In Spandam's view, although Roy was the youngest admiral and might not have the same accumulation of experience as those veteran powerhouses, and perhaps truly could not defeat Hashirama Senju, who was now displaying terrifying strength and fighting on par with Whitebeard, it was enough as long as Roy could hold off Hashirama Senju and buy time for him and his CP9 companions to escape.
Rob Lucci stood to the side, his gaze fixed intently on Roy in the sky, his eyes revealing curiosity and a desire for exploration.
He narrowed his eyes slightly, carefully sizing up Roy, speculating on the depth of this Marine admiral's strength.
As a highly skilled CP9 member, he was always filled with curiosity about the strength of the powerful.
Not far away, Luffy and the others, the moment they saw Roy, immediately shouted with excitement.
"It's that guy from the Baratie." Luffy jumped up and down, yelling.
Sanji and Zoro's expressions also sharpened; they had a vivid impression of Roy's appearance.
Zoro, in particular, had a flicker of complex emotion in his eyes. The shocking scene of Roy slicing the sea apart when he had fought Mihawk was still vivid in his mind, as if it had happened only yesterday.
The image of that battle was deeply etched into his memory, becoming one of the sources of his drive to continuously pursue greater strength.
Roy's appearance at this moment stirred an inexplicable fighting spirit within him; he gripped the three swords in his hands tightly, eagerly anticipating what would happen next.
Under the diverse gazes focused on him, the corners of Roy's mouth curled up slightly, and he let out his signature soft laugh: "Ara ra, seems I arrived just in time."
As he spoke, his face still wore that faint, unreadable expression.
Roy's gaze slowly swept across everyone's faces before finally settling on Hashirama Senju.
Hashirama Senju was someone he had summoned using the Impure World Reincarnation technique; in a sense, he was his subordinate.
This time, he and Hashirama Senju had already secretly agreed to stage a realistic battle in plain sight, to lull the World Government into complacency.
He pondered the upcoming "performance" to himself.
Meanwhile, a unique light flickered in Hashirama Senju's eyes—a barely contained excitement and anticipation.
Even before he had answered Roy's summons to come here, Roy had already laid out the entire plan.
This news had instantly ignited the burning passion within Hashirama Senju; he too wanted to witness Roy's full power.
He had a feeling that Roy's strength surely surpassed his own, but by how much, he didn't know.
The thought of being able to fight against such a strong opponent filled him with excitement.
"Madara, perhaps you'll get a chance to fight him someday, too."
Now, Hashirama Senju and Roy stood facing each other; an invisible magnetic field seemed to form between them, the surrounding air warped and twisted under the pressure of their formidable auras.
Hashirama Senju's towering frame was like a lofty mountain, steadfast and unwavering. His long black hair fluttered wildly in the wind, radiating the confidence of the God of Shinobi.
His eyes were locked onto Roy, burning with intense fighting spirit, the corners of his mouth slightly upturned in a confident smile.
Roy, meanwhile, still wore a faint smile on his face, his white coat gently swaying in the breeze.
As the two faced off, the originally azure sky seemed to be torn apart by an invisible giant hand, cracks spreading rapidly like a spiderweb.
An overwhelmingly powerful Conqueror's Haki surged from both of them, spreading across the desert with unstoppable force.
Sand and gravel on the ground were flung up by this Haki, filling the sky and forming a sandstorm that blotted out the sun.
The desert animals cowered on the ground, trembling in fear; before this overwhelming power, their lives were as fragile as ants.
Under the terrifying intimidation of this Conqueror's Haki, everyone around was stunned into immobility.
Luffy and the others stared wide-eyed, full of disbelief; they had never felt such a powerful pressure, their hearts filled with tension and anticipation for the impending battle.
The CP9 members turned pale, their bodies trembling involuntarily.
Ace understood that the upcoming clash was far beyond his involvement, so he quickly moved far away from the area where Hashirama Senju and Roy were confronting each other.
"I never thought I'd see Mr. Hashirama fight a Marine admiral."
Ace murmured, his tone filled with awe.
He tilted his head slightly, his gaze fixed on the two distant figures radiating immense power, a surge of indescribable excitement welling up within him.
A confrontation like this between Hashirama Senju and a Marine admiral was truly a once-in-a-lifetime event.
"Mr. Hashirama should win, right?"
Ace speculated silently, his eyes reflecting his trust in Hashirama Senju.
In his understanding, Hashirama Senju's strength was unfathomable. The memory of Hashirama's battle with Old Man Whitebeard was still vivid in his mind.
The intensity of that fight and the immense power displayed by Hashirama Senju convinced Ace that Mr. Hashirama held the decisive advantage in this battle.
"No, more accurately, if that fight had continued, there's a high chance Old Man would have lost."
Ace's brow furrowed slightly as he recalled the details of that battle, a grave expression appearing on his face.
He knew well how powerful Whitebeard was, but the strength Hashirama Senju had displayed in their fight forced him to admit that if the battle had continued, Whitebeard would likely have been overwhelmed.
In truth, many members of the Whitebeard Pirates shared Ace's thoughts; they simply chose not to voice their concerns.
Ace slowly turned his gaze to Roy, carefully sizing up this young Marine admiral.
Beneath Roy's seemingly casual posture lurked an unfathomable presence.
Even though Roy radiated an overwhelming pressure, Ace had his own assessment.
In Ace's mind, although Roy was a Marine admiral, he was still young. The gap in experience and accumulated strength compared to a figure like Hashirama Senju was likely significant.
He narrowed his eyes slightly, a flicker of anticipation in them—how long would Roy last against Hashirama Senju's powerful onslaught?
A loud crash shattered the tension.
*Bam.*
In the distance, the desert began to churn violently and collapse.
Countless grains of sand surged like a raging tide, and a desert golem tens of meters tall rose from the ground.
Its body was formed from countless grains of sand tightly bound together, shimmering with a golden light.
As the desert golem emerged, the endless sands transformed into thick ropes, flying at incredible speed toward the three wooden dragons that were restraining Crocodile.
Simultaneously, countless sharp sand spikes shot out from the desert floor, like a dense volley of arrows, screaming toward the wooden dragons.
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