...
The dead silence in God Valley.
The crushing defeat of the Worst Generation, the colossal form of Bullet's combined giant, and the appearance of "ONE PIECE" were indeed shocking!
However, the Five Elders' initial horror slightly eased after hearing the words "ONE PIECE Permanent Pointer."
For them, the worst-case scenario would have been the chest directly containing something related to "Joy Boy" that could overturn the world.
Though that had not happened—for now—a permanent pointer leading to Laugh Tale was still something the World Government absolutely did not want to see.
But compared to the former, its threat was less "direct" and less "subversive."
Of course, this was still far from good news. Anything that could potentially lead to Laugh Tale and the truth of the Void Century must be strictly controlled.
The fewer people who knew, the better!
In the midst of this atmosphere thick with murderous tension and heaviness, an untimely, staggering set of footsteps accompanied by satisfied gulping sounds broke the silence.
"Gulp gulp… hic! Good… good wine! What a fine wine!"
Captain John of the Rocks Pirates emerged unsteadily from the ruins at the edge of the battlefield, cradling a massive wine barrel almost as tall as himself. His eyes were bleary with drunkenness, completely oblivious to the tense atmosphere around him.
The other members of the Rocks Pirates—Ganju, Silver Axe, Stussy, and even Charlotte Linlin and Kaido—watched him with a kind of numb indifference.
They had long grown accustomed to John's state.
Ever since he joined, aside from battle and the bare minimum of sleep, the man basically lived inside wine barrels—as if alcohol were his true form.
Seeing John stumble closer to him, Ganju's eyes flashed with disgust and provocation.
He bared his teeth in a sneer and spoke in a mocking tone: "Well well, look who's back—our big drunkard?
Tsk tsk, take a good look at that guy up there called Bullet. His Combine-Combine Fruit ability looks a lot like your pathetic Magnet-Magnet Fruit that can only suck up scrap metal!"
Ganju deliberately raised his voice: "But the difference is, he can take in anything and everything and turn into that giant monster.
You? What can you do besides suck up some junk? Hahaha!"
Ganju's words dripped with ridicule. By comparing Bullet's awakened power to John's Magnet-Magnet Fruit, he was clearly picking a fight for no reason!
John drunkenly turned his head, struggling to focus his gaze on Ganju. He let out a boozy belch and slurred in rebuttal: "Hey… you, how're you talkin' like that? What drunkard… I-I just enjoy appreciating fine wine… that's, that's very rude, y'know…"
John tried to sound serious, but his swaying body and dazed eyes only made his retort look even more comical and feeble.
"Rude?!"
Ganju exploded as if he'd heard the funniest joke in the world. He pointed straight at John's nose and roared: "You've got the nerve to lecture me about rudeness?! When I was fighting the Marines with my life on the line earlier, who was it that snuck around and stole my treasure chest?!
Huh?! Where was your 'manners' then, huh?! Drunkard! Shameless drunkard! Thief!!"
Ganju grew angrier the more he spoke, practically spitting in John's face.
Treasure distribution disputes were commonplace in pirate crews—especially in a loosely structured overlord crew like the Rocks Pirates.
But to the thoroughly intoxicated John…
Ganju's insults and dredging up of old grievances felt like they were coming through a thick layer of cotton—muffled and unclear, and utterly failing to ignite any anger or shame in John.
He blinked dazedly, then tilted his head back and took another huge swig of wine, letting out a contented sigh as if he hadn't heard a word Ganju said.
"Enough!"
A cold shout rang out, carrying unquestionable authority.
It was Rocks.
He frowned, his face full of impatience and contempt. His gaze swept over the arguing pair and finally settled on Ganju.
"It's just some damn treasure—snatching back and forth endlessly!"
Rocks's voice was icy. He wasn't just reprimanding the argument itself—he was deeply disgusted by this kind of foolish behavior that wasted energy on old grudges and petty squabbles at such a critical moment when powerful enemies surrounded them.
More importantly, he subconsciously glanced at little Teach, who was being held in Eris's arms and seemed drawn by the commotion, watching wide-eyed and curiously.
Rocks still didn't want his son to witness this ugly infighting among so-called "crewmates."
"Boss…"
Though Ganju was cowed by Rocks's aura and unwilling in his heart, he grudgingly shut his mouth.
But his glare remained vicious, fixed on John—who had already started humming a little tune to himself, completely immersed in his alcoholic world.
Rocks no longer paid them any attention. He turned his sharp, deep gaze back toward the light curtain in the sky and the murderous Five Elders camp opposite.
He was well aware of the internal friction and discord—and had no intention of rooting it out.
As long as these people could still be useful to him, still provide strength in plundering and conquest, that was enough.
Loyalty? Trust? Those were the most luxurious and laughable things in the Rocks Pirates.
The little interlude passed, but the atmosphere in God Valley did not ease because of it.
Captain John's drunken antics and Ganju's rage were merely insignificant bubbles on the edge of this massive vortex.
Everyone's attention quickly returned to the new developments on the light curtain.
After completely crushing the Worst Generation, Bullet did not immediately leave or carry out a final massacre.
He seemed to be waiting for something—or perhaps… his "performance" wasn't over yet?
The chest containing the "ONE PIECE Permanent Pointer" remained firmly in his grasp.
At the same time, the light curtain's lens quietly shifted to several other locations!
Though Luffy was gravely injured, the scattered members of the Straw Hat crew were still fighting separately, trying to find a way to break the deadlock.
This "Pirate Fest" seemed to be hurtling toward a final climax where every contradiction—pirate infighting, Marine encirclement, behind-the-scenes schemes, and the struggle for ONE PIECE—would explode together!
The viewers in God Valley felt their hearts tighten along with it.
They wanted to see how Luffy and the others would survive the desperate situation—or at least escape—while also burning with curiosity about Bullet's ultimate goal and the true contents of that chest.
The Five Elders' patience was clearly nearing its limit.
They stared fixedly at the light curtain while constantly glancing sideways at Dragon—still heavily protected—and at the dazzling pile of jewelry Roger had extorted from the Celestial Dragons cradled in his arms.
They were only waiting for this irritating "future broadcast" to cut off again so they could immediately carry out "God's" will and erase the "hidden danger" before them in the bloodiest way possible.
The passage of time felt excruciatingly slow and torturous at this moment. Every second was like fuel quietly accumulating for the final explosion.
...