"A warship spotted about five nautical miles to the left!" Mills suddenly shouted, his voice filled with excitement.
Brueck was overjoyed. "It must be Vice Admiral Garp and his reinforcements. Everyone, hold on! Vice Admiral Garp is here—we're saved!"
"They're finally here?" Jon Lyons exhaled deeply upon hearing the news, finally feeling some relief.
As the warship was spotted on their side, the Roger Pirates also noticed the approaching reinforcements.
"Roger, there's a warship approaching—it seems to be reinforcements from the Navy," said Scopper Gaban, the navigator, who was the first to spot it.
Roger was surprised. "Navy reinforcements already? How did they find us so quickly?"
Their chase had lasted just over twenty minutes so far. Even with means of communication, pinpointing the location of a single ship in the vast ocean wasn't easy.
"Captain, should we sink it directly or what?"
The pirates were eager to act. After all, they were the Roger Pirates. They had been chasing a warship but hadn't sunk it yet, and their own ship had suffered damage. Their pride as elite pirates was stifled.
Roger's eyes glinted sharply. "Let it get closer, and then sink it."
He seemed more interested in the individuals aboard the first warship than the reinforcements. It appeared there were a few promising abilities among them—recruiting them into his pirate crew could be worthwhile.
"Vice Admiral Garp, it's confirmed—it's the Roger Pirates," reported Garp's lieutenant, a muscular man in his thirties, who had spotted the pirate ship through a telescope.
Garp asked, "What about the trial ship?"
"They just reported in. The warship is damaged, but there are no casualties."
"That's good."
Garp sighed in relief. As long as there were no casualties, that was what mattered most. If anyone had been lost, he wouldn't have been able to escape the blame or forgive himself. Many of the soldiers aboard that ship were promising recruits valued by Navy leadership.
After relaxing for a moment, Garp snorted angrily. "That guy Roger—isn't he supposed to stay in the New World? What's he doing here in the first half of the Grand Line, chasing our men? That's not like him."
He had known Roger for many years. Back when they defeated the Rocks Pirates together, it had been the two of them working as a team. Though they were enemies, they had a good understanding of each other.
"A pirate is still a pirate—Roger is no exception."
The lieutenant didn't see it as unusual. After all, if the Navy could hunt pirates, then when the pirates had the upper hand, they could just as easily turn the tables and hunt the Navy.
"It seems like the trial ship won't hold out much longer. Vice Admiral Garp, we need to hurry," the lieutenant urged.
The warship sped toward the scene, while Roger, for some reason, stopped attacking after spotting the reinforcements. He leisurely trailed behind, as if waiting for the other warship to arrive.
The three ships quickly drew closer. Seeing this, Jon Lyons finally felt fully at ease. Though the Roger Pirates were strong, the Navy under Garp's command wasn't weak either. If they truly clashed at sea, it was hard to say who would win. Jon couldn't believe Roger would be willing to risk a life-or-death battle with Garp.
"Haha, let's give Roger a proper greeting!"
Garp picked up a cannonball, and somehow, the cannonball became enormous—almost as large as a Navy warship. With a mighty throw, he hurled it toward the pirate ship.
The massive black cannonball, like a small mountain, hurtled through the air. Roger immediately recognized it. "So it's Garp, huh? I was wondering who it was."
Roger and Garp were old rivals. One was a pirate, the other a Navy hero. They had clashed countless times and were practically archenemies. Roger was, of course, very familiar with Garp's abilities.
As the enormous cannonball was about to strike, Roger quickly swung his sword, sending a slash as powerful as the massive projectile.
Boom!
The cannonball split in two, erupting in a thunderous explosion.
"Roger! You couldn't stay in the New World and had to come here to bully our Navy's recruits? Have you no shame?"
Garp's booming voice thundered like a storm, audible to everyone on all three ships.
"It's Vice Admiral Garp! He's here!"
The recruits cheered upon hearing Garp's voice. As a Navy hero and one of the Navy's most prominent figures, Garp inspired immense confidence. They didn't know how strong the Roger Pirates were, but they firmly believed Garp could defeat them.
Only Jon Lyons wasn't as optimistic. Garp was indeed powerful, but so was Roger. If the two truly fought, the outcome would likely be evenly matched.
Moreover, the Roger Pirates weren't just Roger alone. Rayleigh was almost as strong, and Scopper Gaban and the other crew members were also elite fighters. Whether Garp's ship had enough manpower to counter them was uncertain.
"Garp, you old geezer! Still alive? Want me to send you on your way?"
Roger laughed heartily. Though they were enemies who had fought many times, they had a strange respect for each other. Their relationship was both adversarial and, in a way, friendly.
"Let me send you to Impel Down first!"
Garp shot back loudly, hurling cannonballs like meteors at the Oro Jackson. The ship was massive, towering over ten meters high, and with Garp's skill, there was no chance of him missing.
However, the Roger Pirates were all elites. Despite the barrage of cannonballs, none struck the ship.
"Hey, Roger! What's with all the trees on your ship? What kind of stunt is this?"
Garp laughed mockingly as he approached and noticed the peculiar state of the Oro Jackson.
Roger's expression darkened as he suddenly slashed. "Divine Departure!"
The flying slash, imbued with Armament Haki, shot toward Garp's warship.
Garp didn't dodge. Having fought Roger countless times, he was familiar with this move. First, he punched quickly, forcing the slash to veer off course. Then, with his other hand, he struck the slash head-on.
Boom!
The warship shuddered violently but remained undamaged.
"Fire the cannons! Hit them hard!" Garp commanded.
The Navy soldiers aboard Garp's ship had already loaded their cannons. Following his order, they began firing at once.
The recruits, who had been fleeing earlier, had also stopped. They quickly loaded their cannons and joined the assault, firing at the pirate ship.
The three ships engaged in a fierce exchange of cannonfire.
"At this range, it's perfect."
The Navy ships were now only one to two hundred meters away from the pirate ship—close enough for Jon Lyons to manipulate the plants freely.
"Akainu, use your magma to attack the pirate ship. I'll control the plants to create chaos," Jon said to Akainu, then immediately began controlling the plants aboard the Oro Jackson. Though the plants couldn't grow further, he could still use them to attack.
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