Chapter 324: Clash on the Shore: Whitebeard vs. Roger

As Karl soared through the sky, searching for any sign of the others, somewhere along a New World coastline, Roger tightened his grip around a Navy soldier’s head.

“You’re all really in the way. Send out Garp.”

This was a Navy fleet that had gotten separated from Garp.

None of them expected to run into the Roger Pirates at such a crucial moment.

They’d already arranged to reconnect with Garp after advancing two more islands, but instead, stumbled on the Roger Pirates taking a break right here.

A fight broke out in an instant, but how could they hope to match the Roger Pirates?

It wasn’t long before every last sailor was wiped out—except for one survivor.

Meanwhile, along the coast, a massive ship was rapidly approaching.

“What’s going on over there?”

“Why are all the fish going wild?”

“It’s coming from that island, Bucky.”

Kozuki Oden pointed toward the island ahead.

Newgate grunted, “Yeah, that’s right!”

“Could there be some monster lurking on this island?”

“Marco, want to go check it out?”

Marco hung upside down at the bow, blue wings blazing with fire, and grinned. “No thanks. There’s no fun in that.”

“Waaah!”

The commotion sent Kozuki Momonosuke and Kozuki Hiyori into bawling tears.

Oden hurried forward to soothe them. “It’s all right, Momonosuke, Hiyori. There’s nothing to worry about.”

“Let’s go, Pops.”

Maybe it was the mythical Zoan fruit talking, but Marco always liked to speak while hanging upside down.

“Yeah, let’s move!”

“Time to make landfall!”

“Roar!”

The ship sped toward the island, but at the shore, countless wild beasts were fleeing in a panic.

“All the beasts are running wild.”

“Is there something dangerous on this island?”

Whitebeard’s face was grim, his silence saying it all.

Back on the other side, Roger was still clutching the last remaining Navy soldier. “If you want to catch me, bring Garp and Sengoku along next time.”

“You people are just too dull.”

Nine-year-old Buggy stood atop a giant boulder, peering through his telescope. Suddenly, he spun around, startled by something he’d seen.

“Captain! Whitebeard’s ship is on the far side of the island!”

“Looks like they’ve noticed us too.”

Rayleigh said, “We just finished a battle, Roger.”

Roger turned to look at Rayleigh. “Whitebeard, huh? It’s been ages.”

Nine-year-old Shanks, on the other hand, didn’t care about any of this. He munched on snacks at the side, completely unfazed.

Chitter chitter chitter!

Over in the opposite jungle, a flock of birds suddenly took to the air in agitation.

“That’s a lot of noise. Looks like they’ve landed.”

“Good—let’s have ourselves a fight then!”

“Only by living can you clash on the battlefield!”

Roger dropped the Navy man’s body. With wounds that bad, he’d never survive anyway.

“I won’t last much longer myself.”

“Maybe… this will really be the last time I see you, Whitebeard.”

Always careful, Roger hadn’t told the crew about the Pure Gold, so he kept up his act.

That way, he could fake his death later.

After all, as long as there’s hope, who really wants to die anyway?

“What’s up with that guy? He’s insanely fast!”

“Is he a samurai?”

Buggy raised his telescope, peering into the depths of the forest.

“Is that one of those legendary samurai?”

That got Roger genuinely interested.

“Can’t let them beat us to the punch.”

Kozuki Oden was sprinting their way.

“Captain Oden, wait up!”

A few of his crew chased after Oden.

“All we need to do is snatch every bit of treasure we can find!”

“Captain, this isn’t like our usual runs.”

“The Roger Pirates are seriously dangerous.”

Oden was focused only on charging forward. He quickly left his crew straggling behind.

Leaping over a giant mushroom, clogs tapping fast, he whipped out two blades.

“Gun—Imitation Demon!”

With a single strike, he sent several pirates flying who’d been resting up ahead.

Jabba drew his dual axes. Rayleigh unsheathed his rapier.

“He’s as strong as the rumors say!”

“We need to stop him quickly, Rayleigh.”

“All right, let’s do it. Let’s do it.”

“Hold on, Jabba, Rayleigh.”

“You two take a breather. I can’t let you get hurt—leave this one to me.”

Roger clapped Rayleigh and Jabba on the shoulders, flashing a broad grin. Then he dashed straight ahead.

“Sounds to me like you’re itching for a fight yourself.”

“You just want to join the fray, don’t you?”

Rayleigh nudged his glasses, a quiet laugh escaping him.

Of course, Roger’s illness had been discovered. At Rayleigh and Jabba’s insistence, they’d found Crocus, keeper of Twin Cape, to treat him.

But those two had no clue Roger was secretly carrying the Pure Gold.

His body had long since stopped changing. The disease would never get the better of him now.

That secret belonged to Roger alone.

The reason they didn’t know was simple—Roger hadn’t told them about the Pure Gold yet.

Everyone was still young, so there was no need to reveal it.

If word got out, others would start eyeing him and he’d never accomplish his dream of circumnavigating the Grand Line.

“What a fierce beastly aura.”

Oden charged straight at Roger, both blades bared and a wild grin across his face.

“Hello there, samurai.”

“Divine Departure!”

Roger unsheathed his sword at his waist.

With a sudden swing, thick red waves burst forth from his blade.

Oden barely had time to react before the attack crashed into him. Clenching his teeth, he spat blood from the sheer force.

His body bent like a bow as he was sent flying backwards, smashing through six gigantic trees before slamming into a massive purple one.

“Heh heh!”

Seeing the power of his own attack, Roger let out a satisfied laugh.

“What was that just now?”

Oden, blood streaming down his face, stared wide-eyed at Roger in the near distance.

Digging his hands into the tree, he struggled until he finally broke himself free.

“Damn it… I won’t accept this!”

Face twisted with fury, Oden charged at Roger once again.

“Oh!”

A noise overhead caught his attention. He looked up—a shadow appeared.

A closer look revealed it was Whitebeard, Cloud Cutter slung on his shoulder, leaping from branch to branch.

“Here he comes.”

As Whitebeard’s figure drew closer, Roger broke into another smile.

Whitebeard Newgate landed on the last branch, dropping into a descending stance.

With both hands, he raised Cloud Cutter high, the blade wreathed in swirling red ripples.

Roger’s eyes burned with a terrifying red light.

Ace, held in his right hand, was jet-black and wrapped in deadly red energy.

With his left foot, he stomped the ground hard, sending cracks spidering out across the earth.

Then, gripping his blade in both hands, he swung a massive arc straight toward Whitebeard as he dropped.

Whitebeard Newgate’s face twisted in a snarl. Gripping the hilt tight, he hammered Cloud Cutter straight down.

Clang!

Their weapons never even touched—instead, a sphere of pure red energy formed midair. The waves radiating out tore at the ground, sending fractures racing in every direction.

The force of the shockwave sent chunks of earth high into the air and toppled trees in every direction.