That battle had chipped away at a sliver of Hades's pride. Only a sliver, but still.
This was a real world.
He had known far too little about Byrnndi World.
Making firm judgments from scraps of information had taught Hades a lesson: he could never underestimate anyone.
There were far too many monsters in the Rocks Pirates he knew nothing about.
If they were dropped into the future, the number of contenders for the title of Sea Emperor would at least double.
John, Silver Axe, and Ochoku alone made three.
But none of them had eaten Devil Fruits. Not everyone wanted to lose the ability to swim.
Without Devil Fruits, though, they ultimately could not keep pace with Hades and the others. The gap in strength would only grow.
As the first generation of monsters in the Rocks Pirates, they were gradually being caught—and even surpassed—by second-generation monsters like Hades, Shiki, Newgate, Charlotte Linlin, and Duncan.
And behind them came a third generation of freaks.
Nash, the "Demon King," a user of the Mythical Zoan Human-Human Fruit, Demon Form, had already begun his rise.
Zack, the Dragon People monster known as the "Overlord Dragon," had rapidly made a name for himself from the final days of the war between the Rocks Pirates and the World Government to the present. He, too, harbored the terrifying power of a Mythical Zoan.
Another would probably come later: the future "Beasts" Kaido.
But Kaido would count as the fourth generation. He would be only fifteen when he joined the Rocks Pirates, far too young, and merely an apprentice crew member.
He would not begin his rise until after the Rocks Pirates disbanded.
They might not say it aloud, but they could already feel the pressure.
There were plenty of powerful Devil Fruits, but few