Beneath the vast, open sky, sunlight stread down upon the deck of the Oro Jackson, flagship of the Roger Pirates.
"If you're bored, might as well throw hands," soone declared.
Ritter stood face-to-face with Gol D. Roger, while the rest of the crew gathered around in a loose circle, eyes brimming with anticipation.
"Place your bets, boys!" soone shouted.
"I, Silvers Jaba, will be your comntator today!" Jaba announced, striking a flamboyant pose. "In the red corner, the reigning Pirate King, Captain Gol D. Roger! And in the blue corner, his challenger also from the Roger Pirates the man they call the Crimson Mist, Ritter! Will the king defend his throne, or will the challenger rise and claim a new crown? Stay tuned!"
Ritter's expression was grave, his eyes burning with fierce resolve.
He knew exactly how powerful the man before him was.
He gripped his greatsword, Black Tide, as a crimson mist began to swirl around him, thickening rapidly and blanketing the deck in a heavy fog.
"Captain watch yourself!" Ritter shouted. With a forceful stomp, he launched forward, his greatsword wrapped in corrosive mist. With a mighty roar, he brought it down.
Roger responded with his signature grin, unfazed. He stepped lightly to the side.
"Not bad, kid!" he said encouragingly.
Yet Roger remained vigilant. A follow-up strike from a mist blade shot through the haze part of Ritter's planned combo to trap him in the brief mont after a dodge, before he could fully regain his footing.
But Roger evaded it effortlessly.
"Can't even land the first strike? Little Ritter, you're still green!" Jaba jeered from the sidelines.
Ritter didn't seem discouraged in the slightest. He even had ti to shout back, "Hey! If you're gonna be the comntator, at least pretend to be neutral, you bastard!"
Without pause, Ritter activated his Fog-Fog Fruit powers. Under his control, the mist around them thickened further and then transford countless fine needles ford from the fog and launched toward Roger.
This was one of Ritter's crafted techniques: "Fog Needle: Thousand Rain."
Roger's eyes narrowed. His body blurred into motion, weaving through the rain of fog needles with astonishing precision. Every evasive movent was executed at just the right angle. The needles struck the deck around him, leaving tiny pockmarks in the wood.
"Tch. Try this!" Ritter gathered fog around his sword once more. The mist clinging to Black Tide turned a vivid red, as though it had ignited.
He raised the blade high.
"Fog God Style: Blood Tide!"
With a shout, he brought it crashing down. A wave of blood-red mist surged forward like a tidal wave, its sheer pressure distorting the air and tearing it apart with a crackling hiss.
Roger's smile finally faded. Sensing the power behind the blow, he planted his feet firmly and drew his saber Ace. Haki surged across the blade as he called out:
"Divine Departure!"
A radiant arc of light burst from his sword, colliding with Ritter's fog blade in midair.
Boom!
The resulting shockwave roared across the deck like a hurricane. Pirates staggered back under the force of the blast so even stumbled and fell flat.
A pale mist surrounded Jaba, allowing him to watch the battle clearly. "Two devastating techniques clashing head-on... What will the result be?"
As the mist cleared, the two figures erged.
Ritter had been blasted back. His boots gouged deep trenches into the deck, his arms trembling, blood dripping from his palms. Still, his eyes held fast no fear, no retreat.
"He's still standing! Looks like our boy's made so serious progress," Jaba said with a grin. "Well? What're you all waiting for? Hype him up!"
"I'm not done yet!" Ritter roared, gritting his teeth and charging forward once more.
Roger saw him coming, a glimr of pride in his eyes. He raised Ace again to et the attack.
Ritter's blade danced, striking with wild energy sotis slashing down, other tis sweeping across, each blow infused with every ounce of strength he could muster.
But as he clashed with Roger head-on, Ritter quickly realized that brute force alone wouldn't be enough to overco the Pirate King.
He began to retreat, slipping into the fog.
"He's doing it again! Ritter's cheapest move!" Jaba exclaid in mock disgust. "Tui! (That's his signature strategy, folks!) And a damn effective one too..." He muttered the last part like soone who'd been on the receiving end.
Shadows flickered within the mist.
There was a reason they called him Crimson Mist the bloody fog that signaled death.
Ritter struck again, erging behind Roger with a heavy swing. Instead of concentrating all his power into one point, he favored a two-phase assault: first Black Tide, then a follow-up mist blade. (A technique inspired by the ragged but effective style he'd witnessed in fights between Ragged Life and Slippers.)
Roger reacted swiftly, blocking the attack with Ace.
He narrowed his eyes, scanning the surroundings. Ritter vanished once more.
Then, from another direction, Ritter burst forth this ti wielding a spear ford from compressed fog, which he thrust at Roger. As the spear lunged forward, Black Tide ca sweeping in from the side.
Roger dodged the spear and evaded the blade in a single motion, forcing Ritter to vanish once more.
Again and again, Ritter struck from the mist, attacking in waves, then retreating before Roger could counter. It was a relentless dance appearing, attacking, disappearing.
But Roger was no rookie. He'd been sailing the seas long before Ritter was even born. He didn't even need to use the Voice of All Things to gain the upper hand. And while Ritter's mist could suppress ordinary Observation Haki, Roger's own haki was among the most advanced in the world.
In the end, the gap in their strength was too great.
After another fierce exchange, Black Tide was knocked from Ritter's hands. He was sent flying across the deck, crashing hard. Blood trickled from his lips, his expression a mix of frustration and defiance.
"Ha! That was impressive, Ritter," Roger said warmly as he walked over and extended a hand.
Ritter wiped the blood from his mouth and stared up at him. "Captain... I'll get stronger. I swear."
"Bwahaha! I believe you!" Roger laughed, ruffling Ritter's hair with genuine fondness.
"Hey, hey don't look at like so proud old dad, you bastard," Ritter grumbled, flashing his shark-like grin.
The golden rays of sunset bathed the Oro Jackson in soft light.
Ritter slumped down near the edge of the ship, massaging his sore arms. Black Tide rested nearby, leaning against the rail.
Roger sat down beside him and handed over a bottle of rum.
"Drink?"
Ritter took it and downed a large swig. The burn in his throat made him wince. "Ugh... this stuff's still disgusting."
Roger laughed heartily and passed him a glass of orange juice instead. With his other hand, he gave Ritter's head another playful rub.
"Kid, you did great today. A few more years, and you might actually knock flat. I'm really looking forward to it."
Ritter rolled his eyes. "Yeah, sure. Says the guy with Observation Haki cranked to max."
Rayleigh walked over, holding a glass of wine. His glasses glinted in the light of the setting sun.
"Don't get discouraged, Ritter. You're only nineteen. The fact that you could even push Roger this far is already absurd."
"Exactly!" Jaba chid in. "Next ti, try to make him break a sweat!"
Ritter was listening to their encouragent when Jaba's comnt struck a nerve.
"You bastard, Jaba! What kind of encouragent is that?! Let's take this outside!"
The crew burst into laughter. The air was warm, lively, and full of camaraderie.
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