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Chapter 34: Facing Black Arm Zephyr! Roger Arrives in the New World
Whitebeard and Lotte stood quietly, watching the distant fast ship.
Both instinctively tightened their grip on their weapons.
Admiral Night Leopard, clad in his Marine Admiral coat, clenched his fist, black Armament Haki coating it.
He sneered coldly, eyes locked on Lotte.
"Tree Demon Lotte—you die here today, no matter what."
"This is for the justice of the world!"
After hearing Steel Bone Kong's briefing,
Night Leopard fully understood the threat Tree Demon Lotte posed.
If such a genius were allowed to grow under Rocks' guidance,
Even if the Rocks Pirates were eventually defeated and destroyed,
Marine Headquarters could never rest easy!
The best course was to eliminate him now—while he was still developing!
Though Black Arm Zephyr adhered to a no-kill policy,
He also understood that this battle was primarily Night Leopard's responsibility.
He had no right to interfere with his master's decisions.
Whitebeard glanced sideways at Lotte in surprise.
"Gurararara! Looks like you've really been targeted, kid. Marine Headquarters clearly has no intention of letting you leave alive!"
"How does it feel to be marked by an Admiral?"
He laughed somewhat incredulously.
Whitebeard had assumed the Admiral's arrival was for the Heavenly Tribute.
Now it seemed that compared to the nearly 10 billion berry treasure,
Lotte's head was likely their true target!
But considering Lotte's talent,
Whitebeard wasn't surprised.
In just a few months, Lotte's strength had grown at a visibly astonishing rate.
If he had such a genius as an enemy,
His first thought would also be to find an opportunity to crush him completely!
Lotte hadn't expected the Admiral's target to be him.
He frowned slightly.
"Newgate, this isn't a joke."
"Hold off that Admiral for a while. After I repel Zephyr, I'll come help you."
"No problem, right?"
With his current strength, Lotte had no capital to clash head-on with an Admiral.
But using Wood Release's unique properties to temporarily stall or trap Black Arm Zephyr
Was something he could still manage.
A- rank ninjutsu power
Was no longer something that could be easily destroyed like when he faced Garp!
"Just leave that old guy to me!"
Whitebeard grinned widely, gripping Murakumogiri tightly. The surrounding air began to emit terrifying tremors.
Shockwaves rolled outward, sending massive ripples across the sea surface.
Black Arm Zephyr was startled by the sight.
So this was the power of the strongest Paramecia—the Tremor-Tremor Fruit?
When he heard Tree Demon Lotte's words, irritation flashed across his face.
Just a pirate who had barely set sail,
And he dared to underestimate him?
Zephyr clenched his fist and spoke lowly.
"Admiral Night Leopard—leave Tree Demon Lotte to me!"
"I absolutely won't disappoint you!"
Night Leopard gave a slight nod.
According to CP0 reports, Tree Demon Lotte's level was far below Zephyr's.
He shifted his focus to Whitebeard, terrifying Armament Haki coating his arms.
The battle was about to erupt!
...
In recent days.
Due to the Rocks Pirates' attacks,
Even the World Government's full efforts couldn't completely suppress the news.
After all, the massacre of several affiliated nations' royal families was—regardless of era—an earth-shattering event!
An incident of this scale
Was impossible for the World Government to fully cover up.
Moreover, the death of a Celestial Dragon in Lulusia Kingdom had completely ignited the situation.
Across the entire seas,
The Rocks Pirates' prestige had skyrocketed once again!
The ones suffering the most from this were undoubtedly the overworked Marine Headquarters and World Government.
In the distant New World seas,
A pirate ship bearing a flag drifted quietly across the vast ocean.
It was the Roger Pirates.
They had only recently entered the New World.
Roger sat at the bow, reading the newspaper in his hand. A wide grin spread across his face.
"Looks like Rocks pulled off something big again!"
"His subordinates Whitebeard and Tree Demon Lotte actually killed a World Noble Celestial Dragon. This is probably the first time in decades someone's dared to do that!"
"Hahahaha! What a terrifying opponent!"
Roger laughed loudly.
Behind him, his blond-haired vice-captain Rayleigh walked over.
Hearing his captain's laughter,
Rayleigh looked helpless.
"We're still no match for the Rocks Pirates right now. And after Whitebeard and Tree Demon Lotte killed a Celestial Dragon, the World Government absolutely won't let them escape."
"Those two definitely won't make it back safely."
He spoke with certainty.
After all, Celestial Dragons were the renowned World Nobles. If killing one went unpunished,
The World Government's face would be utterly lost!
Roger grinned widely.
"Hahahaha! I really hope I get to meet them one day."
"Bet killing a Celestial Dragon feels pretty damn good!"
Rayleigh shot Roger an exasperated glare.
"If we actually ran into them, it probably wouldn't be peaceful. After all, both Whitebeard and Tree Demon Lotte are Rocks' people."
"They've been attacking several affiliated nations lately."
"Speaking of which, Roger—do you think Rocks can really become the ruler of the world?"
In just these few days,
The number of affiliated nations attacked by the Rocks Pirates had surged dramatically. Almost every cadre and crew member had made a fortune.
Even stranger,
Marine Headquarters seemed to have no effective response to Rocks' blatant retaliatory actions—they could only watch him run rampant.
After the previous crushing defeat,
The Marines had become far more cautious.
Roger took a swig of sake and laughed loudly.
"Ruler of the world? With the current Rocks, probably not yet!"
"The Marines and World Government are just waiting for the right moment. They'll likely wait until they recall all three Admirals and gather their full strength before making a real move!"
"Besides—whether Rocks succeeds or fails, it has nothing to do with me!"
Roger narrowed his eyes.
He set down the sake gourd and looked out at the endless ocean.
"My goal has never changed."
"To become the freest man on these seas!"
As Roger spoke with unshakable confidence, Rayleigh couldn't help but smile.
This was the Roger he knew.
No matter what difficulties lay ahead,
He would always face them head-on.
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