A sea perpetually shrouded in storms and towering waves. Torrential rain pours down from the sky.
And today, this forsaken stretch of ocean welcomed an unprecedented gathering of legends.
On the red side, well, on one side of the sea, is the lone wolf of the ocean, the Oro Jackson, the flagship of the Roger Pirates.
Opposing them, an overwhelming armada of pirate ships, led by none other than the "Flying Pirate" himself, the admiral of the Golden Lion Pirates, wielder of the Float-Float Fruit, Shiki the Golden Lion.
Roger and Shiki stand at the bows of their respective ships.
The two titans of the sea stare each other down.
"Shihahahaha! I've been waiting for you for a long time!"
Suddenly, a wild, defiant laugh pierced through the thunder and storm.
With golden mane-like hair, a bold demeanor, a lit cigar in his mouth, and an intense and domineering gaze, it was Shiki.
As his laughter echoed, a terrifying wave of Conqueror's Haki burst out from him. Even the ferocious weather of the Edd sea calmed like a docile kitten.
Crimson lightning surged, shaking the surrounding seawater violently.
In response, Gol D. Roger grinned widely.
"Shiki! Long time no see!"
"Your welcome is... rather unique!"
An equally terrifying surge of Conqueror's Haki clashed against Shiki's, the two forces colliding in a storm of invisible might.
"SHIHAHAHA! ROGER! JOIN ME! TOGETHER, WE CAN RULE THE WORLD!"
"YOU AND ME, WE'D BE UNSTOPPABLE!"
Shiki's voice boomed with confidence as he extended his offer.
But his dream was destined to shatter.
Roger rejected him without hesitation.
"GOLOLOLOL, I REFUSE!"
"Shiki, our goals aren't the same!"
Shiki's face twisted in fury, his eyes flashing red.
"Then I'll have to kill you! Roger!"
"Golololo! I was about to say the same! Take them down, boys!"
And so, the clash began.
Meanwhile, at the rear of Shiki's fleet
Eight Marine warships slowly approached.
"It's started... That clash of Conqueror's Haki..."
Sengoku wore a grim expression. Even from the rear, he and the others could clearly feel the collision of Haki between Roger and Shiki.
"So this is what a clash between kings of the sea feels like… It's insane," said Hammer, leaning lazily against the railing. As a mere Rear Admiral, he wouldn't be facing Shiki or Roger anyway.
"You damn slacker! Why are you copying Borsalino?!" Sengoku snapped.
"Look at yourself! Is that how a marine should act?!"
Hammer rolled his eyes. "Tch. Old man, are we fighting or not? If not, I'm going back to forging."
At his waist hung a sword, in a simple, silver-white scabbard forged from memory metal.
With it, Winterborne could now rest quietly without emitting freezing energy.
"We're fighting! Since they've started, we have no reason to stay back!"
"All units, attack! Target: the Golden Lion's pirate fleet!"
With Sengoku's order, the eight warships surged forward.
"Garp, get ready. If possible, capture Roger."
Upon hearing Roger's name, Garp's battle spirit ignited.
"No problem! Roger's mine! Kuzan, come with me!"
"Dragon, you little bastard! Go on your own, I've got a new partner!"
Before leaving, Garp shot his son a glare, making Dragon visibly uncomfortable. He also gave Kuzan a look that clearly said, "Good luck."
Kuzan was left completely confused.
"Hammer, if I gave you time... could you forge something? Like, say, a massive bomb?"
Sengoku's sudden question caught Hammer off guard. "You're asking me now? Even if time was enough, I've never forged bombs before!"
"Fine. Any large-scale attacks, then?"
"I'll promote you to Vice Admiral!"
"…Done! Just wait a moment!"
Sengoku: '…Where's my heart meds…'
Hammer rummaged through his spatial ring, and suddenly his eyes lit up.
He pulled out a worn-out speedboat and placed it on the deck.
Sengoku twitched at the sight. "Isn't that the speedboat Zephyr gave you for your evaluation? You kept it?"
Hammer shot the old man a look but said nothing as he began his work.
First, he placed a trident onto the boat, then piled several gold-veined ores onto it, all connected to the base of the trident.
Next, he reinforced the boat's sides with steel plates, encasing the trident in the center.
He started hammering right on the deck.
Sengoku looked dumbfounded. "Hammer! I told you to prepare something big, not repair a boat!"
"Old man, just shut up and watch, okay?"
He continued hammering without missing a beat.
Meanwhile, the Marines had already engaged the rear of Shiki's fleet.
Amidst the violent storm, the two sides clashed in full force.
Shiki and Roger's battle was reaching its climax.
The Oro Jackson had charged directly into the center of Shiki's fleet.
Roger led the charge, wielding his Supreme Grade Sword Ace.
Shiki met the strike without fear, wielding his famed swords Oto and Kogarashi to launch his counterattack:
"Lion's Thousand Slashes!"
Crimson slashes clashed with countless golden strikes, and terrifying Haki exploded everywhere.
Shiki's pirates launched an all-out assault.
But the Roger Pirates, led Dark King Rayleigh, held firm.
"Gabban! Bullet! Guard the ship's flanks!"
"Everyone else, free attack! Just make sure they don't damage the ship!"
A burly man, eyes sharp, slammed into a group of boarding pirates like a cannonball, sending them flying.
He was ruthlessly efficient, yet his eyes never left Captain Roger, there was a strange emotion in his gaze.
The battle grew fiercer.
Roger's side took casualties, but Shiki had already lost more than a dozen ships.
At the rear, the Marines' assault intensified.
Sengoku, observing the battle, looked grim.
Just then, an excited voice rang out:
"The Thunder Raider is complete!"
Hammer stopped hammering, looking proudly at the modified speedboat.
The trident stood upright in the center, connected to various glowing ores.
Steel plates reinforced the sides, encasing the core.
If you enjoy the story, my p@treon is 30 chapters ahead.
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