After the earlier probing attacks, Roger had now used "Conqueror's Infusion"—wrapping his Conqueror's Haki around his weapon so that even without touching the enemy, he could still inflict damage. It wasn't just a long-range slash caused by pressure; it was an attack that could hurt through sheer force of will.
Compared to Roger, Toguro had no such skill. He hadn't even awakened Conqueror's Haki. But his demonic energy was no weaker than it, and as a demon, Toguro had no fancy powers—only pure, overwhelming physical strength.
He poured all his demonic energy into strengthening his body, forging a monstrous shell. Against Roger's supreme blade, Ace, covered in Conqueror's Haki, Toguro struck out with a punch. Even before his fist touched the blade, the collision of energy was explosive.
The ground quaked. At their level, a full-powered strike was always destruction on a massive scale. Even though both tried to focus their force into each other's bodies, the overflow alone was terrifying.
"Someone as strong as you really doesn't want to join my crew?"
Locked in a clash with Toguro, Roger's eyes shone with joy. Fighting someone this strong was already worth the trip.
"The sea is vast! Let's explore its end together!"
Toguro and Roger each retreated a few meters, then clashed again in an instant. Toguro's fists rained down like a storm, and even the shockwaves carved a massive trench into the land that stretched as far as the eye could see. Yet Roger fought with ease, keeping up without falling behind even in this blinding, lightning-fast battle.
In the middle of the clash, Toguro rejected Roger's offer without hesitation. "I'm not seeking the edge of the seas—I'm after time itself. I want to become a complete demon, to live as a demon until the very end of the world, and stay strong forever, enjoying endless battles for millions of years to come!"
"Your wish, your vision, is far too small!"
A cruel smile spread across Toguro's face as he mocked Roger. "Even someone as strong as you, a mere human, has a fragile life. Roger, even as an incomplete demon, I can see it—your life won't last more than fifteen years."
"No, maybe just ten. Your body will wither from age and sickness, leading you straight to death. Your last years will be full of pain. That's a fate no human can escape!"
Roger's pupils shrank, but then he burst into laughter. "Hahaha! Let's leave that for later! Life is precious exactly because it's limited. Divine Departure!"
Though Toguro spoke with certainty, Roger still felt no illness in his body. He was only thirty-nine years old. Even in ten more years, he'd still be under fifty. Was he really destined to die so young?
Besides, even if he were, it didn't matter. Roger had already treated death as nothing more than a loose thread on his cloak when he first set out to sea.
The blade of Divine Departure—just as its name said, a strike even the gods must avoid. Toguro was forced back. Roger gripped the hilt with both hands and swung again with full force.
Still reeling from Divine Departure, Toguro crossed his arms, muscles writhing as Armament Haki spread across them. His surging demonic energy was enough to melt away any weakling foolish enough to step onto their battlefield.
Roger was the first to face the crushing waves of demonic energy, which surged toward him like towering seas. Even he felt his movements falter slightly, and his strength dropped by a fraction.
When his sword struck Toguro's body, it made a sharp metallic clang, as if hitting the hardest substance in the world rather than flesh and bone.
"What a tough body. So this is a demon? I've heard there's a race of fairies in this world, but they don't seem anything like you."
Roger, a veteran of countless battles, could tell that Toguro's Haki itself wasn't very refined. But the sheer strength of his body, combined with Armament Haki, turned him into a true monster.
"Not enough…"
Pushed back, Toguro's aura suddenly shrank, the crushing pressure around them seeming to vanish—or perhaps grow even heavier. In the silence, the sound of his heartbeat was sharp and clear. He denied Roger's words outright.
"If not for this body that still carries traces of humanity, I could be even stronger. This level isn't enough!" Toguro's eyes flashed as he spread his arms wide, releasing the aura he had just pulled in, whipping up winds like a storm.
"Roger! Hand over the Shikon Jewel—it's useless to you!"
"Not necessarily." Smiling calmly in the raging storm, Roger ignored the crushing weight around him. He was the freest man in the world, and no one could change his will.
In this way, he and Rocks were alike. Maybe that was the common trait of the world's strongest—they all carried extreme self-belief. And only then could Conqueror's Haki reach its peak.
"The Shikon Jewel grants wishes, doesn't it? Wanting it to make you a complete demon is just another wish." Roger recalled the voice he had heard before arriving and said to Toguro:
"What is your wish?"
Toguro sneered.
"No…" Roger really thought about it, then shook his head firmly. "The things I want to do won't rely on some wish-granting item. I'll make them happen with my own strength. Maybe that's exactly why the Shikon Jewel came to me?"
He still didn't really know what the jewel was, but the voice he heard earlier, along with Toguro's obsession with it, made him think it might really be able to grant wishes. But Roger wasn't someone who took shortcuts. No matter what he wanted to do or what dream he had, he would walk the path and finish it with his own hands and feet.
"Boring…" Toguro said in a deep voice. "Pointless pride. You'll regret it sooner or later!"
"Then I'll regret it when the time comes." Roger looked at the ready Toguro, also prepared for another fight. But just as the clash was about to start again, a powerful pressure suddenly came from the distance.
"Interesting, very interesting! A tool that can grant wishes?"
From the deep forest nearby, Rocks stepped out, holding a long blade in his hand. It seemed he had heard Roger and Toguro's conversation.
"Didn't expect this mission to bring such a bonus!"