Chapter 9: A Chance Encounter with Pirates — The Golden Lion’s Allied Pirate Crew

Onboard the Oro Jackson, the members of the Roger Pirates were fully prepared and setting sail once again, continuing their journey along the Grand Line.

With a ship doctor now onboard, everyone's face was lit with joy. This meant their captain could lead them even farther with greater safety and assurance.

At that moment, the lookout came over and reported:

"Captain, we've spotted the flag of the Flying Pirates ahead!"

"Flying Pirates?! That damn Shiki just won't give up, huh..." Roger exhaled heavily. Ever since the Battle of God Valley, the Golden Lion had been persistently tailing Roger, constantly trying to form an alliance to dominate the world and become the next Pirate King.

But Roger had rejected him—every single time.

On the calm sea, five pirate ships surged aggressively toward the Oro Jackson. An invisible pressure filled the air, like a ferocious lion looming over its prey. Even the skies darkened, signaling a storm on the horizon.

"Ahhh! We're doomed! Captain, let's run!!"

Buggy was spinning in circles on the deck like an ant on a hot pan, his small face full of fear. The enemy simply had too many ships.

"Buggy! Stop panicking!"

Shanks grabbed him by the collar and shook his head, signaling him to calm down.

Whether it had been planned in advance or whether Shiki had never stopped tracking Roger, it didn't matter now—because three pirate ships suddenly appeared ahead of them, blocking their path.

Beast Pirates Captain — Stickamance, Bounty: 100 million BerriesTitan Pirates Captain — Philips, Bounty: 120 million BerriesApe Force Pirates Captain — Daiseki Haibara, Bounty: 110 million Berries

Standing nearby, the fish-man Sambel calmly called out their names—clearly old rivals. These weren't small-time pirates, but seasoned warriors who had survived countless battles.

"Drew, be careful. These guys are real fighters, totally different from those rookie pirates you defeated before,"

Sambel warned seriously, eyeing Drew who looked eager to jump into the fight.

Though he hadn't known him long, Sambel admired the boy who trained hard on the Oro Jackson every day.

"Hehe, I got it, Big Brother Sambel,"

Drew grinned and nodded firmly.

"Real fighters, huh? I love a good challenge!" 💥

Clenching his fists tightly, Drew stared at the enemy pirate crews with unwavering determination. Deep down, he wondered—just how far could he go if he gave it everything he had, even when facing hundreds or thousands of enemies?

"Roger, looks like this time we'll have to take the fight seriously."

Rayleigh stepped beside Roger, one hand gripping the sword at his waist. His voice was calm, but solemn.

As an old acquaintance, Rayleigh understood all too well how dangerous the Golden Lion Shiki was. A user of the Float-Float Fruit, he could control entire fleets in the air, stir the sea at will, and his swordsmanship had already reached the level of a Great Swordsman. On the Grand Line, no one dared underestimate him.

Though Shiki himself hadn't appeared yet, both Rayleigh and Roger knew—if Shiki's vanguard had found them, he would arrive soon.

Roger also knew exactly what Shiki wanted.

But unfortunately, their paths were different. Roger had no interest in ruling the world. To him, the true life of a pirate was freedom, not domination.

"Yeah."

Roger looked at the aggressive Flying Pirates fleet and cracked a fearless grin. Battle-lust burned like wildfire in his chest. The enemy outnumbered them heavily—but so what?

It didn't matter if Shiki wasn't leading this attack personally—even if he were, Roger wouldn't back down.

"Alright, men—let's show them what we've got!"

Roger let out a mischievous chuckle and immediately ordered the Oro Jackson to charge forward.

After all, it was just Shiki's underlings—they were no real threat in his eyes.

The moment Roger gave the order, Drew shot out like a cannonball, launching himself high into the air between the two pirate fleets. His small figure began to spin rapidly.

"Dragon Absorbs Water!"

Drew shouted, and a thin tornado formed on the sea's surface, slowly drifting toward the enemy pirate ships.

"?_? What the heck is that?"

"Seriously, what kind of joke is this?!"

"Oi oi oi, has the Roger Pirates run out of people? You're sending a kid?!"

"HAHAHAHA!"

Laughter and mocking cries erupted from the three approaching pirate ships as they watched the skinny little whirlwind, no thicker than a child's leg, spin weakly over the water. Some pirates even held their stomachs in exaggerated laughter.

But in the blink of an eye— the tiny tornado suddenly exploded in size, quickly expanding to over three meters in diameter, and it kept growing.

5 meters10 meters20 meters50 meters...

"ヽ( °□°)ノ!!! ヽ( °□°)ノ!!! ヽ( °□°)ノ!!!"

"No way! That's impossible!! 〣( oΔo )〣"

The Flying Pirates' allied crews were stunned. A second later, the towering tornado, carrying seawater nearly 100 meters high, slammed into one of the central pirate ships.

"RUMBLE!! CRACK!!"

The once-proud pirate vessel was instantly torn in two by the mighty waterspout, shattered midship as if made of paper. Dozens of pirates were thrown into the sea like dumplings being dropped into a boiling pot.

In just one move, the boy they had just mocked had delivered a brutal and unforgettable lesson—a lesson bought with blood and fear.

A chilling thought ran through their minds:

If even an intern from the Roger Pirates is this terrifying… then just how strong is Gol D. Roger himself—the man who stands equal to Lord Shiki?!

While they were still processing the devastation, Drew had already landed among the enemy pirates, swinging his Square sky halberd with deadly precision. With each movement of his arm, another pirate was sent flying.

Seeing someone so young wielding such monstrous power filled the Flying Pirates' subordinates with utter shock and terror. Their sheer numbers only fueled Drew's rapid gain in Dimensional Points.

"Just as I thought... nothing boosts your strength like a real battle."

"You brat! Don't get cocky!"

The furious roar of Leonard, captain of the Ape Force Pirates, rang out. A loud whooshing sound followed—he was swinging a massive, spiked mace, five or six meters long, directly at Drew.

Something happening suddenly

"Heh, wanna test strength?"

Drew raised his arm, bringing his square sky halberd to his side, and effortlessly blocked the incoming mace, weapon to weapon—solid and unmoving.