At this moment, Aramaki had one arm severed by an ordinary looking masked man, and that masked man had even used advanced Conqueror's Haki coating.
Urther and Castellon were completely stunned.
Although Aramaki usually looked carefree, his strength was not much weaker than theirs.
Yet when he tried to teach an ordinary masked man a lesson, he ended up losing an arm instead. What was going on?
That man had also used Conqueror's Haki coating. Had this technique become so common now?
If so, why could they not use it?
And what did Kong just call that man, Roger?
Could the man surrounded by overwhelming Conqueror's Haki really be the Pirate King, who was clearly dead?
The shock was too great. The two of them fell silent, abandoning their earlier thoughts of enjoying a proper fight. Neither wanted to be the first to step forward again.
"Are you Roger?"
Kong asked uncertainly as he looked at the ordinary masked swordsman.
As the former Commander in Chief of the Navy, he knew Roger extremely well. The Divine Departure just now was Roger's signature technique.
Only Shanks and Rayleigh could use it now, and he was certain this man was neither of them.
Moreover, the way this man attacked was unforgettable once seen.
Roger did not answer and remained silent.
This was one of the restrictions. From the moment he became a heroic spirit, he lost his original identity.
"You are Roger."
Kong stared at Roger's figure and became completely certain.
It was far too familiar.
When he did not reveal his strength, he looked like an ordinary vice admiral. Once he did, he was wrapped in an almost invincible aura of dominance.
That sprinting figure had haunted his dreams after Roger escaped time and time again. There was no mistake.
Roger was the Navy's greatest enemy, someone who had to be eliminated. He never imagined he would see the dead Pirate King again.
Yet now Roger had been resurrected and was being controlled by Caelan.
What in the world was happening?
"Kong, are you sure?"
Castellon and Urther asked in disbelief.
They had never seen Roger, only heard of him, so they could not be as confident as Kong.
"I'm sure."
Kong answered firmly, and at the same time an even more unbelievable thought formed in his mind.
"I can also confirm it." Akainu looked at the masked man and the group facing him, feeling immense pressure. "I've seen Roger many times. His presence is exactly the same."
Castellon and Urther found it absurd, but after confirmation from two people who had personally faced Roger, they had no choice but to believe it.
But how was this possible?
The Pirate King, who had clearly died twenty years ago, had been summoned by Caelan and turned into his subordinate.
Was this reasonable? It made no sense at all.
"I attacked Roger?"
Aramaki finally came back to his senses, his heart filled with fear and despair.
He never imagined that a random choice would lead him straight into disaster.
Would it have been better if he had chosen someone else?
No. If the one who cut off his arm was Roger, then who were the other masked men?
"That one with the crescent beard, could it be Whitebeard?"
Aramaki spoke with a trace of hope.
He was unfamiliar with the others. Only the man with the crescent beard was unmistakable.
Surely not. Whitebeard had half his body destroyed by Akainu. He could not possibly be resurrected, right?
"It's him." Akainu sighed weakly. "Roger, Whitebeard, Bullet, Redfield, and Byrnndi World are all here."
"The pirates who once shook the seas have all become Caelan's puppets. That's another surprise for us."
With Roger as proof, identifying the others became much easier.
As for why they were puppets, Akainu was certain of it.
With their pride, none of them would willingly serve Caelan, let alone cooperate with him.
Especially Whitebeard. Marco and several division commanders had died at Caelan's hands.
This situation could only exist if Caelan had resurrected them and taken control through some method.
Akainu was still shaken when he saw Whitebeard, whom he had personally killed, standing alive again.
No wonder Caelan had been so confident. Even without Sengoku and the others defecting, the ability to resurrect the dead and force them to fight was enough to change the world.
"Fleet Admiral Akainu, we should retreat and defend the final line with the Five Elders," Aramaki said miserably, no longer even thinking about avenging his lost arm.
His face was pale with a greenish tinge, partly from blood loss and partly from the effects of his Devil Fruit.
There were already five admirals on the other side, each with a partner of equal strength. How could they fight this?
Even Castellon and Urther were thinking of retreat now.
They had never faced Roger personally, but they knew he was someone even the former commander Garling could not defeat.
Now it was two against one. There was no chance of victory.
At the final moment, Caelan had revealed his trump card.
"If they let you leave, then go," Akainu said calmly as he glanced at Aramaki.
"Akainu is right."
Zephyr looked at Akainu and the others, his expression filled with regret but also resolve.
"Today, you have no choice but to die here."
"Then come on."
Akainu suddenly laughed.
"Zephyr-sensei, Aokiji, let me see whether you've grown weaker after living in such comfort."
He was jealous. Jealous of Aokiji's luck.
Back in the Navy, Aokiji had Sengoku's protection, while Akainu had been isolated during their fight for Fleet Admiral.
After the Navy collapsed, Aokiji became an admiral of the Neo Navy, while he was left to deal with the aftermath alone.
But his failures were also the result of his own personality.
Let it all end here.
"Hell Hound."
Akainu roared as he charged at Aokiji, unleashing all the fury of his life.
His magma surged, turning his arms red like hellfire.
"Then come."
Aokiji's expression turned serious as he prepared to fight.
"Zephyr-sensei, let's do this together."
Although he wanted a one on one fight, he could not disobey orders.
This was the last dignity he could give Akainu.
Zephyr's heart was firm as steel.
"Give him a swift end."
In an instant, the war fully erupted.
Zephyr and Aokiji fought Akainu.
Whitebeard and Roger fought Aramaki.
Kizaru and Bullet fought Kong.
Gion and Byrnndi World fought Urther.
Garp and Redfield fought Castellon.
"No, who wants to switch with me?"
Aramaki, trapped between Roger and Whitebeard, shouted in despair.
"I can surrender. I really can surrender."
(To be continued.)