I agreed to win with Roger, but the guy I met was too young Chapter 021

On the vast and boundless sea, the sun shone upon the Roger Pirates’ ship.

“If you’ve got nothing better to do, let’s fight.”

On a desolate island, Rhett and Roger stood opposite each other, surrounded by crewmates whose eyes were filled with anticipation.

“Place your bets, place your bets, brothers!”

“Now, I, Jabba, will introduce to you all:”

“Our contestant this time is the captain of the Roger Pirates, Gol D. Roger! And our challenger this time, also from the Roger Pirates, is Rhett, known as the ‘Phantom in the Mist.’ Will the king continue to defend his throne, or will the new challenger ascend to a new kingship? Let us wait and see!”

Rhett’s expression was serious, his eyes burning with fervent fighting spirit.

He knew just how strong the man before him was.

Rhett gripped Black Tide, and a blood mist gradually appeared around him, growing thicker and thicker, pervading the entire deck.

“Captain, watch out!” Rhett roared, stomping hard on the deck. The greatsword Black Tide, enveloped in corrosive mist, cleaved down with immense force.

Roger wore his signature smile, unhurriedly shifting slightly to the side.

“Little Rhett, not bad!” Roger encouraged with a laugh.

But Roger didn’t slack off because of this. He immediately sliced through the subsequent mist blades.

Rhett’s Black Tide was his first attack, followed closely by mist blades condensed from the mist. He had originally intended to trap Roger during his dodge, when his strength was momentarily depleted.

Yet, Roger had effortlessly dodged it.

“He can’t even land a first strike, Little Rhett is just too weak!” Jabba jeered from the sidelines.

Rhett, missing his attack, showed no sign of discouragement.

Rhett even found time to yell at Jabba, “Hey, if you’re going to be a commentator, at least stay neutral, you bastard!”

He immediately activated his Mist-Mist Fruit ability, and the mist rapidly changed under his control. The originally thin mist became dense, transforming into countless fine needle-like objects that shot towards Roger. This was a move he had developed—“Mist Needle: Thousand-Book Rain.”

Roger’s eyes narrowed, and his body moved swiftly, weaving nimbly through the mist needles. Each dodge was perfectly timed. The mist needles struck the deck around him, leaving tiny indentations.

“Hmph, watch this!” Seeing that the mist needles had no effect, Rhett exerted more force. He compressed the mist onto the blade of the greatsword Black Tide. The mist around the greatsword instantly turned crimson, as if burning. Rhett raised his greatsword high and roared, “Mist God Style: Blood Tide!” Then, he swung it down fiercely. A sword aura, imbued with blood-red mist, surged towards Roger like a raging tide. Wherever it passed, the air seemed to be torn apart, emitting sizzling sounds.

Roger felt the immense power of this strike. He put away his smile, his expression turning serious. He stood firmly on the deck, gripping his sheathed sword “Ace” at his waist. Armament Haki instantly enveloped the blade. He roared, “Divine Speed!” A brilliant flash of light erupted, colliding with Rhett’s sword aura.

“Boom!” With a loud bang, the shockwave generated by the clash of two powerful forces swept out like a storm. The crewmates on deck were forced back by this power, some even losing their balance and falling to the ground.

Jabba, surrounded by a layer of white mist—which allowed him to clearly see the battle—commented, “Two such powerful attacks, what will be the result?”

The mist dispersed, revealing the two figures.

Rhett was thrown back by the impact, his feet carving two deep marks on the deck. His arm trembled slightly, and blood seeped from his tiger’s mouth. But his eyes remained resolute, showing no sign of retreat.

“Rhett hasn’t fallen! It seems Rhett has made great progress! What are you waiting for? Place your bets!”

“It’s not over yet!” Rhett gritted his teeth and charged at Roger again.

Roger watched Rhett charge once more, a hint of admiration flashing in his eyes. He raised his sword again, ready to meet the attack.

Rhett reached Roger, his greatsword whistling through the air, constantly changing his attack methods. Sometimes a straight chop, sometimes a horizontal slash, each strike carried Rhett’s full power.

Rhett saw that directly clashing with his captain offered no hope of victory. He decided to use his most proficient method. Rhett gradually retreated, disappearing into the mist.

“It’s here! Little Rhett’s most shameless fighting style! Pfft, (in a dubbed movie voice) what an excellent tactic!” Jabba looked disgusted. Don’t ask why; just know he’d been annoyed by this move before.

His figure flickered in and out of the mist, without being called by a name. He was the Phantom in the Mist. He found the opportune moment and suddenly appeared behind Roger. The greatsword Black Tide, wreathed in mist, slashed fiercely. Compared to condensing all his power into a single point for maximum lethality, Rhett preferred to divide his power into two stages: a Black Tide slash followed closely by a mist blade (Rhett’s fighting style was inspired by the battle between Rotten-Life Hua and Slippers).

Roger reacted swiftly, turning to block the blow with his sword.

Roger vigilantly observed his surroundings, waiting for Rhett to reappear. Soon, Rhett burst out of the mist from another direction, a spear condensed from mist in his hand, thrusting towards Roger.

As the spear lunged at Roger, Black Tide also swept towards him.

Roger dodged sideways, and Rhett took the opportunity to vanish into the mist again.

This repeated itself. Rhett constantly moved through the mist, attacking, then quickly disappearing back into the mist, making him elusive for Roger.

But Roger had lived 16 more years in the world of One Piece than Rhett. Roger didn’t even use his ability to hear the voice of all things to bully him. Although Rhett’s mist could block Observation Haki, Roger’s Observation Haki was among the top tier in the entire One Piece world.

Rhett, after all, had a gap in strength compared to Roger. After another fierce clash, Rhett’s greatsword was knocked away, and he himself was sent flying, landing heavily on the deck. Blood spilled from the corner of his mouth, and a hint of unwillingness flashed in his eyes.

“Haha, Little Rhett, you did very well!” Roger walked over, smiling as he helped Rhett up.

Rhett wiped the blood from his mouth, looked at Roger, and said firmly, “Captain, I will become even stronger!”

“Mm-hm-hm-hm, really? I believe you!” he said, patting Rhett’s head with a look of relief.

“Hey, hey, hey, don’t give me that ‘proud father’ look, you bastard captain!” Rhett said, showing his shark teeth.

The afterglow of the setting sun cast long shadows on the deck of the Oro Jackson. Rhett slumped against the ship’s railing, rubbing his sore arms, Black Tide resting beside him.

Roger walked over and plopped down next to him, casually offering a bottle of rum: “Want a drink?”

Rhett took the bottle and took a big gulp. The spicy liquid slid down his throat, making him grimace. “Hiss—this stuff is still so nasty.”

Roger laughed heartily, handing him a cup of orange juice with one hand and vigorously rubbing his head with the other. “Kid, you did well today. In a few more years, maybe you really can beat me up. I’m really looking forward to it.”

Rhett rolled his eyes. “Oh, come on. Your Observation Haki is like it’s on cheat mode.”

Rayleigh walked over, holding a wine glass, his spectacles reflecting the golden sunlight. “Don’t be discouraged, Rhett. You’re only 16, and to be able to fight Roger to this extent is already incredible.”

Jabba chimed in from the side, “Exactly! Work harder next time and try to make the captain sweat more!”

Rhett was listening to everyone’s comforting words when he heard Jabba’s comment: “You bastard Jabba, what kind of talk is that? I’m going to challenge you to a duel!”

Everyone burst into laughter, the atmosphere so relaxed.