With a thunderous boom from the Oro Jackson's cannon, the battle between the two pirate crews erupted.
Under Shiki's command, dozens of pirate ships surrounding the Oro Jackson opened fire, unleashing a relentless barrage of cannonballs.
"Crew, prepare to return fire!" Roger shouted, his fighting spirit soaring. Even if they were to meet their end here, they would go down fighting.
The Roger Pirates responded swiftly. Gaban fired precise shots, detonating the incoming cannonballs midair. Rayleigh unleashed powerful sword slashes, cleaving through multiple projectiles at once. Not a single cannonball reached the Oro Jackson.
Shiki wasn't surprised. He knew the Roger Pirates' strength. If they could be sunk by such a simple attack, they wouldn't be worthy rivals. He hadn't joined the fray himself, hoping to give Roger more time to reconsider his offer. Joining forces with Shiki would be the wise choice.
"Roger, are you still refusing to join me?" Shiki called out as the cannon fire continued. The Roger Pirates were holding their ground, even managing to sink a few enemy ships in between defending themselves.
But Shiki had too many ships. Taking out a few wouldn't change the tide of the battle.
As time passed, Shiki decided to take matters into his own hands. If he couldn't have them as allies, he would destroy them.
He levitated into the air using his Devil Fruit power and unleashed a devastating flying slash aimed at the Oro Jackson.
"Lion's Slash: Thousand Severing Claws!"
The attack was powerful enough to cleave the ship in half.
Rayleigh intercepted it with a slash of his own, equally potent. The two attacks collided, their energies clashing and dissipating into the air.
"Rayleigh, I see. I admire your strength too. How about joining my crew?" Shiki offered. Despite having many followers, Shiki lacked truly powerful fighters. He was, in a sense, the weakest of the three major pirate captains in terms of high-level combat power. He had tried to recruit strong individuals, but the best ones were always snatched up by other crews. Even his own recruitment efforts had attracted mostly weaklings and Marine spies, none of whom had lasted long.
The Marines had clashed with the Golden Lion Pirates multiple times because of this, but Shiki's cunning and his Float-Float Fruit made him a difficult opponent to corner.
"Roger, are you still not going to surrender?" Shiki asked after another round of cannon fire. The Roger Pirates were starting to tire, only the strongest members still holding their own.
"Shiki, I've told you before. If I can't sail as I please, there's no point in being a pirate."
"So be it. If you're so stubborn, then you and your crew will perish here!"
"Lion's Slash: Savage Swarm!" Shiki unleashed a flurry of slashes, each as powerful as the last.
"Is that your best, Golden Lion?" Roger taunted. The Lion's Slash: Savage Swarm was Shiki's signature move, and few could withstand it.
"Oden Two Swords Style: Togen Totsuka!" Oden leaped forward, his two swords flashing. His attack mirrored Shiki's, countering the flurry of slashes with his own.
The two attacks clashed and neutralized each other.
"I remember you. You're Whitebeard's Second Division Commander, Kozuki Oden," Shiki said, recognizing Oden.
"Why are you on Roger's ship? Did you betray Whitebeard? He hates traitors. Come join my crew. I promise Whitebeard won't even touch a hair on your head."
"You don't need to worry about that. White-Kichi-chan gave me his blessing," Oden replied calmly.
"Is that so? What a pity. Whitebeard probably never imagined that his little brother would die at my hands."
If Whitebeard were surrounded like this, he could easily escape with his Tremor-Tremor Fruit, capable of generating devastating earthquakes and tsunamis. But Roger didn't have such a wide-range attack at his disposal.
Suddenly, the wind picked up, and dark clouds gathered overhead. Rain began to fall, and in the distance, the silhouettes of warships emerged.
"The Marines are here," Rayleigh observed.
"Roger, it's over! Surrender!" Shiki shouted, believing the weather favoured him.
He landed on his flagship.
But Roger just smiled mysteriously, showing no signs of panic.
"What are you laughing at, Roger?" Shiki asked, unnerved by Roger's confidence. Did he have a hidden ace up his sleeve?
"I'm laughing because you're about to be wiped out."
"What do you mean?" Shiki's face darkened. He knew Roger wouldn't make empty threats.
"You'll see."
The wind intensified, and the waves grew larger, creating a chaotic sea.
"What's happening?" Shiki watched in disbelief as several of his ships were swallowed by the waves.
"Everyone, retreat!" Roger shouted to his crew.
For some reason, the waves seemed to avoid the Oro Jackson, and the wind even pushed them forward, increasing their speed.
"Damn it! Chase them!" Shiki ordered, but it was futile.
The storm raged around the Golden Lion Pirates. Dozens of ships were destroyed, and Shiki himself was struck in the head by a flying piece of wreckage.
But he didn't even notice, his eyes fixated on the retreating Oro Jackson.
"Damn you!" he roared in frustration.
When the storm subsided, the Roger Pirates were long gone. Even if the Golden Lion Pirates tried to pursue them with Shiki's powers, they wouldn't be able to catch up.
"We let the Golden Lion escape again, but at least he suffered heavy losses," Sengoku said, observing the aftermath from the Marine warship.
The Marines had witnessed the entire battle.