror's Haki, Roy felt something he hadn't felt once since coming here.
Fear.
Not the kind born from realizing he was weak.
This was the pure, animal instinct of facing death.
In that scattered storm of Haki was the will of two monsters at the top of the world. It pressed down on Roy, demanding he bow his head. Admit defeat.
If he gave in, he could just sink into darkness, fall asleep comfortably, and never deal with any of this again.
But Roy didn't give in.
He refused.
As a transmigrator, how could he surrender?
He stubbornly lifted his head, eyes bright and fierce, filled with defiance.
In his previous life, he'd been nothing but a worn-out working slave, drowned in daily chores and endless exhaustion.
His only scraps of happiness came from reading novels online and watching anime late at night.
Now, in this life, he finally had talent worth something.
He wanted to experience this world.
He wanted to sail this sea freely, chasing joy and adventure.
He wanted to find comrades who shared his dreams and carve through the unknown together.
He would become the strongest in this world.
He would make it so that no one, ever again, could block his path.