While the cleanup was still happening on one side, another pirate ship was approaching Beehive Island.
Before long, it arrived at the harbor where Nereus was waiting.
On the black sail, the letters ROCKS stood out prominently, one of them replaced by a crimson skull—the unmistakable emblem of the Rocks Pirates' flagship.
The man standing at the bow was none other than Rocks himself.
Blue-and-white hair, a lock falling over his forehead, and a lightning-shaped mark on the left side of his face—
Rocks D. Xebec.
Though he bore some resemblance to Blackbeard, the aura he radiated was on an entirely different level—something Blackbeard could never compare to.
Before the ship even docked, he leapt down onto the harbor and burst into loud laughter.
"Wahaha! Nereus, I'm back! So—have you thought about what I proposed before?"
Rocks strode over familiarly and stopped beside Nereus.
Two folding tables had already been set nearby, with fruit arranged on top and several bottles filled with liquid.
The setup had already been there before Nereus arrived.
Neither Nereus nor officers like Sebastian had considered those slave traffickers worth serious attention.
They had merely treated them as test targets for combat evaluation.
That was why the atmosphere here remained so relaxed.
Without hesitation, Rocks grabbed one of the bottles and drank straight from it—
then frowned.
"Grape juice? I thought this was red wine."
"I don't drink alcohol.
Aside from bitterness, it only dulls the mind."
"Seriously? You run a tavern but don't drink?
Do you know how much effort winemakers spend removing grape sweetness?"
"No idea.
Personally, I think that's pointless.
There's orange juice too. Want some?"
"Forget it. I'll stick to this.
This is liquor from the West Blue."
As Rocks arrived, several nearby fish-men and merfolk quietly withdrew, creating a wide open space.
For them, maintaining some distance was simply safer.
Though he appeared carefree, the man before them was infamous across the seas.
Rocks D. Xebec.
His true name: David D. Xebec.
Captain of the Rocks Pirates.
At present, the most vicious criminal on the seas.
Within just two years of the Rocks Pirates' formation, he had already become one of the World Government's greatest headaches.
Rocks alone was troublesome enough.
A whole crew built around him made things far worse.
Recorded attacks:
16 major assaults76 ships sunk (most of them Marine warships)14 ports burned5 towns destroyed1 nation wiped out
There were also 3 special crimes violating World Law Article 18, plus 25 criminal records erased outright by the World Government because they refused to make them public.
And that was only from those first two years.
Because of all this, Rocks had practically become the symbol of the era itself.
Though powerful figures were everywhere on the sea, there were only two men whom Rocks constantly kept in mind:
One was Harald of Elbaf.
The other was Nereus.
Both were men capable of fighting him one-on-one in pure combat.
And it was precisely because of that strength that Rocks treated them differently.
"So.
What's your answer?"
Wiping liquor from the corner of his mouth, Rocks waited quietly.
"Xebec, my answer is the same as before.
It hasn't changed."
Nereus's tone remained calm.
But the refusal was absolute.
"Hah? Why?!
If you and I join forces—and we find a way to persuade Harald too—the three of us would have enough power to stand at the top of the world and rule it!"
"Didn't you swear in Elbaf that you'd never invite him again?"
"Yeah.
So you invite him instead."
Two years ago, Rocks and Harald had fought.
Harald wanted to lead Elbaf toward peace and join the World Government.
The World Government had used that as leverage and asked Harald to oppose Rocks.
Their battle ended without a winner.
As for what exactly they said during that clash, Nereus did not know.
But afterward, neither had ever looked directly at the other again.
Still, after returning to Beehive Island, Rocks had never stopped talking about it.
And judging by his attitude now, he had clearly not abandoned the idea.
He had even thought of sending Nereus instead.
This idea had struck him during his latest voyage.
Because that Devil Fruit—
the one he kept talking about—
was most compatible with giants.
Only Harald could truly unleash its full power.
If possible, Rocks still wanted him onboard.
Nereus had heard versions of this speech countless times.
Perhaps because he could never obtain what he wanted, Rocks wanted it even more.
Toward Harald, Rocks held both strategic admiration and something more personal.
In a way, the feeling resembled Cao Cao looking at Chen Gong.
"You...
Don't tell me you're like Harald too—actually believing the World Government?"
Rocks's gaze turned strange.
He could not understand why the two strongest people he acknowledged both rejected his vision.
"No.
I have never trusted them.
Whether peace or racial equality, those so-called gods—the Celestial Dragons—are parasites that must be eradicated.
But at the same time, I do not support your method either.
The World Government may be rotten, but it has ruled this world for eight hundred years.
And after all that time, its foundation remains stable.
More than one hundred seventy affiliated nations recognize its authority.
You can call them foolish.
But they are not weak.
The Marines.
Cipher Pol.
The Holy Knights.
Those are all armed forces the World Government can mobilize."
And beyond that, Nereus understood something even more clearly:
The World Government itself was only a tool in Imu's hands.
Its true function was to serve the Celestial Dragons.
And Nereus knew exactly what kind of creatures Celestial Dragons were.
If such people existed in reality, he thought, they would all belong in a soap factory.
Likewise, even though he knew little of events after Egghead and even less about this era in detail, one thing remained certain:
Rocks would fail at God Valley.
Nereus was here not because he wanted to become a pirate.
He had become one only because freeing slaves had triggered a chain of events—
including destroying Marines sent to capture him, after which the World Government labeled him a pirate.
Beehive Island lacked heavy Marine presence.
It also offered him room to sharpen his strength.
For many reasons, he remained here—
but he never agreed with Rocks's grand design.
"You want a decisive war through power gained from two Devil Fruits.
But you don't understand the World Government's true cards.
And even if you succeeded—
have you thought about what comes after?"
"You sound exactly like Harald...
That guy's a king.
But you're not.
Sure, you've got influence on Fish-Man Island, but—"
"Funny enough.
Becoming king of Ryugu Kingdom is part of my plan too."
For the first time, Rocks looked genuinely stunned.
"Hah?!
What did you say?
You too? Someone like you wants to play king?
That makes you no different from Harald!
What next?
Don't tell me you'll kneel like him and beg for scraps from the World Government in exchange for so-called peace, damn it!"
To Rocks, Nereus's words sounded absurdly naïve.
His irritation rose sharply.
He could not understand why both Harald and Nereus—
men with such power—
still refused to embrace what he considered the perfect plan.
"Of course not.
I simply need that position to carry out my own plans more effectively.
As for the details—
those are my secret.
And judging by how this conversation is going...
we'll follow our usual procedure.
Same place."
As he spoke, a pair of broad bat-like wings suddenly spread from Nereus's back.
He launched upward toward the giant skull-shaped mountain at the center of Beehive Island.
Originally, that mountain had not resembled a skull at all.
When the Rocks Pirates first arrived, Rocks himself had blasted out the eye sockets.
And its summit had since become the place where Nereus and Rocks most often clashed.
"Tch.
No wonder that brat Kaido gets along with you.
I think you're the real battle addict."
Rocks muttered while watching Nereus rise into the sky.
But he gave no direct reply.
Because Nereus's so-called "usual procedure" was simple:
Whenever this subject came up—
they always ended up fighting.
For Nereus, such battles were part of training.
Without fighting true monsters, growth came too slowly.
And across the sea, there were very few people qualified to serve as his whetstone.
Rocks happened to be one of them.
Rocks rolled his wrists.
Then his legs exploded with force, launching him upward.
Step after step, he kicked through the air and pursued Nereus.
The technique resembled Moonwalk—
temporary aerial movement.
For top-tier fighters like them, such physical mastery was nothing unusual.
Though compared to true flight, it lacked freedom.
"This time let's change locations.
If we fight there, that rock won't survive us.
On the way back I spotted a reef field.
We'll use that."
"You want the battlefield in the sea?
Are you serious?"
"Of course.
I know you're special.
Even as a Devil Fruit user, throwing you into the sea won't do much.
But this time—
I want to see what you look like...
when you fight with everything you've got."