Brian's question pierced Roger's heart like a sharp blade, forcing him to recall the events of a few months ago. He couldn't help but try to justify himself.
"There were reasons for that! How could I just ignore the lives of my crew's family members?"
"Oh? Then tell me, what were those reasons? Captain Rocks missed you for months."
"Hmph! If it weren't for the fact that my crew and I were delayed exploring an ancient ruin, then got caught in an upward current and pushed to a Sky Island after coming out, and by the time we regained our senses we were already in Paradise—how could I have retreated?"
"And after that? When you heard the news that the islands connected to your comrades were being destroyed one after another, why still not dare to come to the New World?"
"That was because of the crew's demands. Rayleigh and Gaban stopped me. We had no choice but to stay in Paradise, and only now have we returned."
Speaking of this, Roger felt inexplicably awkward. The whole situation was indeed rather absurd.
To put it bluntly, the decision not to enter the New World was ultimately agreed upon by him, the captain. Otherwise, no matter how much Rayleigh and Gaban argued, they couldn't have changed his mind.
Everyone knew that the captain of the Roger Pirates was famously "willful"!
In the end, Roger was afraid of the Rocks Pirates. He feared Rocks' retaliation, and ultimately didn't dare to enter the New World at that critical moment, choosing instead to avoid confrontation.
Kings avoiding each other? No, it was evading the edge!
Perhaps this was what Roger truly thought, but regardless, he had made his choice.
He never imagined that their prestigious Roger Pirates, the second most famous crew in the New World, would one day back down—something he had never considered during his earlier days dominating the New World.
However, to be serious, it was a wise choice. How could the lives of a few relatives connected to some minor crew members compare to the safety of their entire Roger Pirates crew?
Roger: Go out and ask—who in the whole world isn't afraid of the full retaliation of the Rocks Pirates? Find them, find them for me! I want to ask them face to face.
Even the World Government couldn't claim to be completely unafraid. Rocks was a madman who never reasoned with people—he only spoke with his fists.
"Hmph, excuses. In the end, you were just scared."
With a cold snort, Brian felt somewhat bored. It had to be said that the original work's portrayal of this future Pirate King had created quite a filter, making him initially hold Roger in some regard.
But after seeing more and experiencing more, such impressions naturally faded or even vanished. Simply put, the mystique was gone.
So what if he's the future Pirate King? When it's time to chicken out, he chickens out—just like anyone else. No need to say more.
As the two remained locked in their standoff, the battle below continued. The remaining two Ancient Species Beast Girls performed just as impressively, if not more brilliantly.
The Panda Girl Tuan Rong faced off against a giant crew member of the Roger Pirates, the only giant in the crew whom Roger had "coaxed and swindled" aboard from an ancient island during his travels. This giant possessed terrifying strength.
At this moment, the giant roared, lifting his massive iron club and smashing it down toward Tuan Rong with a force capable of splitting mountains and shattering rocks.
"You think your strength can surpass a giant, you black-and-white bear?!"
In their previous clashes, the two had already exchanged several blows. Yet, to his dismay, Tuan Rong's petite frame, which seemed as small as an ant before him, unleashed power no weaker than his own as a giant, leaving him deeply embarrassed.
Tuan Rong remained expressionless. She took a deep breath, instantly concentrating her Armament Haki to its peak. It enveloped her shoulders and arms like obsidian.
Instead of dodging, she adopted an incredible stance, thrusting her shoulder directly toward the center of the iron club.
"Titan's Body - Mountain Crushing Shoulder Bash!"
This was a strike where Tuan Rong perfectly combined her defensive power and body weight. The moment she was hit, her body rebounded upward like a massive spring.
Boom!
The iron club collided violently with Tuan Rong's shoulder, producing a deafening crash akin to a planetary impact!
The giant crew member felt as if his club had struck an immovable mountain. The tremendous recoil instantly traveled up the club to his arms, splitting his palms and causing blood to gush forth. The iron club flew from his grasp, hurled high into the air.
Tuan Rong was pushed back dozens of meters by the force, carving two deep trenches into the ground beneath her feet. Yet, she emerged completely unscathed, merely shaking her head like a startled young beast.
"Your strength... is weak!" Tuan Rong's voice carried a hint of childishness, yet radiated absolute dominance.
The giant crew member was left dazed and disoriented by the recoil. Seizing the opportunity, Tuan Rong's petite figure shot forward like a cannonball. She unleashed a flurry of heavy punches, raining blows upon the giant's chest.
Thud! Thud! Thud!
Each punch carried the force to crush mountains and split rocks, making the giant's ribcage groan under the strain. Finally, Tuan Rong gathered all her strength and aimed her final strike at the giant's abdomen.
"Panda Heavy Strike - Iron Mountain Shoulder Bash!"
The giant's body flew out like a kite with its string cut. His massive frame crashed heavily into the Cumulus Clouds at the edge of Sky Island, then plummeted downward with a huge mass of clouds, vanishing into the White Sea.
As for whether he would fall from Sky Island into the sea below and meet his end in the ocean, that wasn't a problem for Tuan Rong to ponder.
"I won~"
"I really am amazing, hmm~"
Looking at her slightly bruised palms, Tuan Rong let out a long sigh of relief. This was the first time since her birth she had faced such a colossal opponent. Though it was tough, she had still emerged victorious and completed the task Brian had given her.
Not far from Tuan Rong, the Ice Sprite Girl Coco was facing the largest number of opponents among the six.
Before her stood several members of the Roger Pirates: a shipwright, a combat member wearing gauntlets, and even the ship's doctor who had survived Aola's earlier attack.
At this moment, the three of them stared gravely at Coco floating mid-air. This woman, who appeared both incredibly adorable and aesthetically pleasing like an elf, had given them immense trouble in the previous battle.
With a casual wave of her hand, she summoned blizzards that were difficult to block—elegant yet lethally deadly.
The shipwright, possessing formidable Armament Haki and superb combat skills, roared as he charged toward Coco, intending to shatter this enemy who resembled an ice and snow sprite with his fists.
"Die, monster!" The shipwright's iron fists gleamed with a black light.
Coco smiled faintly, a smile as beautiful and dangerous as ice crystals under the winter sun.
"Ice Crystal Absolute Boundary - Extreme Cold Freeze!"
The frigid air was once again summoned and violently released outward. This cold was no ordinary freeze—it reached the ultimate low temperature of absolute zero.
The moment the shipwright's fist made contact with the frigid air, his Armament Haki dissipated as if its power had been drained away.
His fist, his arm, and then half his body were visibly covered by a layer of transparent, hard ice crystals at a rapid pace.
"Ah————!" Before his scream could fully escape, the shipwright was frozen within the ice crystals. His entire body remained in a charging posture, transformed into a lifelike ice sculpture.
Coco exhaled softly, the icy breath instantly spreading and enveloping several severely wounded crew members behind her. These crew members didn't even have time to react before they were frozen into ice sculptures, which then shattered into countless ice crystal fragments in the chilling wind, scattering into the air.
Among them, the already injured ship's doctor, Cass, was also frozen inside, appearing vividly preserved.
Under the fierce assault of the six Ancient Species Beast Girls, the elite crew members of the Roger Pirates—aside from Roger, Rayleigh, and Gaban, who remained in the core area—were all completely defeated in an extremely short time.
This brief yet brutal battle fully demonstrated the terrifying strength of Brian's subordinate army. They possessed powerful Ancient Species Bloodlines, and their combat capabilities far surpassed those of pirates of the same level.
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