Chapter 50

"In other words, your answer is, 'Please kill me right here and now,' isn't it, Roger?!" Shiki roared with anger, seeping out of his every being.

However, Roger was not to be outmatched. He bellowed with even more intensity while pushing down Shiki even more with his haoshoku.

"No, it's, 'I'm going to crush every last one of you here today!'" With that, the conflict exploded, and with a loud cannon sound, the Oro Jackson fired the first shot, which directly tore through the mast of one of Shiki's ships.

"Boom! Boom! Boom!" More than a dozen cannons sang ferociously as every one of Shiki's fleet fired their cannons at the Oro Jackson. Rayleigh was already at the forefront, leading the Roger pirates to defend while simultaneously attacking their enemies. However, Roger and Shiki went for a much more primal clash. Roger had already jumped ahead to clash with the Golden Lion head-on, while Shiki dropped down, drawing his twin blades, and Roger swung his cutlass to meet the attack head-on. Both fighters were at the apex of the current world, and their mastery of Haki was similarly phenomenal.

"Roger!!!" Shiki yelled, his voice filled with determination. "I will make sure to bury you beneath the waves today." Pushed back due to the initial clash, Shiki flew up into the air using his Float-Float Fruit powers and then lashed out with his double swords, sending a cross slash imbued with Haki.

However, Roger, ready to intercept, lifted his cutlass and sent his own slash flying through the air. Both attacks collided midway. Although Shiki had the advantage of higher ground, he couldn't shake Roger even a bit.

Inwardly, Shiki laughed like a madman, thinking, "Yes, only a man like Roger is worthy to be considered my equal."

Shiki had already awakened his Devil Fruit, and his mastery of Devil Fruit could be considered top-tier even when compared against all the Devil Fruit users in the world.

The entire warship that Roger stood on showed signs of rising above the sea into the sky, but Roger wasn't going to let that happen. He sent out a burst of Conqueror's Haki imbued with his own Armament, neutralizing the entire Devil Fruit power as the ship settled back into the waters.

Roger jumped up and swung his cutlass again to keep Shiki occupied so the man wouldn't redirect his Devil Fruit powers onto Oro Jackson. Although Roger knew that Rayleigh was able to neutralize Shiki's Devil Fruit power, Rayleigh was already facing overwhelming odds, dealing with close to three dozen great battleships from Shiki's grand fleet. Although the quality of Roger's pirates spoke volumes, the numbers of the Golden Pirates were simply monstrous.

Rayleigh felt like for every enemy he cut down, two more popped out in their place. Although the Roger Pirates were holding on, he didn't know how long this stalemate could continue. To make matters worse, the battle was taking place right on the harsh seas. The sea beside them was picking up each second, as if responding to the clash between Roger and Shiki. Thunder clouds had already filled the sky, and heavy rain started pouring down.

As the clash between Roger and Shiki reached an inhuman level, the very elements seemed to respond to their battle. Thunder crackled in the sky above, illuminating the dark clouds with flashes of light, while waves surged and crashed against the ships, as if echoing the intensity of the conflict below.

Roger and Shiki continued their fierce exchange of blows, each strike resonating with the power of their wills and the mastery of their combat skills. Their swords clashed with a resounding clang, sending sparks flying in all directions, while their conqueror's haki radiated outwards, affecting everyone on the battlefield.

On the Oro Jackson, Rayleigh fought valiantly against the onslaught of Shiki's fleet, his own Conqueror's Haki surging forth to bolster the resolve of his crewmates. Despite facing overwhelming odds, the Roger Pirates refused to back down, their loyalty to their captain unwavering as they stood their ground against the Golden Lion Pirates.

Meanwhile, the crew members of both fleets battled ferociously, their shouts and clashes of steel adding to the cacophony of war. Each side fought with all their strength, driven by their own convictions and desires for victory.

As the rain poured down relentlessly, turning the deck of every ship into a slippery battlefield, Roger and Shiki's duel intensified. Their movements became more fluid, and precise, as if they were locked in a dance of death upon the tumultuous seas.

With every clash of their blades, the very air seemed to tremble, as if unable to contain the sheer force of their clash. It was a battle of titans, a clash of legends that would be remembered for generations to come.

Just as the cadre from Shiki's fleet aimed to strike down Buggy, who was utilizing his Devil Fruit powers to fend off the attackers, a harpoon suddenly pierced through the assailant's neck, ending his life instantly. The swift action came from Crocus, who wasted no time in dispatching the enemy pirates who dared to board the Oro Jackson.

Raleigh, witnessing the scene, was filled with fury. His eyes locked onto one of the enemy ships that had crashed into the Oro Jackson. With a thunderous roar, he unleashed his signature technique, "Dark Descent." In one fluid motion, Raleigh swung his sword, a lethal arc of power cutting through the air.

A cadre from the Golden Lion Pirates attempted to intercept the attack, his haki-clad defenses raised. However, the sheer force and intensity of Raleigh's anger-fueled strike proved overwhelming. Despite the cadre's formidable strength and his bounty of over 500 million, he was cleaved neatly in half, his haki shattered like glass.

The slash didn't stop there. Raleigh's blade continued its merciless path, slicing through the massive warship as if it were made of paper, cleaving it into two halves with ease. The force of the blow was so immense that it carried on, cutting through a second ship in its wake. The second ship began to sink before its crew even realized what had happened.

The display of Raleigh's power sent shockwaves through the battlefield, instilling fear in the hearts of the enemy pirates. The Roger Pirates rallied behind their Vice captain, emboldened by his ferocity and unwavering resolve. It was a testament to the strength and unity of their crew, a force to be reckoned with even amidst the chaos of battle.

The clash between Shiki and Roger was beyond the intervention of ordinary individuals. As Rayleigh sank two of Shiki's warships, a tempest of anger, greed, and envy swirled within Shiki's heart.

"Why, Roger? Why do you possess everything that should have been mine? You lack ambition, yet you dare to challenge me?" Shiki's roar resonated with thunder as lightning struck where their blades crossed. With a surge of his Devil Fruit powers, a massive shadow engulfed the battlefield.

"Hahaha, did you think I would confront you, my greatest rival, without prior preparation?" Shiki's maniacal laughter echoed as he ascended into the air, mocking Roger from above. With a mocking gesture, he signaled the descent of a colossal island.

The sight sent shockwaves through the Golden Lion Pirates, their panic palpable as they faced the impending catastrophe brought forth by their captain's recklessness.

Yet Roger remained resolute, his grip firm on Ace as he prepared to counter Shiki's devastating attack. With a primal roar, he unleashed his own technique, a torrent of slashes cutting through the air with lethal precision. He infused his Haki to its peak and unleashed a massive cross slash to intercept the plummeting landmass.

"Divine Departure!" Roger's voice thundered as he continued to unleash a barrage of attacks, each strike aimed at the falling island.

"BOOM!" The impact of Roger's onslaught obliterated the island, reducing it to mere debris. The sheer magnitude of the explosion defied belief, leaving onlookers to question if such a feat could be accomplished by a mere mortal.

Amidst the chaos, Roger stood tall amidst the falling chunks of earth, his gaze locked fiercely on Shiki. In that moment, his determination burned brighter than ever, a beacon of defiance against the chaos of the New World.

"Shiki, if this is all you have to offer, then I suggest you give up on your grand dream of becoming the king!" Despite facing overwhelming odds, Roger couldn't help but mock his rival as he prepared himself for the next attack.

Flushed with embarrassment at Roger's taunt, Shiki spat out the cigar in his mouth and yelled, "You bastard, let me show you why the whole world fears the name of Golden Lion Shiki!"

Like a meteor, Shiki plummeted from the sky, his entire silhouette igniting from the friction of his high-speed descent. As he descended, the air around him crackled with an ominous energy, and the very fabric of reality seemed to warp under his weight.

"Lion's Majesty!" he roared, the force of his voice echoing across the battlefield, sending shockwaves through the air. With a deafening roar, he crashed down onto Roger while swinging his dual blades, each strike carrying the weight of his ambition and fury. Meanwhile, the sea water around them surged, taking the form of a massive lion, its jaws poised to engulf the entire warship. It was a two-pronged assault, a convergence of nature's wrath and Shiki's unyielding will.

Roger's laughter echoed in defiance as he primed himself, his eyes gleaming with determination. With a flourish, he met Shiki's attack head-on, his cutlass flashing like lightning in the storm. The clash of their blades sent shockwaves rippling through the air, cracking the very foundation of the sea beneath them. The intensity of their collision was such that it seemed to warp space itself, distorting the fabric of reality with its sheer force.

As the dust settled and the echoes of their clash faded, the once-mighty warship Roger stood upon lay in ruins, shattered by the titanic forces at play. Even nearby ships, caught in the wake of their battle, bore the scars of their conflict, their hulls cracked and splintered by the sheer force of their collision.

And yet, amidst the chaos and destruction, the intensity of the clash between the two titans didn't waver. Roger was using the broken debris as his foothold, but Shiki didn't have that issue as he could use his Devil Fruit powers to float; he just had to be careful not to plunge into the sea, which would put him at a disadvantage.

As they fought, the very fabric of reality seemed to bend and warp around them, unable to contain the sheer magnitude of their power. Lightning danced across the sky, thunder echoing their struggle as if nature itself bore witness to their epic duel. The sea raged and roared, its waves rising and falling with the ebb and flow of their battle, as if responding to the intensity of their clash.

As the clash between Shiki and Roger entered its sixth hour, the battlefield had become a symphony of chaos and destruction. Shiki's grand fleet, once formidable in its numbers, now lay scattered and diminished, reduced to a mere fraction of its former strength. Yet, despite their losses, the Golden Lion Pirates continued to press their assault with unwavering ferocity.

The Oro Jackson, though battered and bruised, remained a bastion of defiance amidst the chaos. Its once proud hull now bore the scars of countless attacks, each gash and dent a testament to the fierce determination of its crew. Rayleigh, his brow furrowed with concentration, fought tirelessly to repel the relentless onslaught of enemy forces. His skill and experience were the only things standing between the Roger pirates and annihilation.

Meanwhile, Roger and Shiki clashed with a fury that shook the very foundations of the sea. Each blow exchanged between the two titans sent shockwaves rippling across the water; the sheer force of their clash was enough to part the waves themselves. Though Roger seemed to possess the greater strength, his focus remained solely on his opponent, leaving his crewmates to fend for themselves against the relentless onslaught of enemy forces.

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