"Rayleigh's right, Akainu. If it weren't for Garp being here, I'd kill you."
A flash of crimson light flickered in Roger's eyes. Just one glance from him made Akainu unconsciously take two steps back.
"HAHAHAHA!"
Roger and the others burst into laughter, while Reid stood beside them, his heart pounding with excitement.
"Incredible… With just one sentence, he made Akainu retreat. No wonder Roger is considered legendary, standing at the pinnacle of strength."
Reid couldn't help but admire him inwardly.
"What did you say?!" Akainu's face twisted in fury, his muscles trembling with rage. Retreating even a few steps had already humiliated him—and worse, it made the Marines' sense of justice seem weak.
Sengoku placed a hand on Akainu's shoulder.
"Akainu, don’t let it get to you. You are the future pillar of the Marines. There’s no need to dwell on petty provocations."
As expected of a Marine Admiral, Sengoku remained composed and dignified. Even though Akainu had been disrespectful earlier, from a strategic standpoint, he was undeniably one of the Marines' most indispensable elite fighters.
"Neeee~ What a terrifying bunch."
Kizaru mumbled under his breath, though no one could tell if he was being serious or not.
"Roger, what’s the point of bullying a rookie? If you’ve got the guts, come at me."
Garp’s temper flared. Though he wasn’t particularly fond of Akainu, Sengoku was right—Akainu had immense potential and would undoubtedly become a key figure in the Marines. And as the "Hero of the Marines," Garp couldn’t allow the Navy’s justice to be trampled upon.
"Garp, are you tired right now?"
Roger suddenly asked this seemingly random question, leaving Garp puzzled about his intentions.
"Roger, are you suggesting we step aside and watch the fight?"
"Heh, if that’s how you want to take it, sure. But personally, I can’t just stand by while my beloved crew gets hurt. HAHAHA!"
"More like you just want a fight yourself."
Rayleigh calmly called him out. Sometimes, Roger’s words couldn’t even be trusted down to the punctuation.
"Exactly."
Jabba nodded in agreement.
"Well said, HAHAHA!"
Sunbell threw his head back in laughter, saliva spraying out like a fountain.
The others instantly dodged aside. Reid, slower to react, got splashed and stumbled to catch up.
After a moment of silence, they all shot Sunbell a disgusted look before turning their attention back to Sengoku and the others.
Roger grinned. With his stamina fully restored, if Garp really wanted to fight him, things were about to get interesting.
"Hmph, Roger, looks like you’re itching for a beating."
Garp cracked his knuckles irritably. "Come on, let’s take this somewhere else. I’m gonna pummel you good today."
"Perfect. Garp, I haven’t had my fill of fighting you yet."
As Roger and Garp walked off, Sengoku issued his orders.
"Everyone, choose your opponents."
Kizaru stepped forward, his usual languid expression unchanged.
"Silvers Rayleigh, I hear you’re quite the swordsman. Let’s see what you’ve got."
A glowing light-sword materialized in Kizaru’s hand as he drawled, "Borsalino, at your service."
"Pleased to oblige."
Rayleigh drew his sword, a relaxed smirk on his lips. Though they were still outnumbered, with Reid acting as their "support," he felt much more at ease.
Zephyr sighed as he stepped forward.
"Sigh… Though I serve as a Marine, I’ve never been fond of unnecessary bloodshed. Who among you is the weakest? I’ll settle for a light spar."
"Zephyr, you’re a Marine Admiral. Are you seriously trying to pick on the weakest link?"
Rayleigh adjusted his glasses with his sword, his gaze sharp as if seeing right through him.
"I’ll do it."
Reid stepped forward. He believed Zephyr’s words—and the system had previously labeled Zephyr as a "lower-tier Admiral," meaning he was likely the least threatening.
"Reid, are you sure? Roger told you to stay back and—"
"Don’t worry, Rayleigh. Besides, I don’t have a choice. If I don’t step up, they’ll just send someone after me anyway. And I trust that Instructor Zephyr won’t kill me."
Reid grinned before turning to Zephyr and bowing respectfully.
"Instructor Zephyr, I deeply admire your principles. Please go easy on me."
His words left everyone slightly bewildered—there was something odd about his phrasing, yet nothing explicitly wrong.
"Haha, Garp was right. If you ever join the Marines, I’d gladly take you as my student."
Though this was their first meeting, Zephyr already had a favorable impression of Reid—even if he was currently a pirate standing against them.
"Uh… well, heh. Instructor Zephyr, I think I’ll stick to being a pirate. But don’t worry, I’ll never harm innocent civilians in my life."
"Very well. Then let’s pick a spot. Don’t worry—I won’t go too hard on you."
"Admiral Zephyr! Please take this seriously! We’re here under orders to capture Roger!"
Sengoku couldn’t take it anymore. Being this courteous to pirates? If Fleet Admiral Kong heard this, he’d have an aneurysm.
Beside him, Akainu’s face darkened further, molten lava dripping from his clenched fists.
"Haha, don’t worry, Sengoku. I can handle this young man without going easy."
"See that you do."
Sengoku sighed internally. He knew Zephyr’s personality well—his sense of justice was unwavering, but his methods were far more restrained compared to Akainu’s ruthless extremism.
"No matter who he interacts with, he is always polite and dislikes fighting and killing."
"Then I’ll ask Teacher Zephyr for some guidance."
"Hahaha, let’s go."
Zephyr’s earlier claim that he could win against Linuo wasn’t just empty talk—after all, he had trained many students. When he saw Linuo use the Buddha Hand Shockwave earlier, he could tell that Linuo’s mastery of it was quite basic, even bordering on poor.
Watching Linuo and Zephyr head off to find a place to fight, the remaining group felt a somewhat awkward atmosphere. Why did it seem like the tension from their first meeting had completely dissipated?
"Just who is this young man named Linuo? How did he change the course of the battle the moment he arrived? And where did he get that Devil Fruit? Such rare fruits are supposed to be one-of-a-kind."
Sengoku was utterly baffled, feeling completely lost.
"I’ll take on Jabra," Akainu said with a dark expression. He wanted to reclaim his lost pride and prove his unwavering sense of justice. His conviction was absolute—pirates were pirates, and they all needed to be captured.
"Jabra, my axe could use some magma to temper it—it’ll make the blade sharper. And while we’re at it, I’ll split you in half."
"Hmph, pirate—"