Two bursts of Conqueror's Haki clashed in midair, crackling black and red lightning ripping through the sky.

"Gya-hahahaha! Roger!" roared the Golden Lion, crossing his dual blades, the edges wrapped in fearsome Haki. "You think that's enough to beat me?"

Roger grinned, the blade of Ace pointing straight at Shiki. "No need to stick to me like glue, Shiki. It's not like I'm trying to stop you from ruling the seas."

The moment the words left his mouth, the two lunged forward.

"Divine Departure!!!"

"Lion's Thousand-Cut Ravine!!!"

At the instant the blades and slashes collided, a shockwave exploded outward from the center of their clash. And then

BOOM!!!

The deafening blast split the ocean apart, carving a ravine hundreds of meters long into the sea, the surrounding waters rising like towering cliffs.

Leaning against the wall of his ship, Ritter watched the battle unfold on the deck of the Oro Jackson. "Damn... Shiki's really come a long way. He can already go head-to-head with the captain like this? These relics from the old era... not a single one of them is weak."

Shiki could actually hold his own against Roger still at a disadvantage, but no longer someone who could be one-shotted.

Ritter recalled the special episodes he'd seen. All those legends, all those old-timers Oda hyped up... not one of them lacked the presence of an admiral.

And yet the seas somehow stayed relatively stable during that time. Sengoku and Kong must've really been something.

Honestly, if Shiki hadn't been nerfed in the later years, Luffy might've had a real hard time beating him.

Jabber wiped the sweat from his forehead. "Whoa there, that was way over the top!"

In the heart of the battlefield, Roger and Shiki's clash had reached its climax. The two figures danced through the sky, each collision roaring like thunder.

"Roger! Join me!" Shiki bellowed, blades raining down like a storm. "We could rule these seas together!"

"Ku-hahahaha!" Roger laughed, parrying with ease. "Shiki, the sea isn't something to be ruled!"

Suddenly, a glint of malice flashed in Shiki's eyes. He shot backward, and with a flick of his wrist, his left-hand sword, Oto, flew straight from his grip.

"Lion's Might: Snow-Blown Pride!"

Roger's eyes narrowed. He twisted his body at the last second the blade grazed his cheek, leaving a thin line of blood.

"Got you!" Shiki grinned wickedly as his remaining blade drove straight for Roger's heart.

But in that very instant, Roger's sword suddenly twisted

CLANG!!!

Shiki's eyes bulged. His killing blow had been stopped by the hilt of Roger's blade?!

"What?!"

"Ku-hahahaha!" Roger let out a booming laugh. "Did you really think I wouldn't be ready for that?"

Before Shiki could react, Roger's left hand, wrapped in jet-black Armament Haki, slammed hard into Shiki's gut.

BAM!!!

Shiki was sent flying like a cannonball, crashing through three derelict ships before finally skidding to a halt, one knee to the deck, blood trickling from the corner of his mouth.

"Damn it…" Shiki wiped away the blood, his eyes burning with madness. "Roger!!!"

With a howl, he launched back into the sky. This time, the energy flowing along his blades wasn't just ordinary Haki it was Conqueror's Haki taken to its extreme.

"Die! Lion's Twin-Sky Thousand-Cut Ravine!!!"

Roger's gaze sharpened. His own blade surged with black lightning.

"Bring it on! Divine Departure: Conqueror's Wrath!!!"

Just as they were about to clash again, the sea beneath them erupted. A towering tsunami, a hundred meters high, surged out of nowhere, slamming between them and forcing them apart.

Ritter, who had just regained some strength and was preparing to leap into the fray, froze at the sight.

(With emotion) "Tsunami... I waited so long for you…"

Even with Ritter's help, the battle had been brutal. They hadn't lost, but the Oro Jackson had taken serious damage the hull was breached, and the lower decks were taking on water faster than Ritter could seal them.

If it hadn't been for this natural disaster, this might've been the closest Shiki ever got to truly defeating the Roger Pirates.

(Note: Defeating the Roger Pirates, not Roger himself.)

"What the hell?!" Shiki stared in shock at the wall of water that had split the battlefield.

A strange silence fell over the sea.

Roger stepped back to the prow of the ship. Beneath the brim of his straw hat, his eyes narrowed. Years of sailing instincts had his skin crawling.

At that same moment, the ocean bulged upward a giant swell forming unnaturally, the sea drawn inward as if pulled by some invisible force.

"Oooooo—!" Laboon let out a long, low cry, shrinking his massive body and curling protectively around Shanks and Buggy.

Laboon saikou!!! (screech)

Floating high in the air, Shiki's golden mane fluttered wildly despite the stillness. His face twitched as he stared at the forming super-tsunami.

"Captain Shiki!" one of his lieutenants cried from the battered flagship, "We have to retreat now!"

Shiki didn't even hear him. Victory was right in front of him. How could he back down now?

His eyes stayed fixed on the Oro Jackson beyond the tsunami.

"Roger..." he rasped, voice cracking. "You've got to be kidding me!!!"

The sea began to tilt sharply. Hurricanes roared, twisting into wild cyclones that devoured everything in their path.

The Oro Jackson was already riding the water wall upwards but the ship remained eerily stable.

Ritter sighed. "So this is what it means to be fate's chosen one."

Rayleigh clung to the rail, the wave reflected in his glasses. "Here it comes!"

At the very last moment

"Ritter! I'm counting on you!" Roger shouted.

Ritter, who had been collapsed on the deck, suddenly snapped his eyes open. He bit his tongue, forcing one last burst of energy from his exhausted body.

He was burning through his recovery like mad.

Scarlet mist began seeping from every pore. The lingering blood mist in the air gathered around him, forming a massive crimson sail at the ship's stern.

Straining, Ritter muttered, "I said it before… without me, this ship would've capsized long ago."

"Blood Fog: Wings of the Torrent!"

BOOOOM!!!

The super-tsunami had fully formed.

With the blood sail propelling it forward, the Oro Jackson raced up the water wall. The ship creaked under the strain, but the keel held strong.

Adam wood's moment of glory.

At last, Shiki moved.

He launched himself toward the ascending Oro Jackson, blades charged with his final reserves of Haki.

"You're not getting away, Roger!!!"

"Sayonara, Shiki."

Roger, Rayleigh, and Jabber attacked in unison, sending Shiki flying backward.

A Supreme Grade helm crashed down and stuck squarely into his forehead.

Classic Golden Lion fashion upgrade: +1.

"Sorry, Shiki," Ritter said with a tired smile. "This time... we won."

Ritter gained a new level of respect for the original timeline's Roger and crew. They actually escaped from this? That's insane... (censored)

"NOOOOO—!!!"

Shiki's final roar echoed as he was hurled into the storm behind them.

In the next instant, the raging tsunami surged forth, completely separating the two sides.

The Oro Jackson, driven by the torrent, finally came crashing down into calm waters far ahead.

Behind the ship, the tsunami raged on.

Ahead of it, lay the vast, free seas.

A perfect, clean break dividing the ocean into two worlds.

Not even trying to hide it anymore this weather was scripted.

On deck

Laboon gently nudged the unconscious Ritter with his flipper, letting out a soft whimper.

Crocus checked him over. It was just exhaustion nothing serious.

Roger took off his straw hat and gently placed it over Ritter's face. He turned to the anxious crew, then broke into a wide grin.

"Ku-hahahaha! Time for a party!"

The wheels of fate continued to turn in silence.

Don't underestimate the bond between Roger and Shiki.

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