For now, the battle on Prison Island will be set aside.
At this moment—
"Lion's Thousand Slice Valley!"
"Divine Departure!"
"Lion's Cherry Blossom Fall!"
"Divine Slash!"
"Hah—!"
"Hah—!"
The battle had grown ever more intense.
Gol D. Roger and Shiki were both breathing heavily. Their duel had continued for a full three days and three nights.
Neither of them had truly reached their limit, but they were undeniably exhausted.
After all, facing an opponent of this caliber consumed an enormous amount of physical strength, Haki, and mental focus.
"Jihahahahaha!"
Shiki threw back his head and laughed.
"Roger! As expected of you! Your strength really is terrifying! But tell me—have you seriously never considered becoming my right-hand man?"
Clenching one fist, Shiki radiated a bold charisma that could easily inspire others to follow him.
"Hahahaha!"
Roger laughed just as loudly.
"Sorry! I've got absolutely no interest in serving under anyone else. And today, Shiki—you're the one who's going to lose."
"Lose?"
Shiki swept his gaze across the battlefield.
And indeed, the situation had changed completely.
The Flying Pirates were suffering increasingly severe casualties.
There was no helping it.
The power displayed by the Thunder Wolf Knights was simply overwhelming.
Even under the relentless assault of the Flying Pirates, their own losses were astonishingly small.
There were casualties, certainly—but compared to the devastating losses suffered by Shiki's forces, the difference was like night and day.
"Hmm?!"
Surveying the battlefield, Shiki's eyes sharpened.
He was calculating the outcome if the fighting continued.
"Hahahaha!"
Roger grinned broadly.
"Looks like the winner of this war is me!"
"Oh?"
Shiki raised an eyebrow.
"You seem awfully proud of yourself, Roger."
Roger crossed his arms confidently.
"Of course! What's strange about that? Shiki, are you losing your mind? This is war! Forget about our personal duel. What matters is the overall outcome—and right now, the victory belongs to me."
A smug smile spread across Roger's face.
He was absolutely right.
In war, the process and even the result of a single duel were secondary.
What truly mattered was the final victor.
And in that regard—
Roger had won.
Shiki had lost.
Whether he liked it or not, that was the undeniable truth.
"Tch!"
Shiki clicked his tongue in annoyance.
"This is really pissing me off. Losing to you of all people!"
Still, there was nothing to deny.
As unwilling as he was to admit it, the Flying Pirates had indeed been defeated.
The combined strength of the Roger Pirates and the Thunder Wolf Knights had caught them completely off guard.
Though they had not been utterly crushed, continuing the battle would only result in unacceptable casualties.
And that was something Shiki could not tolerate.
Whoosh!
Shiki suddenly shot into the sky.
Roger made no move to pursue.
There was no need.
Setting aside the fact that Roger had no guarantee of killing him, Shiki's Float-Float Fruit made him extraordinarily difficult to finish off.
More importantly, Roger could tell that Shiki had already accepted his defeat.
The war had reached its conclusion.
Continuing to fight would serve no purpose.
"Hmph!"
With one final snort, Shiki looked down at Roger and announced coldly:
"Flying Pirates! Retreat!"
"Yes, Governor!"
The officers of the Flying Pirates immediately began withdrawing in an orderly manner.
Gareth raised a hand, signaling the Thunder Wolf Knights to cease their pursuit.
Since the enemy was willing to withdraw, there was no reason to press further.
Forcing them into a desperate fight to the death would only create unnecessary losses.
Britannia was the defending side in this war.
Driving the invaders away was more than enough.
The score could always be settled in the future.
To waste strength here would be foolish.
Over the past six months, Gareth had matured considerably.
She had truly grown into a capable commander.
Whoosh! Whoosh!
One warship after another rose into the sky.
Shiki's eyes gleamed with cold, razor-sharp determination.
"Britannia... Arthur..."
"Heh."
A chilling laugh escaped his lips.
He knew he had lost.
Lost to Arthur Pendragon.
And he had lost completely.
"What a disgrace."
Shaking his head indifferently, Shiki remained calm.
A loss was a loss.
And Shiki was not the type of man who refused to acknowledge reality.
If he had lost, then he would simply become stronger.
Only by becoming stronger could he reclaim victory.
"Governor—"
"Enough."
Shiki cut off his subordinates.
"Call the ship doctors. Everyone else, get some rest. No more unnecessary casualties."
"Yes!"
As his officers dispersed, Shiki stood in silence, gazing down at the Visma Region.
This place had handed him defeat.
That was not something he could easily accept.
But facts were facts.
He had lost.
No excuses were needed.
The only reason was simple:
He was not strong enough.
If he had truly been stronger, would he have lost?
Absolutely not.
That was the truth Shiki recognized.
"Haaa..."
Exhaling slowly, Shiki murmured:
"Arthur... Roger... This ends here for now. But next time—next time, I will not lose again."
He clenched his fist tightly, his eyes blazing.
This defeat had given him new insight.
And he was already preparing for what would come next.
This was not the end.
Next time.
It sounded like the vow of a defeated man.
And that was exactly what it was.
But Shiki was not ashamed of defeat.
If he lost, then he would win the next time.
That was what truly mattered.
"Hmph."
Activating his Devil Fruit powers, Shiki led his fleet away.
Yet before departing, he cast one final, lingering glance at the Visma Region.
Though he had accepted defeat, the unwillingness in his eyes was unmistakable.
Which was only natural.
For a proud man like Shiki, defeat could never be swallowed so easily.
At last, he exhaled once more and disappeared into the sky.
The war was over.
...
Below, everyone watched calmly as the Flying Pirates withdrew.
"Whew!"
Roger let out a long breath and laughed.
"Finally over! Shiki really is a pain to deal with. But damn, he's strong!"
Roger had to admit it.
Shiki was terrifyingly powerful.
Swordsmanship.
Haki.
Hand-to-hand combat.
Devil Fruit mastery.
In every aspect, Shiki was a complete fighter—a true all-around monster with no obvious weaknesses.
A genuine six-sided powerhouse.
"Heh."
Silvers Rayleigh stepped up beside Roger.
"Captain, we won."
"We did."
Roger rubbed his chin thoughtfully.
"But honestly, even though the Visma Region is safe, what about Britannia? If Britannia falls, doesn't that mean our new ship is gone?"
It was a very practical concern.
If Britannia were destroyed, then the Roger Pirates' commissioned ship would disappear with it.
And Roger would have no one left to collect from.
After all, you couldn't exactly demand delivery from a fallen kingdom.
Footsteps approached.
Gareth and Gaheris walked over together.
Gaheris smiled.
"Mr. Roger, you may rest assured. Nothing will happen to Britannia. Once the war is over, your pirate ship will be completed very quickly."
"Really?"
Roger grinned.
"You sound pretty confident, kid."
"Of course."
Gaheris nodded seriously.
"Sir Agravain and Sir Galahad are both extraordinarily powerful. And Mother and Aunt Vivian are even more formidable."
Indeed, Arthur had left them behind for a reason.
Agravain and Galahad could both temporarily unleash Admiral-level power.
As for Lamorak, Arthur had taken her with him because her base strength was already at the threshold of Admiral level. Combined with her unique abilities and the holy lance, she was a genuine Admiral-class combatant.
In other words, Britannia still possessed four Admiral-level fighters even in Arthur's absence.
If that was not enough—
Then the enemy would be facing something truly terrifying.
"Hahahaha!"
Roger burst into laughter.
"That's the kind of confidence I like! Just make sure my ship doesn't disappear!"
Even though the battle in the Visma Region had ended, Roger had no intention of leaving immediately.
Who knew whether Shiki might return for a surprise counterattack?
It was better to remain cautious.
Many things still required vigilance.
Gareth turned toward the battlefield, where blood soaked the earth.
Slowly, she raised her weapon and declared in a solemn voice:
"Everyone... Victory!"
"ROAR!!!"
"ROAR!!!"
The response was a thunderous chorus from every member of the Thunder Wolf Knights.
Some were wounded.
Some were on the verge of death.
Some had already fallen.
But none of that prevented them from roaring their triumph to the heavens.
Victory.
Just as they had proclaimed from the very beginning—
Victory belonged to them.
As Britannia's Thunder Wolf Knights, winning was only natural.
Watching this scene, Roger, Rayleigh, and Scopper Gaban all grew solemn.
This army was terrifying.
And what was even more frightening was how much stronger they would become in the future.
That was the truly astonishing part.
And the most important part.
"Heh."
Roger's grin widened.
"As expected... this world never gets boring."
"Because in this world... there are always interesting people."
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