Rocks's Recognition

Above Hachinosu, the lightning had yet to fully fade, and Rock's figure stood out sharply amid the lingering gold and silver radiance.

—His declaration, like a thunderclap, struck straight into the hearts of every monster.

Newgate's fingertips trembled slightly, veins bulging on the hand gripping his blade. His instinctive fighting spirit was stirring:

"This brat... he'll definitely become a monster in the future."

Linlin licked her lips, blazing possessiveness burning in her eyes. "MaMaMaMa..."

"If I have children with a man like this, my family will become even stronger, won't it?"

Ochoku and John exchanged looks, each seeing an unpredictable new variable in the other's eyes.

Meanwhile, as Kaido watched the lightning-wreathed youth in the sky, an icy chill suddenly shot up his spine.

He touched the patch of flesh on his chest that had been scorched black by lightning, and the first thought that surfaced in his mind was:

"Something's wrong... I have a feeling this guy is definitely going to do something especially terrible to me someday..."

The toughest man in the world to beat up actually felt a trace of fear at that moment.

In the distance, something exploded, and a huge chunk of rubble was blasted into the air.

The charred Shiki staggered out of it, half his eyebrows blown away, yet an incomparably arrogant grin curled across his lips.

"Jihahahaha!!! Brat—no, monster!! I'll remember you!!!"

That laughter made every pirate's scalp go numb.

For Shiki, that mad lion, to laugh like that meant he was not only unwilling to concede—he was practically exploding with excitement.

Suddenly—

"HAHAHAHAHAHA!!!"

Even the air over Hachinosu trembled under that laughter.

Rocks D. Zebek finally stepped out from the heavy shadows, his blue-white hair spilling over his shoulders as purple lightning patterns flickered around him. He was the most terrifying man of the old era.

He raised his left hand toward the sky, and the atmospheric pressure over all of Hachinosu instantly dropped.

"Brat!!!"

He laughed, each word sending the waves flowing backward. "You're not bad!! Come join us!!!"

"Come overturn this world with me—!!!"

Every powerhouse on Hachinosu instantly stirred!

Newgate gripped Murakumogiri. Linlin bit down hard on her fingertip, breathing rapidly. "Join us... join us... join us...!!!"

Kaido kept a cold expression on the surface, but inwardly he screamed frantically, Don't agree, don't agree, don't agree!!!

Gloriosa, Buckin, Ochoku, John...

Every monster waited for the youth in the sky to make his choice.

High above, Rock lowered his head, black hair obscuring half his face.

Hachinosu fell completely silent.

The next second—

Rock raised his head, revealing an utterly carefree smile that defied all common sense. "Ah~ no thanks."

Every powerhouse on Hachinosu: "???"

With both hands in his pockets, Rock lazily drove the knife in deeper. "I was planning to join the Marines."

—A deathly silence.

Three seconds later.

All of Hachinosu erupted. "Wha—?!!"

Linlin's pupils shrank sharply as rage exploded from her, murderous intent spilling out on instinct.

"You damned brat! If you want to join the Marines, don't even think about leaving here alive!!!"

She threw up both hands, her roar tearing through the sky. "Zeus!! Prometheus!!!"

Two enormous living souls, one black and one gold, instantly took shape. Zeus churned with thunderclouds while Prometheus roared with flames, making her seem like a descending demon god.

Newgate's shoulders trembled slightly as he held Murakumogiri horizontally. Rippling halos spread from its tip like a heartbeat.

"Thump... thump... thump..."

The Tremor-Tremor Fruit activated, and genuine killing intent appeared in the young Whitebeard's eyes for the first time.

"You damn brat, if you join the Marines... then we'll have to settle this with life and death between us."

The moment Shiki, who had just flown out of the ruins, heard Rock's words, his pupils suddenly contracted!

The next instant, he laughed wildly and flew into the sky, taking a combat stance beside Linlin.

"Jihahahaha!!! Brat, you're really tired of living!!!"

His twin swords shone gold once more, fighting spirit rolling forth like a hurricane.

Ochoku and John exchanged a glance. Armament Haki and killing intent rose from them together.

Every officer of the Rocks Pirates entered a combat stance.

Just as flames, tremors, and sword energy were about to erupt completely—

Rocks's smile vanished, and his aura spread outward.

The world abruptly froze. The sea breeze stopped, and everyone's breathing locked in place.

It was an oppression like the heavens looking down upon all below.

The next moment—

"HAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!"

Rocks's wild laughter shook the heavens. "Brat, you've got guts!!!"

"Coming right before me and saying you want to become a Marine... that's the first time I've ever seen that!!!"

The monsters' killing intent was suppressed by his laughter. Rocks stared directly at Rock. "But I can feel it!!!"

"You're not the type to live beneath someone else. You could never submit to those idiots up there!!!"

Purple lightning patterns burst forth, and the air twisted as though it had become solid. "Then go!"

"Use your own way—"

"To turn this world upside down for me!!!"

Every powerhouse on Hachinosu was stunned.

Rock lowered his head and chuckled. "Just as I thought... you're that kind of man."

He looked up, lightning exploding in his eyes.

"But being a pirate..."

He raised his right hand, wreathed in lightning. "Can't change the world."

"BOOM!!!"

Lightning erupted from his body like a tsunami. The next instant, he assumed an attacking stance!

Every monster raised their weapon at once!!

A sharp glint flashed through Rocks's eyes. "You want to challenge me? With your current strength?!!"

He roared, "Newgate!! Linlin!! Both of you, stand down!!!"

Whitebeard, Linlin, Shiki, and the others were all shocked. "Rocks is going to make a move himself?!!"

Rocks stepped forward, and a blast of air exploded outward.

He drew his longsword. Armament Haki and Conqueror's Haki covered the blade like a black-purple tidal wave.

Heaven and earth darkened, and the monsters of Hachinosu all stepped back.

Gripping his sword with both hands, Rocks roared at the heavens, "Abyssal—Curse!!!"

One slash fell! The sky seemed split apart, and the sea caved in!

Rock raised his right arm, muscles tensing as thunder roared!

The sky instantly darkened. Charges in the atmosphere surged toward him madly, while every bolt of lightning in his body gathered in his right fist, forming a violently pulsing black-gold thunder sphere.

Lightning continuously twisted the air.

"Thunder Emperor—"

Rock roared, "STAR!!! SHATTERING!!! ROAR!!!"

His lightning fist smashed into Rocks's slash!!

In an instant, heaven and earth collapsed!!

A torrent of dark red and golden electromagnetic lightning plasma surged forth!

Wherever it passed, the air evaporated and the earth was electrically melted into a vortex!

Rocks's Abyssal Curse collided head-on with Rock's Star-Shattering Roar!!

Heaven and earth howled, and space shattered into spiderweb-like cracks.

Above Hachinosu, it was as though two stars comparable to natural disasters had collided head-on!

Linlin, Whitebeard, Shiki, and Kaido were all blasted back more than a dozen steps.

Kaido was even shaken to his knees. "This... is that an attack a human can unleash?!!!"

"BOOOOOOM—!!!!!!"

This was no ordinary explosion.

It was a destructive resonance powerful enough to throw heaven and earth out of balance.

The torrent of dark red and golden electromagnetic lightning plasma was like a true thunder god beast, baring its fangs and claws as it tore into Rocks's slash;

Yet Rocks's slash was like a gigantic black blade from the abyss, carrying the will of a supreme ruler as it forcibly cleaved through the torrent of lightning.

At the point of collision—

Space twisted, tore apart, and reformed.

Before the shockwaves could even reach it, the seawater was shaken into mist. The sea surface became smooth as a mirror as though it had been vaporized, while the island's foundation groaned like a giant beast in pain.

All of Hachinosu was sinking.

Rock's fist remained extended in its striking posture.

The lightning around it shattered constantly under the clash, relentlessly suppressed by the slash.

For the first time, he truly felt something piercing to the bone: the pressure of Conqueror's Haki, like a genuine king looking down upon all living things.

Blood vessels surfaced in Rock's eyes beneath the immense pressure, yet the corners of his lips rose higher and higher.

He felt it. Something like a chain within his body was trembling, resonating, loosening.

At that instant, cracks appeared in the bottleneck of his Conqueror's Haki.

Rock gritted his teeth as lightning exploded wildly. "This... is the power of a king-level powerhouse?!!"

His expression grew increasingly frenzied, carrying even a near-mad excitement.

It was as though he faced not a crisis, but a treasure.

Below, Linlin, Kaido, and Whitebeard could hardly believe it.

This brat... facing Rocks's Conqueror's Haki slash, wasn't afraid...

He was ecstatic?!

Rocks's slash pressed down once again, its speed clearly increasing.

Like a rift of darkness, the slash pierced through the lightning pillar and forcibly tore apart Rock's attack.

The lightning pillar let out a miserable shriek under the pressure.

Rock's arm began to go numb and tremble, his bones emitting cracking sounds as they fractured.

Rocks shouted, "Brat!! The current you..."

"Still aren't qualified!!!"

Rock answered with wild laughter. "Then come again!!! Hahahaha!!!"

But in the end, he was still just short.

When Rocks's slash pushed him to the limit, the lightning over Rock's body scattered instantly, and he reacted at the very edge of death.

"HISS—!!!"

His body instantly transformed into lightning!

A sharp explosive crack rang out, like the cry of ten thousand birds!

In the next breath, his entire body became a streak of silver-white lightning and shot upward from the side of the slash at extreme speed!

Meanwhile, the Abyssal slash, having suddenly lost its target, continued surging upward.

"BOOM—!!!"

The entire sky seemed to have been brutally split open by a giant sword!!

A massive rift, cutting through the clouds and reaching the vault of heaven, was carved across the sky.

As the lightning gradually faded, Rocks slowly and steadily sheathed his sword.

Black-purple Conqueror's Haki contracted around him like an abyss.

He looked toward the direction in which the lightning had vanished, and for the first time, true gravity appeared on his face.

It was recognition, vigilance, and a faint excitement.

"Brat..."

His low voice seemed to address the entire era. "Your power... hasn't bloomed yet."

"If you truly become a Marine—"

He looked up, the purple lightning patterns faintly glowing. "This world... may be about to change."

Every monster on Hachinosu fell silent.