Shiki and the others had come to this island for supplies. There wasn't anything particularly valuable on the island itself, and they had just looted a massive amount of treasure. On top of that, they hadn't even sorted out whether they were splitting up or staying together.
So they hadn't plundered the island.
But now that the Roger Pirates had arrived and the two sides were facing off, the atmosphere on the island instantly grew tense.
"Starting a fight over a few words, huh? You pirates really do have a thrilling way of doing things," Valthior muttered quietly as he stood behind Gaban and Rayleigh.
"You're a pirate now too. Don't get your position mixed up," Rayleigh reminded him.
"Hahaha, he's still just a kid—and a scholar at that. It's normal to hesitate when facing guys like Shiki," Gaban laughed. "Don't worry, Valthior. You'll get used to it soon enough."
Clearly, whether it was Rayleigh, Gaban, or the rest of the Roger Pirates, all of them looked eager to fight—they hadn't had their fill back at God Valley.
Across from them, Shiki carefully observed Roger and noticed the bandages peeking out from his collar.
Seeing this, Shiki raised a brow, a sinister smile curling on his lips. "Still not fully healed, and you want to fight me, Roger?"
Roger grabbed his collar and yanked it open, exposing the bandages underneath without backing down. "Yeah, I've got a few injuries—but they're more than enough to deal with you."
The moment he said that, Shiki's expression darkened. Being looked down on like that clearly pissed him off.
After a brief silence, a vicious glint flashed in Shiki's eyes. With a sharp clang, his left-hand sword, Kogarashi, shot from its sheath, sending a slash flying straight at Roger.
"Zanpa (Slicing Wave!"
Roger had been waiting for it. Without hesitation, Ace flashed coldly from his waist as he swung forward.
"Aramitama (Rampaging Spirit)!"
The two slashes collided at high speed, exploding into a violent shockwave.
At the same time, it served as a signal—both sides moved simultaneously!
As one of the sea's foremost Great Axe Masters, Gaban naturally locked onto Silver Axe. Grinning, he said, "This one's mine!"
The moment he spoke, he charged forward, dual axes spinning in dazzling arcs.
Rayleigh drew his blade as well. "That fish-man's yours. You know Roger's condition—letting him fight Shiki alone won't end well. I've got to back him up!"
"Huh? Me?" Valthior froze, pointing a finger at his own nose.
Me? Fighting Babel?!
He had thought he'd just deal with some fodder under Shiki. How did this suddenly turn into facing a top executives from the Rocks Pirates?
If he remembered correctly, Babel had a bounty of over 400 million Berries!
And this wasn't the Straw Hat era where bounties were inflated beyond reason—back then, a bounty over 100 million already meant a top-tier pirate, let alone 400 million.
I'm an eighteen-year-old scholar… and I'm supposed to fight a 400-million-Berriesexecutive from the Rocks crew?!
Before he could think any further, Rayleigh had already rushed out, joining Roger against Shiki.
Gaban had also engaged Silver Axe, their battle axes roaring as violent air currents swept across the port.
At the same time, Shiki's underlings and the Roger Pirates' combatants began shouting as they charged into battle.
"What are you standing around for?! Move!" Doringo, a fighter wielding a large axe, rushed past Valthior and yelled.
"Take them down! Those bastards definitely grabbed plenty of treasure at God Valley!" helmsman Donquino roared, swinging a massive anchor.
At this point, there was no choice—fight first!
Valthior quickly steadied his thoughts. The chain on his arm loosened, letting his axe, Merciless, slide down into his grip. With a quick charge, he hurled it straight at Babel.
"You damn fodder!" Babel roared, striking out with a Haki-coated palm that sent Doringo and his axe flying together.
But Doringo had seen his share of battles. The small demonic wings on his back flapped rapidly, stabilizing him midair.
"For a fish-man, calling others fodder is some pretty dark humor, don't you think?" Donquino said as he smashed his massive anchor toward Babel.
"Fish-Man Karate: Samegawara Seiken (Shark Fist Tile Breaker)!"
Babel didn't bother replying. He threw a straight punch.
The sheer force collided with the anchor. As a true executive of the Rocks crew, his strength was undeniable—Donquino couldn't withstand it. His footing slipped, and he was blasted away along with his weapon.
At that moment, Valthior's chain axe struck Babel's punching arm. With a sharp pull, the chain snapped upward, coiling around his arm like a python.
"I'm gonna make you fly!" Valthior roared, yanking hard on the chain.
After consuming a Mythical Zoan, his strength had increased dramatically. Judging from his previous clashes with Bartholomew Kuma, he was already comparable to a standard giant in raw power.
But clearly, compared to Babel, it still wasn't enough. After all, on the Rocks crew, this man was known as the Catfish Strongman.
Though caught off guard and dragged a couple of steps, Babel quickly stabilized himself. He flexed the arm bound by the chain and roared:
"For fodder, your strength's not bad—but that's as far as it goes. Now get over here!"
The overwhelming force gave Valthior no room to resist—he was yanked straight toward Babel.
"Nozdon!" Valthior shouted mid-flight.
At that moment, a muscular man over ten meters tall, rivaling Babel in size, punched away a Shiki underling who had been tangling with him, smirking: "Coming!"
The next instant, Valthior reached Babel, and Babel's other hand was already charging up for an aerial heavy strike.
But obviously, due to a lack of information, he didn't know that Valthior was a Devil Fruit user.
"Frost Breath!"
Before Babel could strike, Valthior unleashed a blast of icy breath at point-blank range.
At such close distance, and with no preparation, Babel took it head-on.
The frigid air exploded instantly, freezing his massive body solid in the blink of an eye.
At the same time, Nozdon arrived. His fist, coated in Armament Haki, smashed down without hesitation.
Boom!
The ice shattered instantly under the blow—but beneath it, Babel's body was revealed, already covered in a layer of Armament Haki like armor.
As expected, despite being caught off guard, his combat instincts were exceptional—he had armored himself just in time before freezing completely.
Nozdon's Haki-infused punch slammed into Babel's chest, colliding with his Haki and sending out a shockwave.
But Babel's strength far surpassed Nozdon's. Even with the advantage of initiative, the punch did little real damage.
In that same instant, Valthior landed beside Babel. As his feet touched the ground, he roared, his body rapidly transforming.
His already tall frame swelled further, beastifying into a towering tiger-leopard humanoid covered in white fur and radiating intense cold.
Without hesitation, Valthior yanked on the chain and grabbed Babel's arm, forcing it forward.
Seeing this, Nozdon didn't hesitate either. He grabbed Babel's other arm, locking it in place as he roared and pushed forward with all his strength.
One on each side, they restrained both of Babel's arms, leaving his chest wide open.
The fighters of the Roger Pirates might not all be top-tier individually, but they were veterans who had seen countless battles.
The moment Babel was restrained and exposed, Ganryu—once a champion of a world fighting tournament—stomped forward, arriving instantly.
"Champion Strike!"
With a roar, he drove a powerful hook straight into Babel's left abdomen—aiming for a brutal kidney shot.
The punch landed solidly. Even with Haki protection, Babel grimaced in pain, staggering back a step.
But the very next moment, he steadied himself.
Then, like a raging beast, he roared. His muscles bulged violently as his arms surged with immense strength.
With Valthior and Nozdon still holding onto him, he suddenly pulled inward—
A crushing bear hug!
In an instant, Valthior, Nozdon, and Ganryu were all squeezed together.
The pressure was so intense they nearly blacked out on the spot.