Roger's words truly left Rocks baffled. All he could see now was that Roger, a pirate, had actually chosen to side with the World Government against him!
Newgate drove back Garling, whom he had been entangled with for quite some time, with an air-quake. Several crisscrossing sword wounds had appeared across his bare chest, blood seeping from them from time to time.
Several parts of Garling's Golden Armor, exclusive to the Divine Knights, had also been shattered, and blood trickled from the corner of his mouth. Newgate in his prime, coupled with the Tremor-Tremor Fruit, was no easy opponent.
Their battle just now had been exceedingly fierce. If Roger had not suddenly appeared, one of them would likely have fallen here today.
Newgate glanced sideways at Roger, his gaze flickering as he wondered what the man was thinking.
Roger had certainly not come alone. Before long, First Mate Silvers Rayleigh arrived with the other crew members. They stood behind Roger, confronting the Rocks Pirates.
At a time like this, the arrival of the Roger Pirates could be called a complete reversal of the situation. Rocks's expression became incomparably grim, and he wanted nothing more than to skin Roger alive.
The members of the Rocks Pirates wore varied expressions. Apart from Linlin, who had vanished somewhere, most of them were already looking around in every direction, clearly considering escape.
Naturally, Rocks noticed this as well. There was no time for him to think further. With an angry roar, he raised his aura to its peak, and a layer of shadow instantly blanketed the sky.
His fists clenched tight, black Conqueror's Haki lightning crackled around him. Rocks shot forward like lightning, his terrifying presence locking firmly onto Roger. He had made up his mind—failure or not, he would kill Roger, this disgrace to pirates, today!
Facing Rocks's all-out attack, Roger's expression turned solemn. He wrapped Conqueror's Haki around Ace, one of the Twelve Great Swords, and charged straight at Rocks.
Yet the instant they collided, Roger felt the arm holding his sword nearly go numb. Rocks's strength was even more terrifying than he had anticipated.
Seeing Roger in trouble, Silvers Rayleigh immediately wanted to draw his sword and help, but Garp of the Marines was faster.
A pitch-black iron fist descended from above. Rocks had been utterly focused on killing Roger before him, and in his moment of carelessness, Garp blasted him away with a punch, forcing him back.
Looking at Roger and Garp standing side by side before him, Rocks was so furious his mouth nearly twisted out of shape. After a long pause, he squeezed out four words.
"Disgusting beyond words!"
He had intended to seize the initiative and stabilize his wavering forces, only to suffer a setback instead. The situation was becoming increasingly unfavorable for him.
Yet at this very moment, Linlin, who had been nowhere to be found, suddenly returned, holding up an azure Devil Fruit.
While everyone else had been fighting, she had used the Soul-Soul Fruit's power to grant a stretch of land a soul, and had ultimately obtained the Azure Dragon Fruit.
Seeing Linlin reappear, Rocks had initially felt rather relieved. At least this woman has some conscience. But before he could be happy for long, a single sentence from Linlin nearly petrified him on the spot.
"Kaido, you fool, why are you fighting so desperately!? Look what I found! Come with me!"
The moment Kaido saw the Azure Dragon Fruit, he was overjoyed and actually rushed toward Linlin. After the two met up, they turned and left, vanishing from everyone's sight within a few breaths.
"..."
After a brief silence, Newgate suddenly let out a soft sigh. He had now become utterly disappointed in the Rocks Pirates. Slung Cloud-Piercer over his shoulder, turned around, and walked away without saying a word.
He was not moving quickly, yet the World Government side had no intention of stopping him at all. They simply allowed Newgate to swagger away from the place.
Shiki took a puff from his cigar. If anyone on the battlefield remained calmest, it was him. As a Float-Float Fruit Ability User, so long as he wished to leave, practically no one could keep him behind.
From the moment Linlin and Kaido disappeared, Rocks had stood silently in place. Even when Newgate left, he did not say another word.
But Roger and Garp, standing opposite him, suddenly felt a terrifying aura that made it hard to breathe. Driven into a corner, Rocks was ready to risk everything.
Saturn's aged face already wore an expression of certain victory, but his body remained taut. He knew that Rocks was at his most dangerous in this state.
Rocks slowly raised his head, his icy voice emerging from his mouth.
"Roger... Celestial Dragons... Marines... all of you deserve to die!!!"
With a deafening boom, the ground instantly collapsed. Rocks led his few remaining loyal subordinates into the enemy ranks. In an instant, countless severed limbs flew through the air, and bloody mist filled the entire battlefield.
The World Government, the Marines, and the Roger Pirates no longer held back either. Every top fighter surged forward, surrounding and suppressing Rocks, who had gone mad with slaughter at the center of the battlefield.
There was not a trace of fear on Rocks's face. He tore off his cloak, already dyed red with blood, and threw it aside as he laughed wildly.
"Come at me together! I am Rocks!!!"
No one knew how much time had passed before the rumbling that echoed throughout God Valley gradually subsided.
At the edge of God Valley, Newgate pushed a small wooden boat into the sea, then leaped into it.
The Rocks Pirates' ship had long since been destroyed by the Marine warships that arrived afterward. He had no choice but to personally build this fairly sturdy little boat.
Looking back toward God Valley, Newgate shook his head and softly said,
"Goodbye, Captain Rocks."
After saying that, he fished a sky-blue Devil Fruit out of his clothes and thought,
I actually picked up a Devil Fruit on the way here. It was probably prepared by those Celestial Dragons. Their loss is my gain.
Aboard a Marine warship,
Sengoku sat on a bench, wiping the blood from his body. Far too many Marines had been wounded in this battle, and the military doctors were already overwhelmed. Relying on his strong constitution, he had chosen not to seek treatment, leaving the limited resources to the other Marine soldiers.
Just as he held a piece of cotton in tweezers and was about to press it against his wound, the door burst open with a bang as Garp shoved it wide.
"Hey! Sengoku, are you alright!?"
"Pfft!"
Looking at the tweezers stuck in his wound, Sengoku's mouth twitched. He turned, about to lose his temper, when Garp suddenly tossed over a wooden box and said carelessly,
"Take a look at what I found."
Several sheets of gold foil covered the box, making it obvious that the contents were valuable. Sengoku raised a brow and slowly opened it. A golden Devil Fruit lay quietly inside.
Sengoku stared wide-eyed, lifting his head to look at Garp in disbelief. Garp grinned and said,
"This must be one of those Celestial Dragons' fruits. I found one, and you know I don't care much for that lot, so I won't be handing this fruit in. But I don't want to become a landlubber either. If you're interested, it's yours!"
At the same time, aboard the Roger Pirates' ship,
Roger and the others stood gathered around a wooden box, staring blankly at the red-haired infant inside. The baby waved his tiny hands. Not only did he not cry, he even giggled happily...
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