Time rewinds one hour earlier.
At the raised platform in the center of the island, Saint Jaygarcia Saturn sat quietly with his eyes closed.
Suddenly—
his eyes opened.
Within those aged yet authoritative pupils, a flash of red flickered.
The sound of a branch snapping echoed nearby.
Saturn focused his gaze.
A man stepped out slowly from the trees, wearing a pirate captain's coat draped over his shoulders. His hands were tucked casually into his pockets, humming an unfamiliar tune as though sightseeing.
His eyes wandered lazily over the surroundings.
Then—
he looked at Saturn, grinned broadly, scratched his head, and spoke in a familiar tone.
"Well now, Saturn! Long time no see. You're leading this one?"
The one who had arrived—
was Rocks D. Xebec.
It was hard to imagine that someone strolling as if on a leisurely walk would be the first to reach this place.
Saturn rose slowly, leaning on his cane, and stepped toward the edge of the platform.
"Rocks… you have finally come."
"No choice," Rocks replied. "Your people sealed this place tighter than a drum. It'd be impossible not to notice."
"But speaking of that—let me give you some advice. What kind of people is the World Government recruiting these days? All arrogance, no strength. The ones who tried to stop me at Mary Geoise last time were several times stronger than this lot."
Rocks brushed nonexistent dust from his coat.
God Valley wasn't large, and this platform stood at its very center. World Government agents had been stationed everywhere.
After eliminating the nuisances—
he had found exactly what he was looking for.
"You are truly foolish," Saturn said coldly. "Foolish enough to walk straight into such an obvious trap."
"To lure out the so-called overlord of the New World, we wagered the lives of hundreds of Celestial Dragons."
"In the eight hundred years since the World Government's founding, only a handful have received such treatment."
"You should feel honored."
Suddenly—
a sinister aura began to emanate from Saturn.
Dark purple-black smoke burst outward, swallowing his form entirely.
Rocks remained standing below the platform, smiling calmly.
"You seem awfully confident. But with just this much manpower, you think you can keep me here?"
"Even if all five of you old men came at once—I wouldn't care."
A long-forgotten memory flickered in his eyes—
but it stirred no emotion.
Within the swirling smoke—
a pair of crimson eyes appeared, glowing like lanterns.
An overwhelming, hellish aura radiated outward, chilling the air.
To ordinary people, it would be suffocating intimidation.
To Rocks—
it was no more than a mild breeze.
As the undisputed tyrant of the New World, he, like Roldy , no longer knew fear.
Thick, segmented spider-like legs tore through the smoke.
Massive black horns curved upward.
A grotesque abdomen dragged behind.
Dark clouds coiled around his body.
His nails sharpened into deadly points—
yet in his hand, he still gripped his cane.
Saint Jaygarcia Saturn no longer resembled a creature that should exist in this world.
Warrior God of Science and Defense—
"Saturn," one of the Five Elders, one of the highest authorities of the World Government—
A Mythical Zoan user.
Ushi Ushi no Mi, Model: Gyūki.
Without question—
he stood among the absolute apex of the seas.
Boom!
Those enormous crimson eyes merely blinked—
and suddenly an explosion erupted above Rocks' head.
Black smoke engulfed his face.
Yet he did not fall.
"After all these years, that's still all you've got?"
"That old trick is getting boring."
The smoke dispersed.
Only a thin layer of dust marked Rocks' face.
At some point, a cigar had appeared between his lips, already lit. He inhaled deeply, exhaling smoke like a dragon.
His tone carried open disappointment.
"Using Devil Fruit powers in front of me?"
"Have you grown soft drinking tea at Pangaea Castle?"
Black mist suddenly surged from both of Rocks' hands.
Saturn's eyes narrowed slightly.
Rocks D. Xebec—
the man who had rampaged through the Holy Land, Mary Geoise decades ago, slain a Marine Admiral, and escaped unscathed—
every scrap of his information had long been compiled by the World Government.
Including—
his Devil Fruit.
The most sinister power in the world.
Logia-type—
the Dark-Dark Fruit.
Strangely, before Rocks' appearance, there had been no record of this fruit anywhere on the seas. No confirmed sightings. Even the World Government once believed it might not exist.
Rocks was its first known wielder.
The world's most dangerous criminal possessed the world's most dangerous power.
What they knew so far—
The Dark-Dark Fruit was the natural enemy of all Devil Fruit users.
It could nullify their abilities upon contact.
It could manipulate gravitational attraction.
Beyond that—
little was understood.
To the Five Elders, this fruit was profoundly dangerous.
They were all immensely powerful Devil Fruit users, relying heavily on their abilities.
Against Rocks—
their greatest weapons would be directly suppressed.
Steam burst from Saturn's massive nostrils.
He leapt into the air.
His enormous body descended like a collapsing mountain.
Rocks stepped back to evade.
Saturn's monstrous form smashed into the ground, sending dust and debris skyward.
Through the smoke—
a razor-sharp spider leg thrust forward like a spear, targeting Rocks' chest with lethal precision.
The sheer force generated visible shockwaves at its tip.
"No matter what tricks you possess, they are meaningless before us!"
"Overlord of the New World? You are but an ignorant brat!"
"You cannot comprehend the depth of eight hundred years of dominion!"
Rocks snorted.
Without hesitation, he clenched his fist and struck the tip of the incoming leg.
The moment they collided—
everything within a hundred-meter radius fractured.
The earth split.
Boulders shattered.
Trees were severed at the waist.
Even the platform trembled, though its rare construction materials prevented total collapse.
Though he had anticipated it—
Saturn's pupils still contracted.
"The World Government's foundations?" Rocks scoffed. "Maybe they're deep."
"But what of it?"
"You also have no idea…"
"…just how strong the ruler of the New World truly is."
With a roar, Rocks opened his fist mid-clash—
and grabbed Saturn's spider leg.
The next instant—
an overwhelming surge of strength erupted from his body.
The colossal form of Saturn—
huge as a hill—
was lifted straight into the air.
Then—
Rocks slammed him down with devastating force.
Even a Mythical Zoan user could not completely withstand such brute power.
The ground convulsed violently.
A massive crater formed upon impact.
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