On Beehive Island, Rocks ordered a grand banquet that lasted three days and three nights.
"Listen up, you lot—!"
Rocks stood on a makeshift platform.
"We won this battle! And we lost!"
"We won—because we stormed Mary Geoise, killed many Celestial Dragons, and plundered the World Government's treasures.
"We made those swine who call themselves gods understand that they can bleed, and they can die!"
"We also lost—because we couldn't completely raze the Holy Land, couldn't kill the Five Elders, and couldn't drag out that rat Imu hiding in the sewers!"
"But losing once doesn't mean we'll lose forever!"
"Our retreat today is so we can return stronger tomorrow!"
"Now—forget all the misery, forget all the frustration. Drink up! Celebrate! Three days and three nights—we're not stopping until we're all drunk!"
"Once we've sobered up, we'll get stronger—strong enough to wipe all of Mary Geoise off the map next time!"
"Yeah—!!!"
"Long live Captain Rocks—!!"
"Drink! Eat! Celebrate!!"
All of Beehive Island became a sea of revelry.
Some people clutched barrels and guzzled liquor, others danced wildly, and still others loudly bragged about how many Celestial Dragons they'd killed in Mary Geoise.
Meanwhile, atop the Red Line, Mary Geoise was shrouded in misery.
The Holy Land was undergoing extensive reconstruction.
The World Government building had suffered comparatively little damage, but its outer walls were riddled with cracks and scorch marks.
Pangea Castle, however, had vanished completely, razed to the ground.
In its place was now a gigantic crater over five hundred meters in diameter, as if a meteorite had struck.
What was strange, though, was that an event as momentous as the Rocks Pirates' invasion of the Holy Land, Mary Geoise, hadn't been reported anywhere outside.
The newspapers didn't mention it at all.
The radio stations remained silent.
Even the