One Piece: Starting in God Valley as a Slave

Retracting his gaze, Roger had only one thought in his mind at this moment.

"We can't fight anymore!"

Boom!

The battle between Carl and Whitebeard raged on, and Sengoku joined in. With the combined strength of the two, Whitebeard was pushed back step by step, until Roger suddenly arrived, cleaving the battlefield with a powerful wave of sword energy infused with Haki.

Whitebeard's face lit up, thinking Roger had finally regained his fighting spirit, but Roger's first words caught him off guard:

"Newgate, it's time for us to retreat!"

"What!?"

Whitebeard looked incredulous, fighting the urge to strike Roger in frustration, and gritted his teeth.

"Roger, are you joking!?"

Roger turned his head and spoke in a grave tone,

"The navy's reinforcements have arrived. We can't win this. If we keep fighting, I don't know how many of our men will die here!"

As he spoke, Carl charged in again. Roger had no choice but to fend off his attack while shouting,

"Everyone retreat!!!"

Roger's pirate crew was stunned by their captain's order. Buggy was the first to react. Without wasting a second, he bolted towards the Oro Jackson on the shore.

In a rare moment of righteousness, Buggy shouted back to Shanks while running,

"Didn't you hear, you idiot? Captain Roger said retreat! Stop standing around like a fool!"

Shanks, however, didn't move. Instead, he rushed toward the fishman Sunbell, who lay wounded not far away. Shanks noticed that Sunbell's chest was still faintly rising and falling, so he decided to carry him back to the ship.

But his desire to save a crewmate made him lose track of time. Soon, a group of Navy officers surrounded him, and a Vice Admiral blocked his path, raising his leg to strike. Shanks tried to block with his sword, but he was no match for a Vice Admiral at this point. Although he managed to protect his vital areas, he was sent flying back, crashing heavily onto the ground.

Meanwhile, Roger was fending off Carl, but his attention kept drifting toward his crew's retreat. When he saw Shanks being knocked down, his expression darkened.

Roger cared for Shanks deeply, a sentiment he'd later show by giving him his straw hat. In a burst of concern, he disengaged from Carl and rushed towards Shanks, taking a deep wound in the process but shouting his name desperately.

This shout made Carl pause. He glanced at Shanks, then twisted his body and vanished into the shadows.

The Vice Admiral raised his hand, ready to strike Shanks with a Shigan, but before he could land the blow, a dark vortex appeared. The Vice Admiral froze, stunned, as Carl reappeared.

Shanks was equally shocked to see Carl. The pirate stood frozen, unsure of what to do next. Carl looked down at Shanks and, after a long silence, said coldly,

"It's too early for you to be in this battlefield."

Roger was now sprinting over, yelling,

"Black Dragon! I'm your opponent! Stay away from him!"

Roger unleashed his Conqueror's Haki to its fullest, and several Navy officers nearby collapsed instantly. Carl, without looking back, gently pressed his foot against Shanks' stomach. Before Shanks knew what was happening, a tremendous force sent him flying through the air.

Buggy, who had just boarded the Oro Jackson, wiped the sweat from his brow, relieved. He muttered to himself,

"Shanks is such an idiot... doesn't even know how to retreat."

Before Buggy could finish his thought, a dark shadow appeared in front of him. Shanks, dizzy from the impact, landed on top of Buggy, causing Buggy to yelp,

"Get off me, you bastard!"

Realizing he was sitting on Buggy, Shanks quickly jumped up, helping him to his feet.

Buggy scowled,

"I didn't know you were so fast. I was worried about you!"

"What speed? Carl kicked me over here!"

"Ah!? He saved you again!?"

Shanks didn't respond. This time, he truly felt something different about Carl. Despite Carl's fearsome reputation as a cold-blooded fighter, he spared Shanks' life and even ensured he wouldn't be hurt during the retreat. Shanks couldn't shake the feeling that Carl was treating him... with an odd kind of kindness.

As these thoughts ran through Shanks' mind, he almost forgot that Roger was still fighting Carl.

When Carl sent Shanks flying, Roger had arrived. Seeing that Shanks was unharmed, Roger was ready to breathe a sigh of relief, but Carl charged at him once more, sword in hand.

Roger had no intention of continuing the battle. He was ready to head back to the Oro Jackson as soon as Rayleigh and the others secured a way out.

Whitebeard, still battling Sengoku, was also growing tired. His crew had suffered much heavier losses than Roger's. If they continued, he'd soon be standing alone.

With a mighty earthquake punch, Whitebeard sent Sengoku flying. Taking a deep breath, he shouted the order to retreat.

Hearing Whitebeard's command, the morale of the pirates crumbled completely. Marco and the others led the charge toward the Moby Dick, but even as Whitebeard used his Tremor-Tremor Fruit to aid their escape, many pirates were cut down or captured by the Navy during the retreat.

On Roger's side, Rayleigh and Bullet joined forces, forcing Akainu and the others to fall back. They then rushed to assist Roger.

Carl, now nursing an aching arm, saw Rayleigh and Bullet approaching. Flapping his wings, he soared into the sky before flipping through the air and landing near Sengoku and the others. Kuma immediately stepped forward and used his Paw-Paw Fruit to remove Carl's pain.

Roger and Whitebeard used this chance to leap back onto their ships. But it was clear to all—their crews were smaller now, and the remaining members were demoralized.

They had lost.

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+115 chapters on p@treon/tambeerg