The Battle of Maubeugemour, Part 3  

– And so, the man who would later be known as the Pirate King entered the battlefield. He navigated the stormy seas with ease, unaffected by the downpour and the raging waves.

His crew, a group of exceptional individuals who had shared countless adventures, faced the Golden Lion Pirates, a force renowned as the world's largest and strongest fleet.

Even a crew of formidable fighters stood little chance against a fleet of ships. But they showed no fear, smiles graced their lips as they charged into battle.

Despite their brief encounter – a single voyage, a moment of shared hospitality, a fleeting act of kindness – Roger had taken up arms, drawn into the conflict by a bond forged in a moment of shared adversity.

Kanata and Roger, Roger and Shiki, Shiki and Kanata.

Fate, a tapestry woven from countless threads, brought them together.

Now, the stage was set.

A grand spectacle, a clash of wills that would shake the very world – the main event was about to begin.

***

"Friends?! You're still spouting that nonsense, you idiot?!"

"You have no right to call me an idiot!"

Roger's actions had enraged Shiki, who glared at him, but Roger was ready for a fight because his sword was already drawn.

However, Roger couldn't fly. Facing Shiki in the air was impossible. He had no choice but to wait for an opportunity. His next move was obvious.

"Kanata! Give me a platform! I'll handle Shiki!"

"You need my help for that…? Just assist my crew! I can handle this man alone."

"What?! You think you can handle me, little girl?!"

Shiki swung his two swords and Kanata deflected his attacks with her black spear. She countered by aiming for his heart, but Shiki, effortlessly maneuvering through the air, dodged her attack.

As she prepared to pursue him, Roger shouted.

"Don't ignore me! Just create a platform!"

"Are you here to hinder me?!"

"I'm here to help!"

While arguing was a waste of time in this situation, Roger's assistance was undeniably welcome.

Kanata created a path of ice leading to the Oro Jackson, then directed her ship towards the Sombrero. Even without Roger, his crew, including Rayleigh and Gaban, were formidable fighters.

She was confident they wouldn't be easily defeated.

Reaching her side, Roger laughed. "Long time no see."

"I'd be happier to see you under different circumstances," Kanata replied.

"Wahahaha, don't be like that. I was looking for you, actually. There were a few things I wanted to ask. Coming here wasn't just a coincidence."

"Things you wanted to ask?"

"About what Shiki said."

They could discuss it later.

Roger turned towards Shiki, who was glaring at them with a cigar clenched between his teeth.

"You seem to be taking my words to heart. You're friends with the daughter of someone you killed? Don't make me laugh. It's sickening!"

"I consider her a friend. And even if I was her parents' killer, I wouldn't harm her."

Roger ruffled Kanata's hair affectionately.

Kanata, finding it more annoying than endearing, brushed his hand away. She understood what was bothering him.

"I have no interest in a father I've never met. If you have time to worry about such trivial matters, you should focus on dealing with him."

"Wahahahaha! You have no interest, you say?!"

"Besides, if we're talking about enemies, then Garp is also my enemy."

Dragon, Garp's son, was also involved, in a sense. But to Kanata, it was a trivial matter. She considered Dragon a trustworthy comrade, and she didn't hate Garp either. He was a stubborn man, but not a bad one.

"Why is Garp's name even coming up now?" Roger asked, tilting his head in confusion, then blocked Shiki's attack.

"You already know!" Shiki shouted. "A man who could have made history, reduced to this…"

"Do you know him too?" Roger asked.

"Of course I know him!"

Their blades and Haki clashed. The intensity of their battle was increasing. Shiki, unable to escape Kanata's attacks from above, retreated to the air only to face Roger waiting below.

Even Shiki struggled against this relentless assault. Fighting either Kanata or Roger alone was exhausting enough. Facing both at the same time was a losing battle.

"You teamed up with a troublesome opponent…! I'll send you both to the bottom of the ocean!"

"Try it if you can…!"

The freezing cold had vanished. Kanata had decided not to use any large-scale attacks that could harm Roger.

While Roger wasn't weak enough to be affected by her abilities, it was better to ensure he could fight at full strength. Weakening Shiki wasn't as important as ensuring Roger could move freely.

While Shiki's movements were now less hindered by the cold, Kanata's hadn't weakened either.

"You're fighting Shiki head-on. You've gotten stronger, haven't you?"

She had been on the verge of death when they first met, gravely injured by Sengoku. Now, her Haki was far stronger. It was astonishing to see how much she had grown in just a few years. Roger was both impressed and excited.

Fighting a worthy opponent was a thrill. She was a friend, but he couldn't deny the desire to clash blades with her, to test their strength against each other.

But first…

"Don't ignore me! Come down here and fight!"

"Shut up! I'll deal with you later, just be patient!"

"If you're going to ignore me, then I have my own plans…!"

Roger, aiming his sword, unleashed a barrage of flying slashes.

Shiki dodged effortlessly, but Roger, anticipating his movements, continued his assault, restricting Shiki's options, giving Kanata an opening to attack from above.

Shikiwas forced to defend against both. He couldn't afford to focus on one, lest the other take his head. He swung his swords to kill Kanata.

"You're moving rather slowly. Is Roger that distracting?"

"You already know the answer! I can't concentrate with him constantly attacking me from behind!"

Kanata deflected Shiki's attack and he retreated by diving towards Roger.

He caught Roger's heavy sword with a laugh.

"Wahaha, you're finally paying attention to me!"

"I don't have time for you! I'm busy taking care of that girl!"

They clashed twice, three times, then separated. Shiki, using his ability, lifted the ice platform Roger was standing on into the air.

Roger stumbled, but he knew that Shiki was vulnerable when manipulating large objects. Especially a massive block of ice like this. He planted his feet firmly, trying to maintain his balance, then swung his sword at Shiki.

"You're out of this fight. I'll deal with you after I've finished with Kanata."

The ice platform, lifted precariously into the air, spun, sending Roger tumbling towards the sea. Shiki then dropped the entire block of ice on top of him.

He wasn't expecting Roger to die from this, but it was the most effective way to keep him out of the fight until he had dealt with Kanata.

And if Roger was caught in a strange current and drowned… Well, that was his problem.

Shiki turned his attention away from the falling ice, searching for Kanata – then, a slash, cleaving through the ice, came hurtling towards him.

"Guh?!"

"Don't get distracted."

Seizing the opportunity, Kanata landed a powerful kick. This was the first clean hit she had managed to land.

She hesitated, wondering if she should pursue her attack, then decided to prioritize rescuing Roger. She dropped to the sea and pulled him to safety.

"Whew, thanks, Kanata."

"You've gotten better. I'm surprised you could hold your own against Shiki."

"He wouldn't have had the chance to do this under normal circumstances."

Manipulating such a large block of ice would have taken too much time for Shiki to reposition himself.

It wouldn't have been a problem if they were fighting on a ship, but controlling the environment was a different matter.

"Achoo! It's cold! Can't you do something about this, Kanata?!"

"My ability only creates cold. Do you want to return to the ship for warmth?"

"No, I'm staying. I promised to help you, and I intend to keep my word!"

Stubborn as always, Kanata thought, exasperated. Fortunately, Shiki wasn't planning another surprise attack. Kanata froze the sea, creating another platform, and helped Roger onto it.

"Devil Fruit users are helpless in water, but I doubt that applies to you."

"My ability allows me to control water. I won't drown unless you bind me with Seastone."

"Convenient."

Roger, soaked from his dip in the sea, removed his jacket and started wringing out the water.

He couldn't move properly otherwise, but Kanata suspected he was just uncomfortable being wet in this frigid environment.

"Where did Shiki go?"

"He's nearby, but…"

He wouldn't be unconscious. They wouldn't be having this much trouble if he was that easily defeated.

They had to assume he was planning something – then, she spotted a massive tsunami forming in the distance, heading towards them. It was coming from Shiki's direction.

"No way… He's manipulating the entire sea…!"

This wasn't just flipping a table.

He had lifted a massive section of the sea, creating a colossal tsunami, aiming to engulf them.

But he knew it wouldn't work.

"He's seen my abilities. He knows a simple tsunami won't defeat me."

Kanata's powers froze everything, even the sea, a Devil Fruit user's greatest weakness. She created a small ice shard, tossing it towards the approaching tsunami. The wave froze instantly where it touched.

It should be over – but it wasn't.

The frozen tsunami shattered, raining down on them, blocking their vision.

It was easily dealt with. Roger cleaved through the ice and saw a massive chunk of seawater hurtling towards them.

"Freezing a tsunami works, but freezing falling water is pointless."

The seawater, like a meteor, fell towards them, but it posed no threat.

"Pathetic. You thought this would work?"

"Don't underestimate me, Golden Lion!"

Roger, with a single slash, bisected the frozen seawater.

– But Shiki still had control.

The two halves merged, continuing their descent. Roger, sighing, unleashed a barrage of slashes, shattering the seawater into countless pieces, eventually nullifying the attack.

As shards of ice rained down, Shiki, like a shooting star, descended and began clashing with Roger.

Their Haki-reinforced weapons collided and scattered the ice fragments. Simultaneously, Kanata slashed at Shiki from the side.

"Tch!"

Shiki narrowly dodged it and countered with a single-handed attack, then, surrounded by both Roger and Kanata, unleashed a burst of Haki thet struck both of them simultaneously.

Kanata and Roger blocked the attack. Kanata froze Shiki's body, giving Roger an opening to attack.

Still, Shiki blocked with Haki then retreated and manipulated the sea to create a distraction that hindered Roger's pursuit.

"This is getting nowhere!"

"But we're pushing him."

Shiki refused to back down before these powerful foes. One could say he was a monster.

Their lack of coordination and their hesitation to attack with full force, out of concern for each other, was working in Shiki's favor, but even then, he was struggling to hold them back.

"You can't kill me with that!"

Their swordplay was as light and graceful as a dance. One wrong move, and someone would lose their head.

***

Lucien couldn't help but click his tongue at the sudden appearance of the Roger Pirates. They were a formidable crew, capable of breaking through even the most meticulously crafted strategies with brute force. They were a commander's worst nightmare.

His priority was to sink the Witch's Crew – but it seemed Roger wouldn't allow that.

"The Roger Pirates are targeting us!"

"Intercept their cannon fire! Contact the left flank! Stop the Roger Pirates!"

They couldn't afford to ignore them. If they focused solely on the Witch's Crew, Roger would be free to wreak havoc and possibly turned the tide against them.

Roger seemed to be heading towards Shiki, but even the remaining crew members were a problem.

"Silvers Rayleigh, Scopper Gaban… Every single one of them is a monster."

He had no choice but to fight.

Lucien swung his arms and cannons materialized all over the ship, all aimed at the Oro Jackson.

He was a Paramecia Devil Fruit user, the Cannon Cannon Human, capable of creating and firing cannons from any surface except his own body. His firepower rivaled even a Logia Devil Fruit user.

"Victory is for those who advance! Blast them!"

A constant barrage of attacks aimed at the Roger Pirates. They were forced to defend, giving him a brief respite. While Lucien himself was now tied down, the right flank was still attacking the Witch's Crew.

It seemed it was only a matter of time before they were subdued, but then – the ship lurched violently.

"What's happening?!"

"R-Reporting! A massive whirlpool has appeared! We're struggling to stay afloat!"

"Damn it, this sea…!"

Aiming was impossible on a ship that was constantly rocking.

The weather was unpredictable. Fighting the Roger Pirates in this chaotic sea was a nightmare. But their captain had given the order. There was no refusing. Being a middle manager was tough.

"Stabilize the ship! We can't aim properly!"

They had already sunk one of the Witch's ships, but they couldn't afford to underestimate the remaining two.

The timing of the whirlpool was… convenient. They were a lucky crew, weren't they? – Or was there more to it?

Lucien looked over the edge of the ship. He saw a figure in the water.

"Sanbel…! It's him!"

One of the Roger Pirates, a fish-man named Sanbel.

Fish-men were said to possess the power to manipulate ocean currents. Someone as strong as a Roger Pirate could surely do it.

He was rescuing crew members from the sunken ship, creating whirlpools near their attackers, disrupting their formations.

Firing blindly was pointless.

"Connect me! Left flank, sink those two ships as soon as possible!"

"I-Impossible! The left flank is almost completely destroyed!"

The left flank, battered by attacks from the Sombrero and the Oro Jackson, was on the verge of collapse. They wouldn't be able to launch another concentrated bombardment.

Lucien cursed under his breath. But they hadn't been completely wiped out yet. He ordered the remaining ships to continue firing, then began firing his own cannons, compensating for the rocking of his ship by adjusting the angle of each shot.

"Don't underestimate me! I won't let this fleet be defeated!"

If the ship was rocking, then he would simply adjust his aim.

Only Lucien, whose cannons were a part of his Devil Fruit ability, could perform this feat. They could be controlled remotely. It was a desperate measure, but it might be enough to turn the tide.

"Fire!"

A wall of cannon fire erupted, forcing the enemy ships to defend, momentarily hindering their attacks. He couldn't afford to hold back.

Apsu and Lelampargo were likely facing other members of the Roger Pirates. They would have to handle them on their own.

"Maintain bombardment! We have to sink them quickly, or we won't be able to handle the Roger Pirates!"

The Oro Jackson was a sturdy ship, but even it wouldn't survive dozens of direct hits. They were so close to inflicting a devastating blow on the Witch's Crew… It was a shame.

No… he couldn't afford to be discouraged.

They still had the advantage in numbers. He would sink both the Witch's Crew and the Roger Pirates here.

"I'm getting fired up…! Let's do this!"

Lucien, adjusting his tricorne hat, grinned. They had already lost one ship, but they still had over thirty. Thirty against three. They had an overwhelming advantage.

He wouldn't disgrace the reputation of the world's strongest fleet. He refocused his efforts, determined to eliminate the enemy.