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Chapter 15: The King's Right Hand!
🕑 Added 2025-08-20 02:28:55 +0000 UTCThe aftereffects of Haki training were total body torture. Kyle felt like every bone in his body had been systematically disassembled by Roger and Rayleigh, then hastily glued back together - one wrong move and he'd fall apart completely.
When their beat-up little ship finally made landfall on what looked like a godforsaken, deserted island, Kyle practically crawled onto the beach, face-planting into the sand with his left hand stretched out in front.
Captain, please don't stop!
"Gu ha ha ha! Adventure! Adventure!"
The moment Roger's feet touched solid ground, he lit up like a kid in a candy store, letting out an incomprehensible whoop of joy before diving headfirst into the dense jungle and vanishing from sight in the blink of an eye.
Very Roger of him.
"Isn't he worried about venomous snakes or wild beasts in there?" Kyle groaned weakly.
"He's probably hoping to find some," Rayleigh said as he gracefully leaped down from the ship, landing lightly beside Kyle. "He said he sensed something interesting."
"Something interesting? I think he just got bored and needs something to wreck," Kyle rolled his eyes, struggling to sit up on the beach and brushing sand off himself.
Rayleigh didn't respond; instead, walking slowly along the shoreline, observing the island's vegetation and tides.
Kyle had no choice but to follow, stretching his aching muscles while taking in their surroundings. The island was indeed bursting with primitive vitality - towering trees blocked out the sky, and the air was thick with the fresh scent of earth and vegetation.
"Speaking of which, Rayleigh-san," Kyle kicked a pebble, "how did you and that bastard Roger meet?"
Rayleigh adjusted his glasses, gazing toward the distant horizon as if lost in brief memories.
"My house burned down, so I was living on a boat."
"I'm Roger, and our meeting was destiny, Rayleigh!"
"Want to turn this world upside down with me?"
Kyle stroked his chin, focusing on the wrong detail about these two legends' first meeting: "You stole the boat? Don't tell me you happened to steal Roger's boat. Or did Roger burn down your house?"
Rayleigh: ...
---
"BOOOOM——!!!!"
Just then, an earth-shaking explosion thundered from the island's center, interrupting their chat.
The ground shook violently, as if some massive creature was thrashing around underground.
In the distance, hundreds of birds shrieked as they scattered in all directions. A huge cloud of dust shot skyward, mixed with the sharp "crack" of splintering trees.
Kyle and Rayleigh locked eyes, both seeing the same thought reflected back.
"I knew it..." Kyle covered his face with his hand, looking utterly defeated.
Rayleigh sighed, though his eyes behind his glasses sharpened. "Let's go see what trouble Roger's gotten himself into now."
Without further delay, they became two blurs racing toward the source of the commotion.
When they reached the island's center, the scene before them made them stop in their tracks.
What had been dense jungle was now a devastated clearing, the ground crisscrossed with slash marks and massive craters. Broken trees lay everywhere, still smoking.
And in the center of the clearing, two figures were engaged in a storm-like, fierce battle.
"Gu ha ha ha ha! Not bad! Really not bad!"
Roger wielded his sword with booming laughter, each swing carrying mountain-splitting force. Facing him was a young man of similar age - tall, with long hair tied back.
The young man held two massive battle axes, his attacks wild and devastating.
Oh, those plain and simple supreme great axes!
Each collision between axe blade and sword edge erupted in blinding sparks and deafening metallic thunder, the shockwaves scraping away layers of ground around them.
Kyle's pupils contracted sharply.
Dual axes, towering frame, black sunglasses, that indomitable wild fighting spirit... This person was...
The legendary Mountain-Eater!
The inspiring example that even vocational school students can make it to university!
The true world's strongest man!
The second-in-command, whose second-in-command was huge!
"Scopper Gaban!"
Kyle cried out internally - the future Roger Pirates' third-in-command, the legendary "Bronze" of the "Gold, Silver, Bronze" trio!
Roger and Gaban, in the midst of battle, clearly noticed the two arrivals.
"Oh? You're here!" Roger flashed a grin, his expression instantly shifting. "Then I can't drag this out any longer!"
His aura changed dramatically - no longer the attitude of someone enjoying battle, but an overwhelming imperial presence that erupted like a tsunami!
Black-red lightning-like energy began crackling wildly around his blade with a terrifying "bzzt" sound.
Gaban's face changed drastically. Roger's current aura was completely different from before, but he didn't retreat. Instead, he let out a roar, pouring all his strength into his dual axes and charging straight at Roger!
"Good eyes!" Roger laughed approvingly, raising his long sword high and aiming at Gaban's approaching figure.
"Divine Departure!!"
No flashy effects, no unnecessary movements.
Just one simple horizontal slash.
That strike, wrapped in Conqueror's Haki, seemed to ignore spatial distance, instantly crossing the gap between them and precisely striking Gaban's crossed, blocking axes.
Time seemed to freeze for an instant.
Before the shock on Gaban's face could fully fade, an irresistible, incomprehensible, terrifying force penetrated through his axes and brutally invaded his body.
"Crack!"
His prized dual axes let out a mournful cry as spider-web cracks appeared on their surfaces. Then Gaban himself was sent flying like he'd been hit head-on by a speeding train - eyes rolled back, blood spraying from his mouth as he crashed through seven or eight trees before finally coming to rest, unconscious.
One strike decided it all!
The clearing fell silent, leaving only Roger standing there with his sword over his shoulder, grinning.
Kyle quietly gulped, his eyes full of stars. So this was the power of Conqueror's Haki coating?
Coach! I want to learn this!
Divine Departure was amazing - he had to learn it!
Roger strode over to the unconscious Gaban. Rather than finishing him off, he examined him with interest, then looked at his cracked axes.
"Gu ha ha ha! What an interesting guy!"
Apparently forgetting he was the cause of all this, he turned to shout at Rayleigh and Kyle: "Hey! Wake him up! I've got questions for him!"
Ten minutes later, Gaban - awakened by Kyle using a small shockwave - sat warily against a tree trunk, eyeing these three strange guys.
"You're pretty strong!" Roger squatted in front of him, offering a water skin with a brilliant smile free of any grudge. "I'm Gol D. Roger! These are Rayleigh and Kyle. What's your name? Got any dreams?"
Gaban was stunned, clearly not expecting this reaction. He hesitated before accepting the water skin, taking several gulps before answering gruffly: "Scopper Gaban... My dream is... to travel the world, see all the sights this ocean has to offer with my own eyes! Then marry a big, strong woman!"
"Oh—!" Roger's eyes lit up instantly. He slapped his thigh and jumped up excitedly. "Travel the world? Great dream! I approve of you!"
Kyle: Shouldn't the focus be on the second part?!
Roger extended his hand, flashing Gaban a smile bright enough to illuminate the entire forest.
"Gaban! Join my crew! Come turn this world upside down with us!"
Gaban stared into Roger's clear, sincere eyes, at that face radiating an infectious boldness and confidence, completely stunned.
After a moment, his tense expression relaxed into a relieved smile as he nodded firmly.
"Alright!"
Kyle watched this absurd development unfold, his inner voice screaming with complaints.
That's it? One fight, one question about dreams, then "I approve of you," and he'd recruited an SSR card just like that?
The legendary succubus Roger was still going strong!
Watching Roger and Gaban chatting happily, then glancing at Rayleigh with his "totally used to this" expression, Kyle felt like the world was just one giant amateur hour production.
Hiss~ Wait a minute!
Rayleigh was the Pirate King's right hand, Gaban the left hand...
But then, what about me?!
