Chapter 395: The Navy vs. the Rockefeller Pirates
Roger had somehow caught wind of a secret: Big Mom possessed one of the red Poneglyphs.
Upon learning this, he immediately decided to steal a copy of it from her.
And why steal?
Because of Roger's deteriorating health.
The mysterious illness in his body was now threatening to break him. He could no longer engage in prolonged battle.
Every fight was shaving away what little life he had left.
Which meant he had no choice but to move stealthily.
There was no way he wanted a full-scale brawl with that lunatic Charlotte Linlin on Whole Cake Island.
"Sigh… Let's hope Big Mom hasn't discovered us,"
Rayleigh muttered anxiously.
"Don't worry. Once we get a copy of the Poneglyph, we'll regroup with Oden and the others. They should be close to finding the one on Zou,"
Roger replied.
Roger hadn't brought his full crew precisely because they had split into two groups upon entering the New World.
One group was Roger and Rayleigh, infiltrating Totland.
The other was Oden and Jabba, heading to Zou to make a copy.
As for the Wano Poneglyph, Oden had memorized it since childhood—there was no need to go back and copy it.
Woooooooo!
Roger's worst fear came true.
"ROGER!! YOU DARE STEAL FROM ME?! YOU'RE DEAD MEAT!!"
Big Mom's furious shriek echoed through the sky, shaking Whole Cake Island.
Her high-pitched roar sent everyone scurrying.
"Mama's mad again? Did someone invade?"
Big Mom's children poured out of their rooms, staring at the rapidly darkening sky.
This scene was all too familiar. Mama was unleashing her wrath.
"Cough! Charlotte Linlin, don't be so stingy! I just made a copy—I didn't even take the stone! See ya!"
Roger laughed boldly, sword in hand, shielding Rayleigh.
Big Mom froze momentarily, stunned by the Poneglyph's weakening power through Napoleon.
In that instant, Roger and Rayleigh fled the island.
"ROGERRRRR!!!"
A thunderous scream tore through the skies, parting clouds.
Roger leaped aboard the ship waiting at the harbor and immediately set sail.
One second later…
"Urgh!"
He coughed up blood violently.
"Roger! Are you okay?!"
Rayleigh rushed to his side.
"I'm fine! Just steer us away from here—don't let Linlin catch up!"
Roger waved him off.
"Take this, it's medicine from Crocus."
Rayleigh shoved a small vial into his hand and ran back to the helm.
Roger swallowed two pills, his face easing slightly.
But he could still feel his shaking wrists—and he smiled bitterly.
"This… is fate, huh?"
As the sun slowly rose in the distance, Roger stood once more, his confidence reigniting.
For a moment, Rayleigh saw a glimpse of the Roger he had once known.
"Roger…"
he murmured, leaving his captain to his thoughts.
---
Grand Line — Sabaody Archipelago.
Countless Navy warships were arranged in a semi-circle formation, waiting to strike.
At the front stood two notable vessels:
One with a dog-head mast, and another seemingly plain.
But the men standing atop them raised morale across the Navy ranks:
Vice Admiral Garp and Fleet Admiral Sengoku.
Once again, the two were deployed by Kong himself.
"These Celestial Dragons keep dragging us down,"
Garp muttered while chewing on a donut.
Sengoku looked around nervously.
"Garp, don't talk like that! That's above our pay grade."
"Puhahaha, my bad!"
Garp scratched his head with a grin.
Around them, officers and sailors were covered in sweat from stress.
"Have we heard anything? When's the Rockefeller crew arriving?"
Garp asked.
"If nothing changes—it'll be today,"
Sengoku replied heavily.
"Y'know, I've never actually fought Charlotte before. I wonder what's tougher—my iron fist, or his sword?"
Garp flexed, looking excited.
Sengoku rolled his eyes.
He surveyed their lineup—Zephyr had declined to participate.
Kong was tied up with the Celestial Dragons.
Tsuru remained to oversee HQ.
That left only him and Garp as the top-tier force on-site.
Aside from them, there were only Akainu and Aokiji to hold the line, along with three veteran Vice Admirals, four younger Vice Admirals, and several Rear Admirals.
Sengoku wasn't sure if this would be enough.
Could they truly capture the Rockefeller Pirates?
Could they stop Charlotte?
---
The sea remained still.
Word had spread that the Navy was preparing to blockade the Rockefeller Pirates.
Everyone knew: a great battle was imminent.
No one else dared approach.
Even the residents of Sabaody were hiding in their homes.
The auction houses, amusement parks, and all businesses shut down.
The root cause?
The Celestial Dragons.
"Hard to believe… Little Charlotte's grown this powerful."
On Island 13, a woman lit a cigarette and crossed her legs, reminiscing.
---
Time passed.
Seagulls took flight.
A growing sense of oppression filled the air.
"What's this… crushing pressure?!"
Sweat dripped from countless Navy soldiers' foreheads.
Woo-ooo!
The alarm sounded.
Every Marine stood at attention, gazing toward the horizon.
The lookout shouted into his voice snail:
"Reporting to the Admirals! One ship detected—it's the Rockefeller Pirates' flagship, the Poseidon!"
The Navy had studied the Rockefeller crew extensively.
At least, everything they'd revealed publicly.
---
In the distance, the Poseidon steadily advanced.
Seeing the Navy's blockade, the crew sprang into action.
"Move it, move it!"
Squad leaders barked orders.
The children of the crew also poured onto the deck.
Barrett, Esdeath, Caesar… all emerged from below.
"Been a while since I felt this rush,"
Caesar smirked, eyeing the line of Marine warships.
From the Navy side, they began observing back.
---
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