"You certainly think quite highly of me, Rocks," El said with a smile, clearly pleased.
It had to be said that Rocks remained fiercely loyal to him even now. That was exactly why he did not want to act on his own personal vendetta and leave El trapped in a hopeless situation.
Though truth be told, it was not as though things would ever become truly hopeless for El.
"Hahaha… El, even though I won't be able to witness you standing at the very peak of the world with my own two eyes… I believe without a doubt that you will make it happen!" Rocks laughed loudly.
With only a few days of life remaining, he naturally would not live long enough to see El reach the ultimate heights of power. Even so, he held absolute faith in El and was certain that he would achieve his ambition.
El simply smiled faintly and said nothing more.
...
Within less than a day, the earth‑shattering news that Rocks had returned from the dead, and that he and El had joined forces to fight against five of the New World's most powerful pirates, had spread across every corner of the New World.
In the Land of Wano, within the New World, and deep within the heart of Onigashima…
Kaido sat drinking wine within the main hall.
Suddenly, the sound of hurried footsteps echoed from outside.
Queen rushed inside, his face pale with panic, cold sweat streaming down his forehead, clutching a newspaper tightly in his hand.
He was shouting loudly as he ran:
"Brother Kaido! Brother Kaido! It's bad news! Very bad news!!!"
"Queen, why must you always come bursting in here in such a reckless manner?"
King, who stood at Kaido's side, spoke with obvious displeasure.
Yet this time, Queen did not argue back as he usually would. Instead, he rushed straight to Kaido's side, his expression filled with sheer terror as he spoke:
"It's terrible, Brother Kaido!"
"What has happened, Queen?"
Kaido took another large gulp of wine, tossed his gourd aside, and raised an eyebrow as he asked the question.
"A new report has just been released across the New World… but I don't know whether what it says is true or false. If it is true, then this is a disaster of the greatest magnitude for us!"
"Hand it over."
Hearing this, Kaido sat up straight, his expression growing grave, and reached out to take the paper.
Queen quickly passed it to him.
The moment Kaido read the words printed upon it, beads of cold sweat broke out across his entire forehead.
"What does it say, Queen?" King asked quickly, noticing the look on Kaido's face.
"It says… that Rocks… has returned from the dead!!!" Queen answered honestly.
"W‑What… what did you say?"
"Rocks is alive again?"
"Brother Queen, you must be joking with us! Rocks died more than ten years ago! How could someone who is dead possibly come back to life?"
"You're right, Brother Queen! This report has to be fake! After all, the dead can never return!"
Upon hearing Queen's words, the many pirates gathered within Onigashima were stunned, and immediately began to chatter among themselves.
Of course, the name Rocks was one they all knew very well. After all, a great many of those present were veterans who had lived through the previous era of piracy.
"I also thought it couldn't possibly be true… but look… this newspaper bears the seagull emblem," Queen said as he wiped the sweat from his brow.
The seagull emblem was the official mark of Marine Headquarters. In other words, this very report had been issued directly by the Marines themselves.
And the reason the Marines had released such a news story was simple and clear: they intended to throw the entire New World into total chaos!!!
As key participants in the events of God Valley, the Marines knew full well that figures such as Shiki had once betrayed Rocks.
Now that Rocks had returned, it was only logical from the Marines' point of view that he would seek revenge against all those powerful pirates who had turned against him.
If the number of major pirate powers in the New World was reduced, that would be nothing but excellent news for the Marines. It would serve to weaken the influence of the strongest pirate crews, allowing the Marines to establish an even firmer foothold across the region.
"This was released by the Marines themselves?"
Every pirate within the hall drew in a sharp breath upon hearing this.
If this story had been printed by some unknown news agency within the New World, they would have dismissed it out of hand. But coming directly from the Marines, it carried immense authority and credibility!!!
Kaido sat at the centre of the great hall, staring fixedly at the newspaper in his hands as cold sweat continued to drip steadily down his face.
"Kaido, what do you make of this? Do you believe this story… is it real or nothing but a fabrication?" King asked, his voice heavy with concern.
Still gazing at the paper, Kaido took a deep breath, his expression grave and heavy as he replied:
"There is simply no reason for the Marines to publish something that is not true."
As incredible and unbelievable as the news seemed to him, Kaido could not imagine that the Marines would be foolish enough to release false information for no reason at all. There was nothing to be gained by doing so.
After all, the reports issued by the Marines were considered highly reliable. If they were found to have spread lies, the authority of their news agency would be completely destroyed, and no one would ever trust what they published ever again.
"Rocks… has truly come back to life?"
"Whoa… if a man who once stood at the very summit of the world in the old era has returned, then what kind of massive upheavals and storms will be unleashed upon these seas?!"
"Damn it! We were already in a difficult enough position just dealing with a monster like El! And now even someone as terrifying as Rocks has returned… this is the worst possible news for us!"
All the pirates within Onigashima understood exactly what Kaido's words implied. They could not help but gasp in shock and fear, their faces filled with dread.
In the present age, El stood above every other pirate in the world. With strength that was unmatched and absolute, he occupied the highest throne, leaving no one who could stand beside him or even compare to his power.
Even though the Beasts Pirates were currently in an alliance with the Golden Lion's crew, El was still a force they could not hope to overcome.
And now, with the return of someone as fearsome and legendary as Rocks entering the fray, they simply could not imagine just how chaotic and dangerous the seas would become in the days ahead!
Clop! Clop! Clop!!!
At that moment, the sound of rapid footsteps once again rang out from outside the hall.
Several more pirates rushed inside, each clutching a newspaper and wearing expressions of pure terror.
"Terrible news, Captain Kaido! Rocks… Rocks has returned from the dead!"
"Get out of here, all of you!" Queen shouted back at them. "Brother Kaido already knows about this news! Do not disturb him while he is thinking!"
Now that Rocks had returned, the Beasts Pirates would certainly need to decide upon their next course of action. Whatever decision Kaido reached after careful consideration would be of vital importance, and Queen had no intention of allowing anyone to interrupt him at such a critical moment.
"I‑I am sorry, Brother Queen! We did not realise you had already heard!"
"We thought you had not yet learned the truth… that it was El who brought Rocks back to life!"
"W‑We apologise for disturbing you, Brother Queen… we will leave at once!"
The group of pirates apologised quickly in response to Queen's rebuke and turned to depart.
But just as they were about to leave, Queen called out to them, his voice filled with utter disbelief:
"Wait… what did you just say? El is the one who brought Rocks back to life???"
In the report that Queen had read, it had stated only that Rocks had returned from the dead. There had been no further details or explanations whatsoever. The fact that El was responsible for his revival had not been mentioned anywhere in the version of the news that Queen had seen.
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