Heaven's Judgment

Devil Fruits had a realm known as "Awakening," which represented a user developing their fruit ability to its utmost limit.

It was an exceedingly rare ability. Not only did it require grueling training, it might also require some special "opportunity." Thus, every awakened user was a top-tier powerhouse.

In the original timeline, this concept was first brought up by Crocodile in Impel Down regarding Zoans, then explained in detail by Doflamingo in the Dressrosa arc regarding Paramecias.

Different types of Devil Fruits produced entirely different effects after Awakening.

Paramecias affected the surrounding environment, while Zoans strengthened the user's own body.

As for Logia Awakening, it could permanently alter the natural environment over a vast area, even granting complete control over and command of the element represented by the user.

"Heaven's Judgment" was Annus's ultimate killing move, developed on the foundation of awakening his Devil Fruit ability.

In the original timeline, even before awakening, Enel had already been able to discharge electricity to stimulate the electrodes within thunderclouds and call down lightning upon designated areas.

He had even used the thunderclouds created by the Ark Maxim to unleash wide-range techniques such as "Mamaragan" and "Raigo," attacks powerful enough to destroy islands.

But Annus's development of the Rumble-Rumble Fruit far surpassed Enel's!

By continuously releasing ultra-high voltage into the air, the immense heat generated by the current heated the atmosphere and formed powerful updrafts. Those updrafts carried ionized air particles—condensation nuclei—into the high altitude, where they cooled, and water vapor condensed to form clouds.

Then, once the clouds had formed, he used his control over electromagnetic fields to impose a powerful electric field within them.

This electric field forcibly separated the charges of ice crystals and water droplets within the clouds. The lighter positively charged particles rose, while the heavier negatively charged particles sank.

When the positive and negative charges accumulated to a certain degree, electrical discharge occurred within the clouds or toward the ground...

It sounded complicated... but in short, this was the strongest lightning Annus could currently unleash!

Roger and Garp had clearly sensed the presence of death. After briefly holding back the transformed Rocks, they hurriedly fled to either side!

At the same time, from the vortex-like hollow at the center of the massive black thundercloud, a blazing white bolt of lightning crashed down!

And during its descent, it was empowered by Annus's Conqueror's Haki!

The transformed Rocks raised his head and stared at the sky, filled with blazing white lightning. In one-thousandth of a second—or perhaps even less—Heaven's Judgment swallowed him whole!

The blazing lightning continued for nearly ten seconds before slowly dissipating. When it finally faded, the ground where the transformed Rocks had been standing had completely vanished, replaced by a massive hollow!

The island's foundation had been annihilated by that terrifying lightning strike. Every plant, rock, and living creature within several hundred meters had vanished from the world, while black seawater churned and surged backward through the deep crater...

"Hey, hey, hey! Annus! Are you trying to kill us too?!"

Garp and Roger cursed at Annus as he slowly descended. That lightning strike had left lingering fear in their hearts.

"But after taking an attack like that, that guy should be down, right?"

This was a lightning strike capable of destroying an island, beyond ordinary imagination. It no longer seemed like something a Devil Fruit user could unleash, but rather the heavenly wrath from an apocalyptic myth!

However, something even more shocking to Roger and Garp happened. The transformed Rocks emerged once more from the seawater within that deep crater!

Although his clothes were tattered, his entire body was charred black, and wisps of white smoke rose from him, making him look utterly miserable, there was no doubt that he was still alive!

"What kind of monster is he?"

Even Roger and Garp, both always called monsters themselves, could not help sighing from the bottom of their hearts.

"Still not enough?"

Annus panted heavily as he landed before Garp and Roger.

That strike had consumed an enormous amount of stamina. Even he could no longer remain so relaxed and at ease.

"Even that level of lightning had no effect. How the hell are we supposed to kill this monster?" Roger complained.

"No... it wasn't completely ineffective. At the very least, the Conqueror's Haki Coating around him has weakened considerably! As long as we press the attack, we can break through it completely!" Annus analyzed calmly.

"Puhahaha! Sounds like a good plan! But... do you still have the strength?" Garp clenched his fists and spoke in a low voice.

"Don't underestimate me, Garp. I can still launch attacks of that level at least three more times!"

While the transformed Rocks fought Annus and the other two, people throughout God Valley witnessed that apocalyptic lightning and abandoned all thoughts of continuing to fight over treasure, desperately fleeing toward the shore.

Treasure was important, but only if one lived long enough to spend it.

"Go seize some ships! We're leaving the island!" Xiong ordered his men.

"Huh? What about Rocks's ship?" Xiong's pirate subordinates froze.

"Idiot, who the hell is going back there?!"

In Xiong's eyes, the Rocks Pirates could already disband. He had achieved his purpose, and Rocks no longer had any value to him.

"Jihahaha! This is the end for them!! The Rocks Pirates!!"

Elsewhere, after defeating Ganzi, who had tried to ambush him, and taking a large amount of treasure, Shiki also gleefully prepared to fly away from God Valley.

He had long thought the Rocks Pirates should disband. They had only lacked an opportunity, and now the time had clearly come.

A pirate crew whose members constantly guarded against one another and lacked trust could never last long.

"Hurry to the shore!! The island is about to collapse!"

The other pirates also gave up on the treasure, seeking only to escape this island that was about to crumble.

"Hold on tight! Roger won't stop fighting until we get out!"

Rayleigh held Shakuyaku in his arms as he fled the island with his companions.

"That Haki is very abnormal!"

Even Shakuyaku had sensed the massive, abnormal aura emanating from the transformed Rocks.

"Let me board too!"

Gloriosa ran over.

"Huh?" Gaban was startled.

"Kaido, do you want that Azure Dragon Fruit? Annus has it!"

Charlotte Linlin and Kaido, who had previously been defeated by the transformed Rocks, were also preparing to leave the island. Before they parted ways, Linlin told Kaido where the Azure Dragon Fruit was.

"What? Annus actually took it... It doesn't matter. Later, I'll form a pirate crew where 'violence' does the talking. As long as I defeat Annus, I can take that Devil Fruit back!"

Upon hearing that, Kaido finally understood the source of the emptiness he had felt. But he did not care, believing that he only needed to defeat Annus to reclaim what belonged to him.

"Stop dawdling, Linlin! Hurry up and move the treasure! We're leaving!"

At the side, Streusen urged Charlotte Linlin.

"Newgate! The pirate crew has fallen apart!"

In a mountain forest somewhere, a pineapple-headed man called out to Whitebeard, who was preparing to leave.

"Who are you?"

Whitebeard turned around. After failing to stop the transformed Rocks for Annus, he had directly chosen to leave.

"I'm Gram! Your fan! You don't have a ship to board anymore, do you? Join forces with me!"

The pineapple-headed man smiled, acting as though they were already familiar.

"You're in the way. Get lost."

Whitebeard glanced at the pineapple-headed man and spoke coldly.

"Hey! Where's Newgate?"

After gathering enough treasure and jewelry, Buckin was also preparing to flee. She asked Ganzi beside her.

"How would I know?! Don't ask me!"

Ganzi was in a foul mood as well. His failed ambush of Shiki had cost him a great deal of treasure.

Kiel Baster, caught between the two, did not join in any of their conversation.

And in a corner unnoticed by everyone, to the southeast of the island, a World Government ship quietly left God Valley ahead of everyone else.

"That island... treat it as though it never existed!"

Imu, possessing Saturn's body, issued the order to the officers aboard the warship.

The fierce clash of Conqueror's Haki tore a massive abyss through the sky above God Valley. Even the weather had turned vicious. Torrential rain poured down, yet it could not extinguish the severe fire spreading across the entire island.

Beneath a cliff that had not yet collapsed, the battle between Annus's group and the transformed Rocks had reached its final stage.

Annus, Garp, and Roger all understood that if they competed in stamina against Rocks in his transformed state and dragged the fight into a war of attrition, they would undoubtedly lose.

Under Black Transformation Domination, Rocks seemed to possess inexhaustible stamina. He could keep Conqueror's Haki Coating around his body at all times and remain at peak condition.

Therefore, there was only one way to kill a Rocks like this.

They had to use an overwhelming Conqueror's Haki offensive that surpassed their limits to tear apart the Conqueror's Haki defense surrounding Rocks!

"End this quickly!"

As soon as the words fell, Annus flashed forward!

"We're going, Garp!" Roger had long prepared his attack. "Kagutsuchi of Fire: Wiseman!"

"Try not to hit us by mistake again, Annus..." Garp finally threw his punch. "Infinite Fist Bone!"

Endless sword shadows and fists blazed a path to victory for Annus, causing cracks to appear in the seemingly flawless Conqueror's Haki surrounding the transformed Rocks...

Then Annus flashed above the transformed Rocks and unleashed his final strike. Empowered by fully unleashed Conqueror's Haki, the golden spear pierced through the transformed Rocks's heart!

"Ragnarok!"

[Th...ank you...]

Rocks's voice reached the minds of Annus, Garp, and Roger at the same time, while that demonic figure melted away like snow.

Rocks returned to normal, and the torrential rain washed the blood and tears from his body.

Though he lay on the ground unable to move, looking half-dead, there was no doubt that he still clung to life.

"Has the curse been lifted?"

Rocks was not the only one to notice it. Annus and the other two noticed as well that the effect of Black Transformation Domination had disappeared at some point.

Could it be that as long as the cursed person was killed, the effect of Black Transformation Domination would disappear?

Annus speculated as he walked over to Rocks.

"You owe me your life, Rocks."

He pulled the weakened Rocks up and helped him lean against a chunk of shattered stone.

"Cough, cough... Thanks... Annus..."

Rocks coughed violently, displaying exhaustion unlike anything he had ever shown before. He looked toward Roger and Garp, who were both panting heavily and severely drained of stamina.

"No matter what, thank you for stopping me when I went berserk..."

At that, Annus snorted. "Thanks alone won't do. I went through all that trouble to save you, so from now on, you have to follow my orders."

"I will..." Rocks gave a bitter smile. Even if he wanted to refuse Annus's orders now, he had no way to do so, because he was completely unable to move.

"Hahaha! No need to thank us! We took Shakuyaku away anyway!" Roger smiled. "What are you planning to do next? Garp, if you can't make it in the Marines anymore, come aboard my ship."

"What kind of joke is that! If I leave, who's going to protect the Marines?" Garp rejected Roger without even thinking.

After exchanging a few simple words, the four went their separate ways.

The island had already been riddled with devastation by the great battle. The towering cliffs on both sides had collapsed one after another, while Annus had blasted a hole hundreds of meters wide through the island's center. It could sink at any moment.

As a Rumble-Rumble Fruit user, Annus could leave the island through the air by using elementalization. But if he wanted to bring Rocks with him, he had to seize a ship.

Furthermore, because of the enormous commotion caused by the previous battle, everyone on the island had fled toward the shore without prior agreement. There were not many ships left along the coast.

"Annus... are my wife and child still alive?"

After recovering a little strength, Rocks immediately asked the question he cared about most.

"Don't worry, they're alive... Speaking of which, you nearly killed my subordinate!"

"Cough, cough... Sorry. In that situation, I couldn't control my body at all..."

The two talked as they moved, but just as they were about to escape the burning forest, Annus suddenly stopped.

"What is it?" Rocks froze.

Annus did not answer. His gaze fell upon a young Marine lying unconscious on the ground a few steps away.

"What a gift from fate, to run into him here..."

Annus casually hoisted the Marine onto his shoulder.

If he had been an ordinary Marine, Annus naturally would not have wasted time saving him.

But this Marine was none other than Dragon, whom Lilith had knocked unconscious.

Because Lilith had hit him too hard, Dragon had remained asleep the entire time. Even the great battle between Annus and the others had failed to wake him.

"Worororo... You still have the mood to save a Marine brat? Annus, when did you become so boring?"

"A brat? What if I told you he's Garp's son?"

"Hah?!"

Annus smiled, ignoring the shocked Rocks as he turned to look toward one side of the forest.

"Rocks, have you recovered some strength?"

"What is it?"

"Stay here and watch this Marine... It seems those defeated mongrels don't want to see us escape."

As Annus finished speaking, three figures emerged side by side from that side of the forest.

"Persistent gutter rats..."

Rocks scoffed.

The three figures were none other than Garling, Maffy, and Somaz.

Following Imu's orders, they had remained on the island in case of unforeseen events. They had not expected the transformed Rocks to truly be defeated.

"Bloodline of the Davy Clan, you must not leave this island. Surrender without resistance, Calamity!"

Garling drew his sword and pointed it at Annus as he shouted sternly.

Garling and the other two had already been hiding in the shadows when Rocks was defeated.

The reason they had only acted now was to wait until Annus had parted ways with Roger and Garp, leaving him isolated and without support.