"Rayleigh, go help the others. Leave Garp to me." After fighting for a while, Roger spoke to Rayleigh.
"Understood, Captain."
Roger was the slow-burn type. Even in battle, his combat power would gradually ramp up as time went on.
But Garp was different. He was the kind of man who could explode anytime, anywhere. The moment he stepped in, he went all out. Aside from Whitebeard, most people really could not handle that.
After Rayleigh disengaged from this battlefield, he rushed to the other fronts. The fighting was happening on their ship right now, and the longer it dragged on, the more damage their ship would take.
Meanwhile, Bai Chuan and Shanks looked at their handiwork and smiled in satisfaction.
Buggy had already lost consciousness. Shanks and Bai Chuan had beaten him until he passed out.
"Shanks, are we really okay doing this?" The two of them hid Buggy in an extremely concealed spot and sealed his mouth with tape.
"Of course it's fine. I've done this plenty of times."
Shanks said it like it was nothing, and there was even a hint of pride in his tone.
"Is that really something to be proud of?" Bai Chuan muttered to himself.
To be fair, Buggy really was kind of miserable. Back when it was only Shanks, he already could not beat him. Now there was another one, so he stood even less of a chance.
And Bai Chuan looked harmless, like he would not hurt a fly. Who would have thought his heart could be just as dark as Shanks'?
Even though the Roger Pirates and the Marine fleet led by Garp were old acquaintances, when it was time to strike, they still struck, and they never held back.
"I didn't expect there to be a kid and a wimp on this ship."
As soon as the two of them stepped out, they heard that voice.
The "kid" obviously meant Shanks. That left the "wimp," which could only be Bai Chuan.
"Wimp? You're talking about me?" Bai Chuan felt irritated. If you'd said that two months ago, he would have accepted it, but not now.
Even if he was not at the very top, he was definitely not at the very bottom anymore.
"That's right, I mean you. You look like you'd blow over in the wind. I really don't know how you ended up on Roger's crew."
"How did I get on? I'll tell you. I got on with my own strength!"
Bai Chuan charged at that Marine, faster and faster, then swung his fist and punched straight at him.
"Wimp, you really are weak. Your attack path is way too obvious."
The Marine chuckled, raised his blade, and slashed at Bai Chuan's hand, but the result stunned him.
When the blade met Bai Chuan's fist, there was no bloody scene like the Marine imagined. Instead, the sword snapped in half, and the broken piece went flying away.
"How is that possible? Haki? No, not that. And it's not Iron Body either. Could it be some kind of Devil Fruit?"
Bai Chuan did not give him time to think. He drove a fist into the Marine's head, warping his face. Several teeth flew out of his mouth. His eyes rolled back, and he fainted on the spot.
"Whoa, Bai Chuan, you can use Haki now? You're not even afraid of blades!"
Shanks had truly been sweating for Bai Chuan just now, but seeing Bai Chuan actually shatter the sword left him shocked.
"No. This is probably part of my ability."
"Whoa. What Devil Fruit did you even eat? That ability is insane."
"Hehe. I don't know either."
Against people far weaker than Bai Chuan, they could not even break his body. That was something he had tested out on Buggy over the past month.
Because now, even if Bai Chuan did not activate any defensive ability, Buggy still could not do anything to him.
But that only worked on people who were much weaker than him. Against opponents around his level, Bai Chuan's body could still be damaged easily.
As for that Marine, he looked tall and strong, but it was obvious he was all show. He was probably one of the weaker ones in the Marines, otherwise he would not be avoiding the main battlefield and sneaking around over here.
The two of them headed back toward the battlefield and found the fight had already entered a fever pitch. The Marines' disadvantage was becoming more and more obvious. If it continued, the Marines would lose for sure.
Especially with Garp not here.
At this moment, Garp had already been lured by Roger to an island a bit farther away. Only then could the crew ensure their ship could leave safely.
Once the Marines, without Garp, retreated on their own, Roger would immediately find a way to shake off Garp's pursuit and return.
"Vice Admiral Tsuru, we should withdraw."
At this time, a sword-using Rear Admiral fell back to Vice Admiral Tsuru's side. Together, they received one of Barrett's attacks, and he spoke as he did.
"Mm."
Tsuru's Observation Haki could no longer sense Garp's presence. He had clearly been drawn far away by Roger.
"Give the order. Withdraw."
"Yes, Vice Admiral."
"All Marines, return to the warships!" The Rear Admiral stepped back several more paces and issued the order to the Marines.
Hearing it, all the Marines' spirits lifted, and they began to retreat in an orderly, steady manner.
Shanks and Bai Chuan, who had only just reached the battlefield, took down a few Marines and then heard the withdrawal order.
"Do your fights with the Marines always end this fast?" Bai Chuan asked Shanks as he watched them pull back.
"It's like this when it's a fleet led by Garp. If it's another Marine fleet, the fight might last longer. And if it's someone like Whitebeard, then you might be fighting for days and nights."
"Oh, so that's how it is."
With the Roger Pirates' current strength, they could absolutely keep all these Marines here now that Garp was gone, but there was no need, and they did not dare to.
If these people were left behind, Garp would probably go completely berserk. Then what would be waiting for them would be that mad dog's endless pursuit.
Still, as the Marines were leaving, Bai Chuan saw something that surprised him.
A few pirates and Marines were actually waving at each other reluctantly, saying things like "see you next time."
"This scene is way too harmonious." Bai Chuan's mouth twitched as he spoke helplessly.
"Haha, you'll get used to it once you've seen it enough."
Meanwhile, Roger and Garp had been fighting on a deserted island for most of the day.
"If I count it up, those Marines should've withdrawn by now." Roger landed a heavy blow that sent Garp flying, then quickly retreated himself.
"Roger, are you running?" Seeing Roger pulling away, Garp roared with his eyes wide.
"That's right, Garp, I'm running. I hope you stop chasing me. I really don't want to see you again."
"No way, Roger. Next time we meet, I'll personally send you to Impel Down."
"Haha. If you can do it, then try."
Roger was a bit faster than Garp, which was exactly why Roger managed to escape safely every time.
"Try it? Fine, I'll try it!"
After shouting that, Garp sat down. If Roger truly set his mind on running, Garp really could not catch up. Right now, he was just sitting here waiting for his subordinates to find him.
Because his Vivre Card was with Tsuru.
/-\
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