Chapter 13: Drew's Infiltration – Big Mom vs. Roger

Red and black Conqueror's Haki exploded from Roger's body, a terrifying and overbearing invisible force instantly surged toward the direction of the Big Mom Pirates.

"Boom!"

A thunderous crack erupted. Naturally, Big Mom, who also possessed Conqueror's Haki, wouldn't just stand by and let Roger do as he pleased. The two forces clashed violently — the air thick with overwhelming pressure, thunder flashing, and the very space around them crackling with explosive sound.

Not only that, the impact of their Haki collision caused the ground beneath their feet to shatter instantly. Countless cracks, like spiderwebs, spread out wildly. The once-clear sky was quickly covered with dark clouds, and a heavy, suffocating atmosphere came crashing down.

"A clash of Conqueror's Haki!"

"So this is what a true New World pirate is like? Damn, they're strong… I wonder if I can become like that someday…"

"Hah! Dream on. This is a one-in-a-million king's aptitude — maybe one in a million people has it. You? Don't kid yourself."

"Hey, hey, stop bickering — look up at the sky!"

"What the… no way — the clouds… no, the sky is cracking open?!"

Behind them, the Big Mom Pirates stared in horror and disbelief. Just one clash between Roger and Big Mom had split the sky apart. In contrast, the members of the Roger Pirates, who had seen countless such legendary battles, remained completely calm — this was nothing new to them.

"Boom~"

An invisible shockwave of Conqueror's Haki exploded outwards. The circular wave of pressure spread in all directions. Ordinary members of the Big Mom Pirates, who were just watching the fight, instantly rolled their eyes back and dropped unconscious on the spot.

"Hey, hey! Wake up!"

"Slap slap slap — wake up!"

"Damn it, get up! You still owe me a thousand berries!"

As they watched their crewmates drop one by one, the Big Mom Pirates were thrown into chaos, frantically slapping their unconscious comrades in a desperate attempt to wake them. But aside from leaving a bunch of handprints on their faces, it was completely useless.

"Enough!"

Big Mom's loud roar snapped the chaos to silence. The previously rowdy pirates fell still, nervously watching her, afraid she'd destroy them in a rage.

"Hahahaha!, to avoid unnecessary trouble, how about you just hand over the red poneglyph?"

Roger grinned, his calm and clear smile causing Big Mom's face to contort with fury.

"Are you kidding me?! Who do you think I am, Roger?!"

"Ikoku Sovereignty!"

"Divine Departure!"

The two unleashed terrifying and overwhelming waves of sword energy at the same time. The two attacks collided head-on — and for a moment, it was impossible to tell who had the upper hand.

As one of the great pirates of the new world, battles often lasted for days and nights before a winner emerged. Although the Roger Pirates were outnumbered, they had many elite fighters, each capable of taking on a hundred enemies.

Moreover, the officers of the Big Mom Pirates were still young at the time, far from reaching their peak strength, so the battle remained fiercely contested with neither side gaining a clear advantage.

"Boom!"

"Heh… Young man, sneak attacks are not the ways of the strong," said Rayleigh, repelling his opponent with a sword strike. He turned and punched an incoming candy staff, his fist coated in Armament Haki. Looking at Perospero, whose tongue extended dramatically in shock, Rayleigh spoke seriously.

"This guy… so strong!"

In just a few seconds of fighting, Perospero already felt the crushing pressure. When he looked up at Rayleigh, his eyes showed hesitation. After all, Rayleigh's reputation had long spread across the Grand Line—he was the famed right-hand man of the Pirate King, Gol D. Roger. His strength was nothing short of world-shaking.

"Spinning Axe Triple Slash!"

Before Perospero could think further, a loud shout echoed beside him. His expression changed as he tilted his head slightly. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw an excited Jabba wildly swinging twin axes at Big Mom's children. Cold glints flashed as the blades slashed—everyone instinctively stepped back. No one wanted to be the next target.

Elsewhere on the battlefield, Barrett, surrounded by Big Mom Pirates, held his head high with disdain. With a single punch, he knocked out one pirate after another, tearing through the ranks like a wolf among sheep—utterly unstoppable.

At the same time, Buggy, who had just awakened his Devil Fruit power, was starting to enjoy it. Following Drew's earlier explanation, he began using the Chop-Chop Fruit ability. When an enemy's weapon came at him, Buggy countered with a punch. To the enemy's stunned disbelief, the weapon split into countless pieces mid-air and clattered to the ground.

Clang clang clang!

The crisp sound of metal hitting the floor made everyone's face darken. Their eyes toward Buggy were now filled with fear, and some even trembled slightly.

…

Meanwhile, Drew quickened his pace, watching the earth-shaking battle raging on the other side of the island. He knew exactly what his mission was this time.

"Wood Style: Wood Clone Jutsu!"

With a sharp shout, five wooden clones appeared in front of Drew. After exchanging a glance, Drew gave them their orders. Then, they split up in five directions and headed toward the castle at the island's center.

On his way, Drew used his Observation Haki to expertly avoid the patrolling guards. At this time, the Big Mom Pirates were far weaker than they would be twenty years later. Thanks to his heightened senses, Drew soon approached a heavily guarded castle.

"Big Mom's castle… Looks like the red Poneglyph is most likely inside."

Drew observed the extravagant palace, built from food and brightly decorated. He began strategizing how to infiltrate, unsure if any strong guards remained inside.

"Go!"

Drew narrowed his eyes and waved his hand. His wooden clones rushed in. As the Big Mom Pirates shouted for them to halt, killing intent erupted—the sharp, snake-like branches of the wood clones instantly struck down the frontmost enemies. Soul soldiers were slammed into the walls with such force that the stone cracked, leaving fist-sized craters.

The sudden attack caused chaos. Big Mom Pirates nearby began to regroup, but since most officers had gone to face Roger with Big Mom, there were no real powerhouses left to stop the clones. From north to south, the wood clones slaughtered their way to the main gate.

Seeing no resistance at the palace entrance, Drew flickered into motion and appeared atop the palace roof. Silently sensing the distribution of people inside, he began infiltrating, carefully avoiding patrolling guards.

Before long, Drew reached a massive iron door deep inside the palace. Pushing it opens with effort, he saw a red, square-shaped...

(to be continued).