"Who is it?!"
Rocks' hand had already gripped the hilt of the sword hanging at his waist.
At this very moment, he was fully prepared for battle at any second.
"What an overwhelming pressure…"
Golden Lion also tightly gripped his two famous swords.
However, deep inside, he was already making calculations of his own.
If he realized that Rocks' side was losing, he would immediately abandon everyone and escape by himself.
"Could it be… the Marines have already arrived?" Charlotte Linlin spoke up as well.
"And if they did? Perfect timing. We'll wipe them out together and save ourselves the trouble of constantly running around because of them," another officer sneered.
"Exactly! We're tired of running anyway. Might as well settle old and new grudges all at once, right?"
One of the officers standing beside Rocks also spoke confidently.
Only Whitebeard remained silent.
Holding his naginata firmly, he quietly stared ahead.
He knew this presence absolutely did not belong to the Marines.
After all, the commotion of their arrival was far too small.
Indeed.
If it were truly the Marines, there would definitely be far more movement—and far more people.
"Could it be…"
Whitebeard suddenly had a thought flash through his mind.
"The strong individuals guarding God Valley?"
At the same time, the eight figures had already walked through the smoke and fully entered the sight of the Rocks Pirates.
That's right—
Those eight figures were Is, Uchiha Madara, Tatsumaki, Unohana Retsu, Yoriichi Tsugikuni, Senju Hashirama, the Old Heavenly Master, and Acnologia.
And unsurprisingly, the moment Rocks and his crew saw Is—
Every single one of them showed expressions of complete shock.
Dense cold sweat immediately formed across their foreheads.
"Aurelius D. Virel… Aurelius D. Virel Is?!"
"Why… why is this guy here?!"
"Yeah! Shouldn't he be in Mary Geoise?! Why would he appear in God Valley?!"
"Damn it!! Damn it!!"
"This… this situation just became serious."
Clearly, the reason they reacted so dramatically was because the psychological shadow Is had left on them last time was simply too enormous.
So now that they met him again, fear naturally overwhelmed them.
"We meet again, Rocks."
Standing at the center of the group, Is looked directly at Rocks with a faint smile.
"It's been quite a while. How have you been?"
"HAHAHAHAHAHA—!"
Rocks laughed wildly, his expression somewhat twisted.
"Heaven refuses to take my life. Just as you wished, I'm doing perfectly fine."
"You bastard…"
One of the officers beside Rocks suddenly shouted toward Is.
"Weren't you supposed to be in Mary Geoise?! Why are you in God Valley?! You're seriously haunting us like a ghost, damn it!"
At the same time, Is' gaze shifted away from Rocks and landed directly on that officer.
In the next instant—
Conqueror's Haki erupted outward from Is like a violent storm.
BOOM—!
The surrounding ruined structures suffered another devastating impact, cracking apart and collapsing even further.
The officer instantly felt an unbearable pressure wash over his entire body.
"When exactly…"
Is spoke coldly.
"…did it become your turn to speak here?"
Without question, everyone among Rocks' crew was stunned by Is' Conqueror's Haki.
They immediately began whispering among themselves.
"T-This is… Conqueror's Haki."
"Has Aurelius D. Virel Is' Conqueror's Haki already reached this level? It's actually causing physical destruction…"
"What a terrifying monster…"
As Rocks endured the pressure of Is' Conqueror's Haki, he also unleashed his own in response.
Immediately, the two overwhelming forces of willpower collided violently against one another.
A massive shockwave burst outward.
"Rocks…"
Is' voice turned cold.
"Let's settle this once and for all."
"Settle this? That might not necessarily be the best option."
Rocks responded calmly.
"Today, I don't particularly feel like killing anyone. How about this—we pretend none of this ever happened, and both sides simply go their separate ways."
At this moment, Rocks truly did not wish to fight Is.
Because he felt it still wasn't the right time.
He had no confidence in defeating Is here.
"Hehehehe…"
Is suddenly burst into laughter.
"Rocks, at this point, do you seriously still think you're capable of killing me?"
"How laughable…"
"Aurelius D. Virel Is, don't get too full of yourself."
Rocks immediately retorted.
"Our Rocks Pirates aren't weaklings either. Who wins and who loses is still uncertain."
Although he spoke confidently, many of the officers had already begun losing their nerve.
Especially Golden Lion—
He had practically already planned out exactly how he would escape.
All he lacked now was the right opportunity.
Rocks…
Ultimately, he still lacked a proper understanding of reality.
At this point, just how many people within the Rocks Pirates were truly still willing to loyally risk their lives for him?
"Heh."
Is slowly raised his hand.
Sheets of paper separated from his body and rapidly formed into a longsword.
A layer of black coating quickly spread across the blade.
Clearly—
That was Armament Haki.
Then immediately afterward—
Crimson flames erupted across the sword.
This was Is' second Devil Fruit ability.
And it still wasn't over.
Conqueror's Haki also wrapped itself around the blade.
Seeing this, Rocks naturally refused to be outdone.
He instantly drew the sword at his waist.
Armament Haki coated his blade first, followed immediately by Conqueror's Haki.
Is suddenly charged forward.
Wings spread from behind him as he shot into the air, swinging his blazing sword directly toward Rocks at high speed.
Rocks frowned deeply before roaring:
"COME THEN, Aurelius D. Virel IS!"
As he shouted, he also swung his blade.
CLANG—!
The two weapons collided violently.
In an instant, an unimaginably powerful shockwave erupted outward.
The sky itself was torn apart by the pressure, splitting open into a massive crack as the clouds scattered wildly in every direction.
The ground beneath Rocks collapsed instantly, sinking lower and lower beneath his feet.
"HAAAH—!"
Both men roared simultaneously as they continued increasing the force behind their clash.
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