As news of Rocks' resurrection spread, undercurrents surged across the sea.
Although not many people know about Rocks now, there are still many people from the old days who have a deep memory of him.
In a tavern in a gray area,
A drunken old pirate was standing on the table, holding a bottle of liquor and shouting about Rocks.
He bragged about Rocks at length, and from his words it was clear that he did know about Rocks, but he couldn't give a clear answer about Rocks' personality or what he actually looked like.
In short, Rocks was incredibly powerful, even more so than the current Four Emperors!
At this moment, someone asked a question.
"How does he compare to Marine Admiral Purple Kirin?"
"Cough cough cough!"
The name "Purple Kirin" has now become a taboo among pirates, to the point that people turn pale at the mere mention of it.
The old pirate was so frightened that he choked on his drink, his face turning blue and purple. The surrounding pirates burst into laughter; they had long been annoyed by the old man's boasting and were naturally happy to see him make a fool of himself.
The old pirate, having recovered his composure, was enraged by the crowd's mockery. He shouted,
"What are you laughing at?! Aren't you afraid of Purple Kirin?"
"..."
The tavern fell silent, because no pirate could say he wasn't afraid of Purple Kirin, and even the old pirate himself slumped on the table.
They were already considered losers among pirates. In recent years, due to Senga's appearance, some pirates who relied on raiding villages for survival have been walking on thin ice every day, and their work performance has been extremely poor. You can tell just by looking at the patches on their clothes.
In the corner, a mysterious figure cloaked and whose face was obscured downed his drink in one gulp. He slowly rose, tossed some Beli onto the table, and prepared to leave.
However, his attire and movements stood out conspicuously among the silent pirates, drawing all their attention to him.
The mysterious man ignored the pirates' stares. He walked to the tavern door and suddenly stopped, seemingly talking to himself.
"If you're so afraid of Purple Kirin, then don't be a pirate."
"What!?"
The mysterious man's words were like a boulder thrown into water, creating a splash.
The pirates stood up, some even pulling out guns and pointing them at the mysterious man whose back was to them.
"You arrogant fool! Aren't you a pirate? Aren't you afraid of Purple Kirin?" Upon hearing this, the mysterious man slowly turned around, facing the group of pirates in the tavern.
Just then, a bolt of lightning flashed across the sky, briefly illuminating the dimly lit room and revealing the mysterious man's face beneath his hood to the pirates.
His face looked somewhat terrifying because he had no eyebrows and a string of red tattoos on the left side of his face. Combined with his fierce expression, he was practically a standard villain template.
If Senga were here, she would recognize this person at a glance; he is Luffy's father, Monkey D. Dragon.
The pirates in the tavern were so frightened when they saw the dragon's face that they froze on the spot.
They weren't frightened by the dragon's face. As pirates, they'd seen all sorts of strange and unusual people; they were immune to appearances.
What terrified them so much was the aura emanating from the dragon—the aura of a powerful being.
Long pulled down his hood, completely revealing his face.
Looking at the rabble before him, a mocking smile curled at the corner of his lips, and he retorted,
"Why should I be afraid of Purple Kirin? I'm not a pirate!"
The pirates in the tavern all swallowed hard. Who else could be drinking in a place like this but pirates? Could they be bounty hunters?
Suddenly, the old pirate, who had been ignored by the pirates for half a day, tremblingly extended a finger, pointed at Dragon, and said incredulously,
"You... you are the commander of the Revolutionary Army, Dragon!"
It has to be said that although this guy likes to brag, he does have some knowledge and knows more than these pirates who have only recently entered the industry.
Upon learning Dragon's identity from the old pirate, the group of pirates were terrified, their legs going weak. This was someone the World Government had designated as "the world's most dangerous criminal"!
Long glanced at the old pirate with some surprise, then shook his head, because he felt that the pirates in the tavern were beyond redemption.
He didn't want to waste any more time with these people, so he turned and left the tavern. But as he reached the door, he suddenly stretched out an arm and waved, as if saying goodbye.
After completing this action, the dragon's figure completely disappeared.
The pirates in the tavern immediately collapsed to the ground, thankful they had escaped with their lives.
But is that really the case?
A powerful storm suddenly appeared from the street and swept towards the tavern.
The tavern was destroyed in an instant, and the storm swept the tavern's ruins and the pirates' severed limbs into the sky.
On a rooftop, wisps of wind gathered together, forming a human shape, which then solidified into the form of a dragon.
Dragon glanced at the ruins of the tavern destroyed by the storm, his expression revealing neither joy nor sorrow.
He pulled out several pieces of torn newspaper from his pocket; all the pieces had Senga's image on them.
After looking at them for a while, Long carefully put the fragments away, then turned his head to look in one direction, his gaze seemingly piercing through space and reaching straight to the Marine Headquarters.
He murmured,
"Uchiha Senga, what kind of man are you really?"
Marine Headquarters, Marineford
It was raining, the sky was gray, and Senga, dressed in a black suit, stood solemnly. In front of him was Zephyr, who was silently looking at two tombstones, one large and one small.
Today is the anniversary of the death of Zephyr's family. Zephyr's beloved wife and his three-year-old son are buried here.
A light drizzle fell on Zephyr and Senga, wetting their clothes.
Senga didn't use any of his abilities to block the rain, because he knew it was best to let Zephyr have some peace and quiet.
Perhaps for Zephyr, the raindrops hitting his body were his departed family members expressing their longing for him, which brought him some comfort.
It was impossible to tell whether the water on Zephyr's face was from rain or tears. He placed some prepared items in front of the tombstones, gently wiped the two tombstones, nodded to Senga, and then left in silence.
Infected by Zephyr's emotions, Senga also felt bad, and he thought of his best friend Minato in the Naruto World.
He reached out and placed his hand on his Rinnegan, and even those eyes, which were said to be able to control life and death, shed two lines of tears at that moment.
Senga bowed slightly to the two tombstones before turning and leaving.
He was going to find a fruit to make up for the regret in his heart.