Chapter 18: Two D's
That single sheet of paper, known as a "Vivre Card," also goes by another nameâ"The Paper of Life."
It is one of the most famous technologiesâor rather, itemsâin the New World. By giving a fragment of one's fingernail to a specialized craftsman, it can be transformed into a sheet of paper that acts as a guide, pointing to that person's location.
Most people tear it into smaller pieces and give them to loved ones or important individuals. Then, no matter how far apart they are, if the paper is placed on a flat surface, it will slowly move in the direction of its owner, allowing anyone to know where they are, no matter where in the world they may be.
Even in the Grand Line, where magnetic disturbances make navigation utterly chaotic, this paper will always lead straight to its owner, ensuring that one can reach them without fail.
The reason itâs called the "Paper of Life" is that it also reflects its ownerâs vitality. If the person is near death, the paper shrinks; if they die, it vanishes entirely. Conversely, if they recover, the paper returns to normalâmaking it a means to confirm someoneâs well-being.
"âSo, that island, huh?"
"Looks like it!"
âAnd now, at last⌠I had successfully guided the Roger Pirates by following Captain Rocksâ Vivre Card, completing my role as their navigator.
The island lay in the New World, the very place the Vivre Card pointed toâwhere Captain Rocks was waiting⌠and likely, the rest of the Rocks Pirates as well. Thinking of them, I let out a deep sigh before forcing a brighter tone.
"Haaah~~~ Finally, weâre back! Wonder if everyoneâs doing okay~?"
"So weâre finally meeting the infamous Rocks Pirates, huh? Every last one of âemâs probably brimming with energy, I bet."
"The ones still alive, anyway. Since they kill each other all the time⌠Iâm sure a few are gone by now. Not that I care."
"O-oh⌠Damn, thatâs a hard one to respond to!!"
Despite Gabbanâs deadpan reaction, we gradually drew closer to the island. âŚThisâll be the last time for this ship, huh? Youâd think Iâd feel sentimental about itâbut nah. Though maybe I shouldâve enjoyed it a little more? That thought did cross my mind. Not that it mattered, but when I glanced at Roger and Rayleigh, I sawâ
"âŚYou feel that, Roger?"
"âYeah, I do, partner⌠Thereâs one hell of a presence coming from the center of the island. Either theyâre broadcasting it on purpose⌠Wahaha, Iâm getting chillsâŚ!!"
"Right. Better stay sharp."
âŚAnd just like that, the two of them exchanged grinsâone fearless, the other deadly seriousâas they acknowledged the overwhelming Haki radiating from the islandâs heart. But honestly⌠of course I could sense it too. The Captainâs aura was just too damn strong. It was on a whole other level compared to anyone elseâs. Even my underdeveloped Observation Haki could pick it up.
"âŚAlright. Letâs head to the Captain, then."
"Yeah!! Thanks for getting us this far, Nue!! You sure you wonât join my crew!?"
"Not a chance. Sigh, after all the trouble you put me through⌠Iâll pay you back someday. In two different ways."
"Wahaha! No dice, huh? Well, Iâll be waiting then!! For the day we meet as proper pirates!!"
"âŚDamn right! Iâm gonna be one of the strongest pirates out there! So instead of worrying about me, youâd better worry about yourselves! Captain Rocks and us, the Rocks Piratesâwe donât go easy. Donât think you can just smile your way through a bloodbath!"
"Wahaha⌠Yeah, I know. When it comes to Rocks⌠I doubt Iâll be laughing eitherâŚ!!"
As Roger answered, beads of sweatârare for himâtrickled down his forehead, and indeed⌠his usual grin had vanished.
Seeing that, even I felt my heart pound uncharacteristically. âŚRoger and Captain Rocks. How would their meeting begin? And how would it end?
Guiding the Roger Pirates toward the islandâs center, following the Vivre Card⌠I couldnât help but feel a thrill, my lips curling into a grin all on their own.
Step by step. Little by little. As we advanced through the lush greenery of what seemed to be an uninhabited island, I sensed presences along the way. Men emerged from between the treesâfaces I recognized. Pirates. The crew of the Rocks Pirates.
"âNue. That you?"
"Long time no see. Brought the Roger Pirates, just like the Captain ordered."
"âŚYeah, we heard. Captainâs up ahead."
A brief exchange. I was just an apprentice, not particularly close to these guys. Normally, weâd be at each otherâs throats in an instantâbut not today. Absolutely not.
Because right now, the Captainâs orders took precedence. My mission was to bring the Roger Pirates here. These guys were probably on lookout duty.
So both sides had to prioritize the command. Disobeying ordersâdefying the Captainâs willâwas the one unforgivable sin on our ship. There was no time for infighting. Couldnât be. Anyone who tried would face a fate worse than death.
So we exchanged nods and left it at that. âŚAnd as we moved past the sentries, more figures came into view.
Without exceptionâmembers of the Rocks Pirates. Familiar faces, every one. They lined the path on both sides as my group and the Roger Pirates marched forward.
And soonâwe reached the clearing.
By now, no guide was even needed. In fact, Roger was already striding ahead without hesitation.
So I moved slightly ahead, ready to report the completion of my mission to the man I hadnât seen in months.
There he wasâour Captain, with his wild, spiked hair, seated atop a conveniently protruding rock, his top officers standing around him like a royal guard. Behind him stood my partner⌠and that cube-shaped stone tablet Iâd heard about in the reports. I was curious about that, butâ
For now, I knelt respectfully on one knee andâ
âI brought them, Captain Rocks!!â
ââAh, I see. Confirmed⌠GihahaâŚ! Just as Iâd expect from Nueâyouâve done your job perfectly.â
â! Yes, sir! âŚThough, Iâm sorry it took so longââ
ââNo need to worry about that. Wasnât exactly an easy mission, was itâŚ? Gihaha, Iâd praise you more if I could, but Iâve gotta hold off for now. Iâve got a guest to entertainâŚ!!â
ââŚUnderstoodâŚ!â
Receiving both a brief word of recognition and a pat on the back from the captain, I moved to stand at the edge of the group of executive officersâright next to my partner.
ââIâm back, Kaido!!â
âNueeâŚ!! Youâve been gone so long Iâm all pent up over hereâŚ!!â
âŚHuh? Wait, whatâs that supposed to mean?
I greeted Kaido cheerfullyâit had been months since weâd seen each otherâbut for some reason, he looked ticked off. Pent up? Oh⌠right. Makes sense.
I thought about it for a moment and quickly understood. Itâs Kaido, after all. Of course heâd be feeling that way. I gave a knowing nod, half-exasperated, half-smiling.
ââŚYeah, I figured. But not now, okay?â
âYeahâŚ!! I knowâŚ!! But later, you better let me go wildâŚ!! With youââ
Thatâs rightâwhat Kaido meant, while gripping that huge, brutal-looking club of his, was that thing we do. Our routine. Our daily ritual. And honestly, Iâve been wanting to do it again tooâitâs been too long.
ââNi-hi-hi⌠Then letâs make sure we do it properly laterâA good olâ KILLING MATCH!!â
âDamn right!! Without our training fights, I lose my edge!! Wahahahaha!!â
With a solid clap, Kaido threw his arm around my shoulder, and I did the sameâraising our outer hands in the air as we promised each other a later rendezvous for our friendly killing match. Yeahâ"killing match" is what we call our one-on-one training sessions. The nameâs a bit intense, but itâs meant to reflect how seriously we go at itâno half-measures. No one actually dies, of course. No hostility, no hatred. Just full-force mock combat until one of us is knocked out or satisfied.
Itâs our way of sharpening each otherâs skills.
Honestly, Kaido wins most of the time. But lately, Iâve been able to hold out until timeâs up and call it a draw more often. He always says, âIâm gonna be captainâI canât afford to lose.â I give it my all, but in the end, itâs always that damn stamina difference. The guyâs a walking tank. Even if I dodge more and land more clean hits, I still lose sometimes. Sure, Iâm faster, Iâve got better evasion, and my own strength and durability have improvedâbut thereâs no beating Kaido in raw endurance.
Still, this time⌠Iâm gonna win. That journey with the Roger Pirates may have been useless for the mission, but it wasnât useless for growth. My abilities evolved. My Haki's stronger, too. I bet Kaido's been busy fighting other crew members while I was gone, getting stronger himself, but I'm not backing down.
âSo thatâs Nueâs sibling, huhâŚ? What a little beastâŚâ
As Kaido and I stood shoulder-to-shoulder, planning our next deathmatch, the Roger Pirates stepped into the plaza. One of themâScopper Gabanâmuttered with a slightly amused tone. Yeah⌠I agree. Kaido is a beast. Though⌠so am I. Guess I just hide it better. Must be the charm.
But thenâKaido and I dropped our shoulders and let our grins fade. Our expressions turned serious.
Becauseâ
Captain Rocks had risen to his feet.
â!â
Just that movementâRocks standingâwas enough to send a tense silence across the plaza. Things hadnât exactly been lively before, but now? Not even idle chatter remained.
Because nowâRocks was standing tall, staring directly at him.
Gol D. Roger.
Captain of the Roger Pirates.
On their side, too, the mood shifted. No jokes. No laughter. Rogerâs men stood frozen, and Roger himself wore an expression like thunder, eyes locked on Rocks. His gaze was fierceâunflinching. A face like a demon.
Yet in response, Rocks smiled widerâhis twisted grin deepening, his presence growing darker. The aura he exuded didnât shrink before his enemyâif anything, it flared. A presence like a devil.
The Roger Pirates stopped walking, their leader stepping forward alone. Slowly. Steadily. Toward Rocks.
And as Roger closed the distanceâjust one meter nowâthe crew around him began murmuring their thoughts.
âSo thatâs Roger, huh⌠Ji-hahahahaâŚ!! Doesnât look like a man whoâd ever follow anyone.ââGolden Lion Shiki, the flying pirate.
âHaaaahahahama-ma-ma-maâŚ!! I canât believe someoneâs dumb enough to walk into the lionâs den like this!!ââCharlotte Linlin, known as Big Mom, a monstrous woman who fights on the frontlines even while constantly pregnant.
Despite their mocking words, even they gave Roger credit for his Haki and guts. Still, they sneered, confident in how this would end.
Edward NewgateâWhitebeardâwho was second only to Rocks in strength, didnât mock Roger aloud. But his silence spoke volumes. In his eyes, coming here was a fatal mistake.
âFoolish bastard⌠heâs a dead man⌠WorororoâŚââKaido
ââŚWell, I mean, I was the one who brought him, but yeah. Normally? No way heâs surviving this~âŚââMe
Kaido and I, too, admitted it openly. Coming here, facing Rocks head-onâif it were me, Iâd have run. Killed the messenger, or refused the invitation outright.
Even among the pirates of the New World, there are many who go out of their way to avoid the Rocks Pirates. Red the Lone Wolf. The World Pirates. Others still. Even those who reject Rocks' invitations choose to relocate to the first half of the Grand Line, or vanish altogetherâjust to avoid a confrontation. Pirates whoâve made it this far, with willpower and power to match, still fear the name of Rocks.
So yesâRoger was a fool. Another dead man walking, about to follow the path of every other idiot who dared to challenge Rocks.
Everyone knew it.
Everyone watched.
Roger and Rocks, standing barely a meter apart. Similar in height. Similar in the pressure they gave off.
And finallyâat lastâThey spoke.
"âSo, youâre Rocks?"
"âGihaha⌠Yeah. And youâre Roger⌠Huh. Just like your poster."
Roger hadnât even known Rocksâ face. He demanded the name, glaring at the man.Rocks, meanwhile, stared backâlaughing. He scrutinized Roger like a predator sizing up prey⌠then delivered his verdict.
"âAlright, Roger. Iâm making you my right hand. Get on my ship."
"!!?"
The reaction didnât come from Rogerâbut from the Rocks Pirates surrounding them. A collective gasp. Wide-eyed shock. Proof of how unprecedented Rocksâ offer was.
Rocks only absorbed pirates into his fold under two conditions: either as subordinates beneath his banner⌠or, rarely, as crewmates if he deemed them worthy.
But neverânot onceâhad he offered someone the position of right hand on sight.
This was Rocksâ highest honor. What had he seen in Roger at a glance? Even veterans of the crew couldnât fathom it. Rocks judged people by a metric beyond normal comprehension.
Yetâeven for the Rocks Pirates, this exception sparked dissent. Foolish, but inevitable.
"âW-wait, Captain!! Making Roger a officer outta nowhere?! I ainâtâguh-ACK!?"
"!!?"
A voice of protest rang out from the crewâsomeone with a grudge against Roger?âonly to be silenced by a gunshot.
The Roger Pirates flinched at the violence. The Rocks crew? They barely blinked. Idiot, their faces said. You knew better. The lesson was clear: Never interrupt the king.
"âŚâŚâŚâŚThe hell⌠When did I say⌠you could speak?"
"Ugh⌠S-sorryâŚ!! I justâI lost my headâŚ!!"
The man writhed on the ground, clutching his bleeding stomach, terrified not of the woundâbut of Rocksâ wrath.
"â!! Hey!! Whatâre youâ?!"
Roger stepped forwardâonly for the Rocksâ top brass to block his path.
"Jihahaha! Stay put, Roger⌠This is our shipâs business.""Hah-hah-MAMA-MAMAâŚ! God, what a moronâŚ! Defying the Captain? Worst damn move!""âŚStand down. Not your concern."
Whitebeard. Big Mom. Golden Lion. The titans of the Rocks Pirates closed ranks. Even Roger couldnât force his way through. He shouted at Rocksâ backâbut the man ignored him, looming over his wounded subordinate.
"âSo? Youâre on my ship. You get what defyinâ me means, yeah? Donât care why you hate Roger⌠But crossinâ meâ"
"Gh⌠IâI screwâd upâŚ!! Justâjust let meâ!! Iâm loyal! I swearâGUH!?"
A second shot. Deliberately non-lethal. Pure agony. The man babbled apologies, desperate to prove his loyalty. He was strong. Brave.
âYet he quaked before Rocks. Not from the bulletsâbut from the sin of disobedience.
And Rocks, as always, showed mercy.
"âŚNormally, Iâd execute traitors on sight⌠But youâve fought for me. Been loyal." Rocksâ voice was almost gentle. "So Iâll be kind.âHey."
A signal. Several crewmenâmyself includedâstepped forward, carrying tools. Instruments. Others flanked us, silent.
Then Rocks tossed his pistol at the manâs feet.
A simple choice.
"âYou know the drill. Endure the pain, and youâre forgiven⌠Or blow your brains out. Pick fast."
"âŚ!!"
"STOP THIS!! Heâs your own damn crew!! Are you insane?!"
Rogerâs roar went ignored. No one moved.
This was the law of the Rocks Pirates:Defy the Captain, and you chooseâDeath by your own handâŚOr hell enough to make you beg for it.
A cleansing. Die with honor, or suffer to earn redemption. The crewâs torturers would break himânot kill him. Eventually, heâd rejoin the fold.
âThis was mercy. The punishment of an absolute king. Not execution.
And the unspoken truth?For Rocks⌠this was kindness.
"Haa... Haa...!!"
Everyone who sails under the Rocks name knows it.
Nothing is more terrifying than when Rocks himself takes action.
When someone defies him, he leaves not even a speck behind. His standard response is complete annihilation. If the rebel has a family, theyâre killed too. Anyone who challenges his rule is condemned to hell.
Thatâs why no one dares to resist. As long as you donât defy himâso long as you donât anger himâRocks is surprisingly lenient. Under his rule, youâre still allowed to live freely.
And that very balanceâhis mix of carrot and stickâis one of the few reasons the chaotic crew that is the Rocks Pirates manages to stay just barely under control. No one can defeat Rocks. Which is why resisting him is foolish. If you just go along with it, you're free to do as you please. By offering an impossibly vast cage and a stake of fear to tie them down, Rocks knew how to make even the strongest, wildest menâthose who normally bow to no oneâfall in line. If there's no benefit to rebellion, and the cost is unbearable, then even the most ambitious or idealistic souls will learn to accept their place.
âŚBut for the othersâfor most pirates, those who live in fear of Rocksâwhen it comes to this pointâŚ
They choose not to live.
"Tchâ!!"
He grabbed his gunâand shoved the barrel into his mouth.
Rocks smiled.
Heâd chosen suicideâdeath over the terror of facing Rocksâ wrath.
Rocks didnât lift a finger to stop him. He just watched.
Because to him, this was entertainment. Another rebel, driven mad by fear, about to erase himself.
But that act⌠that one actâŚ
was enough to enrage a certain man.
"STOP IIIIT!!!!"
"!!?"
"âŚ!!"
In that momentâan invisible force surged out from him.
It knocked the man unconscious. It shook the treesâno, it shook the entire island.
Such was the overwhelming power of Rogerâs Haki.
As the silence fell and all were stunned, Rocks slowly turned to face Roger.
"Conquerorâs Haki, huh⌠So, youâve got it too, ehâŚ? GihahahahaâŚ!!"
"ROCKS!! Iâm taking you down!!! I ainât joining your crew!! So quit wasting timeâFIGHT ME RIGHT NOW!!!"
"Gihahahaha⌠Calm down. That was just a bit of discipline. Idiots who wonât listen to their captain need to be taught a lesson⌠Youâre a captain yourselfâyou get it, donât you? You gotta show âem whoâs boss when they canât respect the chain of command."
"I donât treat my crew like that!!!"
"Gihahaha!! I figured as much the moment I laid eyes on youâŚ!! Youâre strongâcrazy strongâbut soft.I can feel it pouring off you⌠that soft-hearted vibeâŚ!!"
Rocks turned and walked back to the stone where heâd been sitting earlier. He left the unconscious crewman lying where he fell. Not that it matteredâeveryone knew he'd be dead later anyway. Delaying the inevitable didnât change the outcome. Thatâs why Rocks wasnât even mad Roger interrupted. If anything, he looked like he was having fun.
Roger, on the other hand, looked like he was ready to pounce on him any second. The only things holding him back were the enemy lieutenants surrounding himâand the fact that they were deep in enemy territory, with Rogerâs own crew mixed in among them. Ordinarily, Roger was not the kind of man to hesitate, no matter the odds.
And Rocks knew it. Which is why he carried on, calm as ever, brushing off Rogerâs killing intent with ease.
"âŚYou want this stone, donât you? I know you do. Heard you made it to that island, too."
"!! Youâhow the hell do you know thatâŚ!?"
But it wasnât just Rocksâ words that stunned Roger.
It was what Rocks did nextâhe pulled away the massive cloth behind him, revealing what lay hidden beneath.
The object that left so many pirates cluelessâsomething Rocks now named aloud.
"A Poneglyph⌠the Road Poneglyph. Know what that is, Roger?I do. âCause Iâve been there too⌠to that island⌠the one that points the way to the truthâŚ!!!"
Rocks laughed in front of the massive stoneâa relic the World Government had desperately tried to erase from history.
The âPoneglyph.â The very stone tablet said to contain records of the Void Centuryâthe lost history the World Government had banned all from researching. The forbidden truth of the world.
And Rocksâhe owned one.
"Tell me, Roger⌠Do you understand what this stone points to? The great power it leads toâŚ!?"
"KhâŚ!!"
Most of the Rocks Pirates still didnât understand what they were witnessing.
But Rocks and Roger kept talking.
Roger said nothing, but the pained, conflicted look on his face made it clearâhe understood.
Rocks could read it as plain as day. He ran his fingers along the stone, speaking as if savoring every word.
"Thatâs right⌠Whatâs written hereâthis is about something big. Something powerful. Gihaha⌠But neither of us can read it.All we know isâthis ancient script holds secrets the World Government wants buried foreverâŚ!!"
They couldnât read itâbut they could understand.
Everyone else was left in the dark, blinking, unsure. But even then, the sheer weight of the conversation told them something massive was at play. No one dared interrupt. Only Roger and Rocks understood. Maybe Rogerâs crew, barely. And meâonly me.
"Gihaha⌠Ever since I reached that island and started poking into these stones, the Governmentâs been losing its mind. Jacked up my bounty, tried to warn me off in roundabout waysâŚIdiots. Donât they realize that only proves the stoneâand the place it points toâis their weak spot? GihahahahahaâŚ!!"
"Tch⌠So youâre aiming for that place tooâŚ!?"
Roger gritted his teeth as he askedâbut Rocks, surprisingly, shook his head.
"Naaah. Doesnât really matter to me either way. Iâll go if I feel like it.Iâve already got one of the red ones pretty much in the bag anywayâŚ!!"
"Whaâyouâve got a red one!?"
To most, the exchange meant nothing.
But to Roger, it meant everythingâand Rocksâ grin only deepened.
The implications were clear: those red stones, the Road Poneglyphs, were key. And in this raceâ
Rocks was ahead.
And I knew it too.
Rocks was further along the path than anyone else.
âYeah. But if you swear loyalty to me⌠Iâll hand over the stone. Iâve got no interest in that kind of treasure anywayâŚ!!â
âTreasureâŚ?â
Rocks nodded.
What he said next was something all of us already knewâand something Roger and his crew could never possibly accept.
âIâm going to become⌠the King of the World!!! The land! The skies! The seas!! Iâll rule over it all, every last thingâand rise above the heavens!!! Iâll drag those pathetic Celestial Dragons down from their thrones, and I will be the new king of this worldâŚ!!!â
âThe King⌠of the World!?â
Throwing his arms wide, Rocks bellowed his declaration, as if proclaiming it to the entire world. For him, everythingâhis pirating, his conquests, his slaughterâhad always been in pursuit of that singular ambition.
Killing people, making them suffer, toppling nations, massacring marines, undermining the World Government. Even his obsession with deciphering the Poneglyphs was only a means to that end.
And so, he sought power. Allies. Followers.
And with a grin, he made his pitch.
âExactly!! Thatâs why I need an army, seeâŚ!! Roger, if you become my right-hand man, Iâll be one step closer to that dream!! As long as you help me bring the world to heel, I donât care what else you do! If you wanna reach the final island, Iâll take you there on the wayâitâs no skin off my back!! Well? Sounds like a fair deal, doesnât it? Join me, and youâll be free toââ
ââI refuse!!!â
ââŚâŚ!!â
But Roger didnât just reject the offer. He rejected everythingâthe proposal, the words, the very man standing before him.
His eyes, his expression, his presenceâeverything screamed:I will never accept you.
And to Rocks, it was⌠slightly unexpected.
From his perspective, this was a generous offer. Rocks had gone out of his way to present termsâgenerous terms at that. Roger would be granted a rare degree of freedom under his reign. Why say no?
But at the same time, Rocks had also expected this. Deep down, he already knew the answer.
His faint, twitching smile said as much.
ââŚGihahahaha⌠Why refuse? Do you really hate me that much?â
âDamn right I do!! Thatâs not âfreedomââitâs a joke!!! I donât need your help! Iâll crush you myself!!! I do things my own wayâand thatâs what it means to be a pirate!!!â
Rogerâs roar echoed across the plaza. He stood face to face with Rocks himself, a man with a presence like a living demon, and didnât flinch. He spat in the face of fear and declared war.
It was one of the most terrifying things a person could do.
Even though none of them had spoken up, the Rocks Pirates collectively swallowed hard. They all thought the same thing:
Heâs insane.
Everyone watched in tense silence, awaiting Rocksâ next move.
But surprisingly, Rocks⌠didnât get angry.
ââŚI see⌠Interesting⌠Youâre a fascinating one, Roger. Still, itâd be a damn shame to kill a man like you right here and now⌠Gihaha⌠So, what should I do with youââ
ââShut up already!! Youâve been running your mouth like some big shot this whole damn time!! Sitting there like a king on his throne!! I know all about you!! Youâre better at hiding than you are at fighting!! And I ainât losing to a coward like that!!!â
ââŚGihaha⌠That mouth of yours is losing points fast, brat. What you call âhiding,â I call strategy. Knowing when to fight and when to retreat is part of the game. A fool who canât even grasp that has no business surviving in this worldââ
ââAnd I said shut up!!! You think youâve already climbed higher than me!!? I donât follow anyone, and I ainât too scaredâor too weakâto throw down with you!!! Soââ
â!? Wâwait!!â
In that instantâRoger seized an opening.
He slipped past Whitebeard, who tried to stop him, knocking him away with a Haki-infused blade. And in a blur of motion, Roger closed the distance between himself and Rocks.
His speed was unreal. No one could react in time.
But Rocks was ready. He drew his own blade and caught Rogerâs strike with a clash of Haki.
No Conquerorâs burstâhe wasnât taking it seriously yet. And with that ever-present grin, he laughed:
ââŚGihahaâŚ!! Come on now, donât be reckless. I was going to let you walk away. A little thing called a âpardon,â you know? A beast like you, Iâm willing to be flexible. You should be grateful Iâm not breaking you down right here, right now. Normally, Iâd crush you, shatter your will, and make you one of mineââ
ââI told you alreadyâIâm not losing to you, dammit!!!!!!â
ââŚâŚ!!?â
What happened next left everyone stunned.
Rogerâabandoning his sword, on purposeâthrew Rocks off balance.
And then, in that brief opening, he channeled Haki into his right hand andâ
â!!!?â
âCaptain Rocks⌠just got punched.
Rogerâs fist crashed into his gut, sending him flying through the trees in an explosion of dust and splintered bark.
Nobody could process what had just happened.
Rocks getting knocked back like thatâit was something no one could have imagined. Unthinkable. Impossible.
He clearly hadnât been fighting seriously. And they all knew he wasnât finished yet.
But even soâthe fact that Roger had landed that blow shook something deep in everyone watching. They sensed it. Something immeasurable lurking inside that man.
And on the other side⌠in the very same moment⌠they saw a demonic rage rise like never before.
From him.
âââAll right, boys!! Weâre pulling out!! Move!!â
âOOOH!!!â
âTchâŚ!! HâHey!! Get back here, you bastards!!â
At Rogerâs shout, the entire Roger Pirates crew suddenly sprang into motion, like theyâd rehearsed it.
The Rocks Pirates, still stunned by what had just happened to their captain, were a beat too slow to react.
âFall back!! Head for the coast!!â
âFigures itâd end like this!! But weâre screwed if we donât haul assâtheyâll surround us!!â
Rayleigh, Gaban, the rest of the crewâthey were all monsters in their own right. Far beyond what the average Rocks pirate could handle.
Strangely, none of the executive officers on Rocksâ side moved to intercept. That, more than anything, let Roger and his crew break through the perimeter and make a run for the shore.
But then⌠at that exact moment⌠the voice of a demon cut through the chaos.
âââNone of you⌠lay a damn finger on RogerâŚ!!â
â!!? CâCaptainâŚ!!â
From within the cloud of dust, that voiceâlow and guttural, heavy with a fury theyâd never heard beforeâdelivered the order.
Everyone froze.
The voice of their captain⌠and not just any voice. One filled with wrath. Heavy as iron. Absolute.
And when the smoke finally cleared, what they saw shook them even more.
Rocksâsmiling.
But it wasnât joy.
It was a twisted grin, veins bulging in his forehead, like a demon ready to kill. A smile that promised death.
âGihaha⌠GihahahahahaâŚ!!! Now this is interestingâŚ!!! You wanna start a war, Roger!? THEN LETâS GO!!!! MARCH, YOU BASTARDS!!! CHASE THEM TO THE ENDS OF THE EARTH AND MAKE THEM REGRET EVER CROSSING ME!!! SLAUGHTER THEM ALL!!!â
âOOOOH!!!â
At his command, the Rocks Pirates surged forward, hell-bent on tearing Rogerâs crew apart.
And leading the charge, eyes gleaming like a beast and sword at the ready, was Rocks himselfâhis gaze locked only on Roger, trailing at the rear of his crew.
And usâŚ
âLetâs move!! Kaido!!â
âHell yeah!! Letâs hunt âem down and gut âem!!!â
With Kaido now in his beast form beside me, we took to the skies, diving into the chase.
But truthfully⌠while the others burned with rage for our captainâs humiliationâŚ
What I felt, watching everything unfoldâand knowing what was coming nextâwasnât anger.
It was exhilaration.
This whole damn thing was just too fun to resist.
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