Hachinosu Island.
"SHAKKY—!!"
"SHE'S ALIVE~~~!!"
Cheers erupted across the pirate paradise. The despair of the last year vanished, replaced by a bloodthirsty excitement.
"Where is she?!"
"God Valley!"
"Where the hell is that?!"
Inside Skull Mountain, the executives of the Rocks Pirates gathered. The atmosphere was electric, but tense.
Wang Zhi sat at the table, sweating slightly. He looked unnatural.
"It's very suspicious," he stammered, his eyes darting around. "Is this source accurate? What if it's a trap... maybe we shouldn't..."
York glanced at him. He was the only one who noticed Wang Zhi's panic.
'Guilty conscience,' York thought. 'So you were involved, Wang Zhi.'
Stussy, the crew's intelligence queen, slammed a dossier on the table.
"The intelligence is accurate," she said coldly, ignoring Wang Zhi. "There is upheaval within the Marine communications. Shakky is being held as a 'Special Guest' for the Celestial Dragons' Native Hunting Games."
"A GAME PRIZE?!"
Captain John stood up, knocking over his chair. "Those government bastards kidnapped the Treasure of Hachinosu to be a trophy?!"
"Shakky-chan~~~"
Shiki (Golden Lion) wept openly, tears streaming down his face. But black and red sparks of Haki crackled around him. His sorrow was fueling a terrifying rage.
Whitebeard read the report, his expression grim.
"The Celestial Dragons' 'Human Hunt'... I thought it was a rumor. To think they actually do it."
Charlotte Linlin sat in the corner, licking her lips. She wasn't looking at the report about Shakky. She was looking at the list of other prizes.
"Mamamama... besides Shakky, there are Devil Fruits listed as prizes."
She turned to the horned apprentice.
"Kaido. You want power, don't you?"
"Oh?" Kaido's eyes lit up. "What kind of fruits?"
"Top-tier ones," Linlin grinned. "If the Celestial Dragons are offering them, they must be Mythical. If we go... I might just get one for you, little brother!"
Streusen (Long Bread) sighed. "This is obviously a trap meant to lure us in..."
"SHUT UP!!"
Rocks D. Xebec roared. The sound shook dust from the ceiling.
"Those who are afraid can stay here and rot! We are leaving!!"
"DESTINATION: GOD VALLEY!!"
The call to war echoed across the seas.
The Roger Pirates.
"Gaban! Where is God Valley?!"
"It's in the West Blue, Roger! It's far, but if we catch the currents, we can make it!"
Roger grinned, his mustache twitching with anticipation. He looked at his crew.
"Are we going?! Lads!!"
"ISN'T THAT OBVIOUS?!!"
The shout didn't come from the crew. It came from Rayleigh.
The usually calm Dark King was shouting, his veins popping. After a year of regret and torment, he was done hiding.
Roger laughed heartily.
"You heard him! Rocks is already moving! Don't let him get to Shakky first!!"
The Marines.
Ring-Ring-Ring...
"What did you say?! Roger is going too?!"
In the East Blue, Vice-Admiral Garp slammed the den-den mushi handset down, cracking the table. He was supposed to be on vacation.
"Damn it! I don't care about the Celestial Dragons, but I won't let Roger have all the fun!"
"Bogard! Set a course for the Calm Belt! We're cutting straight to the West Blue!"
Three legendary forces—Rocks, Roger, and Garp—were converging on a single point. The gears of fate were grinding.
The Captain's Cabin.
The Saber of Xebec crossed the Calm Belt, entering the West Blue.
The mood on the ship was raucous, but in the Captain's quarters, it was dead silent.
Rocks sat in the shadows. He poured two glasses of wine.
"Can I trust you, York?"
York stood by the door. He paused.
"I don't know if Kaido told you," York said calmly. "But in this crew of traitors... the only person I can guarantee won't stab you in the back is me."
Rocks took a deep breath. He exhaled slowly, looking older than York had ever seen him.
"Good. Then I'll tell you a secret no one else knows."
Rocks looked up, his red eyes glowing in the dim light.
"My public name is Rocks. But my lineage... is Davy."
"Davy D. Xebec."
York raised an eyebrow. "The legend of Davy Jones?"
"Wahahaha..." Rocks chuckled softly. "You know your history."
"The Davy family. A clan the World Government has tried to erase from history. We are the ghosts of the sea."
York nodded. He wasn't overly shocked. In this world, secret lineages were common. King was a Lunarian; Kuma was a Buccaneer. Rocks being a descendant of Davy Jones made sense of his obsession with the Davy Back Fight games.
Rocks took a swig of wine.
"Two years ago... my child was born."
York's eyes narrowed.
"I followed your advice from the bar that day. To keep them safe, I sent my wife and child to my hometown. I thought they would be hidden among the commoners."
York realized the horror before Rocks said it.
"Your hometown wouldn't happen to be..."
Rocks nodded grimly.
"God Valley."
York froze.
The World Government hadn't just kidnapped Shakky to lure Rocks. They had inadvertently set up their "Human Hunt" on the very island where the Pirate King's family was hiding.
"So..." York murmured. "This isn't just a trap."
"No," Rocks grinned, a feral, desperate look on his face. "For them, this is a coincidence. Fate is pulling us all together."
"Taking Shakky was a mistake. But what I truly cannot let go of... is my blood."
Rocks stood up, gripping York's shoulder.
"My son is two years old."
"My goal is not the World Government. It is not the treasure."
"It is ensuring they survive."
"So, York! When hell breaks loose on that island... I need you to save them."
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