Rogge had clearly taken that heavy hit to the face hard. When he got back to his feet, a distinct fist imprint was stamped across his cheek, and blood trickled from the corner of his mouth.
But from his state, it was obvious Rogge hadn't suffered any serious damage.
"Who are you?" Rogge demanded harshly, his expression grim. The threat coming off the newcomer was thick and unmistakable.
The man didn't answer right away. Instead, he bent down and lifted Bai Chuan up like a cat picking up a mouse, then walked over to Buggy and Shanks and lifted them the same way.
Honestly, his hands were huge. Pinching two people by their collars in one hand took him no effort at all. He glanced at Katherine Lin lying beside Buggy, a hint of confusion in his eyes, but he didn't think too deeply about it and simply picked her up as well.
He carried them to a fairly thick tree, tossed them onto the ground, and didn't bother whether they could even feel pain.
After taking care of those trivial matters, he returned to Rogge. His voice was flat, emotionless.
"Barrett. That's my name."
"You're with them?" Rogge asked.
"More or less," Barrett said. "At least for now, we're on the same side."
That was right. The newcomer was Barrett.
And that was exactly why, the moment Bai Chuan saw him, he stopped thinking about everything and passed out. He trusted Barrett's strength. Barrett could protect them, no question.
"Any last words?" Barrett's concise, icy voice reached Rogge again.
"What do you mean?" Rogge frowned.
"You hurt my companions," Barrett said. "So you no longer have any reason to keep living. If Roger finds out you're still alive, I'll have to listen to his nagging again."
Barrett had always treated Roger as a rival, but after being around them for so long, he'd gradually become part of the big family that was the Roger Pirates.
"You're that confident you can keep me here?" Rogge sneered.
"Of course." Barrett's tone didn't change. "You've got some strength, but you're still a bit short compared to me. You can feel that, can't you?"
"Damn you. Then I'll show you what I can do!"
"Hah!" Rogge roared, exploding forward at a speed that was almost like teleportation.
Barrett didn't move. He simply threw a punch straight ahead.
In an instant, two fists coated in Armament Haki collided, and at the same time, the impact triggered the Conqueror's Haki surging within both of them.
"You have it too?" Rogge blurted in shock during the clash.
He'd lived most of his life and could count on one hand how many Conqueror's Haki users he'd encountered, yet today he'd met two in a row.
It threw him into genuine self-doubt. His master once told him Conqueror's Haki only appeared once in a million.
Was that really true?
"Losing focus in battle isn't a good habit," Barrett said, almost kindly.
He pushed, knocking Rogge's fist aside, then followed through with his left fist, smashing it straight into Rogge's abdomen.
Rogge felt that one badly.
He hadn't had time to coat himself in Haki for defense, while Barrett's punch was solidly wrapped in Armament.
Rogge's eyes nearly bulged out. Saliva sprayed from his mouth as his body folded like a shrimp.
Cough cough.
After taking that heavy blow, Rogge coughed twice, actually coughing up blood.
"You bastard," Rogge growled, eyes shot through with red veins. "I'll make you pay!"
His mouth sprouted two long fangs. He dropped to all fours, his whole body taking on a beastlike change.
"Oh?" Barrett's eyes lit up. "A Zoan?"
Even Barrett found it a little unexpected that Rogge had a Devil Fruit, but instead of caution, it ignited his fighting spirit.
"An Ancient Zoan. Saber-toothed tiger?"
In Barrett's eyes now, Rogge had completely become a saber-toothed tiger, his body swelling larger.
"Graaah!" Rogge let out a furious roar, rage in his eyes like it could spit fire as he glared at Barrett.
"Now this is interesting." Barrett's grin looked almost satisfied.
"I'm going to rip you apart!" Rogge said, and in his saber-toothed form, he actually rose upright, then vanished from in front of Barrett.
"His speed jumped that much?" Barrett's heart jolted.
He snapped his head around and threw a punch, but what he didn't expect was that even in raw power, he was pushed onto the back foot.
"Hahaha! Hahahaha!" Barrett burst into wild laughter. "Ancient Zoans really are something. This just keeps getting better!"
His punches became faster and faster, heavier and heavier, almost crazed.
Yet even in that state, Barrett's mind stayed razor-calm. He guarded against Rogge's fangs at all times. One bite was not something to joke about.
Their battle moved from hands to feet, fists and kicks piling on, the fight growing fiercer by the second. The battlefield could no longer be contained in this tiny bandit stronghold. It pushed deeper into the mountains.
Along the way, they shattered who knew how many trees. A forest that had been thick and dense was forcibly carved into a path by the two of them.
"Are you even human?" Rogge demanded after fighting for a long while, shock written all over him.
Even after using his Devil Fruit, he still couldn't gain the upper hand.
The man in front of him was like a demon. As Rogge's strength and speed rose, Barrett's rose too, and the power in Barrett's body felt endless, like it could never be depleted.
Every time Rogge thought he'd finally reached Barrett's limit, Barrett would give him another terrifying surprise.
"You can call me a monster." Barrett stretched his mouth into a wide grin.
"Monster…" Rogge repeated. That word had always been used on him.
He never imagined one day he'd use it on someone else.
"Alright," Barrett said. "This fight can end now."
The moment those words fell, Barrett's body suddenly turned blue. His eyes became blood-red, and his hair faded pale.
"T-This… what is this?" Rogge's pupils tightened. In this state, Barrett radiated pure danger.
This was Barrett's Devil Form.
A peak state formed by relying on his own demonic aura, fused with Armament Haki and Conqueror's Haki, and it was the main reason he was known as the Devil's Heir.
"Watch me one-punch you."
Not good. I'm really going to die.
That was Rogge's final thought.
"The strongest punch."
Facing that absolute punch that surpassed his own speed, Rogge had nowhere to dodge.
All he could do was brace himself.
But that was doomed to be pointless.
His raised arms snapped on impact, bones breaking instantly. Barrett's fist blasted through like it tore a membrane, driving straight through and smashing hard into Rogge's head.
Rogge lost consciousness on the spot.
/-\
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