To commemorate the enormous contribution the Roger Pirates had made for the island, the residents spontaneously organized an event. They planned to build a statue of Roger, and they chose its location in the royal capital of the Mor Kingdom.
Now, in the eyes of the islanders, Roger's status was even higher than King Kaesar's.
After staying for more than ten days, once the residents had fully stabilized, the Roger Pirates asked to depart.
"Are you really leaving right now?" King Kaesar's attitude toward Roger was conflicted. On one hand, he hoped Roger would stay and help him hold the country steady. On the other hand, he feared Roger might threaten his position.
"Yes. We've already been here for over two months. It's time to go."
"Then I wish you a smooth journey. The Mor Kingdom will welcome you anytime you come."
"Thank you." During this farewell, Kaesar Lin did not appear. Perhaps she did not want to experience the feeling of parting from Bai Chuan.
"Roger, come and settle it with me," Barrett suddenly said as Roger was about to board the ship.
In an instant, the scene fell silent. King Kaesar also froze in place, as if he had heard something unbelievable.
Roger was quiet for a moment before speaking slowly. "Sure."
"Your Majesty, I'll have to trouble you with one more thing. Are there any deserted islands around this place?"
"There are, but it's not very close. Do you want me to send someone to guide you?"
"No need. Just tell me which direction."
"Oh, alright. The deserted island is to the south. No one lives there."
"Mm. Come with me, Barrett." After speaking, Roger used a technique similar to Geppo (Moonwalk) and flew south. Even if he did not know the exact location of the island, he had Observation Haki.
Barrett followed. From far away, Bai Chuan could already feel a boiling, hot-blooded excitement rolling off Barrett's body.
"Now this will be a show. Let's follow," Rayleigh said. With the captain absent, the vice-captain was the leader of their group.
They boarded the ship and decided to sail over, since they had already made up their minds not to return here again.
"Mr. Rayleigh, do you not need us to accompany you?" Seeing Rayleigh preparing to set sail, King Kaesar asked again.
"No need. Seeing us off here is enough. The battle that's about to start is too dangerous for you."
The moment he finished speaking, several people with extremely sharp senses felt a terrifying pressure surging from the south.
"Oh, it's already started? Barrett really is impatient," someone said.
"What is this feeling? It's terrifying." King Kaesar had held power for a long time, and there was faintly a leader's aura within him as well. But under the baptism of Roger and Barrett's Conqueror's Haki, he felt like an earthworm facing a dragon.
"Alright, hurry back," Rayleigh said. His words carried a trace of Conqueror's Haki, snapping King Kaesar awake from the shock.
"Thank you, Mr. Rayleigh." King Kaesar spoke gratefully, but deep in his eyes was profound awe. He had not expected the two people he had been in contact with all this time to be so terrifying.
He looked toward the southern island with apprehension.
"Vice-captain, let's hurry over. If we're any later, the fight will be over," Bai Chuan said impatiently. He was especially excited. Battles like this were not something you saw every day.
"Don't worry. Those two won't end it that quickly."
The ship sailed leisurely toward Roger and Barrett's direction. Bai Chuan's heart stayed stirred the whole way. Someone who felt the same was Shanks.
Shanks could not wait to witness the grandeur of this battle with his own eyes. He pressed down the straw hat on his head, and a smile he could not hold back tugged at his lips.
"You two, honestly," Rayleigh said helplessly after sensing Bai Chuan and Shanks' mood. He had a feeling that neither of them would be the quiet type in the future.
If their strength was enough, they would definitely roam everywhere. Sooner or later, the sea would be left with legends that belonged to them.
After sailing for over an hour, they finally saw the island where Roger and Barrett were fighting. Explosions and thunderous impacts roared into their ears without end.
Bai Chuan was already preparing to take off, but Rayleigh pressed him down in one motion.
"What are you doing, Rayleigh?" Bai Chuan sounded unhappy. His curiosity felt like it was being denied.
"You can't watch this fight up close yet. It's still too early for you," Rayleigh explained, shaking his head.
"Damn it."
Bai Chuan punched the deck unwillingly, frustration in his voice. He did not even have the qualification to watch the battle. He was not afraid of the clash of Conqueror's Haki, and Rayleigh knew that.
So what Rayleigh meant was this: if the two of them slipped up even slightly, they could kill him in an instant.
Rayleigh patted his shoulder in comfort. "I believe you'll become stronger very soon."
"Of course." When it came to getting stronger quickly, Bai Chuan was full of confidence.
He had endless recovery ability. As long as he had enough food and stamina, he could go without sleep for a lifetime. He had already decided that he would train hard and rise up.
Even though he could not see the details of the fight clearly, Bai Chuan never took his eyes off the island. Many others did the same.
As for those proficient in Observation Haki, they simply closed their eyes and sensed the battle.
Soon, night fell, yet there was still no sign of the fight ending.
"Mr. Rayleigh, how's the battle going?" Shanks asked anxiously. Bai Chuan was not the only one who regretted not being able to see it with his own eyes.
"Wait a bit longer. There's still no sign it's ending."
A whole night passed, and the sounds of battle finally began to quiet down.
"Mr. Rayleigh, is it over? Who won?"
"It's over. Of course Roger won." Barrett was strong, but there was still a certain gap between him and Roger.
When the crew saw Roger's figure walking out, this battle that had lasted a full day and night finally came to an end.
"Set sail," Roger said to the crew after boarding.
"Captain, Barrett hasn't come aboard yet," a crewman asked carefully. After all, the captain had just fought Barrett, and he looked somewhat disheveled.
"He has left the Roger Pirates."
"What?" More than half of the crew shouted in shock.
"Damn it." Exhausted to the bone, Barrett lay in the center of the island, his eyes full of unwillingness. Tears streamed from the corners of his eyes without stopping.
"Roger, sooner or later, I'll surpass you. Don't die too early," Barrett thought to himself.
At this moment, the island was covered in deep craters and sword marks. From some of those sword marks, wild sword aura still spread outward. An ordinary person did not even have the qualification to set foot on this island. They might be torn apart by the leaking sword aura the moment they approached.
/-\
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