One Piece: The Silver Sovereign

"Rayleigh, go help the others, leave Garp to me."

After fighting for a while, Roger called out to Rayleigh.

"Understood, Captain."

Roger was the type who took time to build up momentum, even in battle; his strength gradually ramped up over time.

Garp, on the other hand, was explosive from the very beginning; he went all out right from the start. Aside from Whitebeard, very few people could handle him.

Once Rayleigh exited the battlefield, he quickly rushed to aid in other areas. The fighting was happening on their ship, and the longer it dragged on, the more damage the ship would suffer.

Meanwhile, Shirakawa and Shanks, looking down at their "handiwork," exchanged satisfied smiles.

Buggy was unconscious, knocked out cold by the two of them.

"Shanks, are we gonna be okay doing this?"

They had hidden Buggy in an extremely secret place and even sealed his mouth with tape.

"Of course. I've done this a few times already."

Shanks answered nonchalantly, even sounding a bit proud.

"Is that something to be proud of…?"

Shirakawa muttered inwardly.

Truth be told, Buggy had it rough. When it was just Shanks, he couldn't handle him. Now with Shirakawa added, it was even worse.

And Shirakawa looked so harmless, who would've thought his heart was just as devious as Shanks'?

Although the Roger Pirates and Garp's Marine fleet had been long-time rivals, they never held back when it came time to fight; there was no mercy.

"Well, well… didn't expect to find a kid and a weakling on this ship."

As the two walked out of hiding, a voice reached them.

The "kid" obviously referred to Shanks, and the "weakling" could only mean Shirakawa.

"Weakling? Are you talking to me?"

Shirakawa was furious. If this had been two months ago, he might have accepted it, but not anymore.

He might not be at the level of a top fighter, but he certainly wasn't the bottom either.

"That's right, I'm talking about you. You look so fragile, I have no idea how you got onto Roger's crew."

"How did I get on? Let me tell you, I earned it with my strength!"

Shirakawa charged at the Marine, his speed accelerating, and threw a punch straight at him.

"Weakling, you are weak. Your attacks are way too predictable."

The Marine sneered and raised his sword to strike Shirakawa's hand, but what happened next left him utterly stunned.

The moment the blade touched Shirakawa's fist, there was no blood, no gore. Instead, the sword snapped in half, and the blade went flying.

"Impossible... Haki? No... not Tekkai either. Could it be... a Devil Fruit power?"

But Shirakawa didn't give him time to think. His fist slammed into the Marine's head, deforming his face, knocking out several teeth, and sending him straight into unconsciousness.

"Whoa! Shirakawa! You know Haki now? You're not even afraid of blades!"

Shanks had genuinely been worried for Shirakawa, but seeing him break a sword with his fist left him completely shocked.

"Nah, not Haki. It's probably part of my ability."

"Wow! What Devil Fruit did you eat? That's amazing!"

"Hehe… I have no idea."

Against opponents far weaker than himself, not even Shirakawa's flesh could be damaged. He'd tested this repeatedly, mostly using Buggy as a guinea pig.

At this point, even without actively using his ability, Buggy couldn't lay a finger on him.

However, this only applied to those with a significant power gap. If the opponent was close in strength, Shirakawa's body could still be damaged easily.

As for that Marine, despite his size, it was clear he was all bluff. He was probably one of the weaker members of the force; otherwise, he wouldn't be hiding in the rear instead of fighting on the front lines.

The two of them returned to the battlefield, only to find that the battle had already reached its climax. The Marines were clearly at a disadvantage, and if it continued, they'd face inevitable defeat.

Especially now that Garp wasn't around.

Garp had been lured away by Roger to a more remote island, so that the rest of the crew could escape safely.

Once the Marines were leaderless. If Garp retreated, Garp would break free of Garp and return.

"Vice Admiral Tsuru, we should retreat."

A sword-wielding Rear Admiral retreated to Tsuru's side after blocking a strike from Barrett alongside her, then made the suggestion.

"Mm."

Tsuru's Observation Haki could no longer sense Garp's presence; it was clear Roger had led him far away.

"Order the Marines to retreat."

"Yes, ma'am!"

"All Marines, fall back to the ships!"

The Rear Admiral stepped back again and shouted the command to the troops.

Upon hearing it, the Marines were visibly relieved and began retreating in an orderly fashion.

Meanwhile, Shirakawa and Shanks, who had taken down a few Marines, overheard the order to retreat.

"Do your fights with the Marines always end this quickly?"

Watching the Marines pull back and the pirates not pursuing, Shirakawa asked Shanks.

"Only with Garp's fleet. Battles with other Marine units usually last longer. If it were someone like Whitebeard, we'd probably be fighting for days and nights."

"Oh… I see."

With their current strength, the Roger Pirates could easily wipe out the remaining Marines without Garp, but there was no need, and more importantly, no point.

If they did that, Garp would go completely berserk, and then they'd be hunted by a literal mad dog, nonstop.

Still, as the Marines left, Shirakawa witnessed something that stunned him.

A few pirates and Marines were waving goodbye to each other, even calling out things like "See you next time!"

"What the heck is this harmony…"

Shirakawa muttered as his mouth twitched in disbelief.

"Haha, you'll get used to it," Shanks laughed.

Meanwhile, Roger and Garp had been fighting on a remote island for half a day.

"If I've timed it right, the Marines should be retreating by now."

Roger landed a heavy blow that sent Garp flying, then quickly pulled back himself.

"Running already, Roger?"

Garp roared, eyes wide as he watched Roger retreat.

"That's right, Garp. I'm out of here. Hope I never see your face again!"

"No way, Roger! Next time I see you, I'm hauling you to Impel Down myself!"

"Haha! If you think you can, try it!"

Roger was a bit faster than Garp; that's how he always managed to escape in the end.

"Try? I will!"

With that final shout, Garp slumped down on the ground. If Roger was serious about running, he couldn't catch him.

Now, Garp just waited for his subordinates to locate him, since his vivre card was with Tsuru.