aircannonsinc Chapter 15 Saber—Gol D. Roger!
Chapter 15 Saber—Gol D. Roger!
"Let her go!!!"
Luffy's roar was no longer just a simple shout; the sound was like a tangible giant hammer, slamming hard into everyone's eardrums and hearts!
The air in the entire village of Cocoyasi seemed to be sucked out instantly, plunging into a suffocating silence.
With that soul-shaking roar, the three bright red command seals on the back of his clenched right fist suddenly came to life!
New World Deert suddenly turned around and looked towards the East China Sea.
His eyes widened, and a smile involuntarily spread across his face.
"Hahaha, this aura, could it be!"
Instantly, "World Surveillance" was activated, and the East China Sea was laid bare.
Om-! ! !
All that could be seen was a torrent of crimson energy shooting skyward!
Boom-! ! ! !
Heaven and earth lose color!
A raging crimson beam of light tore through the gloomy sky, brutally tearing a huge gap in the despair that shrouded Cocoyasi Village!
The sturdy roof of Alon Amusement Park was blown off and vaporized!
The ground was shaking violently, and cracks spread dozens of meters out from Luffy's center!
The dilapidated fishing boats moored near the shore were lifted up by an invisible force and slammed hard against the rocks, shattering into pieces!
The violent air currents whipped up sand, wood chips, and broken weapons, forming a terrifying tornado that raged wildly around the pillar of light!
"Ughhhhhh—!"
"My eyes! My eyes!"
"Help! Earthquake!"
The fish-men minions who were closer let out a piercing scream.
Some were burned in the eyes by the bright light, while others were hit by flying pebbles.
Many more were directly pressed to the ground by the terrifying energy pressure, trembling and finding it extremely difficult to even breathe!
"What...what kind of power is this?!"
Ah Long's enormous body appeared incredibly small; he clung tightly to the edge of the platform to avoid being thrown off.
His jagged nose twitched violently from extreme shock and fear, and his face was devoid of any arrogance, only filled with horror!
His murloc power, which he was so proud of, was as insignificant as dust!
Amidst the light, an outline rapidly coalesced in the boiling crimson.
The iconic straw hat was placed on his head.
A bright red vest, as fiery as fire.
And that wide grin, outlining an incredibly familiar, radiant smile!
"..." Zoro leaned on his sword, kneeling on one knee in the pool of blood, the excruciating pain in his chest seemingly frozen in that moment.
His pupils shrank to their limit as he stared intently at the figure in the beam of light, his eyes trembling slightly.
Xiao Ba's six knives hovered above his head, but he didn't move at all.
A chill and an indescribable shock made him forget to breathe.
It's him...it really is him?!
"..." The cigarette in Sanji's mouth had long since fallen out of sight.
He barely managed to maintain his fighting stance, deflecting Croobbi's slow attack, but his gaze was completely drawn to that figure.
That unwavering confidence beneath that nonchalant attitude, that domineering arrogance... it can't be wrong!
Cigarette ash landed on the back of his hand, burning him and making him shudder, but he didn't even notice.
How... is this possible?!
Nami was being held captive by Arlong, her vision blurred with tears.
But the moment that figure solidified in the crimson light, she forgot the excruciating pain in her wrist, forgot the despair.
A feeling of utter absurdity mixed with hope ignited in my chest!
It was him… that man who only existed in legends and portraits on the execution platform?!
Luffy... summoned...?!
The energy of the beam of light reached its peak, and then dissipated like the receding tide!
boom!
With a final, muffled explosion, a visible shockwave erupted, violently pushing aside the rubble and forming a complex magic circle.
Gol D. Roger casually placed the straw hat he had picked up from the ground on one hand and stood steadily in front of Luffy.
He tilted his head slightly, a bright, curious smile on his face, his gaze fixed on Luffy, who was trapped in the sea stone net.
"Hey kid. Is this your straw hat? Who gave it to you?"
Roger's voice wasn't loud, but it reached everyone's ears clearly.
He grinned, revealing his pearly white teeth. "By the way, you have a pretty loud voice, don't you? You woke me up from way over there."
"One Piece... Pirate King!" Luffy's eyes widened, his mouth gaped open enough to fit a watermelon, and his brain completely shut down.
"Haha, that's right, that's right!"
Roger burst into laughter, his hearty and loud laugh carrying an infectious sense of pride that instantly dispelled the lingering atmosphere of terror.
"How many years has it been? I didn't expect a brat like you to know me. That's right, I am—"
He deliberately dragged out his tone, his gaze sweeping over Ah Long, who stood stiffly on the high platform.
"The... Pirate King... Gol D. Roger!!!"
Ah Long's voice sounded like it was being squeezed out of a broken bellows, filled with uncontrollable fear.
His massive body trembled violently, and his face was completely bloodless.
A legend! A living legend! The man who conquered the Grand Line and stood at the pinnacle of all pirates!
That invisible, terrifying sense of oppression made his proud merman power seem utterly ridiculous!
Is it fake? He desperately wanted it to be fake! But that aura… that laughter… it couldn't be faked!
"Wrong, I am Gol D. Roger. Now I should be called Saber."
Roger's gaze swept calmly across the entire area—over the unconscious or groaning henchmen on the ground.
His gaze paused for a moment on the heavily injured and bloodied Zoro, then swept over Sanji's solemn and wary face.
It landed on Nami's tear-streaked face and on the wound on her wrist where Arlong's fingernails had dug deep.
"Um?"
Roger raised an eyebrow slightly, his eyes sharpening like a drawn sword.
"Looks like I've arrived just in time. Things don't look too good?"
His voice remained calm, yet it seemed to lower the temperature of the entire space.
"Quick! Save Nami!" Luffy finally broke free from his shock, his body, bound by the Seastone net, twisting and struggling wildly, his eyes filled with anxiety.
"And Zoro! Sanji! Beat them all up! Beat them all up!!!"
Roger looked at Luffy's anxious expression, and the sharpness on his face suddenly melted away, replaced by a smile.
He stopped talking and simply extended his hand.
The hand of infinite power grasped the incredibly tough Seastone net, strong enough to drive even the most powerful beings to despair.
Sizzle—!!!
Like tearing the most fragile fabric! The massive metal net that had left Luffy helpless groaned under Roger's strain.
A huge rip was instantly torn open!
Roger reached out and, like an eagle snatching a chick, easily lifted Luffy out of the net. He placed him steadily on the ground.
"You must save your own partner."
Roger looked at Luffy, who was still somewhat dazed, grinned, and spoke with an unquestionable certainty.
"Especially my own girl, you know, kid?"
Luffy steadied himself, feeling the power returning to him. He looked at Roger, his eyes still somewhat bewildered.
Roger suddenly leaned closer to Luffy, bending down slightly, his straw hat brim almost touching Luffy's forehead.
He wore a sly smile that was almost mischievous.
He lowered his voice, speaking in a volume only the two of them could hear, "Hey kid, that thing in your hand... it's bright red, pretty eye-catching, isn't it?"
He tapped Luffy's Command Seals on the back of his hand with his chin.
"I know a thing or two about this. This thing is called a 'Command Spell,' right? Good stuff! Use one."
He extended his index finger and waved it in front of Luffy, his smile carrying an air of absolute confidence and a hint of seduction.
"Just one! I'll sweep all these eyesores and rotten shrimps, along with all those sneaky bastards behind them, into the sea to feed the turtles! Guaranteed spotless, how about it? A good deal, right?"
Luffy blinked, looking at Roger's face so close to his own, feeling the absolute power in his words that could overturn the sea.
This power is within reach, requiring only a single thought…
The next second, all the confusion and hesitation on Luffy's face vanished instantly, replaced by a smile that was even more dazzling than the sun!
Without any hesitation, he suddenly raised his hand and grabbed Roger's straw hat.
The straw hat that carried Shanks' promise and dream—he took it off and put it on his own head.
"No need!" Luffy's voice was resolute, his smile dazzling, and his eyes burning with fierce fighting spirit.
"My partner, I'll protect you myself! You—"
He pointed at Roger, with a stubbornness and confidence.
"Just watch from the sidelines! Watch how I beat him to a pulp!"
Roger's sly smile froze instantly.
He subconsciously raised his hand and touched his head.
Looking at the kid in front of him with the straw hat on, his eyes were filled with a sense of bewilderment.
one second.
two seconds.
"Hahaha! Hahahaha—!!!"
A deafening burst of maniacal laughter suddenly erupted!
Roger laughed heartily, so hard he almost fell over, tears streaming down his face. His laughter was filled with pure, undisguised admiration and exhilaration!
"Good! Good lad! You've got guts! I like it! Hahaha! You're totally my type!"
Roger pressed hard on Luffy's straw hat, revealing eyes that shone brightly beneath it.
"Fine! I'll just be a spectator today! Let's see how you, little brat, beat this stinky fish to a pulp!"
"Playing tricks! Bluffing!" Ah Long finally managed to squeeze out a twisted bit of courage from his extreme fear.
He couldn't accept what was happening before him, and he couldn't accept the fact that he was almost driven to collapse by a smile!
He suddenly broke free from the invisible shackles of fear, roaring furiously like a wounded beast, his jagged nose twisted in rage.
"So what if you're the Pirate King Gol D. Roger?! You're fucking dead! I'm Arlong, the ruler of the East Blue..."
"It's noisy."
Roger didn't even look back in Aaron's direction, as if he were just shooing away an annoying fly.
His hearty smile didn't change at all; he simply waved his hand behind him casually, as if brushing off dust!
boom--!!!!!!!!
An indescribable, terrifying pressure, like the weight of billions of hectares of deep sea, or like divine punishment that created the world, erupted fiercely from Roger as the origin!
That wasn't a physical impact, but an absolute crushing on a domineering level! It was the will of a king that transcended all living beings!
Aaron's hysterical roar abruptly stopped! It was as if an invisible giant hand had gripped his throat!
His bulging eyes instantly filled with bloodshot veins, and then suddenly rolled back!
His massive body seemed to have all its bones removed, his knees cracking with a sickening sound as he slammed heavily onto the hard ground!
Centered on him, all the people still standing behind him, including Hachi, Croobi, and the bounty hunter information broker.
Before they could even utter a groan, like harvested ears of wheat, they rolled their eyes back, foamed at the mouth, and collapsed to the ground, unconscious!
In the entire Arlong Park, apart from the Straw Hat crew and Roger, there wasn't a single fish-man standing!
Hachi and Croobi remained in stiff, forward or defensive stances, like two ridiculous stone sculptures, with only their frantically trembling teeth proving that they still retained a sliver of consciousness.
Zoro and Sanji held their breath, their blood seemingly freezing in that instant.
Only when they experienced this overwhelming aura of dominance up close did they truly understand.
The three words "One Piece" represent the pinnacle of power that inspires both despair and longing!
That's an absolute height that makes it hard to even muster the desire to challenge it!
Dieter had already shown them this feeling back at the Barratier restaurant.
Now Roger is letting them relive this once again, which is what being a king truly means.
Roger did something trivial: he even casually picked his ear with his little finger.
He casually raised his chin at Luffy, who was brimming with fighting spirit.
His smile remained bright: "Hey kid, I've cleared out the small fry for you. This half-dead salted fish on the ground..."
He nodded with his chin at Ah Long, who was kneeling on the ground, convulsing like mud and foaming at the mouth.
"You can keep the main course for yourself? Is that alright?"
Luffy clenched his fist so tightly that his knuckles cracked!
He looked at Ah Long, who had once been invincible but was now limp like a dead dog.
A fierce smile, a mixture of anger, determination, and unwavering belief in victory, appeared on his face!
"certainly!"
Luffy's voice, like a drawn sword, carried the determination to cut through everything: "Now—it's my turn to settle the score with him!"
Roger nodded in satisfaction, crossed his arms, and leaned back lazily against a broken section of the wall.
He lowered the brim of Luffy's straw hat slightly, the shadow obscuring the upper half of his face, leaving only a wide, expectant, and encouraging smile.
"Go for it, kid!"
He spoke softly, his voice not loud, but it echoed clearly across the now silent battlefield.
"Let me see... what this new era that embodies this straw hat looks like!"
On the distant sea, those ships that had been spying with greed and wishful thinking now looked as if they had seen a ghost.
They swelled the sails to their limit and frantically turned to flee! Terrified screams could be faintly heard.
"Run! Run! The Pirate King Roger has been resurrected!!!"
"A demon! Straw Hat Boy has summoned a demon!!"
"The Holy Grail War—it's real! The Heroic Spirits are real! Roger has returned! That power is real!!!"
Above the ruins of Cocoa West Village, at the heart of the Eye of the Storm.
The king of the old era has arrived, with a playful smile on his face.
The spotlight was handed over to that young man with a straw hat and burning eyes.
"Returning to this vast ocean, I wonder if I'll run into any old acquaintances?"
In the New World, Whitebeard held his head high, facing the East Sea, his expression solemn yet tinged with excitement.
Marco asked, puzzled, "Dad, what's wrong?"
The white-bearded man smiled. "Oh, so you can be called a Heroic Spirit? Kuralalala!"
The little sun beside him said with a serious expression, "Master, be careful."
"This is Saber's aura; this war is about to truly begin..."
The white-bearded man shook his head: "Karna, there's no need to worry about this Saber (swordsman). He would never lay a hand on Ace."
The little sun asked in confusion, "Why?"
The white-bearded man laughed heartily, "Because that guy is Roger! Kura-ra-ra-ra-ra!"
Ace's pupils dilated in shock, and his blood seemed to freeze.
"Roger... Roger... he's really here..."