"So it was that monster El who brought Rocks back to life?"
"Wait, you've got to be joking! If El is the one who revived him, does that mean the two of them have joined forces?"
"One is the man who stood at the very top of the world in the old era, and the other is the being who reigns supreme over all others in this age. If these two are working together… I have a feeling they could literally conquer the entire world!"
Upon hearing this news, every pirate within Onigashima was struck dumb with shock.
They knew all too well just how powerful El was, having lived through the same era and witnessed his rise to dominance. And they were equally familiar with the terrifying strength of Rocks, given that so many of them had survived from the days of the old generation.
The thought of these two titans joining forces was almost impossible for them to comprehend. They could only imagine what kind of catastrophic storms and upheavals would sweep across the seas in the days to come. With their combined might, ruling over the entire world would hardly seem like an impossible feat!!!
"Hand over that newspaper!"
Queen strode forward and snatched the paper straight from the pirate's hand.
The very next moment, his face turned ashen and cold sweat poured from his body as he stumbled back several steps in shock.
"El and Rocks joined forces and killed John, Ochoku, Kyo, and Byrnndi World of the New World?"
Kaido's eyes narrowed sharply and he rose abruptly to his feet the moment he heard what was written in the report.
"So those three bastards — John, Kyo, and Ochoku — are dead?"
These three had once been his comrades. More importantly, they were among those who had betrayed Rocks during the events at God Valley.
To think that they had now fallen at the hands of Rocks and El… in that instant, a deep sense of dread washed over Kaido!
"Queen, give me that newspaper."
Kaido stood up from his chair and walked over to Queen.
Queen immediately handed the paper over to him.
As Kaido read through the details, his expression grew heavier and darker with every line.
"King, prepare a ship for me. I need to travel to the Kingdom of Drostland at once!"
Kaido had no idea exactly what kind of power El possessed — power great enough to bring a man back from the dead after more than a decade. Nor did he understand why El would choose to revive someone like Rocks in the first place.
But one thing Kaido knew for certain: this was nothing short of a disaster!!!
Because during the battle at God Valley all those years ago, Kaido too had stood by and done nothing to help Rocks.
John, Ochoku, and Kyo — the three who had betrayed him — had already paid the price for their actions. And Kaido feared that he might very well be next on Rocks' list of those who must be held accountable.
Kaido knew better than anyone just how terrifyingly powerful Rocks truly was, having once served directly under his command. And now, there was also the distinct possibility that Rocks had formed an alliance with El.
If both of these monstrous figures came for him together, then no matter how great Kaido's own strength might be, death would be the only outcome.
Rather than staying here on Onigashima and waiting passively for his doom, it was far better for him to make his intentions clear and go to face Rocks of his own free will. There was still a chance — however slim — that he might yet survive.
"Brother Kaido, if you go there, you're almost certain to lose your life!" Queen said anxiously, trying to dissuade him.
He had heard fragments of what happened at God Valley from Kaido himself during his drunken ramblings, and he knew full well that Kaido had once betrayed Rocks. In Queen's eyes, for Kaido to go and meet him now was nothing less than walking straight to his own grave.
"Or perhaps… we should simply abandon our territory in Wano and move our forces elsewhere to lie low for a while?" King suggested.
Even though the Beasts Pirates were feared and respected throughout the entire New World, there was simply no way they could ever hope to stand against or even survive the wrath of two beings as fearsome as El and Rocks.
Right now, the very existence of the Beasts Pirates hung in the balance, and they faced the real possibility of total annihilation. To avoid becoming targets of Rocks' vengeance, King was willing to give up even the resource‑rich nation of Wano and relocate to some remote, uninhabited corner of the world just to stay out of sight.
"No… we can't hide forever, King. El's influence stretches across every corner of the globe. If we try to run or hide, he will find us eventually," Kaido said, shaking his head slowly.
While the Kingdom of Drostland served as the central base of operations for El's forces, his subordinates and followers were more numerous than any other group in the world and had already spread across every sea and every nation.
Under such circumstances, where could the Beasts Pirates possibly go to escape detection?
"But still…" King began to protest, but Kaido cut him off.
"There is no need to say anything more. Just prepare the ship. If Rocks seeks vengeance only against me, then the rest of you will remain unharmed!"
Kaido tossed the newspaper aside, his mind made up.
If he were to try and hide along with his entire crew, and they were found, then the whole of the Beasts Pirates would be wiped out in one fell swoop. But if he went to Drostland alone, there were only two possible outcomes: either he would be forgiven by Rocks and allowed to live in peace, or he would die there — but even then, he would beg for mercy and plead that the rest of his crew be spared.
...
Meanwhile, far away in another part of the New World…
Sailing across the waves was a massive vessel, its figurehead carved in the shape of a great white whale.
This was none other than the Moby Dick — the flagship of the Whitebeard Pirates.
Whitebeard himself was seated in his usual place upon the deck, drinking wine and chatting casually with his crew members.
Suddenly, several pirates came running toward him from a distance, breathless and clutching two newspapers in their hands.
"Fa… Father! There's huge news!"
"Oh? Has something interesting happened across the seas already, not long after that fool Roger was put to death?" Whitebeard asked, sounding intrigued.
"What does the report say?" asked Marco, who stood close by his captain's side.
"El has brought Rocks back to life! And now they've joined forces and slain four of the New World's greatest pirates: John, Ochoku, Kyo, and Byrnndi World!!!" The pirate swallowed hard as he spoke, repeating every word written in the news.
"W‑What did you say?"
"Wait, is this actually true? John, Ochoku, Kyo, and Byrnndi World are all major figures in the New World… you mean to say they were all killed by El?!"
"The power of that monster El is simply unbelievable… and he's working together with Rocks now? — Hold on, did you just say Rocks?!"
At first, the entire crew was lost in shock at the news of the deaths of such powerful and famous pirates. But in the next instant, they all froze in disbelief, for they had just heard a name they never expected to hear spoken again.
"Where did you even read this garbage? It's completely absurd! Rocks died more than ten years ago — how could he possibly come back to life?" Marco said, stroking his chin as he gave his opinion.
"El is certainly powerful, I'll give you that… but the ability to bring back the dead? That's taking things way too far, isn't it?" Jozu chimed in, agreeing with Marco.
Jozu knew well enough just how strong El really was. When the Whitebeard Pirates had once gone to visit him, Jozu had accidentally spoken out of turn and offended him — only to be instantly knocked unconscious by the sheer overwhelming force of El's Conqueror's Haki.
The sensation of that power, which seemed to pierce straight through to the very core of his being and made even his soul tremble in fear, was something he had never been able to forget!!!
He would freely admit that El was incredibly strong — perhaps even stronger than Whitebeard himself. But bringing the dead back to life? That was simply too ridiculous to believe!
"This report was issued directly by Marine Headquarters… so there is a chance that it might actually be true."
Whitebeard, who had remained silent for some time, finally spoke up. "Bring the newspaper here and let me see it for myself."
"Right away, Father."
The pirate quickly handed the paper over to Whitebeard, who took it and began to read through every line with great care and attention.
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