"Rocks... was a Davy? Davy D. Xebec..." Shiki listened in shock as Alice revealed the secrets of the past. His mind refused to settle.
He studied Teach more closely. He had noticed nothing at first, but now that he looked, the boy's nose, eyes, and face all bore a striking resemblance to Rocks, young as he was.
That only lent more weight to what they had just said.
"No wonder he was in such a hurry back then. I thought he was going after Shakky too..." Silver Axe said with a sigh.
"So God Valley was Rocks's hometown?" Babel asked, his voice heavy.
Rocks had rushed to God Valley to protect his family. In the end, he had died there protecting them.
Shiki found himself recalling how he had first met Rocks.
That man had won him through Davy D. Jones's game and made him part of his crew. He had looked after Shiki in all sorts of ways. Shiki's strength had grown so quickly partly because of his talent, but also because Rocks had trained him.
Things that had once seemed ordinary now struck Shiki as signs that Rocks had meant something more.
"Shiki takes after me. Sooner or later, that guy will challenge my authority. He's ambitious, and he'll never be content serving under anyone!"
Those words Rocks had spoken while drunk surfaced in Shiki's memory once more.
Memories often came through a rosy filter, and Shiki was thoroughly caught in its glow.
The more he thought about it, the more certain he became that Rocks had known about his origins all along. That explained so much about the way Rocks had treated him afterward!
He even began to think Rocks had been grooming him as a successor, whether consciously or not. But the God Valley Incident had