Rocks was infuriated by Roger's words. One thing was clear to him now: as a pirate, Roger had chosen to side with the World Government to take him down!
Newgate used a powerful air shock to push back Garin, who had been fighting him fiercely for some time. Newgate's chest was marked with several deep stab wounds, blood seeping out from time to time.
Garin, clad in the golden armor of the God's Knights, was in no better shape. His armor was shattered in several places, and blood trickled from the corners of his mouth. Battling Newgate in his prime and with the Shock Fruit was no easy feat.
The fight between them had been intense. Had Roger not suddenly appeared, one of them would likely have died today.
Newgate glanced at Roger, his sharp eyes flickering with unreadable thoughts.
Roger hadn't come alone. Soon after, his first mate, Silvers Rayleigh, arrived with the rest of the Roger Pirates, standing behind Roger in open defiance of the Rocks Pirates.
The arrival of Roger's crew completely shifted the tide of battle. Rocks' face darkened. Rage and killing intent radiated from him—he wanted to tear Roger apart with his bare hands.
The Rocks Pirates were in disarray. Except for Linlin, who had vanished earlier, most were glancing around nervously, clearly ready to flee.
Realizing this, Rocks could no longer hesitate. He roared, his aura surging to its peak. The sky itself seemed to darken as his power spread like a shadow over the battlefield.
Crackling black lightning danced around his clenched fists, a manifestation of his Conqueror's Haki. Rocks' body shot forward like lightning, his overwhelming presence locking onto Roger. Even if he were to fall today, he was determined to kill Roger—the traitorous pirate!
Roger's expression grew grim. He coated his blade, Ace, one of the twelve Supreme Grade swords, with his own Conqueror's Haki and charged to meet Rocks head-on.
The instant their weapons clashed, Roger's arm went numb. Rocks' strength was even greater than he had imagined.
Sensing Roger's struggle, Rayleigh prepared to draw his sword, but Garp moved faster.
A blackened iron fist descended from above, catching Rocks off guard. Rocks was sent flying, stumbling back as Garp landed beside Roger.
Now standing together, Roger and Garp faced him side by side. Rocks' fury boiled over, and he growled through gritted teeth:
"Absolutely disgusting!"
His attempt to rally his crew and regain momentum had failed. The situation was only getting worse.
Suddenly, Linlin reappeared, clutching a cyan Devil Fruit in her hand. During the chaos, she had used her Soul-Soul Fruit powers to manipulate the battlefield and claimed the Azure Dragon Fruit for herself.
Rocks' anger briefly subsided; he felt relieved, thinking Linlin still had some loyalty to him. But his relief turned to stone-cold shock when she yelled:
"Kaido! You silly boy! Why are you fighting so hard? Look what I found! Come with me!"
Kaido's face lit up at the sight of the Azure Dragon Fruit. Without hesitation, he rushed to Linlin's side, and the two vanished from the battlefield in moments.
"..."
The field fell silent.
Newgate sighed heavily. Disappointment washed over him as he turned his back on Rocks. Slinging his bisento, Murakumogiri, over his shoulder, he walked away slowly. No one from the World Government or Marines tried to stop him—they simply let him leave.
Shiki, calm and collected, took a puff from his cigar. As a master of the Float-Float Fruit, escape was always an option for him; none could stop him if he chose to leave.
Since Linlin and Kaido's betrayal, Rocks had stood silently, unmoving, even as his crew abandoned him. But Roger and Garp sensed it—an ominous, suffocating power was swelling within him. Rocks was at his most dangerous now.
Even Saint Saturn, watching from afar, remained on edge despite his belief in their victory.
Slowly raising his head, Rocks' voice rang out cold and full of killing intent:
"Roger… Celestial Dragons… Marines… You all deserve to die!"
BOOM!
The ground split apart as Rocks charged forward, leading the few loyal men he had left. Chaos erupted once more—blood sprayed through the air, limbs flew, and the battlefield was consumed in carnage.
The World Government, Marines, and Roger Pirates responded in kind, sending all their strongest warriors to suppress Rocks' final rampage.
But Rocks showed no fear. He cast off his blood-soaked cloak, laughing wildly:
"Come at me, all of you! I am ROCKS!!!"
…
No one knew how much time passed. Eventually, the Valley of the Gods fell eerily silent.
Far from the battlefield, Newgate pushed a small wooden boat into the sea and climbed aboard. With the Rocks Pirates' ship destroyed, he had been forced to craft his own escape vessel.
Glancing back at the Valley of the Gods, he murmured softly:
"Goodbye… Captain Rocks."
Reaching into his coat, he pulled out a sky-blue Devil Fruit and thought:
"I found this along the way… must've belonged to the Celestial Dragons. Guess that's one good thing that came out of this."
…
Meanwhile, aboard a Marine warship, Sengoku sat on a bench, bandaging his own wounds. With so many injured Marines, medical staff were overwhelmed, and he chose to let others receive treatment first.
Just as he pressed cotton against a gash, the door burst open. Garp strode in, grinning.
"Hey, Sengoku! You good!?"
Sengoku winced as the tweezers jabbed his wound deeper. He glared at Garp, but before he could speak, Garp tossed a wooden box his way.
"Check out what I found!"
The box was lined with gold foil, its contents clearly valuable. Sengoku opened it carefully, his eyes widening as he saw a golden Devil Fruit nestled inside.
"This has to be one of the Celestial Dragons' treasures," Garp said casually. "I found it, and you know how I feel about that lot. No way I'm giving it back. But I don't want to eat it either. You interested?"
…
On the deck of the Oro Jackson, the Roger Pirates gathered around a wooden box. Inside was a red-haired baby, giggling instead of crying. Roger and his crew exchanged bewildered glances, unsure of what to do.