Chapter 89: Battle Against Roger! Wood Release Erupts
As the words fell,
Roger's expression suddenly changed dramatically.
Even Rayleigh beside him showed astonishment. Looking at Lotte, he instinctively asked,
"Lotte, how do you know about God Valley?!"
"Did Rocks tell you…? But with his personality, that's unlikely."
Everyone knew Rocks was extremely self-centered.
Something as crucial as God Valley—how could he possibly tell Lotte?
Unless Lotte was his illegitimate son or something.
Lotte rolled his eyes at Rayleigh.
"I have my own channels for knowing this. Rocks wouldn't tell me anything."
"If you two know anything about God Valley, just say it."
"Don't worry—I won't tell that guy Rocks."
For him, sooner or later he would leave the Rocks Pirates. Moreover, Rocks might even be plotting against him.
He had no intention of leaking this information.
Rayleigh and Roger exchanged glances. Finally, Roger spoke in a low voice.
"How much do you already know about God Valley?"
He still trusted Lotte's words—this was Roger's innate intuition.
Lotte narrowed his eyes calmly.
"I roughly know the connection between God Valley and Uranus."
"And what kind of weapon Uranus actually is."
"To be honest, if Rocks really obtains that weapon, even the entire Marine Headquarters attacking together would be pointless."
Roger nodded in agreement.
"I feel the same way. If Rocks gets Uranus, it'll be a disaster. Since you already know part of God Valley's secret,"
"Let me tell you the rest of the information."
He pondered for a moment and continued.
"To be honest, the intelligence I have isn't much more than yours. At most, I know a bit more about what that thing actually is."
"Though the World Government has never been able to control Uranus,"
"They've researched it for a very long time and likely gained quite a lot of useful technology from it."
"The recent news about God Valley's location being leaked was probably also deliberately spread by the World Government."
Hearing this,
Lotte couldn't help but narrow his eyes.
It seemed the technology behind the later Peace Pacifistas likely incorporated some of that.
Otherwise, they couldn't have developed so quickly.
But for the World Government to release God Valley's location so openly,
The final war couldn't be far off.
Lotte spoke gravely.
"Hm. Next, Rocks' target will almost certainly be God Valley."
"But the World Government and Marine Headquarters definitely won't let him succeed. From that perspective, their interests align with yours."
"After all, Rocks is still my captain."
"As long as he doesn't come after me, I have no intention of stopping him."
No matter what, during his growth, Rocks had given him plenty of help. Though he was treated as bait, it wasn't to the point of betrayal.
As his words fell,
Both Roger's and Rayleigh's hearts relaxed slightly.
Though Lotte wasn't planning to help them stop Rocks, he also had no intention of helping Rocks achieve his goal.
It wasn't the perfect outcome,
But Roger was already quite satisfied.
After all, even he didn't want to fight Lotte, who had grown so monstrously fast.
Just from the earlier clash with Garp, it was clear—if Lotte really got involved, with his current strength, he could significantly impact the battle.
Roger laughed heartily.
"Hm, that's enough!"
"Come on, come on! Drink up! Tonight we drink until we drop!"
He raised his cup toward Lotte. The cups clinked lightly.
Clink—!
The crisp sound mixed with the rippling wine.
As night gradually fell, everything slowly returned to calm.
The storm that had been brewing across the vast seas
Finally took full shape at this moment, centering around God Valley.
...
The next morning.
Just as Lotte was preparing to leave, Roger suddenly proposed a spar.
"By the way, I've never fought you properly, kid. Even Garp suffered in your hands—what a monstrous talent!"
"Interested in a little spar?"
Roger looked at Lotte eagerly.
Honestly, ever since seeing Lotte's fight with Rayleigh last time, his hands had been itching.
That bizarre fruit ability had never appeared in any Devil Fruit encyclopedia. He wondered how much stronger it had become after a year.
Just the power of that wooden dragon alone was astonishing.
A truly good opponent!
Rayleigh and the other pirates were stunned upon hearing this.
What?
The captain was itching for a fight again?
Lotte gripped the hilts at his waist, his eyes surging with fierce battle intent.
"Since this is a request from you, Roger, I naturally can't refuse."
"I also want to test just how far my current strength can go!"
"Come—let's have a real fight!"
Roger—the future Pirate King renowned across the world.
A head-on battle with him was something Lotte had long desired.
He also wanted to see
Whether, after all his growth, he could now stand against him.
Rayleigh helplessly showed a wry smile.
"Fine. Since the captain wants this, let's stop at a nearby island first."
"Anyway, the Marines probably won't dare chase us right now."
Without an Admiral present,
Unless the Marine Iron Triangle plus Zephyr all moved together, they really couldn't defeat both Lotte and Roger combined.
As the ship sailed,
Lotte and Roger arrived at a deserted island.
In the New World, islands like this were countless. In such harsh environments and climates, very few could sustain life.
With both sides ready,
The many pirates watching from the ship nervously swallowed.
"The Azure Emperor is going to fight the captain! Who do you think will win?"
"Come on—that Garp guy was forced to retreat. The Azure Emperor looks even stronger than before!"
"Nonsense! Garp only retreated because he saw the captain!"
While they argued,
Lotte and Roger stood facing each other.
Roger laughed heartily.
"Kid, don't hold back. I won't go easy either."
Lotte raised an eyebrow.
"You said it yourself. Then I won't be polite."
With a smile on his lips, he suddenly pressed his hands together and shouted deeply.
"Wood Release – Advent of a Thousand Trees!"
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