At some point, Garp had a cigar in his mouth. Hearing Roger's words, Garp spat trash talk at him, spraying saliva everywhere, but the cigar never fell from his lips.
"Roger, if you can't beat us this time, you're destined for Impel Down."
"Alright, Garp, it's getting late. You hold off Roger, and we'll wrap this up quickly."
After speaking, Sengoku's body transformed again into the form of a giant golden Buddha, radiant with a majestic glow.
"Sengoku, let me, the Chaos Fish King, take you on!"
Sunbell's monstrous form stomped heavily on the ground, causing the earth to tremble and crack.
"Nee~ So scary~ Wait a minute, I need to inform Fleet Admiral Kong about Kuzan's departure."
Kizaru's thin lips made him look somewhat cold and ruthless.
"Kizaru, are you predicting your defeat already and planning to file a report in advance?"
"Hahahaha!"
Rayleigh's words made Roger, Gabban, and Sunbell burst into laughter.
"Nee~ Dark King Silvers Rayleigh, I'm just delivering timely updates. And you all look far too terrifying~ I must contact headquarters early to request reinforcements."
Kizaru's voice sounded muffled, sarcastic, and painfully slow. Then, he pulled out a black Den Den Mushi from his pocket.
"Moshi moshi. Hello, moshi moshi. Hello? Hello? Moshi moshi. Nee~ Is the Den Den Mushi broken? How troublesome."
Kizaru scratched his cheek with his index finger, looking puzzled.
"Kizaru, you idiot, you grabbed the wrong one."
Sengoku suddenly felt embarrassed. How could a Marine Admiral have such a subordinate? Kuzan's earlier departure had already humiliated him enough.
"This Kizaru is great—he's buying us more time."
Roger thought smugly, grinning. Kizaru's slow speech was inadvertently helping them now.
Hearing Sengoku's words, Kizaru looked even more confused.
"Nee~ It must be broken. Next time, I'll ask HQ to issue me a better one. They always give me the faulty ones."
"Kizaru, put it away. Don't waste time."
Akainu, already hot-tempered, had waited this long only out of respect for Kizaru's strength.
"Nee~ What a hassle."
Kizaru stowed the black Den Den Mushi back into his pocket and stared seriously at Roger and his crew, summoning a glowing sword in his hand.
The atmosphere grew tense—a battle could erupt at any moment.
"For the justice of the Marines! Attack!"
With Sengoku's command, the Roger Pirates, led by Roger himself, clashed fiercely with the Marine Admirals led by Sengoku.
Meanwhile, after a brief lull, Reid and the others heard the sounds of intense fighting once more.
"It's starting again?"
Reid muttered to himself.
"Reid, Roger said your medical skills are exceptional. Could you go check on him? I'm worried he might get hurt."
Rouge bit her lip lightly. Everyone could understand her concern.
"Sister Rouge, Brother Roger entrusted me with protecting you. You're pregnant, and danger could arise here at any moment. I need to ensure I can treat you immediately if anything happens."
Reid refused firmly. If he left and Rouge were endangered, it could risk her unborn child. Not only would Roger never forgive him, but he'd also earn the wrath of many others.
"Reid, I'll be fine. We're at the edge of the island now. No more rubble has fallen here in a long time."
Rouge pointed at the ground.
"Look, the ground here has stayed intact all this time. That means the earlier level of destruction won't reach us. If it were going to, it would have already."
Her words made Reid waver. He did want to go—his desire to harvest Devil Fruit abilities was growing stronger.
"Should I go? Rouge has a point. This place should be safe for now. If Roger gets injured, I can heal him and maybe turn the tide."
"Reid, go take a look. We'll protect Rouge. Trust us—I swear she won't suffer even a scratch."
Shanks thumped his chest in assurance. Roger was alone out there, and he couldn't bear to wait any longer.
"And me, Buggy! Anyone who dares approach Rouge will taste my blade!"
Elio stepped forward and patted Reid's shoulder. "Brother Reid, I agree you should go. This place seems safe now. Don't worry—nothing will happen here. Roger needs your help more."
Seeing everyone in agreement, Reid nodded.
"Alright, I'll go now."
"Reid, be careful too."
"Got it, Sister Rouge. You should sit and rest—don't stand for too long."
"Mm."
Rouge was deeply moved by Reid's concern. Though they'd just met, she felt an inexplicable warmth from him.
Watching Reid's retreating figure, Rouge whispered, "Roger, Reid… both of you, come back safely."
"This time, I'll be facing several big shots. I need to plan how to approach this. Should I show myself openly or sneak a touch on Roger to heal him? Well, I'll figure it out when I get there."
After a while, Reid finally caught sight of the battlefield.
Ahead, a fierce battle was raging among a group of people.
Reid panted heavily, hiding behind a large tree.
"Haah... haah... Finally made it... huff... Even though I've gained Roger and the others' abilities, and the system said I've fully mastered them, I still don't know how to use them properly. Back when I saved Roger, I just blurted out 'System, help me!' in the heat of the moment, and somehow used Haki to knock everyone in the plaza unconscious. And when I was escaping, even though I didn't call on the system, I still made the pursuers pass out. But it doesn't feel like I truly control it."
Reid steadied himself and cautiously peeked out to assess the battlefield.
"Hmm? Some of those people must be Roger's crew. Ah, that's… judging by their appearance and weapons, that must be Rayleigh and Gabban! And over there… that huge golden figure—Sengoku, definitely Sengoku. Wait… the one fighting Roger… is that Garp?!"
Just as Reid was struck with shock, the System's voice echoed in his mind, accompanied by a series of cards that materialized before his eyes.
[Silvers Rayleigh]
First Mate of the Roger Pirates Master of all three types of Haki Weapons of choice: Swords, bladesTier: Emperor Level