Chapter 135: When Did I Become One of You?
Golden Lion Shiki, possessing the power of the Float-Float Fruit and bearing the title of "World's Greatest Swordsman."
What troubled the Marines most about him was his ability to make his warships move freely in the sky. And it wasn't just him or a single warship; he could make an entire fleet, over fifty warships with tens of thousands of men, float in mid-air, making him an extremely troublesome presence for the Marines.
It's safe to say that before Roger was discovered researching Poneglyphs, Shiki was the Marines' biggest headache.
Compared to Roger's easygoing nature, he was more imposing.
Compared to Whitebeard's wandering, he was more ambitious.
Compared to Patrick Redfield's aloofness, he possessed greater unity!
Shiki had always considered Roger his greatest rival. After their last negotiation collapsed, he had been trying to find an opportunity to recruit Roger, but was rejected. He was then preparing to find a chance to eliminate him.
However, through today's newspaper, coupled with the Marines' deliberate leaks, Shiki now knew that Roger possessed an Ancient Weapon and was in this vicinity. Impatient, he immediately used his ability to reach this location.
Whether it was Shiki's ability affecting the weather or the sky itself trembling in fear of this historic meeting, the previously clear sky was instantly filled with dark clouds.
Thunder roared, and heavy rain poured down.
Alucard hadn't even had time to descend from the Roger Pirates' Oro Jackson, when Shiki's fleet of over fifty ships had already completely surrounded Roger's crew in the Edd War Sea.
"Good grief, don't drag me into your squabbles," Alucard said with a tone of exasperation, standing on the ship's railing as if about to jump.
Buggy, seeing Alucard seemingly about to leave, found courage from who knows where and shouted at his back, "Hey! Are you just going to run when you see danger?!"
Alucard half-turned his head, the corners of his mouth curving upwards, revealing fangs that startled Buggy. "When did I become one of you?"
With that, Alucard spread his arms and leaped downwards. Buggy and the other apprentice pirates quickly braced themselves against the ship's railing and looked down.
For some reason, Alucard's ship was already docked next to the Jackson. As they watched, Alucard was already sitting steadily on the throne at his ship's bow, and the Oro Jackson was sailing in the opposite direction.
On the main ship of Shiki's fleet, a warship with a large golden lion head figurehead, a man with entirely golden beard, sideburns, and hair, dressed in a samurai kimono, stood majestically. Beside him, a member of the Golden Lion Pirates rushed over, holding a telescope. "Boss, a strangely shaped ship is leaving the Roger Pirates' area and heading towards the outer perimeter. Should we sink it?"
"Hmm?" Shiki, cigar in mouth, raised an eyebrow. "Could it be that someone from Roger's crew is trying to escape? The man I know isn't that kind of coward."
"No... no, it's Alucard the Immortal," the subordinate with the telescope reported.
"Oh, the brat who fought Whitebeard and still isn't dead, huh? What a coincidence, him being with Roger," Shiki said, realizing.
"So, Boss, should we..." Faced with the sudden appearance of Alucard, an enemy of such high caliber, the subordinate was momentarily undecided and could only leave the judgment to his captain.
"Pretend you didn't see him. He's just a kid called 'Beneath the Legends'. I'm not interested right now. This time, my target is only Roger!" Shiki declared grandly, his meaning clear: ignore Alucard.
"Yes."
"Captain Roger!!" Seeing the dense fleet surrounding them, Buggy clutched his head, tears and snot flying, almost wetting himself as he cried, "Your life comes first, right? Just this once, we should just listen to what the Golden Lion says!"
He had thought that with Alucard present, their chances of victory would increase, but that guy, completely disregarding their "party bond," just left... He had originally thought Shiki might attack Alucard, and Alucard being forced into the fight would be a good thing. But seeing Shiki ignore Alucard's departure, Buggy completely broke down.
"Hey, your body won't let you die no matter how many times they cut you, so why do you care?" Shanks, standing nearby, teased Buggy with a bold demeanor.
"I still have weaknesses, you dumbass!" Buggy yelled, baring his teeth.
"Have faith in Tom's ship, the Oro Jackson!," Rayleigh said, his arms crossed, looking at Roger's back with a sigh. 'Roger doesn't have much time left.'
At this moment, Roger stood at the bow of the Jackson. Across from him, Shiki, on the Golden Lion, spread his arms, cigar in mouth, and shouted, "A lot of things have happened between us, but let's put the past behind us! We'll use that apocalyptic weapon you've found and my military might! And then, with the perfect plan I've spent so many years developing, we can conquer the entire world at once!" With that, Shiki clenched his large fist and excitedly said, "Become my right hand man, Roger!"
"I have no interest in conquering anything, Shiki! If you can't do as you please, there's no point in being a pirate, is there?!" Roger's somewhat inflamed face was filled with rejection as he shouted, "No matter how much you pressure me, Golden Lion, I refuse your offer!"
"In other words, your answer is... 'Please kill me right here and now' Isn't it?" Shiki knew there was no more negotiating and delivered his final ultimatum.
"No, it's 'I'm gonna crush every last one of you!'" Roger replied, brandishing his sword.
Instantly, the roar of cannon fire and the shouts of battle filled the air.
Several miles away, Alucard sat with his hands clasped on his knees, gazing at the war-torn sea in the distance, and chuckled softly, "Alright, let's enjoy this spectacle."
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