Rocks stepped onto the sacred soil of the Valley of the Gods. To him, it was a single stride. To the world, it was the step of a pirate daring to tread on the holiest ground of the Celestial Dragons.
Today, the lair of the world's nobles would echo with war.
The thought of the countless treasures hidden within the Valley made Rocks' blood burn. With them, he would seize the power to dominate the seas, the nations, the very world itself.
These Celestial Dragons had hoarded Devil Fruits and wealth beyond imagination, yet they wallowed in indulgence, relying on slaves and subordinates instead of honing their own strength. They saw training and hardship as beneath them. In their arrogance, they believed their bloodline alone made them gods. Rocks would prove them wrong.
A slash of pure black sword energy screamed across the port, cleaving the Valley's gilded harbor in two. A jagged wound ten meters deep marred the golden shore.
From the beach, Admiral Coss Davo and two Knights of God fell back, staring grimly at the Rocks Pirates advancing upon them.
Behind them stood Sengoku—already radiating the golden aura of the Great Buddha—alongside CP operatives like Captain Garlin. Their mission was clear: hold the Valley at all costs until reinforcements arrived.
One pirate ship after another surged onto the shore, banners of Rocks' allies flying high. For this day, Rocks had mobilized every ounce of his power.
Neither the Navy nor the World Government had ever imagined such audacity—that anyone would dare storm the Valley of the Gods, seat of Celestial Dragon rule, for the first time in centuries.
"Hahahaha! This world needs a new master!"
Rocks raised the supreme blade Jibek and leveled it at the defenders. At his side, the warrior monk Scorpion Dragon coated his fists in obsidian Armament Haki, his aura wild and brutal.
Wang Zhi stood ready, the Emperor's Code dripping with the blood of countless kills. The Monkey King, Wizz, had transformed into a titanic ape, his shoulder-mounted companion monkey slashing with bloody claws. Silver Axe gleamed in armor, his battle-axe thirsting. Captain John juggled gun and blade in both hands, his unorthodox style deadly.
Jennifer the giantess, the Karns brothers, Eric Dane—every infamous pirate of the New World had come.
And before them glittered the Valley of the Gods, the Celestial Dragons' gilded playground. Pillars of pure gold, halls laden with treasure—every villain in Rocks' ranks breathed raggedly, eyes red with greed.
"Rocks, you've crossed the World Government's last line," Coss Davo growled, his goat-horned demon form spreading like shadow fire. The scars from his earlier clash with Rocks had healed, but the memory lingered. He had faced many overlords before, but Rocks was unlike any of them.
Too strong. Terrifyingly strong.
Not even the greatest pirate kings of the past had lasted against two admirals for long. Rocks had withstood three. He was no mere man. He was a monster.
"A demon…" Coss Davo whispered.
Rocks sneered. "Am I supposed to fear the World Government? If I was, I wouldn't be standing here. Enough talk—kill them all!"
He had no time to waste. Reinforcements would soon come, and none knew how deep the World Government's power ran after eight centuries. Even the two Knights of God already proved their hidden strength.
But there was another reason for haste—Brook. If the Hell Pirates arrived in time, they would claim half the spoils. That could not be allowed.
Rocks' destiny hinged on this day. He would gamble blood, lifespan, even soul itself, if it meant seizing victory.
---
The pirates roared and charged inland. Gilded mansions loomed ahead, every pillar carved of gold, every vase encrusted with gems. Madness took hold; plunder was within reach.
The clash began in an instant.
Scorpion Dragon hurled himself against one Divine Knight, fists cracking the ground. Wang Zhi's blade locked against Admiral-candidate Yuge, the battlefield blurred by their afterimages.
Wizz, in his Titan Ape form, traded colossal blows with Sengoku's golden Buddha. The ape's fists shook the air, but Sengoku's power pressed him down. Even so, Wizz's blood burned with defiance.
Everywhere, the captains of Rocks' subordinates clashed with navy generals, desperate to carve their way into the palace vaults.
And then Rocks moved.
With Jibek in hand, his blade howled dark. One swing sent a Knight of God sprawling. His aura erupted—tangible waves of Conqueror's Haki coiled like black fire around his sword.
"Any god that blocks me will fall. Any Buddha that stands before me will break!"
The air itself bent beneath the weight of his power. Darkness swirled. Rocks' gravity crushed down, dragging Coss Davo mid-flight. In a flash, Rocks' hand turned to a blade and slammed into his throat. Blood burst from Coss Davo's mouth as he plummeted, nearly broken in one strike.
Rocks only grew stronger the longer he fought, his war state godlike. Against him, two Admiral-class opponents staggered like children under a beating.
The Knight of God facing Scorpion Dragon surged with fury, slamming the monk into the ground before rushing to rejoin the fight against Rocks. Now three clashed against him in a storm of shockwaves, while Scorpion Dragon tore himself free to dive back in.
The melee raged on. Yet anyone with eyes could see the truth—Rocks was rising higher with every moment. His willpower, his lineage, his monstrous strength… it was only a matter of time before he crushed an admiral-level foe.
He had slain two New World overlords before—Emperor Ingran and Diger Sparrow—each stronger than a Navy admiral. Their heads were trophies of his path.
---
High above, Brook's golden flagship hovered. Hiruba, ever-watchful, tracked the battle through his scope. The moment came—a shrill whistle pierced the sky, followed by a parrot darting back toward the fleet.
Brook's eye narrowed. Hiruba's signal was clear: Rocks had seized the upper hand. The Valley was ripe for plunder.
"Yohohoho…" Brook's laughter rattled through the air. The time had come to enact Plan B.
--------------
Brook's gaze hardened. Killing Admiral Hoss here was impossible without committing to a death match. He could perhaps claim the Double-Winged Unicorn Holy Horse Fruit if he risked everything—but that would mean abandoning the true prize: the treasures of the Valley of the Gods.
If Coss Davo with his Fruit or Sengoku with his Golden Buddha Fruit were present, Brook might have been tempted. But one Mythical Zoan user was not worth jeopardizing the greater plan.
The best move was clear—withdraw from this battlefield and head for the Valley. But before leaving, he would give the marines something to remember.
"Crew! Show them our true strength! Let these navy dogs learn the power of the Hell Pirates!"
His voice echoed across the waves. Excitement rippled through the fleet. Everyone knew where they were headed next—the Valley of the Gods, home to the Celestial Dragons themselves. For many, the thought of killing a Celestial Dragon was no longer just ambition. It had become an obsession.
A storm of Conqueror's Haki erupted from the four great fighters of the Hell Pirates, shaking the battlefield.
Charlotte Linlin roared, her iron balloon body shrugging off the brutal strikes of two elite vice admirals. With a vicious laugh, her Emperor Blade skewered one of them through the chest.
"A wonderful soul!"
Her shrill cry, laced with Haki, forced even hardened officers to clutch their ears. The dying vice admiral convulsed as a massive gray soul was ripped from his body, drawn into Linlin's grasp. His corpse sagged lifelessly, tossed aside like trash toward the Hell Pirates' waiting corpse-collectors.
Even in death, the body was valuable. Once their Shadow-Shadow Fruit wielder reached maturity, the zombie army of the Hell Pirates would grow unstoppable.
"Zelensky!!"
The second vice admiral screamed in rage and despair. His closest comrade had fallen. How could he face the man's family now?
Linlin's lips twisted into a grin. "Do you want to offer up your soul as well?"
Greed gleamed in her eyes. Another elite soul meant another combat homie with high intelligence. She nearly lunged again, but Brook's command to retreat echoed in her mind. With a final mocking laugh, she mounted Zeus and soared back toward the fleet.
On a navy warship, Golden Lion Shiki and Black Arm Zephyr broke apart, bloodied and panting. Zephyr's cloak of justice hung in tatters, crimson-soaked.
"Hahahaha! I acknowledge your strength, Black Arm! But today's fight ends here!"
With a slash of his swords and a roar, Shiki lifted the entire warship into the sky, twisted it upside down, and flung it. Marines screamed as they plunged into the sea. Shiki soared away, laughter trailing behind him.
"Damn pirates!"
Zephyr stood atop the overturned hull, fists shaking, watching Shiki vanish. But he turned back, teeth gritted, to drag his men from the water.
Elsewhere, Whitebeard and Garp clashed like gods. Each blow shook sea and sky. At last, with a booming laugh, Whitebeard disengaged, riding the wind back to his fleet. Before leaving, he unleashed a final quake, hurling tsunamis that forced Garp to retreat, fists slamming the waves apart to shield his men.
"You won't escape forever! Next time will be your death!"
Redfield said little. His blade dripped blood as he withdrew, his body dissolving into thunder. His opponent, Bloody Hand Braver, staggered with a gash across his chest. Redfield's cold words stung worse than the wound.
"I thought a candidate for admiral would be stronger. You're weaker than a vice admiral. Disappointing."
Braver trembled, fists clenched, humiliated beyond words.
Brook, meanwhile, prepared the finale. "Yohoho! Even if we leave, I won't let you chase us!"
He raised the Seven-Star Demon Sword. "Underworld Gathering—Soul Desolation Slash!"
The ghost army shrieked as thousands of spirits converged upon the blade, forming a river of death. The sea quaked beneath the aura, and even Garp's eyes widened at the terror of it.
Justice itself seemed to cry out against the blow.
"Justice needs me! The people need me!"
Hoss transformed into his full form, the double-winged unicorn holy horse. His wings wrapped around him, blazing with divine brilliance.
"Holy Horse Divine Light Shield!"
A radiant sphere of light engulfed him as Brook's spectral slash crashed down. The strike tore a hundred-meter trench into the ocean, stretching for miles. The explosion blinded the world—sea, sky, and souls swallowed by silence.
Then came the boom. A hundred-meter wave erupted, swallowing ships whole.
"Admiral Hoss!!"
Marine officers cried out, diving after their commander as his light vanished into the sea.
Brook wasted no more time. "Retreat! To the Valley of the Gods!"
The flying fleet wheeled south, sails unfurling, engines roaring. The mythical fruit of a unicorn was tempting, but the treasures of the Celestial Dragons outweighed everything. And with Hoss's recovery powers, this battle might not have finished him anyway.
The Valley awaited.
As they departed, Whitebeard sent one last series of tsunamis rolling toward the navy. Shiki hurled floating mountains at the warships, crippling them further. Anything to slow pursuit.
Behind them, the sea raged. Ahead, the Valley of the Gods burned with promise.
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