Roger downed his beer in one long gulp, then slammed the empty glass down on the bar with a loud clang.
"AAAHH! That was amazing!" He wiped his mouth with his sleeve and slapped the table. "Sir! Another one! And some grilled meat too!"
The bartender trembled, but poured the beer with a shaky hand and handed him a plate of meat that was already prepared.
Behind Roger, the entire bar froze.
A young soldier who first recognized that face from the wanted posters muttered in a trembling voice.
"G-Gold Roger....."
Like a fire igniting dry straw, the name spread through panicked whispers throughout the room.
"Captain Roger of the Pirates...."
"The strongest pirate in the Grand Line...."
"How could he be here...."
One by one, the Navy soldiers who had been drunk and singing now stood with weapons drawn. Swords were drawn from their sheaths. Rifles were raised. Pistols were cocked. Dozens of gun barrels were aimed at the back of a man happily chewing on grilled meat.
Roger didn't even turn his head.
Sakazuki rose from his seat. Steam billowed from his fists. His eyes burned with a familiar intensity; he was ready to attack Roger.
"Gol D. Roger," said Borsalino from his seat, his casual tone still intact but the eyes behind his round glasses already sharp. "According to rumors, not even the Black Hand Alternate Admiral Zephyr could defeat him."
Seven set down his teacup. His eyes studied Roger's relaxed back. His Sharingan wasn't active yet, but his mind was already racing.
Sakazuki didn't wait.
"MEIGOU!"
A giant magma fist slammed into Roger's back without warning. A blast of heat filled the bar. The back wall of the building crumbled. Roger's body was flung outward, smashing through three consecutive buildings, leaving holes in every wall it passed through.
CRASH! CRASH! CRASH!
Dust and debris flew everywhere. Navy soldiers scattered out of the half-collapsed bar.
Outside, the once-quiet desert night was now filled with the sounds of destruction. And on the city streets, a dozen figures stood in a relaxed formation, showing they had been ready from the start.
A blond-haired man with round glasses stood at the front, a sword at his waist, both hands in his pockets.
Silvers Rayleigh. First Mate of the Roger Pirates. Beside him, Scopper Gaban stood with two axes resting on his shoulders, grinning. Behind them, Crocus, Sunbell, and a dozen other members of Roger's crew stood with their respective weapons.
They all stared toward the rubble where their captain had been flung.
Rayleigh raised an eyebrow. "Oh?"
From beneath the rubble of the third building, Roger rose. Dust and stone fragments fell from his body. His clothes were torn in several places, but his skin bore only a red mark on his back where the magma fist had struck him. High-level Armament Haki had already coated his body from the very moment he entered the bar.
Roger cracked his neck, making a soft 'crack' sound.
Then he smiled.
"Interesting," he said, brushing the dust off his shoulder. "The Navy's magma kid."
Sakazuki was already standing in front of the bar's ruins, both his fists glowing red. Borsalino appeared on the roof of a nearby building, his body faintly glowing under the starlight. And Seven stood on the street between them, his cloak of justice fluttering gently in the night breeze.
Roger glanced at his crew. Rayleigh nodded slowly, his eyes already sizing up the three Navy officers before them.
"Hey, Roger," Rayleigh said casually as he drew his sword from its sheath. "The one in the middle. Looks like he's Red Eye."
Roger stared at Seven. His sharp eyes narrowed, his smile widening.
"Red Eye, huh? The young admiral rumored to be incredibly strong?" Roger reached for the sword at his waist. Ace's blade slid out of its sheath with a clear, ringing sound. "I'm curious."
Roger's Conqueror Haki erupted.
The pressure was far heavier than anything the Navy soldiers there had ever felt.
Unlike the measured and focused Conqueror's Haki of the Seven, Roger's felt like a tidal wave drowning everything.
The soldiers still standing immediately collapsed, passing out before they could even realize what was happening.
Only three from the Navy remained standing. The Seven. Sakazuki. Borsalino.
Sakazuki gritted his teeth; his legs trembled slightly, but he refused to back down.
Borsalino narrowed his eyes from atop the roof. "Terrifying," he muttered softly, this time without a trace of jest.
Seven stared straight at Roger. His Conqueror's Haki pushed back Roger's pressure in the surrounding area, creating a calm zone where Sakazuki and Borsalino could breathe.
Roger surged forward.
His speed was incredible. One second he was standing among the rubble; the next, Ace's blade was already swinging toward Seven's head. Conqueror's Haki enveloped the blade, causing the air along the path of the slash to vibrate.
Seven raised his blue-flame Matatabi sword to block. The two blades clashed.
CRASH!
The shockwave from the collision swept across the street, shattering the windows of buildings on both sides. Seven was knocked back three meters, his feet leaving marks on the ground.
Powerful. Far more powerful than anyone he'd ever faced.
Roger didn't stop. A second slash came from the side. A third from below. A fourth from above. Each attack carried the weight of power capable of splitting anything in two, and each was coated in Conqueror's Haki.
Seven parried. Kept parrying. The blue flame sword blazed brightly with every clash, but he knew he couldn't keep this up. Roger's power was far beyond his own.
On the other side of the street, Rayleigh and Gaban were already facing off against Sakazuki and Borsalino.
"So you're the Magma Logia, kid?" Rayleigh smiled thinly as he parried Sakazuki's magma fist with his Haki-coated sword. Sparks of fire and magma flared at the point of impact.
"Don't call me a kid, pirate!" Sakazuki roared, unleashing punch after punch, all of which Rayleigh parried with effortless ease.
Gaban swung both his axes at Borsalino, who dodged every attack with light-like movements. "You're pretty quick, you Navy kid."
"Thanks for the compliment," Borsalino replied, kicking downward with his glowing foot. Gaban blocked with the axe handles, getting dragged back a few steps.
Both fights were fierce but controlled. Neither unleashed attacks intended to kill. This wasn't a war. It was a test.
----
Gol D. Roger swung Ace horizontally. The slash was powerful enough to split the land behind Seven if it hit.
Seven didn't block this time.
He activated Kamui.
The blade of Ace pierced Seven's body as if cutting through air. The sword passed through Seven's chest without touching anything, emerging from his back without a single drop of blood. Seven's body rippled like a water wave at the point of penetration, then solidified again after the blade passed through.
Roger stopped.
His eyes widened for a moment. His front leg, already poised for a follow-up attack, froze in place.
"Huh?"
Roger took a step back, staring at his sword, then at Seven. "What was that?"
Seven didn't answer. His blue flame sword reignited in his hand.
Roger grinned and attacked again. A full-power vertical slash from above. The Ace blade glowed black with densely concentrated Haki.
It passed right through again.
Seven's body rippled at the point of impact, letting the sword pass through, then solidified again. Seven countered with a blue flame sword slash to Roger's left ribs. Roger parried with Ace, sending Seven flying backward.
Roger lunged forward for a third attack. A cross-slash. Seven activated Kamui again. Both slashes passed through Seven's body without effect.
"HAAH?!" Roger stares at Seven with an expression mixed with surprise and irritation. "Oi oi oi, what the hell is that?! I clearly saw my attack hit you but didn't touch you!"
Seven strikes back. A blue flame sword slash targets Roger's neck. Roger blocks it with Ace reflexively. The collision produced a heat wave that melted the sand around them.
Roger stepped back, his eyes narrowing. His Kenbunshoku Haki, trained to the point where he could glimpse the future, was now fully active. He stared at Seven and saw the possibilities of his next attacks.
They all passed right through.
Every possible attack he saw in the future passed right through this boy's body without touching him.
"Damn it," Roger cursed, but his smile only grew wider. "I can see my attacks will fail, but I don't understand why! What is your body, kid?!"
Seven stared at Roger through his Eternal Mangekyou Sharingan. "Take a guess."
Roger laughed loudly. A carefree, genuine laugh that filled the entire street. He slammed Ace into the ground and slapped his knee.
"DAHAHAHAHA! You're so annoying, Red-Eyed Kid!"
On the other side, Rayleigh glanced at his captain, who was laughing in the middle of the battle. He pushed Sakazuki back with a single light slash and leaned against the wall.
"Looks like our captain's having some fun," Rayleigh commented.
Sakazuki snorted, the magma in his hands still blazing. "Crazy pirate."
Borsalino landed beside Sakazuki, wiping a thin bead of sweat from his forehead. "They're strong. Very strong."
Roger pulled Ace off the ground and placed him back on his shoulder. He stared at Seven with eyes shining like a child who'd found a new toy.
"You're interesting, Red Eye. Very interesting." Roger stared intently at Seven, as if assessing something far deeper than mere fighting ability.
Rayleigh walked up behind Roger, sheathing his sword. "Roger. We don't have time for this. We're leaving soon."
Roger let out a long sigh, like a child being told to go home while he was still playing. "Tch. Fine, fine."
He turned to Seven once more. His smile hadn't faded.
"Hey, Red Eye. I don't know what trick you're using, but one day I'll figure it out. And when that happens, we'll fight again."
Roger waved his hand and turned, walking back toward his crew who had already gathered. Rayleigh followed behind him. Gaban slung both his axes over his shoulder and grinned at Borsalino before turning away.
Roger's pirate crew vanished into the darkness of the city streets, heading toward the harbor where their ship was docked.
Sakazuki watched their backs recede, his jaw clenched. "We just let them go like that?"
Seven deactivated his Sharingan. His eyes returned to black. He looked around; his soldiers, who had been knocked unconscious by Roger's Conqueror's Haki, were regaining consciousness one by one.
"If we continue, this island will be razed to the ground. And we won't win." Seven looked at Sakazuki. "You feel it too, don't you?"
Sakazuki didn't answer. But he lowered his fist. The magma slowly cooled back into skin.
Borsalino adjusted his glasses. "So that's the power of the strongest pirate in the Grand Line. Terrifying."
Seven gazed toward the harbor where Roger had vanished. In his mind's eye, Shukaku laughed loudly. "That man is strong! He reminds me of Hashirama!" Matatabi snorted. "You like anyone who gives you goosebumps." Isobu remained silent, but his half-closed eyes opened a little wider.
Seven took a deep breath and rubbed his face.
"We're still far from it," he muttered softly, just loud enough for himself to hear.