On the Jackson, Shanks leaned against the ship's railing, watching the Moby Dick across the sea. His voice held a hint of awe,
"That was Captain Roger's Haoshoku Haki just now, his presence was truly overwhelming."
Buggy folded his arms and frowned,
"But is it really alright for Captain Roger to go by himself? That's Whitebeard's main crew after all."
Silvers Rayleigh walked up, resting a hand on each of their heads, and smiled knowingly,
"What do you two brats understand? It's precisely because they are the Whitebeard Pirates that Roger has to approach alone. If all of us followed him, it could cause a misunderstanding. We're not here to fight Whitebeard this time."
Shanks looked puzzled,
"But Captain Roger already unleashed his Haoshoku Haki!"
Rayleigh laughed heartily, beginning to speak, when suddenly the clear sky above the Moby Dick turned dark. Within moments, a rift of shadowed clouds split the heavens.
This was the unmistakable sign of two Emperor‑level forces colliding.
Shanks' expression shifted drastically, and he shouted with alarm,
"This is bad! They're fighting! Captain Roger is in danger!"
He was about to climb over the railing to rush toward the Moby Dick, but Rayleigh grabbed his arm and steadied him.
"Calm down, Shanks. Captain Roger and Whitebeard are simply greeting each other."
On the Moby Dick
Roger gripped Ace's arm as he faced Whitebeard's mighty blade, Murakumogiri, their clash echoing with the crackle of Haoshoku Haki. Whitebeard narrowed his eyes and spoke in a measured, low voice,
"Roger, what is your purpose by coming here?"
Roger smiled warmly, unshaken,
"Of course I came to see you, my old friend. But this place is inconvenient, there's a small island not far from here that would be perfect. How about we go there and sit for a while?"
He tilted his head slightly and grinned toward Oden among the onlookers.
Oden frowned, sword in hand with Enma drawn, eyes gleaming with the eagerness to fight,
"Hey! What are you looking at? Want to fight me?"
Roger chuckled and replied,
"Alright, Samurai, I'll give you that chance later!"
Whitebeard spoke in mild annoyance,
"Hey, Roger, I haven't agreed to sit on some island with you yet."
"Don't say that," Roger said with a grin, "I'm heading back first, see you on the island!"
Without waiting for Whitebeard's response, he sheathed his sword and leapt into the sky, returning to the Jackson.
Seeing Roger return unharmed, Shanks exhaled with relief. A burly young man with long golden hair stepped forward and spoke in a deep voice,
"Captain Roger, are we about to go to war with the Whitebeard Pirates?"
Buggy puckered his lips and muttered under his breath,
"What a lunatic!"
Roger shook his head calmly,
"Relax, Barrett. We came here with a friendly attitude. There's no reason to start a war at the drop of a hat."
Barrett fell silent at Roger's words. Roger waved his hand and called out,
"Alright! Set sail!"
The Jackson turned its bow and headed toward a nearby island.
Whitebeard watched the Jackson leave, snorting lightly.
"That man Roger… Let's follow them and see."
The Jackson and the Moby Dick both landed on the island in succession. Roger and Whitebeard led their respective crews ashore.
The atmosphere between the two pirate crews grew tense instantly.
Pirates were, by nature, wild and unrestrained — the way they looked at each other carried unmistakable challenges.
Marshall D. Teach glanced at Buggy and sneered for no apparent reason.
Buggy bristled instantly. He drew his dagger, pointing it at Teach with a growl,
"Hey! What are you laughing at?"
Teach raised his chin arrogantly,
"What? Don't you think your big red nose is ridiculous?"
"What?! I'm going to kill you!"
Shanks quickly grabbed Buggy, trying to calm him,
"Buggy, don't be reckless. Captain Rayleigh taught us that when facing something, we must remain calm."
After steadying Buggy, Shanks turned to Teach and said politely,
"Friend, give us a break…"
Before Shanks could finish, Teach flatly dismissed him with disdain,
"Who are you? Who's your friend? Why should I give you face?"
Three rapid questions later, Shanks' face flushed bright red. With his scarlet hair, he looked like a ripe tomato.
In a burst of frustration, Shanks drew his sword with a whoosh and charged Teach, shouting,
"Damn it! You ungrateful bastard! Buggy, let's go! Get him!"
For once Buggy didn't protest. He raised both daggers and charged forward with Shanks.
Rayleigh covered his face with his palm, muttering helplessly,
"These two idiots."
Despite his words, he made no move to stop them.
The tension in the air instantly ignited as Shanks and Buggy initiated the fight.
Both pirate crews immediately erupted into combat. All the while, Whitebeard and Roger stood as captains with calm, indifferent expressions.
Only those with true fire in their hearts could ever truly belong among them.
Roger drew Ace's blade from his waist and smiled back at Whitebeard,
"It seems we have to fight first! Edward Newgate!"
Whitebeard twirled Murakumogiri and responded,
"That's enough talk, Roger!"
Just as the two were about to clash, Oden suddenly stepped forward from the side, shouting,
"Whitey! Let me fight him first!"
Roger smiled, preparing to engage once more, when a dark vortex suddenly appeared directly in Oden's path.
Under the stunned gazes of both Whitebeard and Roger, Lloyd's figure emerged from the rift. Oden froze, and when the sight of Lloyd registered, fury instantly flared in his eyes,
"It's you!?"
Lloyd completely ignored his shout. He merely looked around and muttered to himself in that cold, aloof tone,
"It seems I came too early…"
Whenever a warship was about to approach, Lloyd used Kamui ahead of time to scout the situation. He had heard the fighting erupt on the island and had warped himself over.
But Lloyd had never been to this island before, so when using Kamui he relied only on sound to judge direction. His landing spot wasn't precise — he ended up right between Roger and Whitebeard.
Oden's eyes were bloodshot with rage. He raised Enma high and leapt into the air, slashing down at Lloyd with lethal intent.
Lloyd didn't even glance at him. He simply raised his arm, coating it with Armament Haki.
Clang!
Enma struck Lloyd's arm, but his body didn't budge an inch.
Oden's expression froze, disbelief creeping across his face,
"How is this possible!?"
Lloyd slowly turned his head, his gaze cold and indifferent.
"You are very noisy," he said simply.
With a flick of his wrist, Lloyd caught the blade of Enma. Without hesitation, he twisted his arm with force, and with a loud impact, he slammed Oden into the ground.
The chaotic battlefield instantly fell silent.