"Rayleigh was right, Akainu—if Garp hadn't stopped me, you'd be dead."
A crimson glint flickered in Roger's eyes. The moment Akainu caught it, he instinctively stepped back.
"Hahahaha!"
Roger and the others burst into laughter, while Reid watched with excitement.
"Incredible… just one sentence was enough to scare off Akainu. Roger really is in a league of his own," Reid thought with admiration.
"What did you just say?!" Akainu's face twitched with rage. He couldn't believe he'd flinched in front of everyone—it was a blow to the Navy's pride.
Sengoku put a hand on Akainu's shoulder.
"Calm down, Akainu. You're the future of the Navy. Don't let a few words shake you."
Sengoku's composure reflected his status as a seasoned admiral. Though Akainu had been disrespectful earlier, Sengoku understood his importance.
"These guys are seriously dangerous," Kizaru muttered lazily, his tone ambiguous as always.
"Roger, picking on a junior like Akainu isn't much of a challenge. Why not fight me instead?" Garp snapped, clearly annoyed. He wasn't fond of Akainu, but he couldn't allow Navy justice to be mocked.
"Garp, tired already?" Roger teased, smiling mysteriously.
"You mean we'll be spectators now?" Garp frowned.
"Sure, if you want. But I can't just sit back when people I care about are threatened. Hahaha."
"You just want an excuse to fight," Rayleigh said flatly, not trusting a word Roger said.
"Exactly," Jabba agreed.
"You got it, hahahaha!" Sambel laughed so hard he sprayed saliva everywhere.
The others jumped away instantly. Reid reacted too slowly and ended up getting splashed, quickly stumbling after them.
They all gave Sambel a look of disdain before refocusing on the Navy side.
Roger grinned. He was still in top form and itching for a rematch with Garp.
"Hmph. Roger, you've been asking for it," Garp growled. "Let's take this elsewhere. I'm going to beat some sense into you."
"Perfect! I've been waiting for another fight, Garp!"
As the two legends walked off, Sengoku issued the order.
"Everyone, pick your opponents."
Kizaru stood up lazily, a lightsaber forming in his hand.
"Silvers Rayleigh, I hear you're quite the swordsman. I'll take you on."
"Polusalino, I've been waiting," Rayleigh replied, drawing his sword with a smirk. He was glad Reid was around to back him up if needed.
Zefa stood as well, sighing.
"Well, I'm not one for violence, but I'll fight whoever's the weakest."
"You're a Navy general and you're cherry-picking?" Rayleigh adjusted his glasses, clearly seeing through him.
"I'll take him on," Reid stepped forward.
He trusted Zefa's character and remembered the system had mentioned that Zefa, while strong, was one of the lower-tier admirals.
"Are you sure, Reid?" Rayleigh asked with concern. "Roger didn't ask you to fight…"
"I'm sure. If I don't step up, they'll just send someone after me anyway. And I believe Teacher Zefa won't go overboard."
Reid smiled and respectfully addressed Zefa.
"Teacher Zefa, I've always admired you. Please grant me your guidance."
Everyone was surprised by how Reid phrased it. His words were odd but sincere.
"Haha, Garp's right. If you ever join the Navy, I'd gladly teach you," Zefa chuckled. Though it was their first meeting, he already had a good impression of Reid—even if he was a pirate.
"Hehe… thanks, Teacher Zefa. But I still prefer being a pirate. Don't worry, though—I'll never hurt innocent people."
"Alright, let's find a spot. Don't worry, I won't go all out."
"General Zefa, please take it seriously. We're here to fight Roger!" Sengoku scolded. His tone was tense—being too polite to pirates was unacceptable.
Akainu's fists clenched as magma began dripping from his arms.
"Haha, relax, Sengoku. If I win, I won't let him off lightly."
Sengoku nodded, though frustration simmered under his calm surface. Zefa was always polite, even in battle—a trait Sengoku sometimes found difficult to manage.
"Then please guide me, Teacher Zefa."
"Hahaha, let's go."
Zefa wasn't underestimating Reid. From what he saw earlier—especially Reid's crude use of Buddha's Hand Shockwave—he knew the young man was still inexperienced.
As Reid and Zefa walked off, a strange calm fell over the battlefield. It no longer felt as tense as it had at the start.
"Who exactly is Reid? He's completely shifted the tide of this confrontation. And how did he get his fruit power? There should only be one of that kind..." Sengoku thought, growing more unsettled.
"I'll take Jabba," Akainu said, voice cold and firm. He wanted to redeem himself and reaffirm his justice—no pirate should walk free.
"Akainu, I've been waiting. Let me heat my axe with your lava. It'll cut better that way," Jabba taunted.
"Hmph. Enough talk. Let's go."
Akainu turned into a molten flash and vanished into the distance.
"Tsk, tsk. This is going to be fun," Jabba said, smacking his twin axes together and launching after him.
"Haha! Buddha Sengoku, now that you're all alone, it's my turn!" Sambel licked his lips with a crazed grin.
"Hmph. We're the Navy. Our job is to maintain peace. Prepare to be arrested," Sengoku replied coldly. Anger burned in him—not just at the pirates, but at how quickly the situation had slipped from their control.
"Come on, Sengoku, cut the act," Rayleigh interjected. "We all know what's really going on. We followed Roger to that place—the one you and the Celestial Dragons are desperate to keep secret. It's laughable. Even the Five Elders don't fully understand it, yet they want Roger executed to silence the truth. Now that Roger's still alive, what orders have they given?"
"Enough, Rayleigh," Sengoku growled. "We each have our beliefs. Let's fight."
He didn't want to hear any more. The truth Rayleigh spoke shook the very foundation of the justice he stood for.