No One Was the Protagonist Forever

"Imu could make ten million mistakes, while I... only had one chance!"

After thinking it over, John decided to drag Alice and Teach away and run.

There was no shame in being unable to win. Being unable to win and unable to run away—that would be truly shameful!

With his wife and son taken off the battlefield, Rocks fought with ever fewer reservations. Kaido and the others were fired up by the sight and joined in one after another.

Pirates did not care about one-on-one duels. What they wanted was to rush in together and beat a drowning dog!

"Let me join the fight too, Rocks!"

"Hold it, Kaido, you bastard! I'll kill you!"

"Garp, that guy hurt my companion. He's my prey, so get out of the way!"

"I'm getting rid of pests. Stop getting in my way!"

"Gurararara, it's really getting lively..."

As Kaido, in his dragon form, spewed blazing fire, the tsundere Linlin also used getting revenge on Kaido as an excuse to slash at the Ushi-Oni with Ikoku Sovereignty.

Roger and Garp were still at each other's throats, yet both tacitly landed their respective Kamusari and Galaxy Impact on the Ushi-Oni.

Newgate laughed merrily amid this strange atmosphere of friendship and hostility. Drawing back his fist, he unleashed Quake, and violent shockwaves engulfed everyone.

Attacks of every color came one after another. In an instant, they blasted the Ushi-Oni and the crowned shadow behind it to pieces, erasing more than half of their bodies.

"Did we get it?"

"It should be dead, right? All of us attacked together, after all."

The six stared intently at the rising smoke. Though they could not be certain, they all felt the Ushi-Oni could not have endured it.

After all, those who had attacked were the strongest figures of this era.

Time slowly passed. As the smoke settled and gradually dispersed, a mangled body supported only by its hip bones and spider-like limbs appeared before the six.

The sky suddenly filled with dark clouds, blocking out the sunlight and leaving behind boundless darkness.

Rumble—

A pillar of black lightning crashed down and swallowed the Ushi-Oni's broken body. Immediately afterward, terrifying Conqueror's Haki erupted from within.

Black arcs of electricity spread across the entire island. Marine soldiers and ordinary pirates alike rolled their eyes back, foamed at the mouth, and collapsed unconscious.

Even Rocks and the other five at the center did not have it easy. The violent gusts nearly forced their eyes shut, and they had to raise their arms to shield their brows.

Squinting through the sweeping sand and stones, they could see that the Ushi-Oni's broken body was recovering at a visible rate.

Even after it had fully recovered, it did not stop. It continued growing taller and expanding, solidifying the crowned shadow they had seen earlier.

A pair of eerie pupils emerged from the crowned shadow, looking down at Rocks with coldness and malice.

A hoarse voice, like rust scraping against metal, spoke flatly.

"New Davy, your wife and son are rapidly moving away from here. It seems they are desperately trying to survive."

"This is a battle between us. Why bring them up?!"

Rocks could not help thinking of his clansmen who had been turned into monsters. In rage, he unleashed incomparable Haki that scattered the sand and stones, then flashed forward with his sword and slashed down at the crowned shadow.

Screech—

The sound of a blade cutting flesh was incomparably clear. Rocks watched with his own eyes as the crowned shadow was cut into three pieces and flung into the air.

Yet no blood or organs spilled out.

Those malice-filled pupils continued staring at him, while the rust-scraping voice went on.

"Imu will do nothing."

Two black spikes suddenly shot from the crowned shadow's severed body hanging in midair. Accompanied by a strange sound, they pierced through Rocks's chest.

"You yourself will exterminate your clan. Go slaughter your wife and son!"

"Idiot, what nonsense are you talking about? That insignificant attack doesn't even hurt..."

"Black Transference!"

Before Rocks could finish his mocking words, incomparably evil power flowed through the black spikes into his body, altering his flesh and invading his mind.

"Aaaahhh!!!"

His flesh and bones were torn apart and reassembled, while his brain felt as though it were being churned by a drill. The extreme pain forced Rocks to cry out in agony.

His face became hideous and grotesque, and demonic fangs like those of a vampire extended from between his lips.

As his consciousness blurred, Rocks forcibly pulled himself back with sheer willpower, buying himself a brief moment of clarity.

He frantically drove his Conqueror's Haki, trying to resist and expel the evil power within his body.

Massive amounts of black-red lightning erupted from Rocks's body as he staked everything on one final resistance.

"What a tenacious insect."

The crowned shadow appeared to be praising him, but in truth, it was too arrogant to inject even a trace more power.

To it, this tiny insect was already under its control.

"Don't underestimate humanity, monster!"

Rocks glared furiously at the crowned shadow, but John's recent odd behavior surfaced in his mind.

That guy definitely knew something, but unfortunately, I didn't heed his warning.

"Go ahead and gloat. An even more dangerous fellow is waiting for you!"

Rocks could not help bursting into wild laughter.

In that instant, he saw many things clearly.

History had always centered around names like Davy, Joy Boy, and Nerona, each setting off storm after storm.

But everyone yearned for the stage called the world, and many more silent, unknown names were watching hungrily from the shadows.

Davy and Joy Boy had been kicked off the stage by Nerona, unwillingly seeking to return...

"The world has never belonged to any individual or group. Sooner or later, new protagonists will take the stage!"

Rocks stared directly into those eerie eyes and spoke words that filled them with utter horror.

"The Void Century will come again. When that time comes, you will be the one cast aside!"

"No matter how hard you struggle or beg, you will be swallowed by the tide of the times and trampled beneath the feet of new protagonists!"

"You and I are merely a microcosm. There will be countless yous and mes in the future, and they will be stronger and more perfect!"

"Be afraid. Fear the day that comes..."

"Shut up!"

The crowned shadow forcibly cut Rocks off, pouring an unending stream of evil power into his body and transforming him completely.

It was afraid.

It remembered itself, as well as the Kings who had come before it.

It had seized this world, and naturally someone would imitate it and seize the world from its hands.

It would never allow that day to come. Every possibility had to be strangled in the cradle!

"Go. Kill your wife and son, and make the name Davy disappear completely!"

In the end, the crowned shadow still turned its attention toward Teach.

In its view, only Davy's bloodline was truly possible.

"Aaaahhh!!!"

With a miserable roar, Rocks erupted with incomparably evil, powerful, and chilling energy.

Then the black spikes released their restraint, and Rocks crashed heavily onto the ground.