The one who flew over was Shiki—pushed forward by the rest of the Rocks Pirates to deliver the message.
The future Golden Lion, captain of the Flying Pirates, and one of the legendary great pirates who would dominate the seas after the fall of Rocks.
The reason it had to be Shiki was simple:
Getting information to Rocks and Nereus while they were fighting was no easy task.
In that state, neither of them would notice a Den Den Mushi call.
And the shockwaves generated by their battle were not something ordinary people could break through.
On top of that, the battlefield had been chosen on an offshore reef—
someone who could fly was the only one who could arrive quickly.
As for how they knew Rocks and Nereus were there...
That part was easy.
There were only two people around Beehive capable of causing that kind of disturbance.
"No interest."
"Don't get in the way, Shiki! Get lost!"
The "treasure of Beehive" Shiki mentioned was not an object—
but a person.
Shakuyaku, of the Kuja Pirates.
Several years ago, Shakky had opened a tavern on the island.
And countless men had gone mad over her.
Nereus was not one of them.
She simply wasn't his type.
During the time she stayed on Beehive, an illness spread through the island—
something Nereus privately called "Shakky Virus":
a collective outbreak of lovesick obsession.
To him, the whole island looked like a group of emotionally repressed idiots suddenly collapsing at once.
A year ago, Shakky vanished without warning.
Someone had taken her from the island in only a few hours—
and killed Marlon, who had been on night watch.
Only now had there finally been news.
Rocks himself had once been infatuated with Shakky—
but that had faded after he started a family.
Still, having someone taken from his island was a blow to his pride.
Yet right now, his fight with Nereus had only just reached its hottest point.
He had no intention of stopping immediately.
After all, he couldn't teleport there anyway.
Finish fighting first—
then deal with it.
To him, Shiki had simply arrived at the worst possible moment.
"It's not just Shakky.
There's also a huge amount of treasure... and Devil Fruits.
For some reason, a large number of Celestial Dragons have gathered in God Valley, in the West Blue.
Seems like—"
"Where did you say?! God Valley?!"
The words God Valley instantly seized Rocks's attention.
At once, all desire to continue fighting disappeared.
He signaled Nereus to stop—
then crossed the distance so fast that even Shiki barely reacted before Rocks was already standing directly in front of him.
"What happened there?! Explain clearly!"
God Valley was Rocks's homeland.
His wife.
His children.
His family—
all there.
Hearing that Celestial Dragons had gathered there immediately ignited him.
"Uh... it's complicated.
Maybe we should go back first?"
Shiki pointed toward Beehive behind them.
After receiving the news, many had already gathered there to discuss what to do next.
What they lacked—
was Rocks and Nereus.
Though he possessed no flight ability, Rocks still moved faster than both Shiki and Nereus.
A few bursts of movement—
and he had already crossed a massive distance.
"He's in a hurry... Nereus, let's head back too."
Shiki made no move to chase immediately.
He had a feeling that right now Rocks was like a powder keg—
one spark away from exploding.
Better to keep some distance.
"Any specifics about the Devil Fruits?"
Though he didn't know every detail, Nereus already roughly understood the cause and likely result.
The Celestial Dragons' hunting game.
Rare and powerful Devil Fruits offered as prizes to noble elites.
The Fish-Fish Fruit, Model: Azure Dragon.
The Paw-Paw Fruit.
Both were on that island.
"No details.
The report only said 'extremely rare Devil Fruits.'
No exact types."
Devil Fruits—
the treasures of the sea.
Every single one granted extraordinary powers.
Some possessed destructive force capable of changing battlefields.
Others lacked direct combat value but held bizarre strategic potential.
Nereus naturally had great interest in them.
This had always been one of his goals.
Eating a Devil Fruit meant becoming a land-bound weak swimmer forever.
Even fish-men, after eating one, became powerless underwater.
They could still breathe—
but could no longer move freely.
Nereus himself had eaten one only because he was special.
He possessed a way to bypass that weakness.
For others—
it depended.
Some powers were worth the tradeoff.
And not all of his subordinates were fish-men or merfolk.
Even if unused—
selling one on the black market meant enormous wealth.
So compared to gold and treasure—
Devil Fruits interested him far more.
He had no prejudice against them.
Like Haki—
they were simply another native power of this sea.
Two legs of the same body.
If one had the ability, there was no reason to train only one.
Fruit and Haki together—both pushed to the limit.
That was his goal.
"Let's go."
Nereus did not ask further.
He spread his wings and flew after Rocks.
There would be another full explanation soon enough at the coming meeting.
Shiki followed silently, activating the Float-Float Fruit.
✈️🌊🍎⚡
When Nereus arrived at the center of Beehive, most of the core members of the Rocks Pirates were already gathered.
Edward NewgateKaidoWang Zhi, the Pirate PatriarchGanzui, the Smuggler PirateSilver Axe – XiongCaptain JohnScientific Bandit Miss Buckingham StussyGill BastarGloriosa
Aside from Marlon, who had died—
it was effectively full attendance.
At that moment, they were arguing loudly, occasionally shoving and striking each other.
Only Rocks sat at the center—
silent, expression dark.
"Yo~ Nereus, even you came. Looks like this really is a major event~"
Stussy, seated beside Whitebeard, greeted him warmly.
In truth, these people were merely temporary allies—
but surface-level relations still mattered.
And among the female pirates on Beehive, Nereus was unexpectedly popular.
His strength needed no explanation.
His appearance was considered handsome by outside standards.
And compared to some of the very unusual-looking specimens in Rocks's crew—
he stood out even more.
Especially during the island-wide Shakky obsession—
his normality made him rare.
"Mama~ mama~ You came too, Nereus. So there really is something there you want."
Charlotte Linlin arrived slightly late, carrying a Den Den Mushi and several sheets of intelligence documents.
Because of her underground network, Linlin effectively handled intelligence gathering here.
She had just gone to organize the reports.
The two had once shared a relationship.
After separating, things had not turned openly hostile.
No tenderness remained—
but neither did outright hostility.
A few casual words were still natural.
But Rocks had no patience for any of that now.
"Save the reunion for later, Linlin.
Stop wasting time.
What exactly happened at God Valley?
What information did you receive?!"