A crushed heart—on anyone, no matter how powerful—was a fatal wound.
Thick crimson blood seeped through the fingers of that dark projection. The sight alone was enough to send chills down one's spine.
Roger and Garp stared in stunned silence. Their wariness of the unknown shadow deepened even further.
Rocks D. Xebec could no longer be described as merely "miserable."
His heart had been destroyed. A gurgling sound escaped his throat as blood filled his windpipe, robbing him of speech. Hatred burned in his eyes as he glared at the black phantom. Even now, he seemed unable to believe that his downfall would come so abruptly—so carelessly.
His ambition… crushed just like that.
And yet—
Boom!
Rocks threw another punch.
With a single blow, he smashed the phantom's head apart.
Though slightly weaker in raw power than before, such an attack was impossible for a dying man—
Let alone one whose heart had been crushed.
The headless shadow froze for a brief instant. When its head regenerated once more, faint surprise flickered in its crimson eyes.
"Kh… kh… kh—!"
Rocks let out a strange, ragged laugh. But as he laughed, great mouthfuls of blood poured from his lips. His body had clearly reached its limit.
It should have ended already.
His heart was gone.
"So-called god… you're afraid."
Rocks' voice was broken, but his will remained sharp.
"You lower yourself before mortals because you fear that the geniuses in your eyes will one day grow strong enough to destroy you. I don't know what secrets you monsters are hiding… but I won't die."
His aura weakened further, that final punch seemingly his last burst of strength. Yet his gaze never faltered. No fear of death clouded his eyes.
He sneered.
"One day… I'll crawl back from the darkness. And when I do—"
"I'll become the true terror of the World Government."
Two of the strongest beings in the world locked eyes.
Then Rocks spat out his final words:
"Imu... go to hell!!"
The crude insult made the towering shadow raise an eyebrow slightly. It seemed almost amused that this was Rocks' final declaration.
But beside him, Roger and Garp had just learned something far more important—
The name of that being.
Imu.
"Interesting," the phantom chuckled softly.
Then something grotesque happened.
It pulled Rocks' corpse toward its own body. From within the darkness shrouding its torso, writhing tendrils extended outward and devoured Rocks whole.
The scene was horrifying.
Roger finally snapped out of his daze. He surveyed the battlefield—shattered earth, reversed tides. Aside from himself, not a single pirate remained nearby.
He glanced at Garp. At Sengoku in the distance.
Even a fool would know—
It was time to leave.
While the others still dared not lift their heads, and Garp's gaze remained fixed on the enormous shadow in the sky, Roger quietly tiptoed away with exaggerated stealth.
"Is that even power a human can reach? Rocks was already a monster… The World Government… Roger, how strong do you think that thing is? Roger? Roger?"
Garp muttered to himself, only to realize there was no response.
He turned—
And saw Roger already running far away.
Before he could react, explosions erupted from the shoreline. Several pirate ships were sailing off into the distance—including vessels belonging to the former Division Commanders of the Rocks Pirates.
Behind them trailed slower pirates, scrambling to escape, while World Government forces boarded ships in pursuit. But without top-tier fighters leading the charge, the World Government forces suffered heavy casualties.
The powerhouses remaining on the battlefield were momentarily stunned.
Fleet Admiral Kong looked at Sengoku.
Sengoku looked at Garp.
The Five Elders exchanged glances.
The shadow in the sky cast one final look—
Then gradually dissipated.
"Idiots! What are you waiting for? Chase them!"
With their leader dead, pirate morale had plummeted. There was no better time to deliver a crushing blow.
The Five Elders immediately issued orders. Kong and the others understood the opportunity before them.
The World Government had suffered grievous losses. Elite soldiers had been nearly wiped out. Ironically, most of the survivors were the weaker, ordinary troops.
For the Marines and the Government alike, the losses were catastrophic.
But what about the pirates?
Did the deaths of ordinary crew members matter?
The sea was vast. Greed and ambition were endless. Replacing common pirates was easy.
Their greatest gain today was simply this:
Rocks was dead.
No matter what he had proclaimed—
He had fallen.
In truth, there was no clear victor in this war.
The New World had lost its overlord, Rocks. Yet it was only a matter of time before his powerful former Division Commanders set sail independently. The once unified New World would fracture into several competing powers.
On the World Government's side, combat strength had been severely diminished. Many Celestial Dragons had perished as well. Though they could launch a global draft, rebuilding would take time.
And the families of the fallen Celestial Dragons in the Holy Land Mary Geoise would not let this opportunity go to waste. They would feign outrage and pressure the Five Elders, their piggish mouths demanding compensation and greater privileges.
Descendants?
They hardly cared.
With wealth came more women. With more women came more heirs. Funds meant for military reconstruction would inevitably be siphoned off to satisfy their greed.
The mere thought gave the Five Elders headaches.
And worse—this operation had not ended cleanly. In the end, they had been forced to rely on Imu's intervention.
Punishment upon their return was unavoidable.
"Damn that Rocks," Saint Jaygarcia Saturn muttered bitterly.
The other four blinked in surprise; Saturn was usually the picture of composure. But moments later, they too began cursing.
Saint Warcury, ever the strategist among them, finally spoke:
"We must never allow another pirate to dominate the New World as Rocks did. Even if piracy cannot be eradicated, it must be divided."
The others nodded.
"Whitebeard. Shiki. Big Mom. Every former Division Commander of the Rocks Pirates—their bounties must be raised. They cannot fall far below Rocks'."
There was purpose behind it.
If the former Division Commanders' bounties approached Rocks' level, the world would believe they were nearly as powerful. And if so, Rocks himself would seem less overwhelmingly dominant by comparison.
His legend would be diluted.
"And the name 'Rocks Pirates' must not be allowed to resound across the seas. We shall elevate a new so-called king among pirates."
A pause.
"Gol D. Roger… he will do nicely."
Amid the ruins of the shattered island, a few brief exchanges were enough for the Five Elders to craft a meticulous plan.
They would not allow the tides of the next era to slip beyond their control again.
This war—
Would shake the entire world.
The sky had changed.
A new era was coming.
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