Ritter led Moonstone Shiki toward the back mountain. Once they reached the depths of the ancient forest, Ritter sat down on a large rock, as if waiting for someone.
"Hahahaha! This place is a nightmare to find!"
Roger's voice suddenly rang out from the woods, bright and carefree as ever. He pushed through the bushes and strode over, several leaves stuck to his straw hat, clearly the result of a rough journey.
Beneath his mask, Ritter's lips curved slightly upward. "What's wrong? You didn't invite me onto the ship just now, and now you regret it and chased after me?"
Roger burst out laughing, brushing the leaves off himself before plopping down on a rock beside Ritter. "Why would I invite someone who's already on my ship? Right, Ritter?"
He winked.
"You're not even going to ask why there are two Ritters?"
Roger absentmindedly dug at his nose.
"But Ritter is Ritter," he said casually. "If you wanted to tell me, you would have already. If you didn't want to tell me, asking wouldn't help anyway. Didn't you say so yourself?"
Moonstone Shiki stood a short distance away, staring at the scene in surprise. She had expected secrets of time travel to spark endless questions. Roger's reaction, however, was almost unsettlingly natural.
"You're not curious about what happens in the future?" Ritter asked despite himself.
Roger looked up at the stars. "Hahahaha! Knowing too much is boring. I remember you asked me that the first time we met."
He turned back to Ritter, a sharp, knowing light in his eyes. "But if there's anything I can help with right now, just say the word."
Ritter shook his head. "Nothing like that, Roger. I just want to fight you. You old man used to bully me when I was weak. Now I'm here to get even."
That was the truth. Ritter's return was, in large part, simply to give Roger a proper beating. When Ritter reached his peak, Roger's strength had already begun to decline. The Roger standing here was not quite at his absolute prime, but close enough. Soon, illness would start to erode him.
"Illusory World!"
Dense mist spread outward, sealing the battlefield away from reality.
"Hahahaha!" Roger laughed as he stood. "I knew you weren't up to anything good!"
Ace at his waist rang out with a crisp chime. "Come on. Let me see how much you've grown, kid from the future!"
Despite his words, Roger's eyes never left Ritter. Inside the mist, his Observation Haki was clearly being disrupted.
Blood mist surged around Ritter as the Black Tide greatsword slowly slid free of its sheath. "Don't regret this, Captain."
Before the sentence even finished, both figures vanished from where they stood.
"Kid Ritter, don't disappoint me! Take this! Divine Evasion!"
Ritter thought calmly: Opening with Divine Evasion. Classic. I won't dodge Divine Evasion. I'm above the gods now. You're classic. So am I.
"Mist God Style: Demonic Assault!"
"Clang!"
The instant Black Tide collided with Ace, the blazing will to fight ignited in both their eyes.
The blades crashed again and again, perfectly matched, neither giving ground. Crimson Haki erupted from both of them, but Ritter's burned deeper and darker, like two suns colliding. The shockwave ripped trees out by the roots and hurled them skyward.
Ritter felt the overwhelming power surging from Roger like a tidal wave, so fierce it numbed his jaw. Roger truly lived up to his name as the pinnacle of the pirate world. But Ritter also knew that Roger was feeling the same pressure. After all, Ritter himself now stood at that very peak. He was no longer the boy who hid in the mist, easily caught by Roger.
"Mist God Form: Nine Dragons Devour."
Ritter suddenly pulled back, leaning away as Black Tide traced a flawless arc of blood-red light before him. Nine crimson serpentine dragons burst from the blade, whiskers flying, scales and claws fierce and majestic, carrying an Eastern sense of authority as they charged Roger.
"Good!" Roger's eyes blazed. Black-red lightning wrapped around Ace. "Divine Descent!"
His sword light rose like the sun. The moment it collided with the blood dragons, a thunderous dragon's roar shook the air. The shockwave pulverized every rock within a hundred meters.
"Wait. Wait. Isn't this going a bit far? The illusion world is about to collapse."
Roger's battle spirit burned hotter than ever. That naive child had grown to this extent, and the realization filled him with both excitement and joy.
Ace was now coated in Armament Haki, gleaming with dark light.
"Hahahaha! This is fun! Again!" Roger laughed as his figure blurred, reappearing beside Ritter like a ghost and swinging horizontally.
Ritter's body flickered strangely as the mist reformed him.
He drew in a deep breath, forcing down the thrill pounding in his chest.
"Mist God Form: Blood Prison Dragon Ascension!"
Ritter roared. The blood mist around him surged outward, instantly condensing into a colossal crimson dragon coiling around Black Tide. A suffocating aura spread in all directions.
The blood dragon let out a deafening roar as Ritter's Conqueror's Haki pressed down on Roger. Between true monsters, overwhelming presence was only natural.
Roger narrowed his eyes, feeling both the dragon's terrifying power and the crushing pressure of Ritter's will.
A shockwave erupted around Roger, colliding head-on with the dragon's oppressive force. Their Haki clashed violently in the air, roaring as if it would tear the illusion apart.
"Divine Punishment!"
Roger poured every ounce of his Haki into Ace. The blade shone brighter than ever, as if it would split heaven and earth. With a furious shout, he swung, unleashing an invisible slash straight at the blood dragon.
"Boom!"
The blood dragon and the sword strike collided, detonating with a thunderous roar. Scales shattered with a shrill wail, and the sword force dissipated soon after.
Of course, Ritter had no intention of ending the fight with a single move. He stayed tightly behind the blood dragon.
"Mist God Style: Blood Sacrifice!"
A flash of madness crossed Ritter's eyes. The blood mist thickened, almost swallowing him whole. He roared as Black Tide erupted in blinding crimson light, killing intent condensed to its extreme as he brought the blade down toward Roger's head.
"Hahahaha! Now this is interesting!"
Roger refused to back down. Ace flared with brilliant red light as he roared and met the strike head-on.
Their figures tangled once more. Sword light poured down like rain. Black Tide and Ace collided again and again, sparks exploding with every impact. Each clash felt as if it tore through the air itself.
At the very summit of piracy, a battle between two supreme figures was no longer just about strength or swordsmanship. Mastery of power, unyielding will, even the quality of the blade in one's hand could decide victory or defeat. Fighting with a tree branch was something only possible when one held absolute superiority.