Seeing Captain John getting scolded, Miss Buckin—who had also snatched quite a bit of loot—immediately kept a low profile, trying to blend into the background and avoid drawing Rocks' attention!
"Captain Rocks, I just want an ability that lets me fly! Any type of fruit will do!"
The giant female warrior Jennifer spoke up. As a female giant, she simply wanted to make it easier to board and join the fight when needed!
"Sure! I'll find you an Ancient Zoan or Mythical Zoan Devil Fruit!"
Rocks nodded in satisfaction. He wouldn't turn down a request like that from a reliable crew member with clear goals.
"Me too!"
Miss Buckin chimed in opportunistically. This should help her fly under the radar, and she really did want a Devil Fruit ability that could help her escape—flight was the perfect choice!
"Fine!"
Rocks was well aware of his navigator's greedy nature, but he had no intention of scolding her. Unlike Captain John, Miss Buckin's ambitions weren't as grand, making her easy to control!
"Next up, we'll track down the locations of your targets. I'll help each of you snag those abilities one by one!!"
Rocks hadn't managed to grab any top-tier Devil Fruits in the Valley of the Gods, so he'd have to scour the New World again, hunting down suitable Devil Fruit abilities for his crew!
Meanwhile, those pirates had long forgotten about Ibadonbo, who was being dragged off to Impel Down. And in his cell, Ibadonbo cursed Rocks while sinking into despair over his prison life!
...
Navy Headquarters, Marineford.
This Admiral inauguration ceremony was even grander than usual. The Navy was making a huge spectacle of it, even broadcasting live via Den Den Mushi, all because of Rocks' Dark News report that had severely challenged the World Government's authority!
The World Government needed to flex its power to reassure the public, and Navy Fleet Admiral Kurotaka even announced a focused crackdown on the Rocks Pirates!
Thanks to Rocks' Dark News, the World Government couldn't erase the info or the crushing defeat at the Valley of the Gods. Waves of CP spies were infiltrating the Dark News headquarters, aiming to wipe out this pirate-run newspaper!
Learning that so many Celestial Dragons had fallen in the Valley of the Gods, the world's people felt a secret thrill—finally, pirates daring to strike at the World Nobles again!
...
Somewhere in the North Blue.
Seven-year-old Sakazuki wore a hat emblazoned with "Justice," a red shirt open at the chest revealing his solid muscles, his body covered in grime.
But his eyes were sharp, and he gripped a short knife still stained with blood—clearly fresh from a fight. He picked up a newspaper trampled with footprints from the ground.
"Pirates!!!"
Sakazuki gritted his teeth. He hated pirates; his parents had died fighting off a pirate raid!
The Justice hat on his head was the only memento from his father!
He tore the paper to shreds, his face set in fierce determination, and stormed off!
In the original timeline, Sakazuki joined the Navy at 23. That year, Admiral Zephyr's wife and child were killed, turning him into an instructor. Sakazuki and Borsalino became his first students, dubbed monsters for their overwhelming strength.
At 28, he followed Garp to the Edd War, still a Navy officer carrying a long sword. By 33, he was a Vice Admiral, ordered to destroy the scholars' island of Ohara.
...
On another island in the North Blue, a kid in a yellow cloth hat was also reading the paper, his desk piled with books. Ten-year-old Borsalino looked laid-back, but he was actually a diligent kid.
In the original story, he joined the Navy at 26 alongside Sakazuki. At 31, he racked up merits under Admiral Sengoku the Buddha. At 46, still a Vice Admiral, he took down the fish-man Arlong.
"Whoa~, that's scary! So many Navy deaths, terrifying! Even an Admiral got taken out?"
In that moment, Borsalino's budding interest in joining the Navy wavered. If even Admirals were getting killed, being in the Navy seemed way too dangerous!
...
East Blue, Foosha Village. A stern-faced kid was reading the paper too, relieved to learn his father was okay—after all, with an Admiral down, his idiot dad had been in real peril!
Seven-year-old Monkey D. Dragon set down the Peace Dove News and picked up another from the Economic News Society.
"A peaceful ideology where all races coexist? Bringing light to slaves? No slaves! No discrimination!"
Dragon got excited reading it. He'd followed his father to the Goa Kingdom's capital, seen the miserable slaves in noble homes, and the desperate struggle for survival in the trash heaps.
"Could a world where everyone is equal really exist?"
Dragon murmured, setting the paper aside to resume the training tasks Garp had left him. Only with strong enough fists could you have a say—that was the truth his father had taught him!
...
All over the world, various powers were watching the epic clash between the Navy and the pirate overlords!
On some island in the Grand Line, a potato-like dwarf giant heard about the All Nations ideology and decided to check out the situation on Elan Island in the New World. He was just a fugitive anyway, so he might as well head there and live for a while!
Amazon Lily, the Island of Women!
"Shakky! Your old captain went too far, teaming up with Rocks to kill all those Celestial Dragons. You can't drag our country into this mess!"
The current captain of the Kuja Pirates and queen of the Island of Women, Gloriosa, was sweating bullets after seeing the recent news. These overlords were ruthless, slaughtering World Nobles like dogs!
"Actually, I took one out myself!"
Shakky suddenly laughed. If the Navy had caught those pirates, they'd likely trace it back to her!
"What!!!"
Gloriosa went numb. She'd thought summoning Shakky back meant gaining a promising successor—turns out she'd invited a massive headache!
"So, we've got no choice but to hug a big thigh. Have Golden Lion Shiki carry Amazon Lily to the New World. That way, we'll be a bit safer!"
Shakky's move forced the Island of Women to decide. Once the Celestial Dragons traced it to her, the Kuja Pirates would take the blame and be in crisis.
For now, Navy warships couldn't cross the Calm Belt, so Amazon Lily was relatively safe. But what about when the Kuja Pirates went out raiding?
If the Celestial Dragons targeted them, the Kuja Pirates might never make it back after a raid!
"..."
Now Gloriosa fell silent. Amazon Lily had lived peacefully in the Calm Belt for years, but thanks to this troublemaker Shakky, they might have to flee far away.
Shakky said nothing, waiting for Gloriosa's decision. She stroked the soft fur of the Mink Tribe's Koala. In the past few days, she'd successfully "trained" and "conned" this tailless bear Mink.
She'd even learned that Koala kept her Vivre Cards hidden in her belly pouch. Looks like the Zou Island that Captain Brook mentioned would soon be found by the Hell Pirates!
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Fanfic is finished 955 chapters in total on p@treon/tambeerg