News from God Valley

The one who flew over was Shiki, sent by the other members of the Rocks Pirates to deliver the news.

The future Golden Lion, captain of the Flying Pirates, and one of the legendary great pirates who would become renowned across the seas after Rocks' era came to an end.

Shiki had come because delivering a message to Rocks and Nereus while they were fighting was no easy task.

Neither of them could receive a Den Den Mushi signal under these circumstances, and the shockwaves from their battle were not something ordinary people could break through.

On top of that, they had chosen a reef flat in the open sea. Only someone who could fly could approach quickly.

As for how they knew Rocks and Nereus were both here...

It was simple. Only those two could cause such a massive commotion.

"No interest."

"Don't get in my way, Shiki! Get lost!"

The treasure on Beehive Island he spoke of was not an object, but a person—Shakky of the Kuja Pirates.

A few years ago, Shakky had also opened a tavern on the island, driving many people mad over her. Nereus was not among them, however; she simply was not his type.

During the time Shakky stayed on the island, a lovesick state known as the Shakky Virus began spreading throughout the place.

Nereus often felt that this group was like a collectively suppressed urge suddenly erupting all at once.

A year ago, Shakky suddenly vanished, taken from the island by someone unknown.

The culprit had needed only a few hours, even killing Malone, who had been on watch that night. Only now had there finally been news of her.

Rocks himself had once been infatuated with Shakky, but those thoughts had disappeared after he started a family.

To Rocks, having Shakky taken from his own island was a blow to his pride. But his battle with Nereus had only just reached its fiercest stage, and he had no intention of stopping immediately.

In any case, Rocks could not teleport there directly. It would not matter if he went after the fight. He merely felt that Shiki had come at an inconvenient time.

"It's not just Shakky. There's also a huge amount of treasure and Devil Fruits. For some reason, those Celestial Dragons have gathered at God Valley in the West Blue. It seems like..."

"Where did you say?! God Valley?!"

The words "God Valley" immediately caught Rocks' attention, and he instantly lost all desire to continue fighting.

While signaling Nereus to pause, he appeared before Shiki so quickly that Golden Lion barely had time to react.

"What exactly is going on? Explain it clearly!"

God Valley was Rocks' homeland. His wife, children, and family were all there. Hearing that the Celestial Dragons had gathered at God Valley immediately stirred him up.

"Uh... it's pretty complicated. How about we head back first and talk there?"

Golden Lion pointed toward Beehive Island behind them. After receiving the news, many people had already gathered to discuss what to do. The only ones missing were Rocks and Nereus.

Though he had no ability to fly, Rocks was faster than both Shiki and Nereus. After a few flashes, he had already shot far into the distance.

"He really is impatient... Nereus, let's head over too."

Shiki did not immediately chase after him. He had a feeling that Rocks was like a powder keg right now, ready to explode at the slightest spark. It was better to keep some distance.

"Do you have any specific information about the Devil Fruits?"

Though he did not know the exact details, Nereus roughly knew the cause and outcome from his previous memories.

The Celestial Dragons' hunting game. Rare and powerful Devil Fruits were also being used as prizes for the Celestial Dragon elite. The Fish-Fish Fruit, Azure Dragon Form, and the Paw-Paw Fruit were both on that island.

"I don't know. That message only said there were extremely rare Devil Fruits. It didn't mention what kinds."

Devil Fruits were treasures of the sea. Every one of them could grant its eater an extraordinary ability, and quite a few possessed power capable of destroying the world.

There were also special Devil Fruits that might not be powerful in direct combat, yet had extremely unusual effects.

Naturally, Nereus was interested in those Devil Fruits. They had been one of his goals from the start.

Eating a Devil Fruit would turn someone into a landlubber, unable to swim ever again. Even Fish-Men who ate Devil Fruits would become weak underwater because of that side effect.

They could still breathe, but they could no longer swim freely. Nereus himself would eat Devil Fruits because he was different and had a way to avoid that weakness.

As for the others, that would depend on the situation. Some sufficiently powerful abilities were worth the trade-off. Besides, his subordinates included more than just Fish-Men and Mermaids.

Even if he did not eat them, selling them on the black market could bring in an enormous sum of money.

Thus, compared to those priceless treasures, Nereus was more interested in the Devil Fruits.

He had no prejudice against Devil Fruits. Just like Haki, they were unique powers of these seas, like a person's two legs.

If one had the ability, there was no need to train only one leg. His goal was to cultivate both Devil Fruits and Haki, bringing them both to their limits.

"Let's go."

Nereus did not press for details. With a flap of his wings, he followed after them. It would all have to be repeated at the temporary meeting anyway.

Shiki said nothing either and followed, activating the power of the Float-Float Fruit.

When Nereus arrived at the center of Beehive Island, most of the core members of the Rocks Pirates had gathered there.

Edward Newgate, Kaido, Pirate Founder Ochoku, and Smuggler Gansui.

Silver Axe the Fierce, Captain John, Science Bandit Miss Bakkin, Gill Bastard, and Gloriosa. Aside from the dead Malone, everyone was present.

At the moment, they were bickering with one another and occasionally coming to blows. Only Rocks sat in the seat of honor with a dark expression, saying nothing.

"Yo~ Nereus, even you came. Looks like this really is a major event~"

Buckin sat beside Whitebeard and greeted Nereus rather warmly.

At their core, these people had merely joined forces temporarily, but they still had to maintain appearances. Besides, Nereus was quite popular among the female pirates on the island.

There was no need to mention his immense strength. His looks were considered handsome even outside, and seemed all the more distinctive beside some of the Rocks Pirates' more "unusual specimens."

Especially when everyone else was collectively sexually frustrated over Shakky, Nereus' normality seemed even rarer.

"Mamamama~ You came after all, Nereus. Looks like there's something there that interests you too."

Charlotte Linlin arrived late, carrying a Den Den Mushi and several document-like sheets.

Thanks to her special intelligence network in the underworld, Charlotte Linlin served as something like the intelligence officer here. She had just gone to sort through those materials.

The two of them had once shared a relationship. Their relationship after separating was not too bad. They would not exchange any warm words upon meeting, but they would not immediately start arguing either. A little small talk was still possible.

But Rocks was clearly impatient now and had no interest in listening to any of that.

"There'll be time to reminisce later, Linlin. Stop talking nonsense and tell me what's going on with God Valley! What exactly did you hear?"