Roger was not yet forty years old and had already reached the peak of his combat strength.
Dæmon readily accepted his invitation to spar.
“Let’s head to the northern side of the island.
If we fight here, we’ll destroy Shakky’s tavern.” “Of course!” Roger agreed immediately.
“I certainly don’t want Shakky scolding me!” Dæmon and Roger left the tavern one after the other, leaving the dozen or so members of the Roger Pirates exchanging bewildered glances.
A Fish-Man wielding a trident scratched his head.
“Is there some kind of misunderstanding?
Why does the captain want to fight Rocks’ newest recruit?” A man smoking a cigar burst out laughing.
“Jealousy, obviously.
How embarrassing.” First Roger had been jealous of Rocks.
Now he was treating a newcomer as his romantic rival.
No one knew what to say about their captain anymore.
Scopper Gaban chuckled.
“That isn’t the only reason.
Dæmon is a super rookie who received a bounty of five hundred million Berries immediately after his debut.
Roger is probably itching to test his strength.” As the third-ranking member of the Roger Pirates, Gaban held considerable authority among the crew.
“Let’s go and watch.” The rest of the crew immediately followed him out.
The pirates gathered outside the tavern soon learned about the upcoming battle and erupted into excited discussions.
“Lord Dæmon is going to fight Roger?” “He can’t possibly win, can he?
That’s Roger—a man capable of fighting Rocks on equal ground!” “Nonsense!
Lord Rocks is obviously stronger!
Every time Roger comes to Hachinosu, doesn’t Lord Rocks drive him away?” “Why are they fighting in the first place?
Are they competing over Shakky-chan?” “Damn it!
Miss Shakky is the treasure of Hachinosu.
She belongs to everyone!” News of the battle quickly spread across the island.
…
Meanwhile, inside the Skull Hotel, Gloriosa reclined comfortably on a soft armchair while reading the latest newspaper.
She reached toward the small table beside her, picked up a pastry, and began nibbling it.
Bang!
Charlotte Linlin suddenly burst through the door.
“I have good news for you, Gloriosa.
The Roger Pirates are here again!” “What?” Gloriosa immediately lowered her newspaper, her eyes glowing with surprise and delight.
“Roger came as well?” “Yes.
Apparently, he’s about to fight Dæmon,” Linlin replied.
“I only just heard the news myself.” Everyone in the Rocks Pirates knew that Roger was the object of Gloriosa’s affection.
Unfortunately for her, Roger loved someone else.
After her initial excitement faded, Gloriosa’s expression gradually became peculiar.
“What’s wrong with you?” Linlin asked suspiciously.
“Whenever Roger visited before, you were always the first person to rush out and see him.” “That’s why this feels so strange…” Gloriosa pressed a hand against her chest.
“My heartbeat is completely normal.
It isn’t racing at all.
It’s almost as though I’ve suddenly lost interest in him.” Even Gloriosa could not understand what was happening.
She had once been madly in love with Roger, yet hearing about his arrival now felt like receiving any other piece of ordinary news.
Apart from that brief moment of excitement, her emotions had barely changed.
Linlin gave her a mocking look.
“What happened to that precious ‘love’ you were always talking about?
Mamamama!
It seems love is unreliable after all!” “I have nothing to say to a shameless woman who pops out children like popcorn!” Gloriosa snapped irritably.
“That’s my choice.
What does it have to do with you?” Linlin placed her hands on her hips without the slightest hint of embarrassment.
“If you don’t want to go, then stay here.
I’ll watch the excitement myself.” She turned around and walked out.
“How strange…” Gloriosa touched her cheek thoughtfully.
“Could my lovesickness have been cured?” After pondering the question for a moment, she put down the newspaper and rose from her chair.
“Wait for me, Linlin!” She hurried after her companion.
“Why are they fighting, anyway?
Could they be fighting over me?
Ah, being such a desirable woman is truly sinful~” …
On the northern shore of Hachinosu, the land was sparsely populated and far removed from the island’s bustling streets.
It was the perfect place for a battle.
Dæmon stood near the shoreline, calmly facing Roger.
“Whenever you’re ready.” Roger drew the sword hanging from his waist.
It was Ace—one of the Twelve Supreme Grade Blades.
“Aren’t you going to use a weapon?” Roger asked.
“I don’t know how to use a sword.” “Is that so?” Roger grinned excitedly.
“Then here I come, Rocks’ rookie!” He charged toward Dæmon without showing the slightest intention of holding back.
Many spectators had already gathered nearby, including the entire Roger Pirates crew.
When they saw Dæmon preparing to face Roger barehanded, surprise spread across their faces.
“Is he a fist fighter like Garp?” They would soon have their answer.
Roger crossed the distance between them in an instant and swung Ace horizontally.
“Divine Departure!” A terrifying wave of sword energy erupted from the blade.
Faced with the incoming attack, Dæmon clenched his fists and coated them in Armament Haki.
He crossed his arms in front of his body, attempting to block the slash.
However, his defense proved utterly useless.
Roger’s blade sliced through Dæmon’s wrists as easily as cutting through tofu, severing both hands in an instant.
Blood sprayed through the air.
The overwhelming sword energy continued through Dæmon’s body, tearing apart his upper torso.
“Huh?” Roger froze.
He had clearly sensed Armament Haki coating Dæmon’s arms.
How had his opponent failed to block even a single strike?
“Hey, Roger!” Gaban shouted from a distance.
“What are you doing?
He’s Rocks’ newest recruit!
Killing him will cause serious trouble!” Roger turned toward his crew with a helpless expression.
“How was I supposed to know he was this weak?
I should have—” Before he could finish, he noticed the drastic change in Gaban’s expression.
“Captain, behind you!” Someone shouted a warning.
Roger’s gaze sharpened.
His top-tier Observation Haki activated, allowing him to glimpse several seconds into the future.
He saw himself being struck by a fist and sent flying.
The person throwing that punch was none other than Dæmon—the man who should have been dead!
What?
Roger spun around and raised Ace just in time.
At that exact moment, a fist coated in pitch-black Armament Haki slammed against the blade.
Clang!
Caught off guard, Roger was driven dozens of meters backward.
His feet carved two long trenches through the sand before he finally came to a stop.
He raised his head and stared at Dæmon in astonishment.
“You’re not dead…
No, you’re completely fine?” “What could possibly happen to me?” Dæmon cracked his newly regenerated knuckles and chuckled.
“It was merely a fatal wound.” He rolled his shoulders casually.
“Your attack was so fast that I didn’t even have time to feel any pain.” Roger’s playful expression disappeared.
“Are you a Devil Fruit user?” Even a Logia user’s elemental body would have offered no protection against that attack.
Roger’s blade had been coated in Armament Haki, allowing it to strike a Devil Fruit user’s true body.
Yet Dæmon had recovered as though nothing had happened.
Dæmon did not answer Roger’s question.
Instead, he stared at him with great interest.
“You knew I was going to attack before I threw the punch.
Was that Future Sight?” Roger’s serious expression transformed into an excited grin.
“That’s right.
It seems your five-hundred-million-Berry bounty wasn’t undeserved.” He tightened his grip on Ace.
“We should start taking this fight seriously, Dæmon!” Dæmon focused his mind and spread his Observation Haki, locking onto Roger’s presence.
However, he managed to follow him for only a fraction of a second.
Boom!
Roger exploded forward with such tremendous speed that he appeared to teleport across the dozens of meters separating them.
In an instant, he was already standing directly in front of Dæmon.
Ace swept horizontally through the air, its blade coated in Advanced Conqueror’s Haki.
A crescent-shaped slash of black and red energy tore toward Dæmon.
This time, Dæmon was prepared.
He pushed his Armament Haki to its limit and concentrated every trace of it around the part of his body that Roger’s attack was about to strike.
Boom!
The slash struck him with overwhelming force.
Dæmon was blasted backward, flying off the island and out over the ocean.
The pressure created by his high-speed flight tore open the sea beneath him.
Towering waves surged upward on both sides, leaving a vast trench across the ocean’s surface.
“Fast and powerful…” Dæmon spat out a mouthful of blood.
A moment later, the blood reversed direction and returned to his regenerating body.
And that was merely a basic attack from someone at the Pirate King’s level.
With his current strength, he could not compete against an opponent of Roger’s caliber.
Almost any clean attack would kill him instantly.
Back on the shore, the Roger Pirates watched Dæmon disappear into the distance.
“As expected, he was no match for the captain.” “What kind of nonsense is that?
Of course he can’t defeat Roger.” “No…
Something isn’t right.” Gaban frowned, his eyes remaining fixed on Dæmon’s distant figure.
Suddenly— Boom!
Jet-black demonic power erupted from the distant sea.
It surged toward the sky like raging black flames, darkening the horizon.
“What is that?” Roger stared at the ominous energy in astonishment.
Then his Future Sight activated once again.
His expression changed abruptly.
Roger raised his head.
Whoosh!
A black shadow flashed across the sky.
Dæmon appeared directly above him, suspended in midair.
A pair of enormous jet-black wings spread from his back, blocking the sunlight and casting a dark shadow across the shore.
Pitch-black demonic power covered his entire body, leaving only his eyes exposed.
“There’s nothing else I can do.” Dæmon looked down at Roger calmly.
“I can’t compete with you at all while I’m in my human form.” As soon as those words left his mouth, he descended from the sky like a beam of black light.
Roger immediately raised Ace to defend himself.
Boom!
Dæmon’s fist, overflowing with demonic power, crashed against the Supreme Grade Blade.
The ground beneath Roger’s feet shattered instantly.
Sand and stone collapsed inward as an enormous crater spread across the shore, covering a radius of nearly one hundred meters.
Roger struggled against the tremendous force pressing down on his blade.
He stared at Dæmon’s wings in disbelief.
“What kind of ability is this?” His eyes widened.
“A Mythical Zoan?!”