"What? Who told you that? What do you mean 'voluntarily escorting the Celestial Dragons'?!"
As soon as Monkey D. Garp heard that, his temper flared. Sengoku's little scheme had clearly worked—he'd successfully shifted the topic.
"Isn't that the case?" Sengoku waved a hand and replied calmly.
"That was an order from the Fleet Admiral. I didn't have a choice." Garp looked utterly unconcerned.
Sengoku didn't continue teasing him and instead asked, "So, you've met Aurelius D. Virel ·Is, right?"
"Hahaha! I'll give him that—he's an interesting guy. Not like those other idiotic Celestial Dragons." Garp said bluntly.
"Tap, tap, tap!"
At that moment, Kong stepped down from the ship and reminded him, "Garp, how many times have I told you? Watch your words."
"Yeah, yeah, yeah."
Garp replied with a grin. Of course, if he remembered, he'd mind it—but when words slipped out, there was nothing he could do.
New World, somewhere at sea, along a coastline.
A massive ship lay anchored by the shore.
Rocks D. Xebec stared at the newspaper in his hand, lost in thought.
Standing before him was none other than Shiki, who had just returned to the crew. After his battle with Gol D. Roger, however, Shiki had suffered significant injuries.
Even now, his body was wrapped in thick white bandages.
"That brat from years ago… his bounty's already surpassed two billion berries…"
Though Rocks spoke in a calm tone, the force in his hand betrayed his fury.
He clenched the newspaper and bounty poster tightly. In the next instant, a mass of black substance appeared in his palm. The moment it touched the paper, both the newspaper and the bounty notice crumbled into ashes.
Clearly, Rocks… was a Devil Fruit user as well.
"This time, I was too careless. That's how Roger and his crew got the upper hand. My apologies, Captain!" Shiki lowered his head and spoke in a deep voice.
Rocks' cold gaze swept over him. Because of Shiki's mistake, the wounds of the Rocks Pirates—just beginning to scab over—had been torn open once again.
"The Roger Pirates are growing far faster than we anticipated. If we don't suppress them early and let them continue, they'll become a major obstacle in our path," Long Bread reminded from the side.
"That makes sense. I also think we should eliminate them first. We already tried recruiting Roger before, and he refused. Even if we try again, the result won't change," another officer added.
"And a mere Roger Pirates crew has you all scheming like this?" Rocks roared angrily. "This sea belongs to me—I am its king!"
Everyone lowered their heads in silence.
"Since Roger has declared war on us, then let him fight! We'll accompany him to the end! It's about time he learned who truly rules these seas!"
The moment Rocks finished speaking, the entire crew erupted in excitement.
For most members of the Rocks Pirates, only slaughter, plunder, and treasure could ignite their thrill.
Back on Is' side, the battle had escalated—from hand-to-hand combat, to abilities, and now into a clash of giants.
"Boom!"
Massive blades collided, sending shockwaves rippling across the land.
The ground was torn apart, sand and debris flying everywhere.
This already small island simply couldn't withstand such devastation.
It had already fractured into several pieces, yet the battle between Is and Madara Uchiha showed no signs of stopping.
"Slash! Slash! Slash!"
The sword energy unleashed by the two giants clashed endlessly.
Finally, after five minutes, the fragile island could endure no longer. It collapsed completely, sinking into the sea at an alarming speed.
Just when Tornado and the others thought the battle would end there, something completely unexpected happened—
Wings sprouted from both Susanoo and Is' flaming giant.
The battle instantly shifted from land to air.
"Boom…!"
"Boom…!"
"Boom…!"
Each strike sent violent currents surging through the air, turning the already turbulent sea below into even greater chaos.
The clouds in the sky were torn apart like soft tofu, splitting into scattered fragments.
"Is!!!"
"Madara!!!"
The two roared, once again driving their giants forward at incredible speed.
"Boom!"
With another earth-shattering collision, a massive shockwave pierced the heavens, sending towering waves crashing upward.
Then—
Both giants were blasted backward by the impact, plunging into the sea.
The moment Is hit the water, his giant form vanished. He no longer had the stamina to maintain it.
Floating on the surface, he lay there quietly. Now that his immunity had reached 100%, Is was no different from an ordinary person—he no longer suffered the usual Devil Fruit weakness.
"This feeling… is really good."
He let out a long breath.
Ding. Madara Uchiha synchronization has reached 50%. Congratulations, host—you have inherited the ability: Susanoo.
As the system's voice faded, Is froze slightly. A flood of new memories surged into his mind.
Unlike Madara, however, Is… didn't need the Mangekyō Sharingan to use Susanoo.
This is insane, system!
He was secretly delighted. Susanoo was the perfect ability. The giant he created consumed far too much of his own energy—but with Susanoo, things were different.
His Paper-Paper Fruit ability could even serve as armor for Susanoo.
"Tap… tap… tap…"
Soon, footsteps echoed by his ear.
Is snapped back to his senses and turned his head. Madara Uchiha was walking across the surface of the sea toward him.
"Can you still stand, Is?" Madara asked.
At the same time, Tornado guided the ship down beside Is.
"Are you alright, Is?!"
Everyone shouted from the ship before jumping down one after another.
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