Roger smiled and calmly replied,
"Shiki, I hate to disappoint you, but the Roger Pirates sail for freedom. I have no interest in being anyone's subordinate, and neither does my crew."
He drew his sword, Ace, from his hip, scratching at his nose hairs that had grown into a ridiculous mustache.
If insults could kill, Shiki would've been torn limb from limb by now.
Roger admitted he was handsome—but why were the only people chasing him down guys like Garp and Shiki? Seriously, what was wrong with these two?
Maybe... Maybe they actually liked him?
Shiki sneered, his voice booming across the waves:
"Roger, do you think I gathered all these men and ships just to take a walk? "
"Today, it's simple. Either you agree, or I beat you until you do! "
He'd expected Roger to refuse, but in the pirate world, pride came before everything.
Shiki had spent a fortune feeding and commanding this massive fleet, all held aloft by his Float-Float Fruit powers.
Now that Roger had embarrassed him, Shiki figured he'd kill two birds with one stone—teach Roger a lesson and thin his own crew's numbers to save on rations. Efficient.
Roger sighed.
"You want to fight? Fine. Just don't waste time with your big mouth."
Then, before Shiki could even react, Chronos leaped onto the bow of the Oro Jackson and shouted up at Shiki with a stream of insults straight out of gamer chat.
"Shanks! Buggy! Grab your weapons! Let's turn this guy into stew! "
Shiki froze. Even the Roger Pirates were stunned.
Bro, do you realize who you're trash-talking? That's Shiki—the man who stands shoulder to shoulder with our captain!
Roger was tough because he grew up in a barrel of rum. Chronos? He must've grown up soaking in pure courage.
Buggy was practically petrified.
"Why... Why am I here? How did I end up on this ship? "
Chronos roasting Shiki was one thing, but dragging Buggy into it? Come on, man—he just wanted to find treasure, not die young.
But Shanks, future Emperor and King of Conqueror's Haki, just grinned and stepped up:
"I got your back, brother."
Ding! Your friend, Future Yonko, Master of Conqueror's Haki, Face-Face Fruit User—Shanks, has joined the battle.
Shiki's smile vanished.
"You little punks! "
In all his decades of piracy, only his former captain, Rocks, had ever insulted him to his face. And now two brats dared humiliate him in front of his entire fleet?
Roger might walk away today, but those two kids were dead men. Otherwise, how could Shiki face his crew? He might as well cut off his own legs and throw himself in prison.
A terrifying wave of Conqueror's Haki erupted from Shiki, shaking the seas.
"Watch out, that's Shiki's Conqueror's Haki! "
The Roger Pirates grabbed their weapons and shielded the three apprentices.
BOOM!!
Not to be outdone, Roger unleashed his own Conqueror's Haki, clashing head-on with Shiki's. He surrounded Chronos and the others in his aura to protect them.
"Grab your weapons! "
"Brothers, let's go! "
"Let's show Shiki what the Roger Pirates are made of! "
With the captain leading the charge, the whole crew stormed into battle.
Shiki roared, brandishing his twin swords, Sakura and Kokuju.
"Kill those three brats first! Nobody can save them, not even the Five Elders! "
Slashing the air, two massive sword beams tore toward them.
"Charge!"
"For the boss! "
"Take Roger's head! "
Chronos, unfazed, started roasting Shiki's crew mid-battle:
"Seriously? You guys call yourselves pirates? Can't you at least shout something classy like 'For glory! 'or 'A warrior dies for his cause'? Where's your sense of style? "
Shanks, ready to charge at Shiki, was pulled back by Chronos.
"Are you nuts? Trash talk is fine, but we're still newbies. This is like fighting a world boss on level one! "
He dragged Shanks to hide behind Rayleigh and Jabba, occasionally poking fallen enemies to finish them off.
Years of playing battle royales in the Abyss had taught Chronos one thing—low-level players should stick to the sidelines and let the tanks lead the charge.
Rushing in headfirst like Shanks would only get you killed.
Though Shiki had the numbers, his crew was mostly cannon fodder. The Roger Pirates, though few, were all top-tier warriors. With giants like Rayleigh and Jabba leading the charge, as long as you fought behind them, you were golden.
That was what real high-level pirates looked like.
And still, Chronos couldn't stop himself:
"Shiki, your mom's grocery shopping always gets overcharged! "
"Your dad never draws a seven in poker! "
"Your grandpa loses every chess match and gets laughed at! "
"If you find a gun, the only thing you'll shoot is yourself! "
Rayleigh, slicing through enemies while keeping an eye on Chronos, wiped the sweat from his brow.
This kid... He's already pissed off Shiki to the max.
It looks like Chronos will only be able to roam the seas at noon from now on. Any earlier or later, and Shiki will be waiting to kill him.
Shiki, enraged beyond reason, bellowed:
"Whoever takes down that foul-mouthed brat, I'll personally gift them a Logia Devil Fruit! "
Even amid the chaos of battle, Shiki's top-tier Observation Haki picked up every single insult Chronos threw.
If he weren't still busy clashing swords with his beloved rival Roger, he would've personally shown Chronos what the wrath of a great pirate truly meant.