The green pyramid merged into Roger's body. Roger was grateful that he had consumed the Fusion Devil Fruit, allowing him to rapidly enhance his strength using its abilities. If it were any other Devil Fruit, he might not have been able to utilize these enhancements effectively.
The moment the green pyramid entered his body, his Haki skyrocketed. The overwhelming Conqueror's Haki didn't need to confront anyone; it tore apart the sky on its own, dispelling the clouds and darkness brought by Aatrox.
This pyramid unlocked all the latent potential of his Haki. Now, he could claim to have the strongest Haki in the world.
Although, one could argue it was already the strongest before.
Aatrox grinned, "Now, you finally look a bit more interesting."
The two clashed instantly, shaking the world with colossal force. In that moment, the entire Juba was destroyed.
Except for the central pyramid, all remaining structures were blown away. The entire oasis was upheaved, turning everything into a monotonous yellow under the sweeping sandstorm.
The two went from the ground to the sky, pierced through the clouds, and even reached higher altitudes.
In the blink of an eye, they disappeared from the Juba region.
No, Juba itself was no more.
This was a battle at their level, effortlessly capable of destroying human kingdoms.
Roger successfully repelled Aatrox with a sword strike. This was the first time he directly suppressed Aatrox, and with a thunderous crash, both Roger and Aatrox found themselves at the border of Alabasta.
"The ocean is your weakness!" Aatrox sneered. With a wave of his hand, countless thread-like entities appeared on Roger's body. These threads crazily pulled at Roger, and below them was the Sandora River.
This river separated two regions of Alabasta and connected to the sea. It seemed as though Aatrox intended to drag Roger into the Sandora River.
Roger's sword descended toward the tentacles below, but at this moment, Aatrox slammed a sword down. Roger quickly retreated. While he couldn't prevent the giant sword from slashing his body, the hasty defense wasn't as strong as Aatrox' attack. He was sent plummeting into the Sandora River from the sky.
Splash!
As his body hit the water, a massive sound echoed. Almost immediately after, an even louder sound followed because Aatrox also entered the Sandora River!
The moment he entered the water, he swung his sword downward, swiftly striking Roger, who was attempting to resurface. In the water, Roger, significantly weakened, couldn't resist Aatrox' sword.
This is bad!
At this moment, the disadvantage of having eaten a Devil Fruit in a sea battle became apparent. Although it granted immense power, it felt too constricting in a naval engagement.
At this moment, his body flickered with a green light. Suddenly, he felt his strength restored. Was the portable pyramid enhancing his maritime combat talents?
The enhancement of Conqueror's Haki disappeared, now replaced by an augmentation of his ability to fight in the sea. While Roger's overall strength had decreased, it had significantly increased within the water.
What could have been a fatal blow from Aatrox was now deflected by Roger. Taking advantage of Aatrox' power, he quickly distanced himself and erupted at his highest speed, breaking through the water surface.
"God's Evasion!"
Roger roared. A single slash cleaved the entire Sandora River, creating a massive gap in the riverbed. Aatrox found himself within this gap, unharmed.
"As a human, you've achieved quite a bit," Aatrox said with a smirk. "But do you think you're still human? The power of the Devil World will corrupt you. The darkness within will replace your will. You'll become a new devil, then replace one of the eight!"
"Are you fighting to protect this world? It's so amusing. Now, I look forward to the day when you, as a devil, bring slaughter to this world. If I could witness that scene, even if it means bringing destruction to the world a bit later, it would be worth it."
Aatrox laughed heartily. "I may sound a bit sarcastic, but I think you can understand, right? After all, I am a sword!"
"..." Roger didn't say anything, just breathing rapidly and urgently.
What Aatrox said made some sense. Roger had been deeply influenced by the demonic power emanating from Aatrox during their prolonged battle. Occasionally, dark thoughts would emerge in his mind.
The side effects of consuming the Devil Fruit also surfaced at this moment. Perhaps, one day, he would indeed become what Aatrox described?
Or perhaps, Aatrox himself was once like this?
He resisted the darkness in the past, but eventually, he turned into darkness. Now, he was about to bring this darkness to the world.
"Don't talk so much!" Roger suddenly shouted. "To prevent that scene from happening, I need to end this fight quickly!"
With a sword in each hand—or rather, holding both hands because Ace had already fused into his right hand—green light flickered within. In an instant, the entire world seemed to pause.
Aatrox similarly prepared. Both had been fighting for too long, and now it was time to determine the winner.
Boom!
At an unknown moment, and it wasn't clear who moved first, but it seemed like they moved simultaneously. Two swords, one giant and one slender, collided with equal force.
Splash!
Silent but forceful slashes, Aatrox and Roger's positions intertwined, and the next moment, a large amount of blood spurted from Roger's chest.
Aatrox' right hand had a deep wound, as if he were about to cut off the entire hand. However, it remained connected by a thin thread even after the last connection was broken. The entire right hand was on the verge of detaching.
Aatrox turned around, using his left hand to pinch the falling Roger. At this moment, Roger had become a man covered in blood, and the previous slash had almost rendered him unconscious.
But...
Even if that's the case, is it not enough?
Roger felt a sense of despair. For this battle, he had gained so much power, only to find out that in the end, he couldn't do anything?
"You've done well, for a human."
Aatrox grinned, and with a proud voice, he said, "You qualify to be my host. Use your body to bring destruction to this world."
The flesh on his body wriggled, as if intending to engulf Roger.
Roger couldn't resist; he had no strength left.
And others couldn't help either, as their battle had reached the Sandora River. How could they catch up?
However, at this moment, Machvise's voice suddenly sounded in his ears.
"Sever Aatrox' right hand!"