Chapter 180: Bastard Number Three and Bastard Number Four
Bang!
Bang! Bang!
Thick bolts of lightning fell from the sky, like blue-purple chopsticks stirring the seemingly boiling sea.
Roger stood at the bow of the ship, gripping the railing tightly with one hand to avoid being thrown off by the ship's up-and-down movements, while pressing down hard on his straw hat, which was already soaked by the waves, with an excited expression as he looked at the towering wall of waves that stretched dozens of meters high in the distance.
"The weather on the Grand Line is truly amazing, isn't it, Rayleigh?"
Standing beside him, Rayleigh, a bespectacled blond man, swallowed hard as he looked at the terrifying giant wave casting shadows that nearly covered the entire Orleans Jackson.
"No, no matter what, it's too far-fetched to explain such sudden waves and lightning strikes by the unpredictable weather on the Grand Line."
Rayleigh suspected that this was the work of some "old friend," perhaps the Tremor-Tremor Fruit user in the Rocks Pirates?
The Roger Pirates had fought the Rocks Pirates more than once, and Edward Newgate, with his blond hair, tall stature, and terrifying shockwaves that could shatter internal organs when he threw a punch, left a deep impression on him.
With a full-force strike, his fist is powerful enough to destroy a small island, and at sea, such a strike would trigger a terrifying tsunami, sinking all enemies in his path.
But what about those lightning bolts? Were they Charlotte Linlin's doing?
Just as Rayleigh was pondering what kind of opponent the Rocks Pirates had encountered that would necessitate such a terrifying attack if this apocalyptic scene was indeed caused by them, several more deafening explosions rang out around the fleet.
Roger was still incredibly excited: "What a loud thunder! It's a real shame Shakky didn't accept my invitation to come aboard, she won't be able to see such a thrilling scene!"
No, Rayleigh was certain that even if Shakky saw this scene, she would never like it.
Rayleigh was a little embarrassed after receiving a love confession message from Shakky via Den Den Mushi this morning. He had already switched to a new Den Den Mushi, and he didn't know how Shakky got his contact information so quickly.
Well, with Shakky's charm, there are plenty of people who would do anything to give her whatever she wants.
"Shakky is too troublesome." There are just too many people who admire her. No matter who Shakky chooses in the end, she will become the target of more than 90% of the men and women on this sea.
Rayleigh felt more of a headache than joy when Shakky confessed her feelings.
"Huh? Rayleigh, you bastard who's been favored by Shakky, stop pretending to be innocent!" Roger glared at Rayleigh. "Hmph, just you wait, one day I'll make Shakky understand that I, Roger, am the best choice for her!"
"Alright, alright, you're the captain, so everything you say is right."
"Hahaha, look what I found?! Quick, bring me the cannonballs!"
Roger raised his hand and picked at his ear with his little finger, a little puzzled, and said, "Was the thunder too loud and damaged my ears? Why do I think I heard Garp's voice?"
Rayleigh whirled around and gripped the railing, leaning most of his body out to look at the dozens of enormous cannonballs in the sky behind him.
Rayleigh had specifically researched the Navy's current weaponry technology and knew that they had not yet invented a cannon barrel compatible with such exaggeratedly large shells. In other words, these shells were not fired from cannons, but were thrown directly from the warships by hand by that Navy officer named Garp!
"Tsk!"
This was truly the standard "greeting" gesture of that persistent, haunting man. Rayleigh had even practiced his stone-throwing skills specifically for this move. The stones, coated with Armament Haki, were hard and small, enough to pierce the cannonballs and cause them to explode prematurely in mid-air.
Previously, Garp had only used standard, ordinary shells to throw, but this time it was completely different. Rayleigh didn't believe that the upgraded shells by the Navy were just a matter of size.
"Helmsman, hard to port! Get out of those shells!"
"Ha! Is it really necessary to go through all this trouble? It's just a few shells. Watch me shoot them all down!"
"Wait, Roger, calm down! Our most important thing right now is to get out of this dangerous sea!"
Such massive winds and thunderstorms are no joke. Faced with the might of nature, even he, Garp, and Roger must learn to bow their heads!
But Garp and Roger were both incredibly stubborn and frightening. Roger, who had accepted Garp's challenge to a fight, would never have made a move to run away!
Just then, another terrifying giant wave surged up from the sea, carrying seawater and other small waves higher and higher, until it stood between heaven and earth like a deep blue curtain.
The Orleans Jackson was lifted up by the waves, its hull almost perpendicular to the normal sea surface, and everything on the deck was rolling rapidly toward the stern.
Ridley grabbed the rope that swayed in front of him and slid swiftly to the middle of the ship to secure the rolling barrels and boxes to the mast with ropes. During this process, he also took the time to gently hook the crew member who was rolling like a wheel with his foot.
"Everyone, grab onto something stable!"
With a loud bang, the bow of the Orleans Jackson suddenly slammed down without warning. Even Rayleigh, who had an extremely stable stance, stumbled and struggled to regain his balance. The crew member next to him, whom he had just rescued and who was barely managing to get up by grabbing the railing, was once again brought to a close encounter with the deck, landing face-first on the ground.
Realizing something, Rayleigh suddenly looked up and saw Roger swinging a blow in mid-air at the cannonballs.
"Gods, beware!"
The sword energy surged forward at incredible speed, and even the aftershocks caused the cannonballs, carrying incredible kinetic energy, to suspend in mid-air. Once the dark red sword energy truly descended, those hard cannonballs, perhaps coated with Armament Haki, didn't even have a chance to explode before turning to dust and dissipating into the air.
"Hahaha, Garp, your attacks are nothing special!"
Roger laughed triumphantly amidst a burst of flashing lightning, oblivious to the surging waves behind him that had reached their highest point and were about to crash down with the force of a collapsing mountain.
"Roger, behind us!"
"Huh?"
The thunder and the sound of the waves were so loud that by the time Roger heard Rayleigh shouting desperately on the ship and turned around, the wave was already almost pressing down on his face.
"Huh?!!"
Roger quickly rotated his wrist, preparing to activate Divine Evasion again to cut the wave, but suddenly realized that without a foothold, the attack power of Divine Evasion would decrease drastically and it would be impossible to cut the huge wave in front of him.
In an instant, Roger abandoned the idea of attacking, took a deep breath until his cheeks puffed out, pinched his nose with one hand and gripped his straw hat tightly with the other, ready to face the swimming adventure to come.
At that very moment, Roger suddenly noticed that the center of the originally dark waves had turned into a bright azure blue. Then, this azure blue rapidly spread outwards until a ray of light appeared, and Roger realized that the heavy waves in front of him had collapsed from the middle.
Splash—
Water splashed in all directions, reflecting the blue-purple lightning flashes, like fireworks or blooming flower stamens, domineeringly and forcefully attracting everyone's attention.
The blooming flower lasted only a moment before collapsing under the force of gravity. After the water splashed down, a ship with its black sails billowing high was revealed.
The O-shaped mother-and-child pattern made up of red skulls, and the four white letters "R, C, K, S"—that's the Sword of Lox's Gybeck!
With a thud, Roger landed steadily on the deck. He looked at the fleet that was engulfed in the tsunami and thunder not far away, and only then did he slowly exhale.
Roger's gaze was fixed on the Sword of Gybeck, on the sight of the surging waves collapsing from the center before they even reached the pirate ship.
"That must be Lox's attack."
Rocks' sword aura, like himself, was domineering and powerful, indiscriminate in its attacks. Roger was fortunate enough to withstand one of Rocks' blows and, without serious injury, led his fleet to a successful retreat. The powerful shockwave from Rocks' sword strike, capable of blasting away everything in its path, left a deep impression on Roger.
Swoosh—
More shells, whistling like bees, streaked across the sky above the Orl Jackson, sending shivers down the spines of the lower-ranking crew. But the captain and first mate, the ship's greatest fighting force, completely ignored the shells, for they knew their target was not them, but the Gibeck Sword, still trapped in the thunder and tsunami.
As Rayleigh watched the shells explode in the air, he muttered to himself, "Garp is a real madman."
"That Garp guy is really energetic." Roger put one hand on his hip and showed a bright, sunny smile. "Very well, then our Roger Pirates can't lose to the mere Marines!"
"Men, hold your ground!"
"Wait, Roger, calm down!"
Rayleigh opened his arms to try to stop him, but Roger once again displayed his ability to disappear without a trace. Rayleigh was just a step too slow and couldn't even grab the hem of Roger's clothes.
Although the Orr Jackson was also the brainchild of a renowned craftsman, to be honest, it couldn't compare to the speed of a fully powered warship.
Roger couldn't bear the feeling of losing to Garp, who was his arch-rival.
So Roger simply stood at the stern and swung his weapon, using the sword energy to push the Orl Jackson forward a huge jolt!
Upon witnessing this, Garp's eyes widened, and he angrily leaned against the railing, roaring at Roger, "Roger, you bastard, you cheated!"
"Hahaha, how can this be considered cheating? Garp, if you can't beat me, you might as well admit defeat now!"
"Damn it, a mere pirate dares to make me, a Marine, bow down. All crew members, turn the engines up to full speed!"
Roger & Garp: "Our target is the Sword of Giebeck. Get the ship alongside us!"
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Author's Note: Now, all the beagles on the high seas have gathered together [doge emoji]
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