<h4>Chapter 57: Shiki: What the Hell is This?</h4>


    Before Roger could even respond, Buggy, the trainee idol, blurted out in panic, "Captain Roger, why don''t we just agree to his terms for now? It''s a huge gamble, but we can always look for a chance to escapeter!"


    "Hahahaha, Buggy, are you scared?" Shanks teased with augh.


    Both Shanks and Buggy were interns aboard Roger''s ship. Unlike the overly cautious Buggy, Shanks had an adventurous spirit and weed any opportunity for excitement. Even with Shiki showing up at their doorstep, he wasn''t afraid in the slightest.


    "Shanks, that''s the Golden Lion Shiki we''re talking about! That guy''s ruthless; he''d even kill his own men if it suited him. We don''t have as many people as he does, so help me convince the captain!" Buggy urged, his voice trembling.


    "What''s there to be afraid of? It''s not like you''re gonna get hacked to pieces," Shanks replied nonchntly.


    "You bastard! Who do you think caused me to end up like this in the first ce?!" Buggy snapped, momentarily forgetting about Shiki as his rage at Shanks took over. The two immediately began bickering, paying no mind to the imminent danger.


    Seeing his young apprentices'' spirited behavior, Roger couldn''t help butugh heartily. Then, turning to Shiki, he shouted, "Listen up, Shiki! I, Gol D. Roger, have never done anything that goes against my principles or makes me regret in my entire life. Your ambitions, as grand as they may be, seem utterly boring to me. So, I''m turning you down!"


    As soon as Roger finished speaking, Shiki''s eyes narrowed, and his presence became overwhelming. The aura of the Golden Lion, with all its arrogant majesty, began to spill out. He bit down on his cigar and spoke in a menacing tone, "So, you''ve made your choice. Are you saying I should kill you right here and now?"


    Roger''s lips curled into a grin as he shook his head. He drew his saber from his waist, letting out a boldugh. "No, Shiki. I''m saying I''m going to crush you here and now!"


    Shiki''s expression darkened. He sighed, almost as if he felt sorry for Roger''s decision. Then, putting away his thoughts of recruiting talent, he unsheathed his own de, Oto and Kogarashi, and pointed them at Roger. "Fine then. Let''s settle this once and for all, Roger!"


    "Just what I wanted, Shiki!" Roger bellowed back.


    In an instant, the two unleashed their Conqueror''s Haki, the powerful sh tearing through the calm sea. The ocean churned violently, and the sky itself seemed to crack open, as if the very world was splitting apart.


    The previously tranquil waters around Edd War erupted into a scene of chaos, a battlefield befitting demons.


    Shiki''s vast fleet opened fire, unleashing a barrage of cannon fire in an attempt to sink Roger''s ship. Swordsmen and devil fruit users beganunching attacks from the decks.


    Not one to back down, Roger stepped forward and raised his saber. Infusing it with powerful Armament Haki, he unleashed a devastating sh, shouting, "Divine Departure!"


    Shiki''s eyes gleamed with a fierce light, and he immediately coated his de in Haki, turning it into a ''ck de.'' Without retreating, he swung back to meet Roger''s strike, roaring, "Lion''s Threat!"


    The two legendary strikes collided with such force that the air itself seemed to fracture, leaving cracks in the sky. The impact of their blows signaled the start of the Battle of Edd War, a fight that would shape the course of history on the seas.


    Meanwhile, aboard a Marine ship caught in the storm''s fury, udius was vomiting uncontrobly for the third time. He wasn''t alone; for hours now, everyone on the ship had been sick, even Gion, the beautiful swordswoman, who clung to the deck''s railing while repeatedly retching.


    Many of the crew were already at their limit, barely holding on amidst the constant dizziness and lurching of the ship. The only thing keeping the situation from being even more disgusting was Crocodile''s ability to sweep away the mess with his sand powers. Even so, his face had turned pale—not just from vomiting himself, but from the strain of continuously fortifying the sand barrier against the storm''s relentless assault.


    As a Logia user, Crocodile had a vast reserve of stamina. Though he couldn''t match monsters like Kuzan and Sakazuki, who could fight for days on end, he was still determined to grit his teeth and hold on for as long as it took.


    udius gripped the mast with one hand and said weakly, "If this keeps up, we''re all dead. We need to lower our altitude. If we can make it down to sea level, we''ll stand a better chance."


    "Lower the altitude? How are we supposed to do that?" Gion asked, her voice trembling as she held on to the railing.


    "We need more weight! Crocodile, can you add more sand?" udius asked urgently.


    Crocodile paused, seemingly calcting the risks. After a moment, he responded, "I can do it, but the time I can maintain this barrier will be cut short. If I run out of strength before we reach the surface, we''re definitely done for."


    "If we keep floating like this, who knows how many days it''ll be before the storm dies down? We won''tst that long. It''s better to take a gamble now. If we can force anding, we''ll have a much better chance," udius said, clenching his teeth.


    Though hesitant, Crocodile saw the logic in udius''s n. On the other hand, Vice Admiral Tsuru, looking equally pale, chimed in, "His Highness is right. If we continue as we are, we''ll just be prolonging our deaths. We have to take a chance!"


    The young Enel, clutching udius''s leg, was utterly despairing. He had finally escaped from Birka only to face death again in this brutal storm, without ever getting to see the wider world udius had spoken of.


    With most of the crew in agreement, Crocodile steeled himself and shouted, "Fine, then! If we''re going down, let''s go down swinging! I refuse to be outdone by you stubborn bastards! If I''m going to die alongside you damned Celestial Dragons, then so be it!"


    As Crocodile increased the flow of sand, the balloon octopus keeping the ship aloft started to struggle. Gradually, the vessel began its slow descent. The tension was palpable as udius and the others clung to the hope that they could make it.


    An hour passed, then two. With every effort from Crocodile, the ship drew closer to the turbulent sea below. His face grew paler by the minute, his strength almostpletely drained.


    "I can''t keep this up for much longer. We didn''t make it all the way down. Prepare yourselves to be torn apart by the storm!" Crocodile shouted, his voice filled with frustration. "Damn it! To think I, Crocodile, will die here before even making a name for myself. What a joke!"


    udius leaned against the mast, despair etched on his face. "Damn it all! I haven''t even begun to carve my name into history! I haven''t seen any of the great heroes of this era yet... I can''t die here!"


    "Do you really want to be the strongest?" Gion asked with a faint smile as she clung to the railing.


    "On these seas, isn''t that what every man should aspire to? What''s wrong with wanting to be the strongest?" udius answered, his smile bitter.


    "Nothing at all," she replied. "It''s just odd to hear iting from a Celestial Dragon. I never thought I''d end up dying alongside one of you."


    udius chuckled. "What''s there toin about? I''m a Celestial Dragon; plenty of people would kill for the chance to be buried with me. But, I have to admit, having a beauty like you forpany on the way to the underworld isn''t the worst way to go."


    Meanwhile, out over the storm-tossed waters of Edd War, Shiki hovered in disbelief, grumbling to himself. "What the hell? Didn''t they say there wouldn''t be any storms for the next few days? Those damn weather forecasters...!"


    Before confronting Roger, Shiki had ensured his meteorologists had checked the weather forecasts thoroughly. Yet here they were, right in the middle of a fierce storm. It was as if fate was mocking him, undermining all the effort he had put in to corner Roger.


    "Damn it all!" he shouted in frustration. "Roger, you''re not getting away that easily! Storm or not, I won''t let anyone take victory from the Golden Lion—not the weather, not the sea!"


    But Roger was already taking advantage of the chaos. With the storm giving him cover, his ship, the Oro Jackson, tore through the encirclement. Seeing his opportunity, Rogerughed heartily. "Ahahahahahaha Shiki, fate seems to be on my side today. If you don''t withdraw now, it''ll be toote!"


    Despite their strength, naval battles were not Roger''s fortepared to men like Whitebeard or Shiki, especially since Shiki''s mobility in battle was unparalleled. Roger knew they might withstand a fight for a few days, but in the end, defeat was inevitable. Yet fate had other ns. Just hours into the confrontation, the sudden appearance of a storm had turned the tide. Roger couldn''t help but feel that destiny was favoring him today.


    Shiki, seeing Roger''s smug expression, was furious. But before he could give the order to retreat, a massive ball of sand appeared in the storm, seemingly out of nowhere, hurtling straight toward his fleet.


    "What the hell is this?!" Shiki shouted, bewildered and rmed.


    "Could this be some kind of divine punishment?" he thought for a split second as the massive sand ball barreled towards his ship.


    In the next moment, the enormous mass of sand smashed directly into Shiki''s gigantic flying vessel, causing chaos to erupt throughout his fleet.