"Your men have surrendered," Momonga said, attacking again while using his words to disrupt the pirate's focus.
"Your time is up."
"Damn it, get away from me!" Coleridge Roy roared. "Marine! I'm a man who's returned from the Grand Line! How could I be killed by a marine rookie from the Four Seas? Witness true power!"
Mist-Mist Fruit - Sea Mist!
A thick fog emanated from Coleridge Roy's body, his form becoming intangible mist.
"Hahaha, Commander, do you know what this is?"
Momonga's expression turned grim.
Of course, he knew.
It was a Logia Devil Fruit, known as the strongest of the three types.
It's said there are no weak Logia fruits, only users who haven't developed their potential.
But no matter how developed it was, Momonga's current attacks were useless.
He knew Armament Haki or seastone could counter a Logia, but he hadn't learned Haki, nor did he have any seastone.
"This is troublesome," Raleigh, observing from the deck, sighed and rubbed his head as he saw Coleridge transform into a mist-man.
"Sigh. Looks like I can't slack off after all."
He silently descended from the warship and approached the battle, though he had no intention of intervening just yet.
He wanted to see how Momonga would fare against a Logia user.
"I am a great pirate with an 80 million Berry bounty!"
Having turned into mist, Coleridge Roy no longer feared Momonga's sword.
He adopted a reckless, all-out attacking style.
The key difference was that his attacks dealt damage, while Momonga's slashes merely passed through the mist, leaving Coleridge completely unharmed.
A wild glint appeared in Momonga's eyes.
He knew he couldn't hurt the pirate, but he could keep him occupied.
Using Devil Fruit abilities consumed stamina.
Once the marines finished off the remaining pirates, they could all gang up on this Logia user and wear him down.
It was a sound plan, but Coleridge Roy didn't even need to defend.
His giant cleaver swung with ferocious force.
Momonga struggled to keep him engaged, but it was only a matter of time.
As the minutes passed, Momonga accumulated more wounds, and his stamina plummeted.
Clang!
Another brutal exchange of blows left Momonga panting, his eyes fixed intently on Coleridge Roy.
"What's wrong, marine? Is this all you've got?"
The arrogant pirate raised his giant cleaver high and brought it down toward Momonga's head.
CLANG!
The deafening impact momentarily drowned out the chaos.
Marines and pirates alike paused, their eyes drawn to the outcome.
As the mist cleared, Momonga was seen kneeling on one knee, his sword raised to block, but it wasn't enough.
The massive cleaver had overpowered his guard, biting deep into his shoulder even as his blade struggled to hold it back.
Blood streamed down his body.
Coleridge Roy was displeased.
He had expected that strike to finish the Commander.
Momonga's face was pale from blood loss, yet his eyes still burned with unwavering determination.
Coleridge Roy hated that look.
With a single kick, the weakened Momonga was sent flying, crashing onto the beach.
"The boss is incredible!"
"Brothers, their commander is defeated! Kill all these marines!"
"Avenge our fallen comrades!"
The pirates grew excited, seeing a glimmer of victory.
The marine soldiers remained silent, but their grips on their swords tightened.
They were not weak-willed pirates; they were warriors.
Even death could not shake their resolve.
Coleridge Roy reveled in this.
Turning the tide through sheer personal power was immensely satisfying.
He decided not to kill Momonga right away; he wanted the marine to witness the slaughter of his comrades.
But, being cautious, he wouldn't give Momonga a chance to recover.
He strode forward, ready to sever Momonga's head.
His blade swept unimpeded.
Marines nearby tried to intervene but were blocked by the frenzied pirates.
"Commander Momonga!"
The marines' hearts sank.
Coleridge Roy grinned, his massive sword tracing an arc through the air...
'Huh? Why can't I move?'
A lazy voice came from beneath the blade.
"Hey now, what do you think you're doing to my subordinate?"
Coleridge Roy focused his gaze.
A handsome man in a marine cloak had appeared, gripping his massive cleaver bare-handed.
"Hey! You! Where did you come from!"
Even though this stranger held his blade, Coleridge Roy refused to believe he could lose.
He sneered, "Whoever you are, you and that Commander behind you will die here today."
Raleigh frowned.
This pirate clearly couldn't read the situation.
BOOM!
Amidst a deafening crash, Coleridge Roy was sent flying, crashing into a group of pirates who had no time to react.
"It's Captain Raleigh! Captain Raleigh is here!"
"The Captain's power is astounding!"
"Raleigh..." Momonga, lying on the ground, had been preparing to force himself up.
Now that Raleigh had arrived, he could finally rest.
"Take a break, Momonga. I'll take over from here."
Coleridge Roy, helped up by his crew, spat out some blood.
"Hahaha! Didn't expect more fools rushing to their deaths. I'll send you all to the grave together!"
Mist-Mist Fruit - Elementalization!
He transformed his body into mist, convinced that in this state, he was invincible in the East Blue.
He charged toward Raleigh.
"Hahaha... idiot," Raleigh remarked.
He couldn't believe a pirate who had fled the Grand Line could be this arrogant.
Did he truly think the East Blue was truly a weak place?
"Trash should know its place."
Raleigh yawned, and black Armament Haki swiftly enveloped his right fist.
Rokushiki - Shigan.
Squelch.
It was the sound of something hard piercing flesh.
Coleridge Roy felt all strength drain from his body.
He stared blankly at the blossoming bloodstain on his chest.
Clang.
The massive cleaver slipped from his grasp and fell to the sand.
An expression of disbelief and despair flashed in his eyes.
"H-Haki?"
"How is this possible? How could there be someone in the East Blue who has mastered Haki? Those who master Haki are all in the Grand Line!"