The Roger Pirates and Gram's ship were headed directly toward each other. Both vessels were accelerating, causing the distance between them to close rapidly.
As the massive figure of Zunesha became clearer, the lookouts on both sides spotted the opposing ship.
"Commander, bad news! I see the Oro Jackson—it's the Roger Pirates! They're chasing right behind Zunesha!" a pirate shouted from the top of the mast.
Gram froze for a moment, then asked, "Are you sure?"
"Absolutely! And they've definitely seen us too!" the lookout replied.
"What do we do, Commander!?" another crewmate asked nervously.
Gram hesitated. Zunesha was right in front of them—but the Roger Pirates were no easy opponents either.
If the full Whitebeard Pirates were here, he wouldn't hesitate at all—he'd charge straight in and fight!
But unfortunately, the main force was at least two months away by sea. His original plan had been to settle temporarily on Zunesha's back and use a Vivre Card to guide Newgate there later so they could explore together.
So waiting for reinforcements wasn't realistic.
Yet retreating like this felt unacceptable. He carried Whitebeard's flag—if he ran at the sight of the Roger Pirates, it would disgrace Whitebeard's name. How could he face everyone afterward?
"Roger's not known for being bloodthirsty… and he seems to have a decent relationship with Newgate. He probably won't attack immediately, right?" Gram thought to himself.
Zunesha was a rare encounter, and the treasures on its back were incredibly tempting. Soon, determination flashed in Gram's eyes.
"What are we afraid of? Do you know who I am!? Bring the ship closer!" he ordered.
At worst, they could share Zunesha's opportunity with the Roger Pirates!
Surely the Whitebeard Pirates had enough prestige for that.
What Gram didn't realize was that while Whitebeard and Roger did have a relationship, every meeting between them started with a fierce battle—to confirm whether the other was still worthy of sharing a drink.
...
On the other side, aboard the Oro Jackson:
Doringo stood atop the mast and shouted, "Damn it! Those Whitebeard guys saw us and not only didn't retreat—they're speeding toward us! That's a provocation!"
"So bold? You sure the Moby Dick isn't nearby!?" Roger asked in surprise.
If the Moby Dick itself were charging at them, that would make sense—Newgate wouldn't back down.
But just a regular Whitebeard ship daring to charge at the Oro Jackson?
Was that not outright disrespect?
"Not there. At least within our visual range, there are no other ships!" Doringo confirmed.
"What are we waiting for!?" Valthior suddenly cursed. "Even if Whitebeard himself were here, we'd still fight him! Are we supposed to give up Zunesha? No way! Follow me—accelerate and crush those bastards!"
After all, Zunesha carried the final Road Poneglyph. There was no way the Roger Pirates would give it up.
Just as Valthior said—even if Whitebeard and Shiki were both ahead, they wouldn't retreat. And right now, it was just one ship.
So smash them.
When pirates meet, there's no need for unnecessary talk.
Fueled by Valthior's words, the Roger Pirates erupted with excitement, eager to charge in and start fighting.
...
About an hour later, the Oro Jackson and Gram's ship drew close enough to enter cannon range. Zunesha stood off to their right, seemingly sensing something, and stopped moving.
"They haven't opened fire… looks like they're wary of the Whitebeard Pirates' reputation. There's still room to negotiate," Gram thought, slightly relieved.
At that moment, a crewmate ran over with a Den Den Mushi.
"Commander—it's Pops calling!"
"Oh?" Gram picked it up. "Big Brother, we—"
"Gram, you've encountered the Roger Pirates!?" Newgate's voice came through, unusually serious.
"That's right, we're currently—" Gram began.
But before he could finish, Newgate cut him off sharply:
"Withdraw immediately. Do not make contact with them. That is a Captain's order!"
"What!?" Gram couldn't understand the command at all.
But an order from the captain had been given—and in pirate law, that was absolute.
Before Gram could respond, a blast of biting cold surged from the front, followed by a furious shout:
"CRUSH THEM!!!"
Before the voice even finished, a savage battle axe attached to a chain came whistling through the air and slammed violently into their deck. The axe lodged itself firmly, the chain snapped taut—and then a figure shot forward along it at high speed.
It was Valthior.
Boarding first!
Valthior was the first to land on the deck. The moment he arrived, he kicked a Whitebeard pirate clean off his feet, sending him crashing into the cabin and blasting a hole through it.
Gram barely had time to shout into the Den Den Mushi:
"Too late! They've boarded!"
He hung up the Den Den Mushi and roared, "Valthior!!!"
"So it's you!" Valthior laughed loudly, yanking his chained axe free from the deck and hurling it straight at Gram.
Gram reacted quickly, leaping into the air and kicking the axe aside, using the momentum to dive straight toward Valthior.
Valthior spun the chained axe like a coiling dragon, sending it back at Gram while clenching his left fist, Haki surging over it, a savage grin on his face as he prepared to strike.
But then—
Roger moved faster.
Landing on the deck a split second later, his blade Ace flashed out of its sheath with a chilling gleam.
"Divine Departure!!!"
A Whitebeard pirate was instantly split into two, and the devastating slash continued forward, surging toward Gram.
"You bastard! I picked this opponent first!" Valthior cursed, pushing off the ground and chasing after.
Roger shot back casually, "Ship rules! Whoever grabs them first keeps them!"
Gram was indeed strong—hovering near the threshold of top-tier fighters, once even clashing with Silver Axe—but against Roger, he was outmatched.
Seeing the incoming attack, Gram immediately switched to defense, coating his leg with Haki and kicking the slash aside.
Deflecting Divine Departure was already impressive—but it wasn't enough.
Before he could recover—
A torrent of seawater exploded upward from below.
"Vagabond Drill!!!" Sunbell roared, dragging the anchor chain as he burst up from the sea.
In the next instant, Valthior's chain wrapped precisely around Gram's ankle, yanking him back mid-flight.
"Go to hell!" Valthior snarled, delivering a backhand punch that slammed into Gram's body.
Bone-chilling frost accompanied the punch, instantly flash-freezing Gram into a block of ice. He crashed heavily into the sea surface, the residual freezing air spreading and locking him into the ice like a preserved specimen.
As Gram was downed, Valthior prepared to yank the chain to shatter him into pieces.
But before he could, Rayleigh grabbed his wrist. "Hey, hey, don't kill him. Show Newgate some face, or this will become a blood feud..."
Valthior glanced at the corpse on deck—the unlucky pirate Roger had just cut down. Someone had called him Abin earlier.
Looking at the body, Valthior said, "And this counts as respect?"
"It's different," Rayleigh replied calmly. "Deaths happen in pirate battles. But killing a top officer is another matter entirely. There's no need to make an enemy of Newgate—we still need to reach the final island."
So even Whitebeard had his limits, huh? Not every crewmate counted as "family."
Fair enough—if every death demanded revenge, he'd spend his whole life chasing enemies across the sea.
Though Rayleigh said that, Valthior himself didn't particularly care about Whitebeard's reputation. After all, when Kozuki Oden died, Whitebeard hadn't gone after Kaido either.
If Kaido wasn't afraid of Whitebeard, why would the Roger Pirates be?
Still, Roger and Rayleigh did have a decent relationship with Newgate. Fighting and looting was one thing—but killing his top commanders would truly cross the line.
So Valthior relented.
"Quick, check the ship for treasure! Hahaha! Chances to rob Newgate don't come often!" Roger shouted excitedly from nearby, clearly having no intention of killing Gram either.
The remaining Whitebeard pirates quickly read the situation—their commander was already defeated. The outcome was decided. There was no point in dying for nothing.
One by one, they surrendered.
And just like that, in a single clash, Whitebeard's First Division was completely looted by the Roger Pirates.
...
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