After Borsalino and Sakazuki broke free, they immediately dragged their injured bodies toward Gol D. Roger, attacking alongside Kuzan and the others.
Roger, gritting his teeth, struggled to his feet. The toll of his Nika form was increasingly heavy, and the black flame-cloud ribbons surrounding him began to flicker and fade.
Rayleigh arrived with a group of pirates, shielding Roger from the onslaught of Borsalino and the others.
Bullet was absent from the fight. During Sakazuki's earlier assault on Roger, Bullet had already reached his limit. He was struck through the chest by a blow from Borsalino, collapsing gravely wounded.
At this moment, Rayleigh wielded two swords, one of which was Roger's weapon, Ace.
Unlike Murakumogiri, Ace lacked sentience. Earlier, when Roger entered his giant form, Ace slipped from his grasp, falling to the ground and skewering a random pirate who happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. Rayleigh had picked it up.
Though a master of single-sword style, Rayleigh's two-sword technique was a bit awkward. While defending Roger from the Navy's attack, he shouted:
"Roger! Can you still hold on?"
Roger, breathing heavily, responded in a low voice,
"Give me Ace."
Rayleigh didn't know what Roger, in such a massive form, could do with Ace. But seizing an opportunity, he leapt and hurled Ace toward Roger.
Roger extended his hand and caught it with a flick of his wrist. He then whipped his arm forcefully, causing Ace to extend into a massive sword over 100 meters long, which snapped taut like a whip.
Looking at the enlarged Ace in his hand, Roger's lips curled into a smile.
"As I thought... You and I are the perfect pair."
He grinned, and Rayleigh, seeing that familiar smile, couldn't help but feel a moment of wistful nostalgia.
Crackle!
Conqueror's Haki-infused lightning coiled around Ace, while the black flame-clouds behind Roger solidified. He roared,
"Rayleigh! Get out of here! Don't forget what I entrusted you with!"
Without hesitation, Rayleigh dashed away, heading toward where Shanks and Buggy were surrounded.
Sakazuki and the others didn't give chase. They had only one goal: to kill Roger.
Meanwhile, Shanks and Buggy had been fighting off waves of Marines. Although they hadn't faced any particularly strong opponents, the constant siege of Marine soldiers kept them on the defensive.
Rayleigh broke into the encirclement, grabbing Shanks and Buggy with one arm each, pulling them to safety.
Roger, keeping an eye on Rayleigh, finally relaxed once he saw his first mate reuniting with the two boys.
With a slash of his massive sword, Roger cleaved through the ice, creating a massive chasm that seawater rushed into. The Navy's Devil Fruit users, including Sakazuki, leaped away from the water, while Kuzan froze it to create a landing zone for his allies.
Kuzan's efforts were remarkable in this war, he was undoubtedly the best support. However, he was still young, and his Devil Fruit powers had not yet awakened. Using his abilities on such a large scale drained him significantly.
As Sakazuki and the others landed on the ice, Kuzan knelt, panting heavily. Aramaki stepped to his side and helped him up, concern in his eyes despite his teasing tone.
"Hey, you're looking pretty shaky. Can you still fight?"
Kuzan braced himself, one hand on Aramaki's shoulder and the other on his knee. Gritting his teeth, he replied,
"Of course I can! It's just... Carl..."
His gaze shifted to the dark ice hole where Carl had disappeared.
Marine soldiers were diving into the frigid water, searching desperately for Carl.
Lucia, trembling, had initially dived into the sea herself, but as a Devil Fruit user, she quickly lost all strength and had to be rescued by one of her female subordinates.
After regaining some energy, she had dried herself off with flames and rejoined the battle. Yet, Carl's absence weighed heavily on her, filling her with an increasing sense of despair.
When Aramaki mentioned Carl, her composure shattered. Purple flames of desire erupted around her as she clutched her sword tightly, spreading her wings and hurtling toward Roger.
"Give the young master back to me!"
At this moment, no one cared about Lucia's affectionate title for Carl. As she charged forward, Sakazuki and the others followed, launching another assault on Roger.
However, an invisible force blocked their path.
Roger's Conqueror's Haki crackled in the air like lightning. Calmly, he gazed down at his opponents, his eyes locking onto Kuma.
"As a descendant of the Buccaneers, you've chosen to stand with the World Government? You disgrace your heritage!"
Kuma, relentlessly creating Paw-Paw bubbles to breach Roger's Haki barrier, froze at those words. His eyes burned with hatred as he retorted,
"I only wanted to stand with Carl! He's my Nika! I fight for him alone!"
Roger blinked in surprise, then muttered,
"He's your Nika? Then what am I?"
Kuma compressed a massive bubble, shouting:
"You're just a madman trying to plunge the world into chaos!"
He hurled the bubble, which collided with Roger's Conqueror's Haki in a tremendous explosion.
Amid the shockwaves, Roger stood motionless, his expression tinged with sorrow.
"Hopeless..."
Raising Ace, he began gathering his Haki, channeling the lightning into the blade's tip. The aura around him dispersed as he whispered coldly,
"It's time to set the world back on course..."
Suddenly, the ice trembled violently. Roger's face shifted as his gaze snapped toward the ice hole where Carl had vanished.
The seawater within had turned pitch black, churning furiously. The surrounding ice began to dissolve as the hole expanded, black waterspouts shooting skyward, flinging the Marines who had been searching into the air.
They landed, pale-faced, terror etched into their expressions.
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