Crack!
A crisp snapping sound echoed as a look of pain twisted Gaban's face.
The giant axe in his hands suddenly cracked before breaking apart completely.
Blood trickled from the corner of his mouth as he stared blankly at the Oro Jackson beneath his feet.
"My comrades, my journey ends here. You must continue forward."
Then, Gaban's lifeless body fell uncontrollably toward the ocean.
On Raleigh's chest, a deep axe wound reached all the way to the bone, bleeding continuously.
He took a deep breath and turned to fly toward Sengoku's warship.
The top commander of the Pirate King Roger truly lived up to his reputation.
Even when putting all his power into that single strike, Raleigh had nearly been killed.
In truth, when Gaban and Raleigh clashed, Raleigh had been prepared to die, while Gaban had not.
Gaban thought he was simply coming to rescue Whitebeard.
Raleigh's youth had subconsciously led Gaban to believe the young Marine was only on the same level as Bullett.
This miscalculation cost Gaban his life.
The crew aboard the Oro Jackson watched Gaban's falling corpse with eyes wide with rage, wishing they could tear Raleigh's body to pieces.
Bullett leaped from the deck, using the Moon Walk technique to soar into the sky in an attempt to catch Gaban's body.
"You Marine bastard!!! I'll kill you!!!"
"Gaban-san!!!"
"Aaaaaah, Gaban-san!!!!"
In that moment, whether it was Sunbel, Shanks, or Buggy, all of them were filled with fury.
As companions who had lived together day and night, they had forged bonds deeper than family.
Witnessing a comrade die before their eyes filled their hearts with pure rage.
Rayleigh, who was about to seize Enel within the dark clouds, suddenly sensed through his Observation Haki that a presence had vanished.
He looked down in disbelief toward the battlefield, only to see a burly body rapidly falling.
Bullett was running through the air from the Oro Jackson to catch him. "
Gaban!!!"
The sudden turn of events left Rayleigh's mind blank for a moment.
Gaban was dead.
His daily companion, hailed as Roger's left-hand man, had died right before his eyes.
"No!!!!"
Rayleigh's eyes instantly turned blood-red as the air around him erupted violently.
His Conqueror's Haki materialized, nearly matching the level of Roger's own Conqueror's Haki.
"Such a terrifying Haki!"
Enel, who had been quite relaxed earlier, now felt his hair stand on end at the sight of the enraged Rayleigh.
He had been taught many lessons by Raleigh.
The best choice in a situation like this was to flee, or risk being cut down instantly.
"Two Hundred Million Volts!"
Standing on the Ark Maxim, Enel fully activated his Devil Fruit power, pushing the ship's propulsion system to its maximum.
Instantly, the previously slow Ark Maxim shot away like a rocket, creating distance from Rayleigh.
Rayleigh merely glanced at Enel before fixing his furious gaze on Raleigh.
'It was him who had killed Gaban.'
'Unforgivable!!!'
Having made up his mind, Rayleigh suddenly pushed off with both legs, creating successive sonic booms as he dashed through the air.
Roger, who had been engaged in combat with Garp, also sensed the disappearance of Gaban's presence.
"Divine Departure!"
Ignoring the strain on his sick body, Roger unleashed his signature move once more.
He forced Garp back before turning his head in disbelief toward the direction of the Oro Jackson.
Mid-air, Bullett was clutching Gaban's lifeless body.
Higher up, an enraged Rayleigh was charging toward the young Marine vice-admiral.
Instantly, Roger understood everything.
Gaban had indeed died in these waters, killed by the Marine vice-admiral who had achieved his rank at such a young age.
But understanding the situation did not mean accepting it.
Roger's eyes turned crimson red, just like Rayleigh's.
His Conqueror's Haki and killing intent erupted at the same time.
"GAAAAAAH!!! GABAN!!!"
Enraged, Roger made the same choice as Rayleigh.
Even if it meant abandoning Whitebeard, they would eliminate the Raleigh who had killed their comrade.
Roger tried to rush back and kill Raleigh, but Garp would not let him have his way.
The sound of tearing air echoed, followed by Garp's attack that had already locked onto Roger's position.
In his fury, Roger forgot about his illness.
He recklessly overextended his life force to unleash one deadly sword slash after another.
Countless black-and-red lightning bolts danced through the air.
Killing intent surged violently throughout the space, causing the air currents to turn wild.
Facing such a frenzied Roger, Garp naturally found it difficult to handle.
Even though Garp's Armament Haki had reached unmatched levels, Roger's swift blades still managed to carve several deep wounds into his body.
However, the reason Garp could remain as Roger's rival was because their strength was equal.
Even with Roger's angry outburst, he could not break free from Garp's control to eliminate Raleigh.
"GARP, MOVE AWAY YOU BASTARD!!!"
"ROGER, I WON'T LET YOU SUCCEED!"
At this moment, both Roger and Garp abandoned all defense, focusing solely on attacking.
Wounds continuously multiplied on both men, their blood dripping drop by drop into the sea.
Whitebeard, the world's strongest man, naturally detected Gaban's death as well.
"Roger..." Whitebeard felt a trace of guilt about the death of a Roger Pirates member.
Because of Whitebeard's stubbornness, the Roger Pirates had paid with an important member's life.
The third-in-command of the Roger Pirates!
"Whitebeard, this is the fate pirates deserve," Sengoku said.
He naturally knew what had happened as well.
Compared to the guilt-ridden Whitebeard, Sengoku currently felt extremely excited.
One battlefield had already determined its outcome.
Although Raleigh was severely wounded and had left the battlefield, Sengoku knew that the young man could use the Life Return technique.
In just a little while, Raleigh would fully recover and rejoin the battle.
Looking at the current situation, even if they fought for three days and three nights, the battle wouldn't see significant changes.
This was how battles between top-tier fighters usually went, often lasting several days and nights.
The reason Raleigh could eliminate Gaban so quickly was entirely because he had gambled his life.
If he had not managed to kill Gaban, he would have been the one to die.
Fortunately for the Marines, Raleigh's gamble paid off.