A far more magnificent slash cleaved Roldy 's attack in two.
The soaring sword intent within that strike made Roldy raise an eyebrow from afar.
"So it's you… Vice Admiral Basorine."
He muttered softly.
Truth be told, among those at Marine Headquarters he least wished to face—aside from the old pillars who had once supported him and the friends he had made—there remained only one man.
This veteran Vice Admiral .
After all, they shared four years of history.
But the world worked this way. The more you wished to avoid something, the more inevitably it would appear before you.
Watching the figure step through the air with Geppo, ascending into the sky, Roldy let out a quiet sigh.
"Long time no see, Vice Admiral Basorine."
Two more slashes flew forth.
Though his heart resisted clashing with his former sword instructor, his hands showed no hesitation. That was simply who he was. He cherished old bonds deeply—but once he decided on a path, not even a hundred Sea Kings could drag him back.
Against true power, the same move never worked twice.
Roldy 's slashes were more like a greeting.
"Captain Roldy , should we temporarily avoid their edge?"
One of the pirates spoke up. His face was familiar—the perceptive pirate Roldy had once taken under his command to handle internal matters. Roldy 's Seventh Division numbered roughly 130 men. Compared to other division commanders who averaged around 300 subordinates, his forces were thin.
Partly because his foundation within the crew was shallow.
Partly because he simply didn't care.
The blood flowing in his veins would never allow him to truly accept these men. Perhaps that sounded hypocritical—but Roldy found it difficult to align himself with those who treated slaughtering the weak as entertainment and murdering comrades as routine.
These 130 men were little more than hands for navigation and logistics.
In battle?
He had never relied on them.
"What? Avoid their edge?"
Roldy stared at him incredulously.
"They have a Vice Admiral commanding them… and we don't have the numbers—"
"Stop. Yebatar. Let me ask you something. Do you know who I am?"
"Huh? Of course! You're the captain of our Seventh Division! Bounty nearing one billion Berries! 'Rampaging' Roldy !"
"Then what are you babbling about?"
Roldy snorted coldly.
"Bring the ship closer."
"It's just two small warships."
On this ship, Roldy 's word was absolute. No one dared object. The last man who had done so had long since become fertilizer for fish at the bottom of the sea.
Instantly, the crew sprang into motion. The ship's speed surged, charging directly toward the World Government convoy.
"Enemy sighted! It's a ship of the Rocks Pirates!"
"Confirmed! It's the Marine defector—'Rampaging' Roldy 's Melbis!"
"Battle stations! Prepare for engagement!"
The Marine Headquarters elites mobilized with remarkable speed.
Hovering in midair, Vice Admiral Basorine tightened his grip on his blade. From afar, he could already make out the tall figure standing at the prow of the black warship.
His lips pressed into a thin line.
Memories surfaced—moments of teaching Roldy swordsmanship.
He still couldn't believe it. He had merely gone out on assignment, and upon his return, the spirited boy he once taught was gone.
But this was no time for sentiment.
The Melbis was astonishingly fast, rivaling even Marine medium-class warships. Its cannons roared in unison. A rain of artillery fire blanketed the three ships. Such concentrated bombardment would have caused catastrophic casualties—
If not for the sudden flash of white light.
"Heavenly Net — Barrier!"
The Marine Headquarters Vice Admiral had acted.
Roldy remembered him—a Paramecia-type Net-Net Fruit user, a veteran officer who had remained on the front lines for years but lacked the strength to advance to Vice Admiral .
"I never imagined the boy who once cried about learning the sword would truly become a swordsman. I'm proud of you."
Basorine spoke with a faint smile.
But sorrow lingered in his eyes.
Yes… you became a swordsman. Half my disciple. Your talent was extraordinary. I knew you would surpass me someday.
I just didn't expect it to come so soon.
Nor did I expect we would meet as enemies when it did.
"Vice Admiral Basorine…"
Roldy opened his mouth to speak—
But Basorine's expression hardened.
In a flash, he vanished.
Gripping his renowned blade in both hands, he descended from the heavens in a crushing slash.
"But your tempering is still insufficient! This world is too vast for you to step onto so early! Surrender!"
With a single clash, Roldy felt the gap in their swordsmanship.
Basorine was undeniably a Great Swordsman.
Roldy had progressed at monstrous speed—but aside from raw strength, he was still merely a newly advanced swordsman. In pure blade technique, he could not surpass his former teacher.
Of course—
If he cast aside his swords and relied on physical combat, even two Basorines would not be his match.
But he didn't.
Instead, he coated his twin blades in exceptionally dense Armament Haki and chose to meet Basorine head-on in swordsmanship.
As if trying to prove something.
"So that's it… You've grown."
Basorine's voice carried both admiration and regret.
"But the sea is broader than you imagine. Even you and I are nothing more than specks in this magnificent era."
"Return to Hachinosu. Survive. That is what matters."
The familiar lecturing tone stirred complex emotions within Roldy .
Then—
A surge of anger ignited in his chest.
"You're all the same! Old Man Garp! Instructor Zephyr! Every one of you still sees me as a child!"
His strength suddenly swelled.
The burst broke the stalemate, catching Basorine off guard.
"But it was this world that dragged me into its currents!"
Power exploded through his arms, forcing Basorine back.
Roldy reversed his grip on his twin blades.
"I've already grown up. I'll show this world I'm not something it can trample at will!"
"Just like this move!"
"Dual Sword Style — Dragon Sever!"
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