Roger was blasted hundreds of meters away by the gravitational beam. Ace clung to his back, still unsure of what had just happened.
Carl formed his hand into a palm and unleashed Universal Pull. The dark gravitational force reversed Roger's flight path and yanked him back through the air.
Mid-flight, Roger stabilized his body. It wasn't his first time experiencing this kind of dark gravitational pull. Without hesitation, he drew his sword and slashed at Carl with a sharp wave of energy.
Based on past experience, Carl would've used that cursed intangible state right about now—and once he did, the dark gravity would dissipate along with it.
But Roger was years out of date. The Carl he'd known back during their final battle had grown exponentially stronger.
With one hand maintaining the gravitational pull, Carl rotated his wrist and released a mirrored slash from the other. The two attacks collided in midair, and Roger's slash was utterly dispersed.
Roger's pupils shrank. He was now only a breath away from Carl.
As the gleaming Muramasa blade closed in, Roger immediately covered his chest in Haki.
With a metallic clang, his entire body trembled. Though he had blocked the sword from piercing his torso, the sheer force behind the strike sent his energy into turmoil. A cloud of white mist burst from his mouth.
He wasn't truly alive—merely a projection of D, a body forged from the power of Nika and shaped by the soul from the Land of the Dead. There was no real blood in him.
After deflecting the attack, Roger didn't hesitate. Using the rebound force from the Muramasa's thrust, he rapidly retreated, widening the distance between them.
Carl made no move to pursue. Instead, he turned to look at Rocks.
Rocks stood with his arms crossed, a dangerous glint in his eyes as he scrutinized Carl below.
Noticing Carl's gaze, Rocks dropped his arms and said slowly,
"That was the power of the Dark-Dark Fruit, wasn't it? You're that brat from the Valley of Gods. I never thought you'd grow this powerful. Looks like you've even become a Fleet Admiral? Interesting…"
Joy Boy cut in,
"He's not just the Fleet Admiral. He's also a Celestial Dragon."
Rocks raised an eyebrow—this truly caught him off guard. In his memory, the boy from the Valley of Gods had been nothing but a pitiful, hunted slave.
He frowned and asked,
"You're really a Celestial Dragon?"
Carl replied flatly,
"So what if I am? I am Saint Carl Figarland."
At his answer, Rocks suddenly burst into laughter. It started low and gradually turned manic.
"How ironic! Absolutely hilarious! The Dark-Dark Fruit I failed to obtain ended up in the hands of a Celestial Dragon! Hahahaha!"
After a while, his laughter faded. Calm once more, he crossed his arms again, looking like a spectator settling in for a show.
This confused both Joy Boy and Carl. They had assumed Rocks would attack. Instead, he showed no such intent.
Given Carl's status as a Marine Fleet Admiral and a Celestial Dragon—two of Rocks' sworn enemies during his lifetime—and the fact that Carl had snatched the Dark-Dark Fruit from under his nose, it made no sense for Rocks to remain idle. The two should've been bitter enemies.
Had the infamous Rocks truly mellowed with age… or death?
...
Just as both Carl and Joy Boy had their eyes fixed on Rocks, Roger suddenly shouted,
"Ace!!"
They turned to see Roger supporting Ace—who now had a gaping, fist-sized hole in his chest.
Carl's previous attack had struck Roger so forcefully that the shockwave had passed through him and hit Ace behind him.
Ace's Haki, compared to his father's, was worlds apart—and in comparison to Carl, it wasn't even worth mentioning. The residual force of the slash had torn straight through him.
By a strange twist of fate, the location of the wound aligned perfectly with the spot where Usopp's head had once been stuck during their time at Sabaody Archipelago.
Because his body was forged from the power of Nika, his pain threshold was vastly diminished compared to someone with flesh and blood. Yet the blow struck a nerve so deeply that Ace felt a profound phantom pain.
Though the wound was horrific, it hadn't cost him his "life." His body simply became more transparent, the gaping hole releasing wisps of white smoke as it slowly began to heal.
Ace had calmed down a little by now. Glancing down at the hole in his abdomen, he laughed bitterly.
"Yeah... I've already died once. I guess I'm not really human anymore."
Roger felt a sharp pang in his chest. He patted Ace's shoulder gently and said,
"Ace, stay back.… he's not someone you can take on."
His meaning was clear: to Carl, Ace's power posed no threat at all.
Ace understood this. He nodded silently, swallowing the bitter truth.
As much as it stung, he couldn't deny it.
He wasn't afraid of Carl—but he refused to be a burden on his father.
Seeing Ace's silent acceptance, Roger's expression softened into a proud smile. He reached out and ruffled his son's hair.
"Ace, I lost to him because I was weak. That's nothing to be ashamed of. But as your father, I will avenge my son's death. Even if it kills me a second time."
Ace stared blankly into Roger's eyes. His lips trembled as he whispered,
"Father…"
Roger grinned. Then, without another word, he turned around. As he faced Carl in the distance, his gaze turned frigid.
...
Carl, meanwhile, ignored Roger completely. His wings spread wide, and with a sonic boom, he shot up to face Joy Boy in an instant—leaving Roger to strike a dramatic pose alone below.
Being so thoroughly dismissed by Carl, especially in front of his son, even Roger's easygoing nature couldn't endure it. He was about to give chase when a field of floating dandelions blocked his path.
Standing atop the dandelions were the Four Marine Admirals: Akainu, Borsalino, Aokiji, and Aramaki. They stared at Roger without emotion.
Aramaki folded his arms arrogantly.
"Where do you think you're going? Don't tell me you're trying to see our Fleet Admiral?"
Roger furrowed his brows and stepped forward, shielding Ace completely. No matter how confident he was, even he didn't believe he could take on all four Admirals at once.
Dragon immediately tried to move in to support Roger—but the moment he began to elementalize, Garp yanked him back and cracked him across the face with his signature Fist of Love.
Grabbing Dragon by the collar and dragging him close, Garp growled,
"You little punk, stay put!"
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+150 chapters on p@treon/tambeerg