The thought of it gave Raleigh a headache.
He had no idea which damn bastard took those photos.
During the battle, Raleigh had mostly been slacking off, letting Borsalino and Sengoku do the heavy lifting, only securing the final blow.
Yet, those unscrupulous media outlets specifically captured the moment Raleigh took the credit and broadcast it across the world.
Due to their proximity to the News Coos, Raleigh and the others were among the first to see the reports.
[Shocking! A Great Pirate Falls in the North Blue!]
[Marine Rising Star Makes a Name by Trampling the World Destroyer!]
[World Destroyer Bryndy World Killed in the North Blue by a Marine Rear Admiral!]
A series of eye-catching headlines, spread by news agencies big and small, began circulating across the world.
Once the news broke, it was like a meteor crashing into a calm lake, stirring up massive waves.
....
The Grand Line on a Deserted Island.
Layers of white clouds filled the sky, accompanied by sunlight, a gentle breeze, and the azure expanse of sky and sea.
An enormous pirate ship, the Oro Jackson, drifted across the ocean.
"Captain Roger! Something huge has happened!!"
"A world-shaking event!!"
A little brat with a big red nose was recklessly dashing across the deck, waving a newspaper.
"Hahahaha, Buggy, what's got you so worked up?"
A dark-haired, yellow-skinned man with a distinctive mustache stood at the ship's bow.
He exuded an untamable and overwhelmingly domineering aura as he heartily drank his liquor.
Gol D. Roger!
One of the top-tier powerhouses in the New World, a pirate armed with supreme mastery of all three types of Haki and peerless swordsmanship.
The future Pirate King who would eventually discover the final island!
"Buggy, don't steal my thunder—I saw it first!"
From behind Buggy, a red-haired cabin boy suddenly leaped out, tightly wrapping his arms around Buggy's body and preventing him from moving an inch on the deck.
"Let go of me, Shanks!" Buggy screamed.
"No way! If I let go, you'll just tell the captain—I was the one who found out first!"
"You bastard, Shanks! You wanna fight me?"
"Bring it on! I'm not scared of you!"
The two brats began wrestling fiercely on the deck, their equally youthful faces clenched tight with effort, both flushed bright red.
In their intense struggle, they completely forgot what had started their fight in the first place.
"Hahahaha, such nostalgic passion isnt it Rayleigh!" Roger watched the two youngsters tussling and couldn't help but laugh heartily, then turned to ask his first mate, Silvers Rayleigh, who was drinking beside him.
"Indeed. In the blink of an eye, we've grown old, Roger," Silvers Rayleigh replied with a smile, his glasses glinting in the sun.
He tossed Roger a bottle of rum and pulled out another for himself.
"Buggy, Shanks. Each of you, one sentence. Spill it."
As the Dark King's words fell, the two who had been tangled together moments earlier separated instantly.
They knew better than to annoy the Vice-Captain.
"Yes, Rayleigh-san!"
After exchanging a glance, Buggy and Shanks shouted in unison.
"The World Destroyer, Bryndy World, has been killed by the Marines in the North Blue! The entire World Pirates crew has been captured!"
"The newspaper says the Marine officer who killed Bryndy World isn't even twenty years old yet! He's now the North Blue's commander, holding the rank of Vice Admiral!"
"The paper also claims he'll be the nightmare of all pirates in the North Blue!"
Upon hearing this, both Roger and Rayleigh felt internal alarm bells ringing.
They were well aware of Bryndy World's strength.
The Roger Pirates had clashed with him before, and World's Moa Moa no Mi abilities were indeed troublesome.
Without engaging in a fight to the death, even Roger couldn't guarantee he could eliminate Bryndy World without losing a few of his crew members.
Rayleigh took the crumpled newspaper from Shanks' hands and read it carefully.
Meanwhile, a sharp glint flashed in Roger's eyes.
"Hahahahaha, to think the Marines has such an exceptional young man! If we weren't in the Grand Line, I'd love to turn back and cross blades with him. A kid taking down World? Impressive!"
After finishing the newspaper, Rayleigh's previously furrowed brow relaxed.
"So that's how it is. Sengoku was there too, along with the North Blue Commodore—a Vice Admiral named Borsalino."
"In that case, I believe Bryndy World truly was destined to die on that island," Rayleigh concluded.
His doubts were resolved.
Aside from Bryndy World's troublesome abilities, the combat power of the other World Pirates members wasn't actually that fearsome.
With one Admiral, one Vice Admiral, and one rising star Rear Admiral, it would be easy to annihilate them.
Judging from the information in the article, every word suggested the Marines had prepared the battlefield in advance.
Rayleigh realized that if he had devised this plan with the Roger Pirates' personnel, he could have also taken Bryndy World's life with ease.
"Regardless, being able to participate in a battle among the strong proves he's far from weak!" Roger laughed heartily.
After Rayleigh finished his analysis, Roger no longer paid the Marine named Christian Raleigh any mind, but he still believed that with this kid's abilities, he would surely secure a place among the world's strongest in the future.
BOOM!
Suddenly, the sound of cannonballs exploding in the water rang out, and a column of water surged violently from the sea's surface, rocking the Oro Jackson.
"Roger! You can't escape!!!"
From a position far from the Roger Pirates, a burly man wearing a dog-shaped mask roared from a Marine warship's bow.
"Genkotsu Meteor!"
One black cannonball after another was continuously thrown from the man's hands, their speed several times faster than if fired from cannons.
Countless cannonballs traced elegant parabolas through the air, heading straight for the Roger Pirates' ship like a rain of steel.
A smile curled on Roger's lips as his right hand gripped his saber, Ace, at his waist.
"Divine Departure!"
BOOM!
Roger unleashed an immense black-and-red Sword Beam, slicing every cannonball in its path in half with a single swing.
The cannonballs exploded one after another in the air, releasing massive clouds of smoke that obscured the sea.
"Ahhhhh, why is it Garp again!!!" Buggy screamed, his eyes popping out.
"Captain, let's run! This bastard is too terrifying!!" Shanks yelled, though he already had a hand on his sword.
Though the red-haired boy said nothing more, his pale face suggested he wasn't feeling at ease either.
"Hahahaha, Garp, you've finally caught up!" Roger shouted back, his voice booming over the waves.
"But I have more important matters now! We'll catch up properly next time we have the chance!"
Roger stood on the deck, boldly calling out to the distant Marine Hero.
Simultaneously, his left hand secretly signaled Rayleigh behind his back.
'Get us out of here.'
"Let's go, let's go! This guy is the strongest Marine. We shouldn't clash with him head-on for now," Roger whispered to his crew.
"Understood, Captain!" the crew shouted in unison.
With the crew's coordination, the Roger Pirates quickly adjusted their course and, propelled by the wind, fled swiftly into the distance.
"Damn you, Roger! Don't you dare run! I want to capture you bastard!"
"You bastard Roger, stop right there!!!"
Garp stood on the warship, roaring furiously as he threw cannonballs faster and faster, trying to prevent Roger's escape.
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