Year 1496 of the Sea Circle Calendar

The sky stretched endlessly, cloudless and a brilliant blue. The sea was so calm, it mirrored the heavens.

The Oro Jackson sailed steadily across the serene waters. On deck, the Roger Pirates were all busy with their own tasks Shanks and Buggy were bickering in a corner, Laboon carefully wiped down his little top hat, and Ritter leaned against the railing with his eyes closed, resting.

Suddenly, the lookout sprang to his feet, a note of tension in his voice.

"Captain! Something's in the sky!"

Everyone looked up five massive pirate ships floated ominously in the distance, their golden lionhead flags snapping in the wind.

"Golden Lion again?" Rayleigh adjusted his glasses, frowning slightly.

Roger grinned wide, though his eyes were sharp. "Kuhahaha! That guy just can't leave us alone, can he?"

As a time traveler from ancient times, how could Ritter resist witnessing the famed Battle of Edd War firsthand? He was genuinely curious now that Roger wasn't suffering from illness and the Roger Pirates were in their prime, how exactly did Golden Lion think he could win?

"Roger! Join me in ruling the New World!" came a booming voice from above, followed by Golden Lion Shiki's signature laugh.

After Rocks' defeat, the Rocks Pirates had crumbled. Their former territories were quickly divided among the surviving powers. Newgate wanted a family. Charlotte Linlin just wanted to have kids. Kaido had ambition, sure but he'd only been an intern combatant on the Rocks crew. Not exactly a born leader.

And so, the remnants of Rocks' influence were mostly devoured by Shiki and Wang Zhi. In the years since, the Golden Lion Pirates had grown rapidly in power. Their mobility thanks to Shiki's ability to fly combined with his indiscriminate recruitment policy, had made his numbers swell.

The Golden Lion fleet moved. Five warships dived from the sky like locusts, their cannons all aimed squarely at the Oro Jackson.

Roger laughed. "Sorry, Shiki, but I'm not interested in ruling the world. I just want to sail free. Why don't you come down here, share a drink, and let us be?"

Jabba gripped his axe and scoffed. "Still haven't learned your lesson from the last beating? And now you're just flying around like you're invincible?"

"Open fire!" Shiki's voice rang out again from the sky, manic as ever.

BOOM BOOM BOOM—!

Cannonfire rained down like a storm, raising towering water columns as it struck. The deck of the Oro Jackson shook violently, wood splintering in every direction.

"All hands, defend!" Roger shouted, and the crew sprang into action.

But they were caught in an unprecedented disadvantage.

Ritter unfurled his Blood Fog Domain.

"Damn it, those shells are laced with Seastone powder! Is Shiki made of money?!"

Seastone powder wasn't cheap. Firing shells infused with it was like burning treasure with every volley.

Though Ritter's mist corroded most of the cannonballs before they could explode, their sheer density combined with Seastone's natural hardness still left craters in the ship. The Oro Jackson's keel wouldn't break, but if this kept up, they might genuinely sink from all the damage.

"Damn it! If I jump up there, they'll just rise higher!" Jabba growled, cleaving a shell clean in half with a single swing.

Rayleigh parried another and frowned. "We can't counterattack recklessly. If the hull's damaged, we won't even be able to sail."

The Roger Pirates' greatest strength was close combat but Shiki wasn't giving them the chance.

Truly, Shiki was a brilliant schemer. Unable to defeat them head-on, he resorted to dirty tricks. Thanks to Ritter's presence, the last two times Shiki had picked a fight with the Roger Pirates, he'd ended up retreating alone not a single crewmate left alive.

Clearly, these Seastone-laced shells were aimed specifically at Ritter.

Shiki was spending a fortune just to eliminate the one obstacle standing between him and a warm, cozy future with Roger Ritter.

His fleet would strike and then retreat, soaring high before the Roger Pirates could retaliate. Then they'd dive again from another angle and resume their bombardment.

"Damn it!" Buggy jumped up and down, furious. "This guy's a damn coward! Come down and fight like a man!"

Shanks clenched his blade, eyes full of frustration. "If only we could reach him…"

Laboon enlarged his body, shielding Shanks and Buggy with his bulk, but in a long-range bombardment, his strength was meaningless.

Ritter narrowed his eyes at the arrogant figure in the sky, thoughts racing.

"Captain, we can't keep taking hits like this," he said grimly.

Roger, for once, frowned.

Ritter's lips curled into a meaningful smile. "If he likes flying so much… then let's make sure he never gets off the ground again."

He turned to Roger. "Captain, I'll need a little time."

Roger laughed heartily. "Kuhahaha! He's all yours, Ritter!"

The Roger Pirates fell back on defense. They held off the barrage, waiting for Ritter's move.

Shiki grew bolder. "Roger, join me! Your strength shouldn't be wasted on a tiny ship like this. Together we can rule this world!"

His words grew more boastful as did his attacks.

But he failed to notice one thing: Ritter hadn't made a move in a while.

Now! As the Golden Lion Pirates dived in for another bombing run

Ritter's eyes snapped open, red irises gleaming. He clapped his hands together, and the Blood Fog surged skyward at astonishing speed.

"Blood Fog: Heaven's Lock!"

The mist burst outward, not as dense as the one close to Ritter's body, but thick enough. Scarlet vapor engulfed the sky, transforming into countless blood-red chains.

They shot up from the ocean like crimson spears, ensnaring every last ship in the Golden Lion fleet. The chains pulsed with corrosive energy, eating away at hulls, slowly eroding the power of the Float-Float Fruit.

"What?!" Shiki paled, trying to free the ships only to realize his ability was being forcefully disrupted.

"Shiki, love flying that much, do you? Think you're the only one who got stronger?" Ritter's voice drifted up from below, mockery in every syllable. "Time to come back down to Earth!"

The chains tightened. The ships trembled, lost their balance then plummeted from the sky.

BOOM BOOM BOOM—!!

Massive warships slammed into the sea, sending up mountains of water. Pirates were flung into the ocean in every direction chaos reigned.

Shiki managed to hover above the waves, his expression as dark as a thundercloud.

Ritter's attack looked overwhelming, but in truth, all he'd done was disrupt Shiki's control over the ships and drag them down with his fog's pull. He hadn't even directly damaged Shiki himself.

Hovering above the now-smoking wreckage, Shiki bellowed, "Roger! Ritter! You damn bastards!"

Meanwhile, Ritter collapsed.

Spreading his mist over dozens maybe hundreds of nautical miles in an instant, then ripping down five warships infused with Devil Fruit power?

Even with his monstrous stamina, it had taken everything he had.

Thank the River God for that glorious power boost. Without it, he might've been a puddle by now.

His whole body ached with exhaustion. Every movement was a struggle.

But as he watched the Golden Lion pirates clawing their way out of the sea, Ritter knew

The real battle was just beginning.

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