Of course, Rocks wasn't the only one who had returned. Charlotte Linlin and Kaido, whom they hadn't seen for some time, had returned with him.
It had to be said that Linlin had truly been an outstanding beauty in her youth—full-figured, alluring, and radiant. She was just a little too tall. A beauty nearly nine meters tall was honestly rather excessive.
But it didn't matter. The world was never short of brave men like Gaban.
Kaido had been very young in his youth as well. His pair of long legs hadn't yet been trained into short ones, and he had already begun growing a beard on his lips. Combined with his naturally aged-looking face, he really didn't look like a twenty-one-year-old young man.
"Mother, Mother! Little Roa! What a darling child. Come over to Auntie."
Charlotte Linlin waved at Roa, her face exceptionally gentle.
Roa knew that when Linlin encountered children under ten, she would sometimes enter a special state and show that child extraordinary tenderness.
Unfortunately, she wasn't like that with him.
Roa wore a radiant smile as he sidled over with a grin. "Auntie Linlin, you're still as beautiful as ever."
"Mother, Mother! You're still such a smooth talker, you little thing!"
Linlin giggled sweetly.
Kaido snorted unhappily. "Did you forget I'm here, brat?"
"So, Big Brother Kaido..."
Roa asked with ill intent, "Did you fight Roger this time?"
The Roger Pirates were currently the only pirate crew capable of slightly competing with the Rocks Pirates, and Roger was naturally the strongest enemy the Rocks Pirates had.
It wasn't just the uncles. Kaido was also very fixated on that man.
"Hmph."
Teacher Kaido, young and brash, snorted coldly. "Roger is nothing special! I'm not afraid of him!"
"Don't listen to this braggart."
Charlotte Linlin picked Roa up and placed him on her shoulder, speaking with a smile. "The moment the battle began, he went looking for Roger and nearly got himself killed by that man's counterattack, Divine Departure."
"No wonder you're Big Brother Kaido!"
Roa gave his big brother a thumbs-up. "You didn't evade Divine Departure. You're even more awesome than a god!"
"Hmph!"
Young Teacher Kaido unhappily turned his head away and snorted again.
"So what was the final result?" Roa asked curiously. Although he knew Roger couldn't possibly lose here, who knew whether there might have been a butterfly effect?
"Roger still managed to escape."
Linlin was somewhat unwilling to accept it as well. "That man has already grown so strong that even Rocks can't do anything to him. Rayleigh and Gaban are absurdly powerful too."
"Even though Ochoku and the others joined us, Newgate and Shiki weren't there, so we still couldn't do anything to them."
Roa nodded in understanding.
Although the Roger Pirates couldn't compare to the all-star lineup of the Rocks Pirates, they were also led by three core fighters. If the Rocks Pirates didn't go all out, taking them down wouldn't be easy.
"Then..."
Roa looked toward Whitebeard, whose head was covered in blood. "What happened to Uncle Newgate?"
"I was just about to mention that."
Charlotte Linlin turned her head toward Whitebeard and Stussy. "Don't just stand there. Rocks wants to hold a meeting."
A short while later, they were inside a spacious conference room in the skull building.
The officers of the Rocks Pirates had gathered together.
Golden Lion and Aunt Gloriosa had arrived early and were already there.
Besides them, there was a burly man in armor, a thin middle-aged man wearing a top hat, and a drunkard gulping from a wine bottle.
They were the other senior officers: Silver Axe, Ochoku, and Captain John.
With Roa and the others arriving afterward, all the officers were present.
"Yo, little Roa. Haven't seen you for a few days, and you've grown taller again."
As the most popular man in the Rocks Pirates, Golden Lion was nearly always greeting Roa.
The most polite seven-year-old on Beehive Island responded cheerfully to each of them in turn.
With his ordinary human build, Roa consciously sat beside Golden Lion and asked curiously, "What's going on? Why did the captain get into a fight with Uncle Newgate? And what's the meeting about?"
"My treasure was stolen!"
Accompanied by a low voice, a man strode into the conference room.
The man wasn't particularly tall, but he was still a head taller than ordinary people. He wasn't handsome, and the hair at the back of his head was messy, hanging in strands as though it hadn't been washed in a long time.
Overall, he looked utterly ordinary, yet he radiated an aura of domineering ambition that seemed capable of swallowing the whole world.
The conference room instantly fell silent.
"Captain!"
As he spoke, good boy Roa raised his right hand high. "What treasure are you talking about?"
"A brat doesn't need to know."
The man's name was Rocks D. Zebek, captain of the Rocks Pirates and the uncrowned king of the New World.
He looked quite impatient. Slamming his palm onto the table, he glared furiously at Whitebeard. "Newgate, you idiot! I sent you to receive it, and you still let it get stolen!"
"You bastard never said someone would come early to steal it! How was I supposed to know something unexpected would happen?"
Whitebeard refused to back down. "You've already punched me several times, you bastard. What more do you want?"
"I really want to kill you, you idiot!"
Rocks was so furious that flashes of domineering lightning burst from him. Cracks rapidly spread across the walls and table.
"I support that!"
Shiki was eager to see chaos break out. "Gyahahahaha! Losing one Newgate won't matter."
"All right."
Gloriosa patted the table and said gently, "Infighting serves no purpose. Captain, what exactly is this treasure you mentioned?"
"You don't need to know for now."
Rocks said, "In any case, mobilize every source of information we have. I'm going to take that thing back!"
Roa fell into thought.
In the original story, the reason the Rocks Pirates appeared at God Valley seemed to be that something belonging to them had been stolen.
Was this the so-called treasure?
What could it be? The Azure Dragon Fruit? Or some other unknown treasure?
The smile on Roa's face grew even wider.
The battle at God Valley really was about to begin.
"Also..."
Rocks continued, "I'm going to Elbaf next. The giants need to make a choice."
"Elbaf?"
Aunt Linlin's eyes lit up. "I want to go too!"
"What are you butting in for, you idiot?"
Rocks immediately berated her. "Don't you know what kind of reputation you have among the giants?"
"Newgate."
He looked toward Whitebeard. "You're coming with me, bastard."
"Hmph. I don't care either way."
Whitebeard snorted.
"So, Rocks..."
Big Brother Kaido sounded somewhat excited. "We're going to win over the giants too? Does this mean the war against the World Government is finally about to begin?"
The corners of Rocks's mouth rose high. "That's right! Rejoice, you scum. Our goal is already within reach!"
The reason the monsters of the Rocks Pirates had gathered together was to pull off something big.
"Worororororo! I can't wait!"
"Gyahahahaha!"
"Gurarararara!"
"Mother, Mother, Mother!"
Strange laughter rang out all around.
Roa felt a little inferior. His laugh was too normal, completely out of place among these people.
After composing himself, Roa raised his hand high again. "Captain, I want to go to Elbaf too!"
Rocks glanced at Roa, then tugged at the corner of his mouth. "Fine. With your ability, you'll be of great use in Elbaf!"
Before you continue