Roger was sent flying hundreds of meters by the gravity beam, with Ace clinging tightly to his back, still unable to understand what had just happened.
Lloyd turned his hand into a palm and released Banshō Ten'in.
The powerful gravitational force immediately seized Roger and dragged him back in the opposite direction.
While being pulled through the air, Roger quickly adjusted his posture. This was not his first encounter with this strange gravitational power. He immediately drew his sword and swung a fierce slash toward Lloyd.
Based on his previous experience, Lloyd should have relied on that troublesome intangibility. Once Lloyd entered his intangible state, the gravitational pull would disappear.
However, Roger had been dead for a long time.
Compared with the version of Lloyd he had fought in the past, the Lloyd standing before him now was more than twice as powerful.
Lloyd maintained Banshō Ten'in with one hand. With the other, he casually rotated his wrist and released a sword slash of his own.
The two slashes collided.
Roger's attack was instantly shattered, dispersing into the air without leaving so much as a scratch on Lloyd.
Roger's pupils contracted.
By then, he had already been pulled within inches of Lloyd.
The cold tip of the Muramasa was already aimed directly at his chest.
Roger immediately hardened his body with Haki.
Clang!
The Muramasa struck.
Roger's entire body shook violently. Although his Haki prevented the blade from directly piercing his chest, the overwhelming force carried by the sword still surged through him.
His internal energy and soul-like essence churned violently, causing a large cloud of white mist to burst from his mouth.
Roger's current body was only a projection of the D. Clan, formed through a combination of Nika's power and souls drawn from the Underworld.
Naturally, there was no actual blood flowing through his body.
The moment he blocked the attack, Roger did not dare hesitate.
He used the force of Lloyd's thrust to rapidly retreat, putting distance between them once again.
Lloyd had no intention of pursuing him.
Instead, he simply raised his head and looked toward Rocks.
Rocks stood above the battlefield with his arms crossed, his eyes narrowing as he studied Lloyd with dangerous interest.
When he noticed Lloyd looking at him, Rocks slowly lowered his arms.
"That was the power of the Dark-Dark Fruit just now, wasn't it?"
A faint grin appeared on his face.
"You're that brat from God Valley. I never expected you to grow to this level. It seems you've even become a Fleet Admiral. Interesting..."
Joy Boy suddenly interrupted.
"He's not merely a Fleet Admiral. He's also a Celestial Dragon."
Rocks raised an eyebrow.
That information was genuinely unexpected.
According to the memories of his lifetime, Lloyd had been in a miserable position during the God Valley Incident. He had been one of the slaves being hunted.
Rocks frowned as he looked at Lloyd.
"You're really a Celestial Dragon?"
Lloyd's expression remained indifferent.
"So what? My name is Figarland Lloyd."
The moment Rocks heard the answer, he suddenly burst into laughter.
His laughter grew louder and more unrestrained, eventually becoming almost maniacal.
"Interesting! Truly too interesting!"
Rocks wiped away the faint moisture at the corner of his eye from laughing.
"The Dark-Dark Fruit that I failed to obtain actually ended up in the hands of a Celestial Dragon. Hahahaha!"
Rocks continued laughing for a while before his expression gradually returned to normal.
He crossed his arms again and settled into an attitude that suggested he intended to simply watch the events unfold.
This reaction left both Joy Boy and Lloyd somewhat puzzled.
They had both expected Rocks to attack Lloyd.
Yet Rocks showed no intention of doing so.
By all reasonable standards, Lloyd and Rocks should have been mortal enemies.
During his lifetime, Rocks had regarded the Navy and the Celestial Dragons as enemies. Lloyd was now both a Fleet Admiral and a Celestial Dragon.
Moreover, Lloyd had taken the Dark-Dark Fruit that Rocks had once desperately sought.
There should have been no room for reconciliation between them.
So when had Rocks, the legendary Pirate King era's most dangerous pirate, become so composed?
While Joy Boy and Lloyd were focused on Rocks, Roger suddenly shouted from the other side of the battlefield.
"Ace!"
The several people immediately turned toward the voice.
Roger was supporting Ace.
A shocking hole roughly the size of a human head had been torn through Ace's chest.
Lloyd's previous attack had pierced straight through Roger, and the residual force had struck Ace behind him as well.
Ace's Haki was nowhere near Roger's level, let alone Lloyd's.
As a result, the sword force that passed through Roger's body had pierced directly through Ace's chest.
Coincidentally, the location of the wound was almost exactly the same place where Usopp's head had once become stuck during the chaos on the Sabaody Archipelago.
Because Ace's current body was formed from Nika's power, the pain was far less severe than it would have been with a physical body.
Yet the location still triggered a strange phantom pain within him.
Despite how horrifying the wound appeared, Ace did not actually die.
His body simply became considerably more translucent.
White mist continuously escaped from the wound as the damaged area slowly began to regenerate.
Ace had also regained some of his composure by now.
He lowered his head and looked at the enormous hole through his chest before giving a bitter, self-deprecating laugh.
"Yeah... I've already died once."
He touched the edge of the wound.
"Now I can't even be considered a person anymore, can I?"
Roger's heart tightened at those words.
He reached out and patted Ace's shoulder.
"Ace, stay back and rest for now."
Roger's expression became solemn.
"Black Dragon isn't someone you can deal with."
The meaning behind his words was obvious.
Ace's current strength posed no threat to Lloyd whatsoever.
Ace understood that as well.
He silently nodded.
Although he was unwilling to admit it, he had no choice but to accept this cruel reality.
He was not afraid of Lloyd.
But he also did not want to become a burden to his father.
A relieved smile appeared on Roger's face.
He raised his hand and gently stroked Ace's head.
"Ace, I lost to Black Dragon because I wasn't strong enough. There's nothing more to say about that."
His voice became firm.
"But as your father, I have to avenge my son's death. Even if that means dying a second time."
Ace stared blankly into Roger's eyes.
His lips trembled slightly.
"Father..."
Roger grinned.
Then, under Ace's gaze, he turned around.
The moment his back faced Ace, the warmth disappeared from Roger's expression.
His eyes locked onto Lloyd in the distance, filled with icy determination.
However, Lloyd did not even spare Roger another glance.
The wings behind Lloyd suddenly shook.
Boom!
A sonic boom erupted.
His figure instantly shot upward and appeared in front of Joy Boy, leaving Roger standing below in the middle of his advance.
Roger's expression darkened.
Being completely ignored by Lloyd in front of his own son was enough to anger even someone as broad-minded as him.
He was just about to pursue Lloyd when a vast sea of floating dandelions suddenly drifted across his path.
Four figures stood upon the floating dandelions.
Akainu.
Kizaru.
Aokiji.
Aramaki.
The four Navy Admirals stood side by side, their expressions cold and impassive as they stared at Roger.
Aramaki crossed his arms and looked at Roger arrogantly.
"Where do you think you're going?"
A faint sneer appeared on his face.
"You're not thinking about going after our Fleet Admiral, are you?"
Roger frowned.
He stepped forward, completely positioning himself between the four Admirals and Ace.
No matter how confident Roger was, he did not believe he could defeat four current Navy Admirals simultaneously.
Seeing Roger's predicament, Dragon immediately moved to provide support.
But the instant Dragon began to transform into his elemental form, Garp grabbed him.
Fist of Love!
Boom!
Garp's fist slammed directly into Dragon's face.
Garp seized Dragon by the collar and pulled him closer.
"You brat, stay right here!"
=≠=
Want to read ahead?
Get access to chapters before they are released on Webnovel through Patreon.
Patreon: _Zeph