The two words "Big Bro!" tore through the sky.
Those standing close enough even felt their eardrums ache from the sheer force of Babelle's shout.
"Th-... this is your trump card?!" 😳
Seeing Babelle unleash such a "finishing move," Ganzui's mouth twitched uncontrollably.
"That's right! If anyone wants these treasures, come and try! Let's see whether you can snatch them and get away safely before Big Bro gets here!"
Babelle was certain Nereus would hear that roar.
This trump card had no direct destructive power—
but it was undeniably effective, because Babelle was stating an unavoidable fact.
If the pirates gathered here could truly unite, they might actually defeat Babelle, divide the treasure, and scatter before Nereus arrived.
But the problem was—they simply could not do that.
Even if Babelle dumped all the treasure on the ground himself, these pirates would still start fighting each other over how to divide it.
Under such circumstances, once they chose to fight Babelle, if the battle dragged on until Nereus arrived...
Ganzui had no way of knowing how long it would take to bring Babelle down, nor when Nereus would appear.
But one thing was certain:
If Nereus reached this place, anyone who had dared attack Babelle would be in serious trouble. ⚠️
The priceless treasure was tempting—
but only if one lived long enough to leave with it.
There was still plenty of treasure elsewhere.
Stealing that was safer.
Many shared Ganzui's thoughts.
At the very least, Babelle's "ultimate move" made the Rocks Pirates abandon the idea.
Though some pirates still glared at Babelle, unwilling to give up.
For Babelle, however, the truly dangerous group had already withdrawn.
Ants understand the terror of an antlion.
To ants, an antlion is an incomprehensible predator.
But ants know nothing of elephants.
Even if crushed underfoot, they cannot comprehend how vast an elephant truly is.
The Rocks Pirates understood Nereus's terror better than anyone.
Under the shadow of Nereus's threat, that share of treasure was no longer worth the risk.
Other pirate crews, however, thought differently.
Several still attacked Babelle—
but he crushed them without much effort.
"Violent Magnetic Grip!" ⚡
At that moment, an invisible force suddenly swept across the warehouse district.
Treasures and crates on the ground, pirates' weapons, every kind of metal object—
all flew uncontrollably toward one side.
"My treasure!"
"Beli! Beli! Come back!!" 💰
Even pirates who had already grabbed small portions of treasure and intended to flee could not hold onto what they carried.
"Strong magnetic force detected at the southeast canyon entrance!"
"It's Captain John's Devil Fruit ability! Hold your weapons tight! Metal is reacting—don't get dragged in!"
Among the entire Rocks crew, none were greedier than John.
His obsession with treasure far exceeded everyone else's imagination.
In the original timeline, he would ultimately die because he tried to monopolize treasure, beaten to death by his own crewmates, leaving behind the legend of Captain John's Treasure.
Once the situation shifted, John had moved near the canyon exit and activated the Magnet-Magnet Fruit, forcibly plundering treasure.
In an instant, metal objects over a huge area gathered toward him.
Some pirates clinging desperately to treasure were dragged along with it.
Naturally, Babelle's treasure-filled pack was affected too.
But Babelle possessed a huge amount of Armament Haki.
After coating the entire bundle in Haki, his monstrous strength kept the magnetic pull from affecting him too much.
And truthfully—
Babelle was completely relaxed now.
Because he had already seen Nereus arrive.
Other pirates still focused on Babelle, but some began noticing something strange.
"Say... don't you think there's... way too much blood on the ground?" 😨
A pirate missing several teeth looked around in confusion.
Because of the earlier brutal fight over treasure, plenty of bodies had fallen here—
Marines and pirates alike.
Blood on the floor was nothing unusual.
But now, the blood beneath their feet had clearly entered an abnormal state.
Not only was there too much of it—
it was moving.
Anyone used to killing knew corpses were not open faucets.
Blood did not flow endlessly.
This scene was obviously wrong.
Yet most pirates were too blinded by treasure to care.
Had they looked more carefully, they might have noticed the blood seemed to be entering a dangerous state—
almost boiling.
Chi! Chi!
In the next instant—
the blood on the ground came alive.
It rapidly condensed into sharp crimson spears.
With terrifying precision, they pierced one pirate heart after another.
In the blink of an eye, centered on Babelle's location, an entire area erupted into a forest of blood-red spears. 🩸
And within that region, living presence vanished at an alarming speed.
"Big Bro, you came."
"How's the haul?"
"A massive harvest. Three Devil Fruits—types still unknown.
Too much treasure to count.
And several treasure chests I haven't opened yet.
If Ganzui wasn't exaggerating and each box is worth one billion Beli, then this is an astronomical sum.
We should thank Shakky. If everyone hadn't been focused on her, I wouldn't have gotten this so easily." 😎
Babelle opened his pack, proudly showing the treasures to Nereus.
"The remaining treasure—most got sucked away by John's ability. The Roger Pirates also took quite a bit. Want to rob them too?"
With Babelle's strength, if he had truly taken everything earlier, he would have become the target of everyone present.
Now that Nereus had arrived, naturally they could consider more options.
"What a remarkable harvest indeed."
The treasure's total value was difficult for Nereus to estimate.
But one Devil Fruit he recognized immediately.
It looked like a green pineapple, topped with blue flame-like leaves.
It was the Bird-Bird Fruit, Mythical Zoan: Phoenix Form 🔥🕊️
"From here on, I'll handle things myself.
Babelle, I'll send you to the southeast shore. It's safer there.
Find a ship if you can.
If there are refugees and you can do so without risking yourself, take some with you.
If things become dangerous, dive and leave directly—return and wait for me.
What comes next... isn't something you should continue taking part in."
Nereus took the treasure bundle from Babelle and lowered it into the flowing blood nearby, letting it slowly sink beneath the surface.
Then he lifted his gaze toward the island's very center—
and gave Babelle his next order.