[send power stones please]
Around 8 PM—
Inside a room on Hachinosu Island.
Romu lay back on a floating red flower, a toothpick hanging from his lips, eyes fixed on the ceiling.
Whitebeard's earlier words echoed in his ears.
"Romu…
I've got connections with Roger. I heard from him—
In a little over two months, our crew will clash with the Marines and the World Government.
Their goal is to eliminate Captain Rocks.
…I hope you survive."
So that was why Whitebeard had seemed off.
Crack.
Romu bit the toothpick in half.
"Pfft…"
He spat it aside, pinched the bridge of his nose, and a playful smile crept across his face.
"Roger…"
"You don't look like a Pirate King."
"You look like the social butterfly of the pirate world."
"You've got connections with everyone."
The smile faded.
Romu hopped off the flower, hands clasped behind his back as he paced the room.
Tap… tap… tap…
Thinking again.
Roger wasn't stupid.
The Marines were even less so.
If they dared tell Roger the exact timing, they clearly weren't afraid of leaks.
Which meant—
They no longer cared if Rocks learned the truth.
In the original timeline…
After God Valley, the Rocks Pirates collapsed.
Whitebeard, Shiki, Big Mom, Kaidō, Wang Zhi—all went independent.
God Valley vanished from the map.
History was sealed and gradually forgotten.
The only confirmed major death was Rocks himself—and even that was uncertain.
Thunderous build-up.
Small aftermath.
But this timeline was different.
Because of him.
Because of one butterfly.
First he killed a Celestial Dragon and paraded the corpse.
Then Rocks hung the body at Hachinosu as a declaration of war.
Those two acts alone guaranteed that this version of God Valley would be far bloodier than history ever recorded.
And recent rumors made it worse—
The Marines were mobilizing.
The World Government was mobilizing.
Major families and kingdoms were mobilizing.
"…That many forces…"
"No way they're just coming to watch…"
Romu muttered.
Then realization hit.
"Loose secrecy…"
"Global troop movement…"
"This is a full-scale war."
His eyes lit up.
Yes.
That had to be it.
This God Valley wouldn't end quietly.
The Celestial Dragons wanted an example.
And examples required slaughter.
Not just Rocks.
Not just his officers.
They wanted to erase every rebel force.
He exhaled slowly.
A storm was coming.
He could already picture the mountains of corpses…
And then—
His thoughts veered wildly.
Never absorbed this much life essence before… will the Wood-Wood Fruit hold? Or will I explode?
Who do I absorb first?
If I absorb Rocks… do I awaken the fruit?
Will the Five Elders show up?
Individually weaker than Rocks? Maybe. All five? Probably stronger.
If I absorb them too… can I beat Im?
Then I'd be invincible…
If I'm invincible… can I break dimensional barriers and go back to Earth and finish my degree?
And come back afterward? I still haven't visited the Amazon Lily equivalent…
…
The Following Days
Romu sparred with Whitebeard every few days.
The rest of the time he rested—and trained his division.
He needed subordinates.
Otherwise he'd have to handle everything personally forever.
Meanwhile, he monitored Marine and World Government activity.
Just as he expected—
They stopped hiding their mobilization entirely.
Troops moved openly.
The storm was obvious now.
Time flew.
Two months vanished in a blink.
No major moves.
Just tension thick enough to choke on.
A Pirate Bar Near Mercury Island
The patrons looked brutal—scarred, muscular, dangerous.
A pirate bar.
Yet eerily orderly.
No fights.
No shouting.
Just grim faces reading newspapers.
Heavy silence.
In a corner, several crewmates whispered.
"Something's wrong. I've never seen this many Marine warships in my life!"
"It's not just Marine HQ! My uncle in Water Seven says ships from Enies Lobby and Impel Down are moving too!"
"What the hell are they planning—wipe us all out?!"
"Maybe… I saw Sengoku through my scope two days ago. I'm packing up and fleeing north tomorrow."
"I saw him too! Garp and Zephyr were there!"
"Someone tell me what's happening?!"
Their voices trembled.
Sweat soaked their clothes.
Then one pirate looked up—
The entire bar was staring at them.
Not because they were loud.
Because the room was dead silent.
He wiped sweat from his brow.
"…Alright. No more secrets. Share what you know."
Everyone gathered.
Faces tense.
"I'll start. North Blue isn't safe either. The Vinsmoke family is mobilizing…"
"I saw CP agents in Sabaody last month!"
"So nowhere's safe…"
Silence again.
Then a skinny pirate bit his lip.
"I paid good money in the underworld for this…"
"It's because of the Celestial Dragons."
Everyone leaned in.
"They're holding a ritual at a place called God Valley."
"Normally nothing special."
"But after Rocks hung that Celestial Dragon…"
"They snapped."
"The Marines, World Government, and allied powers are deploying to annihilate the Rocks Pirates."
"Rocks and Captain Romu are priority targets."
"In short—"
"This is total war."
"And it starts…"
"Any day now."
The bar froze.
And then—
A thunderous horn blasted from the sea.
"WOOOO—!"
Massive warships roared past.
The fleet that had been gathering…
was moving.
"It's starting!"
"Total war!!"
The skinny pirate shouted.
Every pirate shared the same thought:
The Rocks Pirates are finished.
Captain Rocks… Captain Romu… dead men walking.
Not one imagined another outcome.
Meanwhile — Hachinosu
The Rocks fleet was already assembled.
On the raging sea—
Rocks' flagship led the formation.
Behind it, Romu, Whitebeard, and the other captains formed an inverted triangle guard.
Behind them—
Over a thousand pirate ships.
From afar, the fleet looked like a blade suspended over the ocean.
Skull flags snapped in the wind.
Killing intent filled the air.
Suddenly—
"Captain! Wind's rising!!"
The navigator shouted.
Rocks pulled his black cloak tight, drained his wineskin, eyes flashing crimson.
He drew his blade and pointed southwest.
Laughing savagely—
"HAHAHAHA!"
"Raise the sails, you bastards!"
"Destination—"
"GOD VALLEY!!!"
In an instant—
Sails unfurled across a thousand ships.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Three cannons thundered from Rocks' flagship.
A tradition—
Three shots before departure.
And with that—
The blade moved.
The fleet surged forward.
Thousands of pirates roared, drinking and waving their blades.
Sailing through storms.
Laughing through cannon fire.
A pirate's anthem.
On the lead support ship—
Romu stood calm, eyes locked southwest.
Images flashed through his mind—
Kong. Garp. Sengoku. Zephyr. The Five Elders.
He murmured—
"God Valley…"
"I'm coming."
◇ I'll drop one bonus chapter for every 10 reviews (leave a review/comment!)
◇ One bonus chapter will be released for every 100 Power Stones.
◇ Read 60 chapters ahead on P@treon: patreon.com/KageNaruto