Chapter 18: Chapter 18: Observation Haki That Listens to All Things
Clang!
Zzzzz!
Blades clashed, lightning crackled!
The Elder wielding the cursed blade clashed directly with Rocks, but at that moment, he finally noticed something:
"Not good!"
A panicked exclamation burst from his mouth.
Then a ruthless glint flashed in his eyes—he deliberately pulled back his strength, allowing Rocks' slash to send him flying.
Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!
Before anyone else could react, a wave of Conqueror's Haki exploded, dispersing the dust in the air.
Clutching his bleeding chest, he stood up from the rubble and said to Kong and Garp:
"Hold off Rocks."
Then he turned to the burly Elder and said:
"Quick, get to the temple underground."
With a stomp, his figure vanished as he dashed toward the ruined palace.
The burly Elder quickly came to his senses as well, face dark, and sprinted toward the palace.
...
At this moment, inside the underground palace, Roger stood beside the massive battleship.
The floor was littered with the corpses of countless CP agents, all lifeless.
His right hand gently caressed the battleship, as if stroking his own child.
Sensing the battleship's joyous emotions, Roger's lips curved slightly—but he couldn't bring himself to smile.
"The bloodline of the D Clan, huh..."
Through his Observation Haki that could listen to all things, he felt emotions like a child finding their parent—pure happiness.
Roger fell silent. For a moment, his heart softened, but he quickly suppressed the thought.
This battleship couldn't be taken away now, and he couldn't let Rocks get his hands on it.
And if it stayed here, the Celestial Dragons would eventually decipher its secrets.
If that happened...
Closing his eyes, Roger expanded his Observation Haki that listened to all things.
Sensing the voices of all things, he learned the ship's past, and the weakest part of its structure.
The moment Roger activated his Haki, the battleship seemed to understand what was coming.
Within the Observation Haki's perception, the joy vanished—replaced by a sorrowful emotion that felt like crying.
"Sorry, child."
Roger slowly opened his eyes, face expressionless, as he drew his sword wrapped in Conqueror's Haki.
Raising his hand.
"Stop!"
With a furious roar, the Elder wielding the cursed blade appeared.
A violent surge of Conqueror's Haki rushed toward Roger, followed by a massive slash aimed at him.
Roger ignored the incoming attack, unmoving, his expression blank.
He swung his sword.
"Divine Departure."
His deep voice held no emotion.
The Supreme Grade sword Ace, one of the twelve Great Blades, tore through the battleship's armored hull and slashed deep inside.
The Conqueror's Haki wrapped around the blade exploded within the ship, spreading rampantly.
Black-purple lightning danced as if it had consciousness.
In an instant, it struck a crucial area.
Roger was then blasted away by the incoming slash, slammed into the underground wall, forming a massive crater in the shape of a blade's energy.
"Damn it!"
The Elder wielding the cursed blade, after knocking Roger away, was instead filled with burning rage—it was too late...
The burly Elder arrived soon after and, seeing the trembling super battleship, also erupted in fury.
As Elders, they knew the truth about this battleship.
In reality, whether or not it could be decoded didn't matter—because Imu-sama had a trump card.
A trump card powerful enough to cleanse the world.
To them, this ship was just a weapon of mass destruction.
Whether it could be activated or not was irrelevant.
Otherwise, they wouldn't have issued orders to destroy it and the entire island if necessary.
What enraged them was being played by Roger.
They stood at the top, reigning above all, and yet—they had been tricked by Roger!!!
Even if they didn't care about the ship, even if they smashed it and tossed it in the trash—that didn't give someone like him the right to touch it.
But Roger had taken advantage of the chaos during the great battle.
He broke into their room, and destroyed what was theirs.
That was the real reason the two Elders were furious.
A man they couldn't control...
The two Elders radiated a terrifying killing intent, pressing down on Roger.
Roger, however, was unfazed. He flexed slightly, pulled his embedded body from the wall, and jumped down with ease.
"Gentlemen, how about we leave? This place is about to collapse."
Landing on the ground, Roger grinned wide, his bold voice echoing.
As if nothing had just happened.
He casually addressed the two.
And just as Roger said, the battleship's shaking intensified, and a violent energy was surging madly from within.
The two Elders gave Roger a dark look, but suppressed their killing intent—for now.
They were a hundred meters underground. Getting buried here would indeed be troublesome.
More importantly, killing Rocks was the top priority.
That special ability user who joined Rocks was actually a world government agent, intentionally released.
The plan was now just one step from completion.
"Hmph. We're leaving."
After a few seconds of standoff, the Elder with the cursed blade snorted coldly and spoke.
Face dark, he turned to leave. The burly Elder followed with the same expression.
Roger burst out laughing and followed leisurely toward the tunnel.
As he reached the tunnel entrance, he paused for a moment, then continued forward—but only after a few steps, he stopped again.
He turned and looked at the battleship. The smile was gone.
In a sincere, quiet voice, he said:
"Sorry."
Then he turned once more and walked away, wide grin back on his face.
As if nothing had happened at all.
Rumble—!
The battleship's energy surged violently, and the underground palace began to collapse...
---
read +100 chapters on Patreon tambeerg