Ritter roamed wildly around God Valley. Aside from the main battlefield, he swept through every possible place where Celestial Dragons could be hiding. Having gathered enough "fertilizer," he was quite satisfied.

What disappointed him, however, was that some of the Celestial Dragons were heavily guarded by CP0 agents. Judging by the protection detail, their status among the Celestial Dragons was clearly high. Waves of pirates had rushed at them, but after a few charges, the enthusiasm died down. Pirates were, after all, notoriously self-preserving it wasn't surprising.

For Ritter, who was hoping to slip in amidst the chaos, this made it hard to find the right opportunity.

If he truly wanted to kill them, he had ways. But doing so would risk exposure, and it wasn't worth it. Of all the Celestial Dragons that had come to God Valley, Ritter had already killed about half himself.

It was truly a satisfying slaughter.

Humming a little tune, Ritter returned to the cave where the Roger Pirates were anchored, his mood as light as a feather. By this time, Rocks had been fighting Garp and the others for over three days.

Roger was still waiting, quietly listening to the Voice of All Things, keeping tabs on Ritter's movements. Wherever Ritter went, hope and fear followed. When Roger saw him return, he said nothing but the smile tugging at the corners of his mouth couldn't be suppressed.

The rest of the Roger Pirates hadn't been able to detect Ritter, who had deliberately concealed his presence. But nobody asked any questions; the mood lifted the moment he came back.

Ritter had gotten his fill of slaughter, and the Roger Pirates were now in high spirits. With most of the Celestial Dragons dead and Garp locked in a three-day battle with Rocks, everyone was, in a sense, getting what they wanted.

"Alright, boys let's go pay the Rocks Pirates a visit!" Roger shouted.

Ritter looked at his captain. After such intense fighting, both the Rocks Pirates and the Marines had suffered heavy casualties. Coming out now wouldn't look like they were backing the Celestial Dragons because, well, most of them were already dead. Perfect.

Now was the ideal moment to appear on the scene. They could just claim they were "passing by" and came to lend a hand. With all the Celestial Dragons already dead at the hands of Rocks, the World Government might even end up thanking them.

Who said Roger only knew how to go on adventures?

Rocks stood atop the ruined battlefield, his breathing loud and ragged like thunder. His black coat was in tatters, revealing a torso crisscrossed with scars.

Garp's iron fists had left bruises all over his face, and his Conqueror's Haki was no longer as wild as it had been at the start.

"Damn Navy… damn Garp…" Rocks spat out a mouthful of blood and sneered at the equally battered Garp. "What now? All your masters are dead, and you're still fighting?"

Garp cracked a grin, his fists tightening with a series of sharp cracks. "I don't fight for those bastards."

Just as the two were about to clash again—

"Kuahahaha! You didn't think you could have a brawl without us, did you?!"

A hearty laugh rang out from the edge of the battlefield.

Rocks and Garp turned simultaneously.

A massive crimson ship cut through the smoke and flames. Standing proudly at its bow was a man wearing a straw hat Gol D. Roger.

(That was Ritter's idea: sail in and make it look like they just happened to be passing through. Charging in on foot might look suspicious.)

"Roger?!" Rocks' pupils shrank. "You bastard what are you doing here?!"

Roger laughed heartily and leapt from the ship. His Ace sword gleamed as he drew it, the blade pointing straight at Rocks. "What else? I came to 'help,' of course!"

Garp's face twitched. Roger, who had waited three whole days to appear, now said he'd come to help? "Help who, exactly?"

Roger winked. "Why, the side of justice, of course!"

Rayleigh adjusted his glasses with calm composure. "We were just passing by. When we saw the Marines struggling, we thought we'd lend a hand."

Jabba slung an axe over his shoulder and grinned. "That's right. We're just concerned citizens!"

Ritter stood at the ship's bow, his massive black tide greatsword resting on his shoulder, a faint smile playing at his lips.

(Inwardly: With most of the Celestial Dragons dead, who's gonna accuse us of trying to steal the glory now? Heh.)

As Roger and Garp faced off with Rocks, one might wonder where were the Five Elders and the Holy Knights? Oh right, they were almost all dead already. The Science Defense God, the Finance God, the leader of the Holy Knights… all gone. The rest? Presumed dead.

Ritter clicked his tongue in mock pity. "Tsk tsk. What a total reshuffle."

Rayleigh, Jabba, and the others went off to deal with the rest of the Rocks Pirates. The clash between Roger, Garp, and Rocks was beyond their pay grade.

"Hey, Garp!" Roger laughed, sword still pointed at Rocks. "I don't like you much right now, but… how about we take him on together?"

Garp snorted, fists crackling with Haki. "Save your breath! Once we're done with him, I'm coming for you!"

Rocks stood atop a pile of rubble, laughing madly. "Two fools from two different eras… Come then! I'll show you what it means to be the true King of the World!"

Rocks unleashed his Conqueror's Haki in a tsunami-like wave, black and red lightning tearing the sky apart! Roger and Garp responded in kind, their own Haki colliding with his three supreme wills clashing, shaking the entire island!

"Divine Departure!" Roger's slash tore through the air, aimed straight at Rocks' throat!

"Fist Bone: Meteor Impact!" Garp's punch, wrapped in supreme-grade Armament Haki, crashed toward Rocks' chest!

Rocks grinned wildly and met them head-on.

"BOOOOM—!!"

The collision sent shockwaves ripping across the battlefield. The ground split open, the sea flooded inland!

Rocks was blasted back dozens of meters, blood trickling from his mouth but his fighting spirit only burned hotter!

"Kuahahaha! This is more like it!" He tore open his shirt, the spiral tattoo on his chest whirling violently. "You two… are worth going all out for!"

"Grand Whirlpool: Devourer of the Gods!"

The entire island's energy surged into Rocks' body. His muscles swelled, skin split, but his power soared to unprecedented heights!

Roger's eyes narrowed. "Life Return. Without outside energy to replenish him… he's burning his life force."

Garp grinned. "All the better."

"Roger!" Garp bellowed.

"I know!" Roger answered with a laugh.

The two charged at Rocks in unison!

"Fist Bone: Galaxy Impact!" Garp's punch, imbued with Conqueror's Haki, crashed down like a meteor!

"Ace: Final Judgment!" Roger's blade unleashed a slash that split heaven and earth!

Rocks roared back, throwing both fists forward.

"Sovereign Domain: Apocalypse!!"

RUMBLE—!!

Heaven and earth lost their color.

And what was Ritter doing?

Oh, just enjoying the show.

He stood at the bow of the Oro Jackson, blood mist enveloping the entire ship, shielding it from destruction. Even from this distance, the sheer force of their Conqueror's Haki was enough to thin out his mist.

"Well, well, guess the isekai visitor's done his part."

Ritter leaned on the railing, murmuring to himself. "I've killed so many Celestial Dragons… Even when you're slaughtering pigs, you still gotta take a break, right?"

This might just be the clash of the three strongest men of this era.

As for that old geezer hiding in the garden somewhere? Ritter wasn't concerned about him for now. With his current strength, Ritter was qualified to sit back and spectate.

"Oh my, Garp's really going for Rocks' kidneys. That punch looked painful. Oh! That one sent the captain flying. Damn, that's badass."

Learning from the best these were valuable lessons.

As Ritter commented with great interest, a new figure stepped onto the battlefield

Kaido, then a rookie crew member aboard the Rocks Pirates, appearing in his "Little Worm" Zoan form, the power of the Fish-Fish Fruit awakening on his skin.

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