"Who are you... a Marine?!"
Shanks stared at Carl with disbelief.
Buggy, who was kicked to the ground, stood up. When he saw Carl's face clearly, his body trembled violently. He pointed at Carl and stammered,
"Big... Admiral candidate, Black Dragon!"
"What?!"
Shanks took a step back in shock, but Carl suddenly swung his hand, and a black sword appeared in his grip.
This action scared Shanks and Buggy.
At that moment, a golden sword energy descended from the sky.
A sharp collision rang out, followed by a powerful shockwave.
Buggy and Shanks were knocked off their feet, landing on the ground. When they looked up again, they were frozen in place.
Carl raised his sword with one hand, blocking a massive golden slash.
The Navy cloak on his body fluttered.
This slash had obviously been unleashed by the Golden Lion.
Moments before, he had followed Roger's gaze and spotted Carl, who had appeared suddenly.
Seeing the Navy uniform on Carl, he launched a sword energy attack without saying a word.
But he never expected his attack to be so easily deflected by the Marine.
Even Roger's face showed a hint of surprise.
The fight between the two paused briefly.
Roger examined Carl's face closely and suddenly said,
"It's him. Seems like the Navy wasn't bluffing."
Golden Lion frowned and asked,
"Roger, what are you talking about? Do you know that Marine?"
"Haha, he's Carl, who was listed as a candidate for Navy Admiral a year ago, codenamed Black Dragon."
Golden Lion thought for a moment, then realized,
"I remember—the so-called leader of the Navy Supernova who fought Newgate once."
While the two were talking, the black sword in Carl's hand shook, dispersing the sword energy. He looked at the Golden Lion, twisted his body, and vanished on the spot.
Golden Lion and Roger were both stunned. They looked around but couldn't find Carl no matter how hard they searched. Roger raised his eyebrows and said,
"This ability is really bizarre. Where did he go?"
Golden Lion attacked again, but Roger, with his superior Observation Haki, evaded and glared at Golden Lion,
"Shiki! The Navy is here. Do you still want to continue fighting?"
Golden Lion sneered,
"What Navy? Just a little Marine brat? Forget the Admiral candidate. Even if a real Admiral came, they couldn't interfere in our battle!"
"You're insane!"
"Hahaha! Compared to Captain Rocks back then, I'm nothing!"
Meanwhile, Carl had returned to the warship. When Garp saw him, he immediately rushed over and asked anxiously,
"Carl, how's Roger doing?"
Garp's question seemed odd to Sengoku—it almost sounded like concern for Roger.
Carl looked up at the darkening sky and said,
"Roger's crew is losing. By the time we get there, the battle will probably be over."
Garp grew more anxious, tossing aside his cloak and attempting to use Geppo to hurry along. Sengoku quickly grabbed him, shouting,
"What are you trying to do? Wouldn't it be good for the Navy and the world if Roger or Golden Lion were destroyed?"
Garp froze when Sengoku called him out, then fell silent. Sengoku let go of his hand, turning to Carl.
"Carl, can you reach the battle location directly where Roger and Golden Lion are fighting?"
Carl nodded. Just moments ago, he used Geppo halfway, then used his power to distort space after sensing the battle.
Wherever he had been, the spatial coordinates were marked, allowing him to use his ability to return instantly.
Carl explained,
"My ability manipulates the gravity of darkness to distort space, achieving space transfer."
"Alright, I'll head back later. Even if Golden Lion beats Roger's crew, they'll be seriously wounded. Maybe I'll get something unexpected."
Garp was about to protest, but Sengoku clapped a hand on his shoulder, glaring at him before addressing Carl,
"Alright, but be careful. If things go badly, retreat immediately. We just need to know the outcome!"
Carl grinned,
"Don't worry, Admiral Sengoku. I know what I'm doing."
The warship continued to sail until the faint sound of thunder echoed. Carl, standing on the bow, squinted and whispered,
"It's time."
Then, Carl's figure disappeared into the darkness once more...
In the waters, the battle between Roger and the Golden Lion raged on. Both were true emperor-level warriors, and their skirmish had already destroyed more than one ship.
Of course, these were Golden Lion's ships. Roger had only one—the Oro Jackson—but its sturdy hull, combined with the protection of Rayleigh and others, kept it intact.
Yet, the overwhelming number of foes on Golden Lion's side wore down Roger's crew.
Pirate ships encircled the Oro Jackson, pushing Roger's crew to a dire situation.
Golden Lion fought Roger with two swords in hand, laughing wildly.
"Roger! It looks like today's the end of your pirate crew!"
Roger stayed silent, knowing that anxiety was useless. To escape this situation, he needed to deal with Shiki first. Without him, no number of Flying Pirates would matter.
But he was not Luffy from the movie, and Shiki was not a crippled version of the Golden Lion with rudder and missing legs. The two were evenly matched, making a quick resolution impossible.
"Chop the waves!"
Golden Lion unleashed his full strength, sending a massive golden sword energy that pushed Roger back onto the Oro Jackson. Then, he sheathed his swords and raised his hands. Instantly, waves over a hundred meters high rose from the sea, forming enormous lion heads.
"Lion's Might: Imperial Scroll!"
The lion heads, formed of seawater, charged toward the Oro Jackson. At this point, Rayleigh and others were busy with their own fights, forcing Roger to unleash sword energy repeatedly to block them. However, on the sea, the endless supply of water kept fueling Golden Lion's attacks.
Roger made a small mistake, and the Oro Jackson was struck. The hull shuddered violently. Golden Lion grew more exhilarated, failing to notice the increasingly dark sky above.
-------------
+74 chapters on p@treon/tambeerg
Unlock exclusive access to more fanfic chapters and support my work by joining me on Patreon! Your support helps bring your favorite stories to life!