The intensive training with Rayleigh should conclude here. Thanks to Rayleigh's earnest guidance, I've pretty much grasped the essence of internal destruction using Armament Haki.
Next, I just need to systematically refine my Armament Haki and enhance my control over it. Mastering internal destruction should then come naturally.
So, now, let's go see the view from a higher vantage point!
Roa leaped up. As he ascended to his highest point, a colossal creature glided near.
Kaido had transformed into a hundreds-of-meters-long Azure Dragon, and Roa landed right on his head.
"Ooh, that's huge!"
Jabba looked up, his voice tinged with a hint of oddity. "Heh, even giants couldn't withstand a body that size, could they?"
Almost simultaneously, not far away, Bullet and the other two, who were fiercely battling the Roger Pirates' executives, ascended into the sky.
Roa had given them a strategic directive earlier: never prolong a fight, and always follow Roa's movements.
Now that Roa was leaving this battlefield, if they remained, they might be dealt with by Rayleigh and Jabba in the blink of an eye.
"Their target is Roger."
Rayleigh turned his head. Buggy and Shanks had already climbed out of the deep pit, which made him slightly relieved.
"I'll make them tumble right back down!"
Jabba chuckled, bending his knees slightly, then shot straight up like a rocket, heading directly towards the ascending Azure Dragon.
To dare to become so enormous in front of true Haki masters, they were practically asking to be cut down!
However.
"Ugh, ha ha ha ha!!"
Flames poured from the Azure Dragon's mouth, engulfing Kaido's body in an instant.
Then, at the top of Kaido's head, Roa's ability also activated, elevating the Flame Dragon's intensity even further!
Thus, a terrifying monster, thousands of meters long, spanned the sky above the island.
"Waaahhh!"
Jabba couldn't help but cry out in pain. "So hot!"
Just getting close felt like he was about to ignite!
And the dense forest below had truly begun to burn. The verdant leaves instantly withered from the heat, then burst into fierce flames.
"What is that?"
The members of the Roger Pirates were somewhat panicked.
The executives of the Flying Pirates, however, cheered outright, "Lord Roa and Lord Kaido are serious! It's that move they used when fighting the Admiral!"
"Waaahhh! What kind of monsters are they?! We're going to be burned alive!"
Buggy screamed repeatedly. Every breath felt like his windpipe and lungs were searing, and his skin felt like it was melting!
"Uncle Jabba, hurry and deal with them!"
"That's enough out of you!"
In the sky, Jabba channeled Haki outwards to create an invisible barrier. This action finally greatly reduced the onslaught of high temperatures.
Then, he swung his twin axes through the air, "Eighty Owls!"
Massive slashes, accompanied by leaping Haki lightning, instantly cleaved towards the seemingly undefended belly of the Flame Dragon.
But.
The Flame Dragon's enormous tail whipped down from the air.
The thick, mountain-like crimson tail was covered in a layer of pitch-black Haki. After effortlessly crushing all the slashes, it smashed down towards Jabba.
"What? Isn't one plus one equal to two?"
Jabba only managed a cry of alarm. Damn it, I was careless, I can't dodge!
He plummeted like a flea struck by a baseball bat.
Boom!
A black shadow plunged into the ground, instantly shaking the entire island.
Dust billowed, obscuring the sky. A violent storm dispersed, extinguishing the forest fires. Cracks spread everywhere, almost tearing the entire island apart.
"Uncle Jabba!"
Shanks was incredulous. "He was shot down?"
"Ugh, ha ha ha ha! Overestimating yourself!"
Kaido roared with laughter.
"I thought it was just a speed bump!"
Roa also smiled brightly.
A move that could suppress Shiki the Golden Lion could, of course, also suppress Jabba!
So then.
"Roger!"
Kaido roared, and the Flame Dragon suddenly accelerated, heading straight for the battlefield of Shiki and Roger not far away.
On the ground, Rayleigh split the billowing dust with a single sword slash. "How long are you going to lie in the dirt?"
"I'm not letting them off!"
From a huge, deep cavern not far away, a black shadow shot out. "How dare they hurt my handsome face!"
Jabba's face was dark.
His entire face had suffered severe burns, and similar burns also appeared on his body.
The temperature was shockingly high!
However, he was still bouncing around.
"Let's go, support Roger!"
Not far away, at the center of the island.
The sharp booming sound from metal collisions was incessant. Every time a boom echoed, spiderweb-like, thick Haki lightning would spread across the sky.
"Roger! Do you truly wish to squander such power?"
Shiki roared. "If we join forces, the whole world will kneel before us!"
"Squander?"
Roger gripped his beloved blade with both hands. Haki materialized from his treasured sword Ace, one of the Supreme Grade Swords. "This is freedom!"
Boom!
The two blades didn't actually collide. This was a distant strike, exclusive to Conqueror's Haki coating.
The ground beneath their feet shattered. The clashing Haki, mere shockwaves, crushed the ground into an enormous pit. The swirling strong winds blew away everything around them.
The immensely colossal Flame Dragon descended upon the battlefield at this moment.
"What?!"
Blazing heat and blinding light instantly announced its arrival. Shiki looked up, mistaken.
"Roger!"
Kaido laughed loudly. "Again!"
Roa stood on his head, looking down through the flames.
Uncle Shiki, you're not doing so well. Didn't you say you could handle Roger if we just held back Rayleigh and Jabba?
You clearly can't do anything to Roger.
"Roa! Kaido!"
Shiki's face grew even angrier. "What are you two doing?!"
"It's a change of pace, Uncle Shiki!"
Roa's voice was soaring.
This was Roger!
Who wouldn't want to fight Roger?
Having missed the chance to fight Captain Rocks, then, the current pinnacle of pirates must not be missed!
The immense Flame Dragon showed no hesitation, charging straight down towards Roger below.
"You two bastards!"
Shiki's face turned red with anger. "Roger is my opponent!"
"A powerful foe only belongs to the strong!"
Roa laughed heartily.
The Flame Dragon had already crashed into the ground.
Magma instantly splashed.
It wasn't that Roa had used his ability, nor was it that a hidden active volcano had been struck open.
It was simply because the moment the Flame Dragon touched the ground, the ground was directly melted, and the parts in close proximity were instantly vaporized.
Therefore, even with such a massive monster plunging into the earth, the island didn't even vibrate much. It was only when the fire dragon lifted its head and flew up that the ground had already melted into a pool of magma.
"This temperature is no joke!"
Roger, with his captain's hat pressed on his head, was falling from the sky.
He had just leaped into the air.
"Dragon Head Rise!"
Roa shouted out the most opportune move name.
The Flame Dragon raised its head, continuing its upward charge towards Roger.
"Wahahahahaha! You're getting my blood boiling!"
Roger laughed heartily, the Haki on his sword Ace surged. Haki splashed out from the blade, almost forming a black curtain in the sky as Roger descended.
"Hmph!"
With a loud roar, a huge, black and red slash tore through the night sky from his pitch-black renowned blade, cleaving directly into the equally pitch-black head of the fire dragon.
Boom!
The clash of Haki once again shook the heavens and earth. Wave after wave of shockwaves spread out, making this already fragile island tremble.
After the fierce collision, the fire dragon's upward momentum was abruptly halted. At the same time, the massive black and red slash, like a descending river of stars, also shattered.
Rayleigh and Jabba, who were in pursuit, witnessed this scene.
"Roger's strike, he must have held back, right?"
Jabba was somewhat hesitant.
"It's not just simple cooperation,"
Rayleigh's eyes were grave. "It's a combined attack, similar to the Giants' Haki Sovereignty! It can achieve a one plus one equals three effect!"
"What are you standing around for? Go help Roger!"
Jabba rushed out anxiously.
Even Roger wouldn't stand a chance against both Shiki and this fire dragon simultaneously.
Roa gazed at Roger, who had been sent flying and was plummeting downwards after the collision, sighing, "It seems, indeed, he's a bit stronger than Uncle Shiki."
However, could his and Kaido's combined ultimate technique truly reach such a level of power?
Astonishing high temperature, astonishing power, astonishing Haki,
Super powerful.
"Ugh, ha ha ha ha!"
Kaido laughed, a wild, booming laugh. "What does it matter! Again!"
The Flame Dragon soared through the air, then twisted its head and charged down towards Roger once more.
"You two bastards, haven't you caused enough trouble?!"
The ground suddenly rose into a massive mountain, blocking the fire dragon's path. Shiki roared in the sky.
But the rising mountain was directly pierced by the fire dragon, then turned into splashing magma across the sky.
"Uncle Shiki seems very angry."
Roa clicked his tongue.
"Who cares about him!"
Kaido was completely unconcerned, simply continuing to control the fire dragon to attack Roger.
"Young people nowadays are all quite impressive!"
Roger sprinted across the ground, laughing heartily as he dodged the fire dragon's charge.
At this moment, he saw Rayleigh and Jabba coming to support him.
So, Roger yelled at the top of his lungs, "Rayleigh! Jabba! You two go deal with Shiki! I'll take on these two young men!"
Rayleigh's eyes lit up, then he nodded without hesitation. "Alright!"
"Alright?"
Jabba was somewhat hesitant.
"Roger will never lose,"
Rayleigh pushed up his glasses. "But we can definitely win!"
A bright smile immediately spread across Jabba's battered face. "Shiki certainly can't win against the two of us!"
Thus, in the next instant, the two leaped up directly, heading towards Shiki in the sky.
Shiki, who was currently enraged by Roa and Kaido's actions, suddenly saw the two approaching.
"You two bastards, are you here to interfere too?! Shiki: Lion's Mane Bomb!"
The battlefield was split in two.
On Shiki's side, he faced Rayleigh and Jabba simultaneously. On the other side, the Flame Dragon continued to strike Roger.
The fire dragon moved like it was swimming, undulating across the island's surface, leaving behind only rivers of magma in its wake.
"Hee hee hee hee! I've found their weakness!"
Roger, over fifty years old, but now like a child who had found a new toy, chuckled as he suddenly turned and, with black lightning erupting from his feet,
Whoosh!
Roger transformed into a black bolt of lightning, instantly doubling back at high speed, directly sweeping past the side of the fire dragon's head.
Haki continuously blasted from his feet, allowing him to accelerate and fly across the magma.
As this black lightning bolt swept past the fire dragon's side, a massive gash was instantly carved into the Flame Dragon's body.
"Damn you, Roger! Don't you dare hide!"
Kaido angrily controlled the Flame Dragon, constantly shifting and attacking.
But like all colossal beings, the Flame Dragon was too sluggish in front of Roger.
Slashes repeatedly left marks on the Flame Dragon's body, even tearing open wounds on Kaido's body several times, while Roa and Kaido could only barely resist.
"This won't do, Big Brother Kaido,"
Roa stroked his chin. "We'll be worn down."
"Then what do you propose, kid?"
Kaido instinctively asked. If they continued like this, they were "certainly doomed to defeat."
Then he saw Roa directly pass through the Flame Dragon's chest, saying, "At a crucial moment, someone always has to step forward to turn the tide! I'll end all of this."
"Huh?"
Kaido was startled.
Without any hesitation, Roa revealed a resolute look and plunged towards Roger on the ground.
"Huh??"
Kaido's face changed drastically.
Roa had gone mad!
Ending everything, did he mean ending his own life?
Then.
"Huh???"
Kaido cried out in disbelief.
Because he saw Roa send Roger flying with another slash.
Blood splattered.
No, why?!
What's the principle here?