Within the thousand-meter-wide crater carved into the island, seawater had already flooded more than halfway in.
Roldy had hurled Saint Warcury down with absolute brute force. With the added momentum from a plunge out of the sky and the monstrous strength in his arms, the Gyūki—never known for speed—had no means of resistance.
His enormous body crashed into the crater, sending up towering waves before sinking into the sea below.
The battlefield shifted in an instant.
A Devil Fruit user thrown into the ocean—what fate awaited them?
There was only one answer.
The sea, which rejects all Devil Fruit users, would claim them in the cruelest way—drowning.
No matter how powerful the body, one loses all strength in the sea.
Of course, with Saint Warcury's power, he would not drown so easily or ignobly.
But—
He required rescue.
Which meant—
The Five Elders were now reduced to four.
No one had expected the tide of battle to turn so quickly. By the time they realized it, Roldy was already roaring as he charged toward Saint Jaygarcia Saturn in his Ushi Ushi no Mi, Model: Gyūki form.
"Zeahahaha! That kid's got spirit!"
Shiki the Golden Lion grinned so widely his face nearly split.
Among the entire crew, he was the one who most hoped for Roldy's growth. He had taught Roldy swordsmanship, and in exchange, Roldy would serve as his right-hand man aboard his future ship for a time.
The stronger Roldy became, the greater the benefit to him.
A pirate crew boasting two Admiral-level fighters—
That was terrifying anywhere in the world.
"Well now… what a pity. The wheel of the era hasn't begun turning yet, and this piece has appeared a bit too early. Still… with that brat's temperament, he won't submit quietly, will he?"
Rocks D. Xebec smiled faintly, eyes gleaming with meaning.
He could tell—
From certain angles, Roldy was the same kind of man as himself.
The kind who would never bow to fate.
"That kid's terrifying… He even carries Giant blood in him? Interesting."
Gol D. Roger slit a Marine's throat with a single stroke. A CP Agent attempting to ambush him from behind was kicked away.
Silvers Rayleigh stood back-to-back with him.
"For so many monsters to appear in one era—it's abnormal. But Roger, that kid might steal your position as king of the next era."
"Hahaha! If he wants it, he can have it!"
Roger seemed unconcerned.
But when a figure charged into view from the distance—
His expression changed instantly.
"Garp!"
Like a cat catching the scent of blood, Roger surged forward, excitement blazing in his eyes.
"Wait, Roger!"
Rayleigh's Observation Haki sensed something different. He grabbed Roger just in time.
Behind Monkey D. Garp—who rushed ahead with his usual reckless speed—three towering figures gradually emerged.
And behind them—
An endless tide of soldiers.
World Government reinforcements had arrived.
The World Government's full military forces—Marines, Army, and Air divisions combined—numbered over 120,000 troops.
Cipher Pol agents numbered over 30,000.
A pitiful God Valley now housed more than 150,000 combatants.
From the day this location was chosen, its fate had been sealed.
It would vanish from history.
"Rocks!!!"
Fleet Admiral Kong—Steel-Bone Kong—saw Rocks standing atop the head of a sandworm.
Shock surged through him, quickly replaced by fury.
Born into a traditional military family, Kong was deeply loyal to the World Government.
Now, with his superior humiliated beneath Rocks' foot, was this not a direct insult to him—the future Commander-in-Chief of the World Government's armed forces?
Worse—
If the Celestial Dragons blamed the Marines for failing to protect them and cut their funding, the consequences would be dire.
But more importantly—
"Zeahahaha! Kong! It's you again! What, didn't you learn your lesson last time?"
Clearly, this was not their first encounter.
Rocks' face was filled with mockery.
"Rocks! Stop preening! You will be buried here today! The grudges of the past and the hatred of today—we settle them all now!"
Kong exploded forward.
Gone was the calm and strategic Fleet Admiral persona.
As the man known as "Steel-Bone," mentor to the current trio of Admiral-level fighters, his mastery of physical combat was supreme.
At his level, techniques no longer mattered.
Every punch and kick carried maximum destructive force.
His right fist turned jet-black with Armament Haki Coating as he vanished—
Reappearing before Rocks in an instant.
He threw a punch like a thunderclap.
Its power rivaled Garp's iron fist.
Yet what stunned everyone—
Rocks casually raised one hand.
With almost no effort at all, he blocked Kong's punch.
The Armament Haki coating his palm was as dark as his eyes.
He said nothing—
But to Kong, it was the ultimate humiliation.
"Your fists haven't improved much. If that's all you've got… you might end up like that fool back then."
"Shut up!"
Kong's face twisted wildly, more feral than even Roldy's berserk state.
Punch after punch rained down like a storm.
Dense. Relentless.
Rocks calmly withdrew his other hand from his coat pocket and parried each strike with ease.
It was as though he had done this before.
"Your fists are stronger than that useless old relic from back then."
Rocks spoke sincerely.
"Shut up! You have no right to mention that man!"
Kong's fury reached its peak. His teeth nearly shattered from grinding.
"Zeahahaha! That guy really was the most pathetic Admiral I've ever seen. Oh—wait. I almost forgot."
Rocks' grin widened.
"That was your father… wasn't it?"
Silence fell across the battlefield.
Rocks' expression was demonic.
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