Rocks Falls

Dead.

The strongest being, once thought invincible.

The madman who had single-handedly brought almost every monster of his era under his command.

He had actually died.

And that was the most unbelievable sight of all.

Everyone froze.

When the true morning sunlight poured down without restraint.

Even in death, Rocks, King of the World, remained standing where he was, a statue.

No one could mutilate his corpse unless they destroyed his body completely.

They could not even extract any useful cells.

Because Rocks's body had already turned entirely to stone.

"What did that madman do this time?"

Sengoku looked at Shane, unable to understand what had happened to make Rocks say those things to Shane before his death.

Suddenly.

Shane came to his senses.

He took a small Recording Den Den Mushi out of his clothes.

It seemed to have already passed out, and it had been petrified.

As far as the eye could see.

God Valley was filled with stone statues.

It was as though life had never existed here.

Shane hid the Recording Den Den Mushi back in his sleeve.

He would release it when he had a chance.

The longer the Love-Love Fruit's power lasted, the greater the possibility of complete petrification.

Rocks had already petrified almost everything in God Valley, so there would be no saving it.

And everything had been destroyed, which was essentially equivalent to death.

If someone happened to eat the new Love-Love Fruit within the next few days, then quickly achieved Devil Fruit Awakening, they could save people.

By the same token, the slightest mistake would mean they could save no one.

"I'll try once I have the Paw-Paw Fruit's power."

Shane was thinking that perhaps, once the Paw-Paw Fruit had been developed far enough, he could extract the recording.

Although there had been nothing about the battle against Rocks that would cause a worldwide sensation.

Shane would never allow the Five Elders and the Celestial Dragons to erase someone who had once stood against the Reverie.

This recording was the most direct proof that Rocks had existed.

When the darkness receded.

Light embraced the world once more.

Most people were utterly exhausted, leaning in various corners as they waited to recover.

Shane was no different.

As a Zoan user, he could escape once he recovered a little more stamina.

"Kid! Want to join us?"

With twin axes tucked at his waist, Gaban held out a hand to Shane.

As the man ranked immediately below Captain Roger and Vice Captain Rayleigh.

He was the Roger Pirates' best choice for recruiting newcomers.

"I'm not risking my life for someone else again. Forget it!"

Shane sat beside a wall, recovering little by little with each breath.

The waves gradually calmed.

Still shaken, pirates and Marines poured into God Valley.

The island's devastated state sent chills down their spines.

Seeing Rocks's statue with their own eyes filled them with even greater fear.

A crowd of Marines surrounded Garp, cheering jubilantly.

As far as they were concerned, Garp deserved the credit for their eventual victory.

Roger did not care in the slightest.

His crewmates gathered around him, ready to face the enemy.

"Do you want to die, you idiots? That guy just defeated Rocks!"

Garp told the Marines they had better not attack the Roger Pirates now.

Although the Marines backed away, they did not take his words to heart.

Pirates saving the world?

What a joke!

As the highest-ranking officer after Kong had fallen unconscious, Sengoku clutched his chest and gave orders.

"Everyone, start rescuing people! Whatever it takes, save anyone you can find!"

"The war is over. Do not create any more trouble!"

"Next comes the cleanup. Stay as far away from Rocks as possible in case it's a trick!"

After Sengoku gave his orders, a Marine Headquarters Colonel immediately approached to report to him.

He was also holding a burbling Den Den Mushi.

The moment it reached his hand, a rebuke rang out. "Kong! Seal off God Valley immediately!"

"No matter what, every trace of Rocks must be erased!"

"Erase God Valley from history completely!"

"While you conceal it with fog, we will take action. From now on, no compass will ever be able to find this place!"

The Five Elders issued their orders.

Incidents such as Celestial Dragons being kidnapped or slaughtered could never be allowed to get out.

Not to mention that some young members of the Holy Knights and one of the Five Elders had also been defeated.

If more people followed Rocks, or even harbored that kind of insane ambition, it would be detrimental to the Celestial Dragons.

"This year's Hunting Game is canceled!"

The Five Elders delivered their final order, then hung up in a fury.

Yet many Marines and pirates from Hachinosu still did not dare look at Rocks's statue.

This man's past exploits were simply too outrageous!

Every one of his achievements was enough to strike terror into people's hearts.

A Marine ran to Garp carrying two chests. When they were opened, there were actually two babies inside!

One had red hair, the other blue.

The sight inevitably reminded Garp of Saint Garling.

"Is this fate? Why make a child become another scumbag like him?"

Garp picked up the Treasure Chests and glanced at the Roger Pirates.

"Who would've thought these guys still had a few Treasure Chests!"

Roger was in excellent spirits.

How could he not steal them?

"Get them, boys! That's the treasure the Rocks Pirates risked their lives to obtain!"

The Roger Pirates instantly perked up and swarmed over.

Garp glanced at Roger and tossed the Treasure Chests out.

"Those are Treasure Chests! The most powerful Devil Fruits are inside!"

Linlin's eyes instantly lit up.

"They're mine!"

Feeling capable again, Shiki immediately rose into the air.

"Hey, don't underestimate us!"

Roger, Rayleigh, and Gaban joined forces, with their crewmates following close behind.

They seized both Treasure Chests at once!

"Goodbye, Garp!"

With the Treasure Chests in his arms, Roger fled at full speed.

"That idiot!"

Instead, Garp felt as though he had narrowly escaped disaster.

"Roger!!!"

Linlin stamped her feet in fury. Why had the good stuff been snatched away again?

The Rocks Pirates' crewmates, meanwhile, looked at one another rather awkwardly.

At this point, who still qualified to become the King of Kings?

"Hey! Newgate, let's team up! We'll build a new strongest pirate crew!"

Shiki laughed heartily.

"I refuse!"

Whitebeard watched the Roger Pirates escape. He understood that with the Rocks Pirates falling apart.

The only pirate crew with powerful fighters from now on would be the Roger Pirates!

In fact, from this very moment, a new overlord had already emerged.

"I don't want to be your subordinate! And I'm not letting that Roger get away with this!"

Linlin looked around, but could find neither Kaido nor Shane.

Sensing something was wrong.

She rushed to the harbor at once.

"That kid sure slipped away fast."

John, Silver Axe, and Wang Zhi had already appeared at another harbor.

Behind these great pirates, the pirates of Hachinosu swarmed over, following different new captains.

The siblings Kurozumi Semimaru and Kurozumi Higurashi seized a pirate ship and decided to return to Wano Country.

Stussy took the opportunity to hide aboard a warship, waiting for a suitable place to escape.

"We should go, Shakky!"

Flame Flower resolved to rebuild the Kuja Pirates, and Shakky followed her as vice captain.

Whitebeard left alone, deciding to find his crewmates himself.

He wanted every crewmate to be his family.

Whoosh!

Huge rocks and ships flew into the air.

Golden Lion took thousands of pirates with him, becoming the first great pirate of the new era!

"Jihahahaha! Now comes my era!"

Whoosh!

Whitebeard leaped up. In his prime, he could jump dozens of meters.

Whose era would come next?

Whitebeard was confident he could claim a place.

But whoever it was, their crew's fighting strength could not compare to Roger's.

None of these great pirates had anyone who could serve as their right-hand men the way Rayleigh and Gaban did.

Nor did they have powerful crewmates who had grown alongside them like the Roger Pirates.

Whitebeard, Golden Lion, and Linlin all had to find new fighters for their crews, and they needed time to grow.

Meanwhile, the flaws in Wang Zhi's, Silver Axe's, and John's respective personalities would lead to different outcomes.

Some would hold their ground for decades, some would fight constantly until they died, and some would be stabbed in the back by their subordinates while drunk.

The rest naturally went their separate ways.

Thus, in this era, the first to rise, possessing the greatest strength and standing, could only be the Roger Pirates!

Even after the Whitebeard Pirates had grown, without Kozuki Oden putting up a fight, only their captain could battle Roger, while the others would still be crushed.

What was more, in the end, not only did Kozuki Oden become Roger's crewmate, but Bullet also boarded his ship.

That amounted to five powerful fighters facing pirate crews with only one top-level fighter each!

From then on.

Golden Lion held the advantage in numbers and abilities, while Whitebeard had the strongest Paramecia and the power to destroy the world.

Yet only Roger could truly dominate an era. The others could, at most, rival him.

Outside the waters of God Valley.

Linlin returned to her pirate ship, only to find no sign of Kaido.

"Kaido, you liar! You even said you'd introduce Shane to me! Liar!"

On the other side of those waters.

Inside the storeroom of a warship sailing away from the area.

Kaido and Shane were wolfing down meat.

"Why didn't we steal a pirate ship, Vice Captain Kaido?"

Shane was simply a born glutton.

"Before I joined the Rocks Pirates, I used to go to Marine Branches to mooch food and drinks."

After answering, Kaido felt something was off. "Bastard, I'm the captain!"

"You're saying that too late, Kaido."

Shane put more than ten steaks between slices of bread and squeezed them hard into a single sandwich.

He opened his huge mouth and swallowed it straight down.

At the same time.

The Demon Compass, dormant for a long time, began turning again.

One of the multiple choices presented earlier had been completed.

Second: survive until the end of the God Valley Incident.

Third: form your own pirate crew.

Once a choice was completed, the compass would grant a reward.

For successfully surviving until the end at God Valley, the Demon Compass awarded [Mutant Physique].

Thud!

Shane's Lineage Factor began mutating, and he flopped down and fell asleep.

"Did you learn that from John? Don't leave this mess to me!"

Kaido really had no words.

That brat Shane had such lousy character!