After suffering continuous heavy blows without even touching Kenji's clothes, Rayleigh's performance in this battle seemed rather poor.
As the Vice Captain of a legendary Pirate crew, holding the formidable title of "Pluton," his combat performance appeared to be inferior to Gaban's.
The "Strongest Man" had previously swung his twin axes right up to Kenji, engaging him face-to-face for a short period.
"Huh? Rayleigh-san doesn't seem to be in his usual state today... Hmm, and Gaban-san too."
"Why do I feel like Rayleigh-san's performance is even worse?"
"Perhaps Vice Captain Rayleigh forgot to have his morning drink today?"
At the edge of the battlefield, the other members of the Roger Pirates exchanged glances.
They had originally rushed over intending to join the fight, but unexpectedly, Garp's sudden arrival drastically changed the battlefield situation.
More than ten people froze instantly, choosing to temporarily remain at the edge of the battlefield to observe the situation, while also dealing with the peripheral attackers.
The attackers in their eyes, of course, were the Marineford elite troops led by Marie in the distance.
"Let Sunbell handle the Marines over there. Don't worry about them for now."
The Roger Pirates withdrew their gazes and turned to scan the two battlefields where Roger, Rayleigh, and the others were located.
Roger's side was evenly matched with Garp, but the situation on Rayleigh and Gaban's battlefield was somewhat unfavorable.
Especially when their combined attack was once again shattered by Kenji's heavy punch, blood almost stained their upper bodies.
"Rayleigh is seriously injured, and Gaban is coughing blood. It seems we must make a move!"
"Oh? Ganging up?"
"Hmph! Don't forget, he is an Admiral! Ganging up on him is only right and proper!"
"Hehe, you can think of it as each of us independently challenging him to a one-on-one."
"Get ready for battle!"
More than ten members of the Roger Pirates had already drawn their weapons. After a brief preparation, they all stood up and rushed towards Kenji's location.
In the battlefield, Rayleigh and Gaban got up again. Due to their injuries, their speed in getting up this time was noticeably slower than before.
"Cough, cough! I can't break through... I can't get close at all." Rayleigh coughed up clotted blood, his brows tightly furrowed as he looked at Kenji's mountain-like figure not far away.
He had never imagined a day when someone would stand still, and he couldn't even break through their defense.
However, after several exchanges, Rayleigh had a rough idea of the power Kenji was using.
"Every time it's Emission of Conqueror's Haki... he's using Conqueror's Haki as if it were Armament Haki."
"He's so old, doesn't he worry about excessive consumption?"
Compared to Kenji's sudden increase in strength, Rayleigh was more concerned about why Kenji dared to continuously use highly draining techniques.
The peak strength of an elderly expert might be maintained through years of training, but their stamina and endurance would inevitably decline with age.
"Heh, today I'll see how long you can last." Rayleigh's eyes flashed, and he swung his sharp sword again.
On the other side, Gaban moved even faster. After getting up, he wasted no time and immediately attacked with his axe.
After multiple failed close-quarters attacks, the two finally learned their lesson and launched slashes from a distance.
Sizzle! Sizzle! Sizzle!
Sharp slashes materialized out of thin air, covering Kenji like a tidal wave.
"Oh? You don't want to fight in close quarters anymore?" Kenji looked at the two with a half-smile, raising his hand and clenching his fist.
"Did you forget... the long-range power of Haki!"
As he spoke, he unleashed a heavy punch, and a beam surged explosively, melting all the slashes in its path like ice meeting scorching sun.
In the blink of an eye, the beam reached Rayleigh and Gaban. Both used their full power, their sharp sword and twin axes heavily slashing out, enveloped in intense Haki light.
Boom!
With a thunderous roar, immense energy exploded, and the battlefield, both inside and out, was enveloped by violent pressure waves. Light engulfed many figures.
At this moment, the other crew members finally arrived, but could only first move to block the sweeping aftermath of the battle.
Whoosh!
A large amount of Armament Haki was released, forming an iron wall with Emission, blocking the impact of the aftershocks.
When the battle's aftershocks dissipated, Kenji was already surrounded by numerous figures.
"Are you done with the act?" Kenji chuckled at the sight.
"A legendary pirate crew ganging up on me, I've never received such treatment before today. You're giving me a lot of face."
Before this year, Kenji was still a Marine Vice Admiral and had never encountered such a group attack as today.
Otherwise, if news of "a legendary pirate crew ganging up on a Marine Vice Admiral" spread, it would immediately become front-page news, and the unknown Vice Admiral Kenji would instantly become a world-renowned figure.
Around him, the Roger Pirates glared at Kenji with ill intent. Without further ado, they sneered and threatened.
"You'd best sober up and recognize your situation. Don't do anything unnecessary!"
"Even if you are an Admiral, you won't be able to withstand our combined assault!"
"Don't advance further. Captain Roger's battlefield is not somewhere you can interfere!"
Voices came from different directions: front, back, left, and right.
Upon hearing this, Kenji didn't immediately react. Instead, he looked at the Roger Pirates members facing him with interest and asked, "It seems you have great confidence in Roger? You think he can definitely defeat Garp in a one-on-one?"
The crew members present exchanged glances. Finally, Rayleigh stepped forward and responded with a smile, "Roger is our Captain, and also our comrade. What we need to ensure is that his battle is not disturbed."
Kenji raised an eyebrow, scanning Rayleigh and Gaban with a half-smile.
"You seem very confident that you can stop me?" His tone was cold, and Haki mist steamed from his body.
"That's right! We will definitely stop you!" Rayleigh, facing him, laughed heartily and raised his sword to launch a slash.
Almost simultaneously, the other crew members surrounding him also made their moves, various colored attack lights enveloped in Haki assaulting Kenji from all directions.
Among them, the attacks with the highest intensity and greatest danger naturally came from Rayleigh and Gaban.
Their methods were brilliant. They skillfully guided the attack techniques of the others, ensuring that the power of the numerous attacks did not diminish each other, truly maximizing the combined power of their joint assault.
However, while they launched their combined assault, the battle between Garp and Roger in the distance also reached the island's shore.
The coastline was only so large, and Garp and Roger's battle inevitably affected Kenji's battlefield.
Rumble! Rumble! Rumble!
The ground suddenly trembled violently.
Garp and Roger's fists and swords clashed, and terrifying Conqueror's Haki, accompanied by endless light, spread rapidly.
The coastal ground continuously shattered under the impact of the immense energy, and the broken land masses surged as if hit by an earthquake.
The crew members engaged in the group attack were affected, their bodies swaying and twisting with the surging land, causing their attacks to deviate slightly.
At this moment, within the battlefield, only Kenji's position remained completely unaffected by the torrent of energy.
The ground around him was still perfectly intact, and the cracks extending from afar automatically changed direction upon approaching, as if blocked by some invisible force.