One Piece: I'm not Roger

Akainu and Aokiji felt as though a mountain was crushing down on their shoulders, making their already battered bodies even heavier and harder to move.

An icy wind swept across the island, carrying snowflakes that blurred the figures of the three men.

Akainu stared coldly at the man before him.

"Roger, why are you here?"

Aether smiled lightly, his golden eyes filled with amusement.

"Admiral Akainu, why don't you try guessing?"

"Hmph."

Akainu had no interest in meaningless games. His presence steadily rose like a volcano on the verge of erupting.

Aether did not take the injured admiral seriously. Even if Akainu were at his peak, Aether was still confident he could defeat him. Now that both admirals had been pushed into such a miserable state, the smile on his face widened even more. Watching powerful people fall into despair was something he enjoyed.

That smile only irritated Akainu and Aokiji further.

Still, since his former comrades wanted answers, Aether decided to generously "tell them the truth."

"Since neither of you is leaving this island alive today, I might as well let you die understanding why. Kizaru leaked the information to me. As long as both of you disappear, he'll become the next Fleet Admiral. He even planned to..."

Before Aether could continue, Akainu cut him off with an angry shout.

"Enough with the nonsense. Do you really think we'd believe your lies?"

Aokiji's gaze also darkened.

They understood Kizaru well. Although he had the qualifications to compete for Fleet Admiral, secretly plotting against fellow admirals was not his style.

More importantly, after everything that had happened, both of them clearly understood one thing.

The current Roger was far more dangerous and cunning than the man from the past.

Seeing his attempt fail, Aether helplessly spread his hands while slowly walking toward them.

"Believe it or not, it doesn't matter to me. Is there any reason for me to lie at this point? Do you really understand Kizaru that well? Look at my eyes, do I seem like a liar?"

Aether chuckled softly before continuing.

"Besides, the Marines outside the island have already been intercepted. That's why I said your fate was sealed the moment I arrived."

The moment his words fell, the pressure of his Conqueror's Haki intensified.

The falling snow froze in midair.

The snow covering the ground trembled violently as invisible shockwaves spread across the battlefield.

Only moments ago, Akainu and Aokiji had been fighting each other to the death. Now, the two admirals were forced to stand side by side against a common enemy.

Meanwhile, outside the island, the escort fleet composed of five Marine warships had completely fallen into chaos.

Just as the fleet prepared to land on the island, countless pink arrows suddenly rained down from the sky.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

Two warships failed to react in time and were instantly struck by the pink barrage.

Every Marine touched by the arrows rapidly turned into stone.

Panic and screams spread throughout the ships.

Within moments, hundreds of stone statues covered the decks, including the Marine Commodore commanding one of the warships.

The sudden attack left the Marines completely unprepared. Soldiers shouted in confusion until the commanding officer finally forced them to regain order.

At that moment, a small technologically advanced vessel slowly approached the fleet.

Standing atop it was an overwhelmingly beautiful woman wearing a crimson qipao.

One person alone blocked five Marine warships.

Pirate Empress Boa Hancock.

The inexperienced Marines stared in disbelief.

"It's Boa Hancock!"

"Why is a Warlord attacking us?! Aren't the Seven Warlords allied with the Marines?"

Vice Admiral Doberman's expression became extremely grim.

He had already received word that someone had interfered with the battle between the two admirals on the island. At such a critical moment, the admirals could not afford any additional setbacks.

Yet before they could even reinforce the island, Hancock appeared to stop them.

Everything had clearly been planned beforehand.

Doberman pointed his sword toward Hancock with a furious expression.

"Boa Hancock, why are you attacking the Marines?! Do you understand the consequences of betraying the Government?!"

Several Marine Commodores immediately leaped from the remaining warships, surrounding Hancock from multiple directions.

Unfortunately for them, this level of strength meant absolutely nothing to her.

Hancock calmly placed one hand on her waist, her beautiful face filled with disdain.

"Hmph. I no longer care about the title of Seven Warlords of the Sea. Today, none of you are getting past me."

Her words instantly enraged the Marines.

Betrayal was something the Marines hated most.

The soldiers raised their rifles, preparing to fire simultaneously.

Then Hancock smiled.

It was a breathtaking smile capable of enchanting anyone.

"Even after attacking you, can't you still forgive me?"

As the power of the Love-Love Fruit activated, Hancock's beauty seemed to become even more overwhelming in the eyes of the Marines.

One by one, heart shapes appeared in their eyes.

Their faces flushed red as foolish grins spread across their expressions.

"Of course we'll forgive you!"

"Lady Hancock is too beautiful!"

"I'd gladly become a stone statue for her!"

Even several Marine Commodores were instantly charmed.

Only Doberman remained unaffected, his expression twisting with anger.

"You idiots! She's the enemy!"

The surrounding Marines immediately shouted back at him.

"So what if she's the enemy?!"

"Lady Hancock is the most beautiful woman in the world!"

"I want to become an accessory beneath Lady Hancock's feet!"

"I'd rather be stepped on by her than live normally!"

Doberman nearly coughed up blood from anger.

Without wasting another moment, Hancock coldly raised her hand.

"Mero Mero Mellow."

A massive pink heart-shaped wave spread across the battlefield.

Every Marine caught within its range instantly turned into stone.

Entire sections of the warship became frozen statues.

Although Doberman barely resisted the attack, one of his arms was covered in blood from a self-inflicted wound.

For men weaker than Hancock, pain was often the only reliable method to resist her charm.

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