On the Jackson, the members of the Roger Pirates readied themselves, preparing to continue their journey on the Grand Line.

With the ship’s doctor providing reassurance, every member of the crew wore smiles, knowing their captain could now lead them even farther.

At that moment, the lookout approached and called out:

“Captain, I’ve spotted the Flying Sky Pirates ahead!”

“The Flying Sky Pirates?! That Shiki is relentless…” Roger exhaled heavily upon hearing this. Ever since the battle at the Valley of God, the Golden Lion had been fixated on Roger, constantly plotting to ally with him to dominate the world and become the next Pirate King.

But every time, Roger had refused.

On the calm sea, five pirate ships charged toward the Jackson, an invisible pressure washing over them like a fierce lion eyeing its prey. The sky above darkened ominously, the atmosphere tense and stormy.

“Ahhh! We’re doomed! Captain, we have to run!”

Buggy, panicking like an ant on a hot pan, scurried across the deck, his small face full of terror at the overwhelming numbers.

“Buggy! Stop messing around!” Shanks grabbed him from the side, shaking his head to signal him to calm down.

Perhaps it had been planned in advance, or perhaps the Golden Lion had never given up on tracking Roger. Not far from the Jackson, three pirate ships suddenly appeared, blocking their path.

“The Beast Pirates’ captain — Stickamins! Bounty: 100 million Berries.”

“The Titan Pirates’ captain — Phillips! Bounty: 120 million Berries.”

“The Ape Force Pirates’ captain — Graystone! Bounty: 110 million Berries.”

The fishman, Kanjuro, called out the names expertly. These were old acquaintances, formidable enemies of equal strength.

The young boy, Kaito, who had been training hard, smiled appreciatively.

“Hehe, I’ll keep that in mind, Brother Kanjuro,” Kaito said, nodding seriously, a small grin lifting his lips.

“A strong opponent?! I love a good challenge!”

Clenching his fists, Kaito’s gaze hardened, fixed on the approaching pirate crews. He wondered how far his full effort could take him against hundreds of enemies.

“Roger, it looks like we’ll need to take this fight seriously!” Rayleigh approached Roger’s side, hand resting on his sword at his waist, his voice calm yet stern.

As an old friend, Rayleigh knew well the Golden Lion’s power at sea. As a user of the Float-Float Fruit, Shiki could easily stir up massive tidal waves, and his swordsmanship reached the level of a legendary swordsman. On the Grand Line, no one dared ignore him.

Although they hadn’t seen Shiki himself, Rayleigh and Roger knew that with the vanguard spotting them, the Golden Lion would arrive as quickly as possible.

Roger understood perfectly what Shiki desired.

Unfortunately, their paths diverged. Roger had no interest in ruling the world; freedom, not dominion, defined a true pirate.

“Hmph.”

Roger grinned at the imposing fleet of the Flying Sky Pirates, entirely unafraid. His fighting spirit ignited like roaring flames. Numbers meant little to him.

Even if Shiki himself were leading the fleet, Roger would not fear.

“All hands, attack!”

With a mischievous grin, Roger ordered the Jackson to charge. Subordinates of Shiki were hardly worth worrying about.

The moment the command was given, Kaito shot into the sky like a cannonball, spinning rapidly above the battlefield between the two fleets.

“Water Dragon!”

With a shout, Kaito conjured a slender tornado on the sea, slowly heading toward the approaching pirates.

“Hahaha!”

The crews on the three ships laughed, mocking the tiny tornado that looked no thicker than a calf’s leg. Some even held their stomachs in exaggerated laughter.

But in an instant, as the Flying Sky Pirates were laughing, the thin tornado expanded explosively, rapidly growing in diameter:

Five meters…

Ten meters…

Twenty meters…

Fifty meters…

“No way! Impossible!”

The subordinate pirates of the Flying Sky Pirates were dumbfounded. Within moments, the tornado surged to nearly a hundred meters high, sweeping toward the central pirate ship.

“Boom! Crack!”

The proud pirates were stunned as their tall ships were torn in half, and nearly a hundred of them fell into the sea like dumplings.

A single encounter had delivered a life-threatening lesson from a child they had dismissed, and a strange fear began to spread in their hearts.

If even the apprentices on Roger’s ship were this strong, how formidable must the great pirate, Gol D. Roger, be?

While they pondered this, Kaito had already reached the enemy pirate fleet, expertly wielding the Fang Tian Huaji and sending enemy after enemy flying.

“Damn it! Brat, don’t get too cocky!” Graystone, captain of the Ape Force Pirates, shouted, swinging a massive five-to-six-meter spiked club toward Kaito.

“DUANG!”

“Want to test your strength?” Kaito raised the Fang Tian Huaji, blocking the incoming club. Sparks flew as the two forces collided.

“I… blocked it?!” Graystone’s heart shook, disbelief etched across his face. Despite possessing the Ape-Ape Fruit’s power, he had never met anyone who could match him through sheer strength — especially a kid barely out of childhood.

As Kaito battled Graystone, the Roger Pirates launched their attack. Without top-tier fighters guarding them, the enemy could not withstand even a single clash, and were swiftly knocked unconscious by Roger’s fearsome Conqueror’s Haki.

Continued...