CHAPTER 45
Roger approached Ayr, but instead of attacking immediately, he spoke with genuine curiosity.
"I remember when I first entered the New World, I met a very interesting Marine. Back then, he was a Vice Admiral of Naval Headquarters… Monkey D. Garp."
Roger grinned, his eyes gleaming with nostalgia.
"He told me there were two pirates he swore to capture in his lifetime. One was me…"
He then paused, his gaze locking onto Ayr.
"The other… was you."
The battlefield fell silent for a moment.
"Ever since then, I've been curious about the name 'Ayr.'" Roger continued, his grip on his sword tightening. "Now that I've met you, I understand. You really are a monster!"
Ayr remained calm, but deep inside, he couldn't help but smirk at the irony.
"Garp, huh?" he muttered.
It was no surprise. Garp and Roger were destined to be rivals.
So it made sense that the first thing Roger did upon reaching the New World was clash with him.
The Clash of Titans Begins
Roger lifted his sword, Ace, a Supreme Grade Blade, its edge gleaming under the dim sky.
"Then… let's see how strong you really are!"
His voice dripped with excitement.
Ayr responded without hesitation.
"Bring it on!!!"
He raised his own blade, enveloping it in Advanced Armament Haki, its blackened surface pulsating with power.
Roger chuckled.
"Good. I hope you won't disappoint me!"
Then—
They vanished.
A second later—
"BOOM!!!"
Their blades collided, releasing a shockwave that shook the entire battlefield.
The very air seemed to roar, and the sea beyond the island was thrown into chaos, monstrous 100-meter waves crashing violently.
The earth beneath their feet collapsed, creating deep craters and sending debris flying into the sky.
Roger vs. Ayr: A Battle of Equals?
Roger's grin widened.
"So it's true!" he laughed, eyes burning with excitement.
The force radiating from Ayr's body was immense—raw, untamed, and turbulent.
Not even inferior to his own.
Roger had fought countless monsters in his time.
But now—standing before him was a pirate more dangerous than Charlotte Linlin herself.
That thought nagged at him.
"Ayr's strength is overwhelming… so why is his bounty only 900 million?"
Charlotte Linlin—who was slightly weaker than Ayr—had a bounty of 2.5 billion Baileys.
And yet—
Ayr was only considered an 'ordinary' cadre of the Rocks Pirates?!
Roger narrowed his eyes.
"Charlotte Linlin is a main cadre, while Ayr is just a regular one?"
"Something doesn't add up."
Still—
Roger couldn't afford to be distracted.
Because Ayr was relentless.
"Tch… He's stronger than I expected," Ayr admitted internally.
Even though Roger had yet to reach his prime, his potential was terrifying.
Ayr had entered Kurama Chakra Mode, yet he still felt pressure from Roger's presence alone.
What made Roger so dangerous wasn't just his raw power.
It was his combat experience, swordsmanship, and overwhelming Haki.
Roger's Conqueror's Haki was on a whole other level—so refined that it dwarfed Ayr's own.
And then there was the difference in swords.
Ayr's blade was only one of the 50 Skillful Grade Blades.
But Roger's Ace was one of the 12 Supreme Grade Blades—two ranks higher, capable of clashing evenly with Whitebeard's Murakumogiri.
Their skills may have been close—
But in terms of combat experience, Haki mastery, and weapon quality—Roger had the edge.
"CLANG! CLANG! CLANG!!!"
The air split apart as their swords clashed dozens of times in mere seconds.
The sheer force of their fight rippled outward, destroying everything in a 100-meter radius.
The once-thriving trees had been obliterated, their shattered remains scattered across the battlefield.
The Decisive Moment
Roger suddenly stepped back, his muscles tensing.
"He's preparing for something big," Ayr realized.
The veins on Roger's arms bulged, his sword trembling as it became engulfed in an overwhelming aura of Haki.
This technique—
"Divine Departure!!!" (Kamusari!!!)
A legendary sword technique known to cut down even the strongest foes in a single strike!
Roger's entire presence seemed to explode as he lunged forward.
But—
Ayr had no intention of backing down.
He gritted his teeth, focusing all his energy.
"Then take this—Falling Sky Blade!!!"
A technique he had developed on his own, fusing his mastered swordsmanship with his unique abilities.
"BOOM!!!"
Their attacks collided, releasing a blinding shockwave that erupted outward.
A white energy sphere expanded, covering a 100-meter radius, its force tearing the battlefield apart.
Trees shattered.
Wild beasts scattered in terror.
Some of the weaker creatures were completely knocked unconscious by the sheer force alone.
This wasn't just a fight—this was a clash between two monsters.
The pressure radiating from them was so intense that the entire island trembled.
Then—
Even the sky seemed to react.
The once bright blue atmosphere was suddenly consumed by dark clouds, covering the battlefield in ominous shadows.
"You… look!" one of the Roger Pirates gasped.
"The sky—it's splitting!!!"
The Roger Pirates React
"No way… The heavens themselves are breaking apart?!?!"
"No… that's not it! Their attacks are so powerful that they're forcing the weather itself to change!!!"
The impact of their Haki had caused the high-altitude storm clouds to split apart, revealing a gaping void in the sky.
"What kind of monster is Ayr?!"
"Even our Captain Roger can't overpower him?!"
One of the crew members shuddered.
"This guy… he's only a cadre of the Rocks Pirates, right? And his bounty is only 900 million…?"
"Then just how powerful is Rocks D. Xebec himself?!"
The Roger Pirates felt a chill crawl down their spines.
This single battle had completely shattered their perception of the Rocks Pirates.
They had always known that Rocks D. Xebec was a nightmare—
But if an ordinary cadre like Ayr was this strong—
Then how terrifying must Rocks himself be?!
The answer was too terrifying to imagine.
And the battle—
was far from over.
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