Whoosh—
The wind howled past, ruffling the waves. Katakuri stood on the deck, his sharp gaze burning with resolve.
"Mother! I'm going to train harder. I refuse to be weaker than Marco or Bullet!"
Smack!
Clenching his fist, he thought of the two boys around his age—his eyes only grew fiercer.
"Mamamamamamama!"
Big Mom burst into booming laughter. "As expected! Katakuri, I'll teach you Captain Rocks's Haki myself. You'd better take it seriously!"
"Yes, Mother!"
Katakuri nodded firmly, murmuring under his breath,
"Marco! Bullet! The next time we meet, I won't lose. I'll defeat you both—no matter what! My future… will never be one of defeat!"
Their rivalry would be settled in the future.
For now, their paths had only just begun.
---
Splash—
"Hmm?"
Hazily staring at the map in his hand, Captain John chuckled. "So this is where the treasure's supposed to be, huh? Heh, sounds fun!"
"Alright, boys! Set sail!"
"YEEEAAHHH!"
With roars and laughter, his crew readied their ship and took to the sea once again.
The same scene played out with Ochoku and Silver Axe—each setting out with their own crews.
Though the Rocks Pirates had disbanded, every one of its surviving members had grown stronger.
The New World was about to be consumed by chaos—countless warlords rising, monsters clashing for dominance.
Shiki left with 300 elite fighters.
Ochoku, John, Silver Axe, and Kaido each took 100 men.
As for the rest—
Whitebeard and Linlin didn't care to recruit anyone. Arthur wasn't interested. Shakky had left the sea behind.
The lesser officers didn't even dare approach the elite—they knew such monsters wouldn't follow them.
In total, around 700 of the most powerful warriors of the Rocks Pirates went their separate ways.
Each either followed a great captain—or chose to become kings of their own.
Thus ended the most feared pirate crew in history.
And with others like Roger, Patrick Redfield, Byrnndi World, and Don Chinjao on the rise, the seas now braced for a new era—one of chaos, monsters, and ambition.
---
Splash… splash…
Arthur's small ship slowly drew up to an island's shore.
"Lord Arthur!"
Douglas Bullet had been waiting there all along. The moment he saw the ship approach, he ran forward, shouting with excitement,
"Lord Arthur! You've finally returned!"
Arthur smiled faintly.
"I told you, Bullet, I'd be fine. The God Valley War was never a real battle—it was a scheme by the World Government. Captain Rocks's madness had already sealed his fate. There was nothing you could have done."
Bullet lowered his head, guilt flickering across his face.
"As your knight, I failed to stand by your side… that's my shame, my—"
He stopped suddenly, eyes widening at the tall, armored figure standing behind Arthur.
"This is…?"
Arthur turned slightly, introducing them with a calm smile.
"Douglas Bullet, apprentice knight. This is Sir Galahad, one of the Knights of the Round Table, known as the 'Knight of the Holy Grail.'"
"Huh?!"
Bullet froze for a second, then quickly straightened and saluted.
"Lord Galahad!"
He was still young, but well-educated.
Bullet knew that to become one of the Round Table Knights was the highest honor a warrior could aspire to. And if Arthur—his "king"—acknowledged someone as such, there was no doubt about it.
Suspicion? Impossible.
A true knight never doubts his king.
Galahad's eyes met Bullet's quietly. In that moment, he could see straight into the boy's soul—pure, resolute, burning with a hunger for strength, yet loyal to the core.
Galahad gave a rare approving smile.
Even if this child had been forged in darkness, his heart remained untainted. That was enough.
"Douglas Bullet," Galahad said solemnly, "would you like to learn the art of sword and battle from me?"
Bullet hesitated for an instant, then turned to Arthur for guidance.
Arthur chuckled.
"Bullet, when it comes to martial prowess, there are very few in this world who can surpass Sir Galahad. Not even I can name more than a handful."
That was all Bullet needed to hear. He knelt slightly.
"Lord Galahad, I would be honored to learn!"
"No," Galahad corrected sternly. "A true knight speaks with humility. When addressing your king or a senior knight, say, 'This humble one is willing.'"
Bullet quickly adjusted his tone.
"This humble one is willing!"
"Good."
Galahad nodded with satisfaction. "Then your training begins today."
"Yes, sir!"
Bullet's eyes burned with determination. His desire to grow stronger was absolute.
Arthur watched them both with quiet pride.
"Galahad, Bullet… it's time to set sail again. The Rocks Pirates are no more. From this day forward, we are not pirates—we are sovereigns of our own path. And our first destination… is that place."
He reached into his coat and pulled out a permanent Log Pose, the needle pointing unwaveringly toward their goal.
God Valley.
Arthur's eyes gleamed.
That island—fortified by nature itself—was the perfect place for his next move.
"Understood, my King," Galahad said, bowing deeply.
Bullet followed suit, mimicking every motion with reverence.
To him, there was no greater honor than to be chosen as one of the King's knights.
Arthur's small ship set sail again—only three souls aboard.
But three were enough.
Arthur leaned back against the mast, mind deep in calculation.
"Three hundred and fifty Devil Fruits…"
The number echoed in his thoughts.
That was how many he had collected so far—an unfathomable fortune.
Even he found it astonishing.
The wealth of the Celestial Dragons defied comprehension. Yet even with such resources, finding Devil Fruits would grow harder with time. No one knew how many existed in the world—but Arthur suspected the number was vast, far greater than most imagined.
Still, he had enough—for now.
Three hundred and fifty Fruits to fuel his ambitions.
How best to use them?
To strengthen himself? Or something more?
He would decide soon enough.
---
At the God Valley...
"Completely destroyed…"
A man in a gray Marine coat—his insignia marking him as a Vice Admiral—stood amid the ruins, gazing at the shattered landscape.
"Report!"
"Vice Admiral Miru!" a Marine called out.
"God Valley has been devastated beyond repair! Nothing remains—everything's been wiped out!"
"Hmm… a wasteland, then?"
Miru frowned, considering. "Even so, this island's terrain is too valuable to abandon. With the right reconstruction, it could become a stronghold."
He was right—and the Five Elders thought so too.
God Valley's position was unique.
If one drew a line from Marineford to the Red Line and then to the G-1 Branch, God Valley formed the final corner of a perfect triangle—a formation capable of controlling the entire New World.
And more importantly—
Its geography made it nearly unreachable without a permanent Log Pose. Even the World Government had managed to create only five of them.
Two had been destroyed over the years.
One was stolen.
Only one remained in the Government's possession.
While they could disperse the island's perpetual fog to expose it, doing so would risk revealing the location to the world—a risk they would never take.
"Vice Admiral Miru!"
A Marine came sprinting toward him, breathless.
"Enemy sighting! Someone's attacking God Valley!"
"What?!"
Miru's eyes widened. "Who would be insane enough to—?"
The Marine pointed toward the cliffs.
"There! A ship is ascending the waterfall—dragged by a massive sea beast!"
"Sink them!" Miru barked. "Open fire!"
"Fire!!"
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
Cannons roared. The sky filled with smoke.
Arthur smiled coldly from his deck.
"Well now… looks like the World Government didn't waste any time stationing troops here. How efficient of them."
He chuckled.
He had expected this. For such a strategically vital island, the Government would never leave it unguarded for long.
But that didn't matter.
He would take it all the same.
"Galahad. Bullet."
His tone turned sharp.
"Capture God Valley."
"As you command, my King!"
Both men answered as one.
Bullet's blood boiled with excitement—his first real war under Arthur's banner.
He looked up, eyes burning. "Let's go!"
Galahad drew his red-hilted sword in a flash.
His steps were light as air, yet every movement carried fatal precision. The moment the Marine shells approached—
Slice—
They disintegrated midair.
By the time the Marines realized what happened, Arthur's small ship had already scaled the waterfall.
Arthur's smile widened.
"Well then… let's begin."
His eyes gleamed like blades.
---
"Three people?"
Vice Admiral Miru's face twisted in disbelief. "Arthur Pendragon?! Has he lost his mind?"
He knew little of the God Valley War. He didn't know that Arthur and Kaido had once killed Admiral Vixen together.
If he had, he would never have underestimated him.
"Miru!" a voice snapped beside him.
Another Marine stepped forward—an older man, nearly identical to Miru himself.
"Don't be careless. If they dared to attack God Valley, they must be confident in their strength. That man was one of the Rocks Pirates—you think a fool could survive that crew?"
Miru clenched his jaw.
"Yes, brother!"
The two men—Miru and Miel, twin Vice Admirals—nodded to one another. When they fought together, their strength doubled, their movements perfectly in sync. That was why the Government had sent them as the island's vanguard force.
But even as they prepared for battle, their hearts sank.
They knew this fight would be unavoidable.
And deep down, both brothers understood—
they were about to face a monster unlike any they had ever seen.
----------------------------///
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