"Umu, what's with that old man?" Nero raised her sword, looking confused.
"Ugh... it's been two days, and he's still chasing us. It's disgusting!"
"Well, that's just how Garp is. Be careful, the next wave is coming!" Rayleigh looked up at the sky, where countless cannonballs were hurtling towards them.
"Rayleigh, the cannonballs are yours!" Nero leaped into the air, intending to directly deal with the Marine warships.
"Wait, Nero!" Rayleigh stretched out his hand in a futile attempt, but it was too late to stop her.
"Whew! Youngsters are really wild!" Jabba whistled, his tone teasing.
"Hahahaha! Is that so? Nero actually attacked Garp's warship directly?" Roger also laughed in a carefree manner.
"Let's test the fruits of my labor these past two days!"
In mid-air, Nero's expression was serious. A massive amount of Haki surged into her sword, with red and white lightning flashing intermittently, finally transforming into a burning, crimson flame.
"Star-Spanning Finale, Rose!"
Standing on the bow of the dog-headed warship was a middle-aged man with a bushy beard, Garp. Beside him was a young man with an afro named Kuzan.
"Truly ignorant of the immensity of heaven and earth!" Half of his body turned to ice, Kuzan intended to step forward and engage in battle.
"A newcomer to the Roger Pirates? I'll take her on!"
Seeing Nero, Garp grinned widely, clenched his fist, and intended to step forward to teach this little girl a lesson.
Conquerors Haki Infusion! Although it was still very nascent, it already had a rudimentary form. The current Kuzan might not necessarily be able to withstand it.
Where did that damned Roger find such a genius again!
Garp thought this to himself, then leaped high into the air. This strike absolutely could not land on the ship.
"Little girl! Do you want to join the Marine?"
As he said this, Garp's fist mercilessly collided with Nero's sword blade.
She didn't reply; this old man was off! Nero barely parried. She had charged up for a longer time and even used a half-baked Conqueror's Haki Infusion.
Yet, this old man acted as if nothing had happened. Her attack was like hitting a piece of extremely dense metal; her thick Armament Haki simply couldn't break through!
"Wu nia nia!"
Nero let out an incomprehensible whimper, still holding on, her face flushed red. Are you kidding me? Can just anyone take me down?
Don't I have any dignity? Roger at least used advanced techniques to defeat me.
But this old man in front of her? He didn't even have Haoshoku, yet he wanted to suppress her with just Armament Haki... What a joke?
The force in her hands increased by two points. A crimson hue was invading Nero's emerald pupils.
Garp, feeling the force in his hand, smiled even more broadly. He suddenly increased his strength, sending Nero flying.
Nero only felt a great force strike her. The stalemate was instantly shattered, and she plummeted into the sea at an even faster speed.
Like a cannonball, she caused towering waves to splash. Hathaway immediately jumped into the sea to search for Nero.
"Jabba! Rayleigh!" Roger called out their names.
Years of unspoken understanding made them instantly grasp Roger's meaning.
"Understood!"
"It will take about two more hours. There's a Deserted Island there. Let's have our decisive battle there!"
Suddenly, the ship shook. It seemed as if some colossal creature was surfacing from the depths.
A strange-looking giant sea turtle burst out of the water, with Nero and Hathaway standing on its head.
Crimson sword energy, one after another, slashed towards the dog-headed warship. Nero furiously brandished her sword.
"Dog-headed bastard! Taste my might! My temporary Great General, flip them over for me!"
The giant sea turtle beneath her also let out a roar and charged towards the dog-headed warship.
"Ice Age!"
The temperature plummeted. The sea began to freeze and rapidly spread outwards.
Nero's newly acquainted 'temporary Great General' was also frozen in place.
She looked at the source and realized it was the afro-haired man beside Garp exerting his power. She immediately felt that everything was going wrong.
Nero's face darkened. Conqueror's Haki poured out, scattering the clouds and cracking some of the surrounding ice.
"Retreat for now. If you're interested, you can come to my country and get a formal position. I will definitely not mistreat you."
Patting the Sea Kings beneath her feet, Nero made a promise. She could vaguely understand the intentions of these Sea Kings.
She had long discovered that these Sea Kings were not just instinct-driven beasts; the larger their size, the higher their intelligence.
"Moo!" The giant sea turtle-shaped Sea King let out a low grunt and re-submerged into the sea.
With the ice supporting them, it was sufficient as a battleground. The others also realized this and jumped off their ships one after another to start fighting.
"Roger!!!"
"Garp!!!"
Before Nero could attack Garp again, her Captain, as if he had been waiting for a long time, was already locked in a passionate battle with Garp.
The others also found their opponents one after another, their movements incredibly skilled.
And the afro-haired man who created the ice also came before Nero. Although he was cold, there seemed to be flames burning in his eyes, making him appear like a hot-blooded youth at first glance.
"You're a newcomer to the Roger Pirates, aren't you? While you're not deeply involved, it's best to leave early." Kuzan slowly exhaled a puff of mist, earnestly advising her.
"Umu, I'm in a very bad mood. I have no intention of discussing this and that with you. Just step aside obediently and don't ask for trouble."
Nero held her sword with both hands, her somewhat disheveled face filled with impatience.
"Is that so? It seems talking won't work." Pulling his hat down slightly, the temperature around Kuzan dropped a few more degrees.
"Ice Ball!"
White cold air emanated from his body. Kuzan leaped backward, and several white rays shot towards Nero.
In an instant, Nero, maintaining her two-handed sword-wielding attack stance, was frozen solid.
Within the transparent ice, Nero was like a work of art, every detail perfectly preserved.
Crack! A cracking sound came from within the ice. Kuzan was not surprised. He condensed an ice blade in his hand, imbued it with Armament Haki, and intended to take Nero down the moment she broke free.
Crack! Crack!
The sounds became more frequent. Kuzan advanced with his blade. The moment the ice shattered, his blade was practically at Nero's neck.
"Don't underestimate me too much! I am Nero Claudius!"
The crimson greatsword struck first, coming from behind. This was an instantaneous acceleration from zero to a hundred, a realm achieved not through arduous training, but through pure talent.
"Nani?"
To Kuzan's shock, the crimson blade easily cut through the ice blade and struck Kuzan directly in the chest.
No blood flowed out. Instead, red crystals, like rose petals, scattered in the air, making the bloody scene somewhat beautiful.
And this was one of the abilities of the Supreme Grade Sword, Primal Fire. During battle, blood would transform into petal-like crystals, also earning it the name "Sword of Roses."