"Why can't it be me? Marine?" ❄️
"..."
Dragon was momentarily speechless.
His lips moved slightly, but he could not find an answer.
It was the World Government that had ordered the slaughter on this island.
And it was the Marines who were enforcing it.
So if a pirate was saving people here—
perhaps that was not so impossible to accept after all.
While Dragon struggled to answer, Nereus studied him carefully.
He was still young, and his face lacked the mark later nicknamed the "slipper print."
But there was no doubt—
this was the man who would one day found the Revolutionary Army.
Though that organization would, in many ways, remain an improvised force, it still became one of the few groups in history truly opposing the Celestial Dragons.
"Judging by the look on your face, before today... you knew nothing about any of this, didn't you?"
"Then tell me, Marine!"
"After seeing all this with your own eyes—do you still think your Marines deserve to carry the word justice?" ⚖️
Justice was the Marines' slogan.
Every recruit had shouted that word countless times during training.
Yet now, hearing it felt like needles piercing Dragon's ears.
The belief in justice he had once held without question—
had become a cruel joke.
"He really is a good Marine... he saved me on the island..."
"He even bandaged my wounds..."
"But... it was this gentleman who let us board the ship..."
The civilians of God Valley could not make sense of the current situation either.
They did not usually pay attention to massive bounties.
At most, they heard names mentioned in passing.
They only knew one thing:
Who had helped them when death was right in front of them.
After Dragon dropped his weapon, no one pointed guns at him anymore.
At that exact moment—
an extremely violent air current erupted from the center of God Valley. 🌪️
The sails shrieked under the pressure.
Ropes tightened like drawn bowstrings.
Even the entire ship began rocking violently side to side.
Several overwhelming bursts of Haki were mixed within that storm—
along with a strange, indescribable coldness.
Then—
one of the giant cliffs on the side of God Valley collapsed with a thunderous roar.
And the heavy clouds overhead were torn open by invisible force, split by a massive crack across the sky.
As always, in battles between those standing at the top of the world—
the innocent sky became collateral damage once again.
"You can choose to jump off the ship now, or help sail it. Handling a medium-sized warship is quite different from a large one."
Previously, Nereus and his people usually seized large battleships.
They were extremely familiar with those.
A smaller warship actually required some adjustment.
"...You're not killing me?"
"I don't kill everyone. Come to think of it, I haven't paid attention in a while to how the Marines describe me these days. If you have time, I'd actually like to hear it." 😏
Nereus no longer paid Dragon any attention.
There were no more civilians or slaves visible nearby.
That meant this ship should depart.
As for Nereus himself—
he spread his wings and flew toward the source of that strange presence.
As for whether Dragon might cause trouble...
Even if Nereus knew nothing about him, he would not care.
Dragon was simply too weak.
Babelle could crush him casually.
"Stop staring, kid. Big Bro already left. Since he didn't kill you, I won't either—as long as you don't cause trouble. Get to work!"
Dragon said nothing.
He silently moved beneath the mast and began adjusting the sails.
"Grab a ship and leave immediately!"
"Huh? Big Bro Silver Axe, isn't Rocks's ship still there?"
"Idiot! At a time like this, who's going back there?!" 🚢
While Nereus headed toward the center of the island, the other pirates also began preparing to seize ships and retreat.
Silver Axe was only one example.
Almost everyone had made similar decisions.
"Jihahaha! The Rocks Pirates end here!" 😆
Golden Lion Shiki, who could fly himself, had it even easier.
He needed no ship at all.
Carrying his spoils, he simply flew away into the distance.
Others grouped together aboard ships everywhere.
Gloriosa slipped onto Roger's pirate ship.
Whitebeard also received an invitation from Paul Gram.
A self-proclaimed Whitebeard admirer—
though this one was a genuine admirer.
His appearance was almost identical to Marco's.
Meanwhile, at the core battlefield of God Valley—
Garp and Roger were fighting Rocks.
More accurately—
they were fighting a demonized Rocks, whose body had been overtaken by Imu's blackened domination.
Rocks's current state was clearly unnatural.
Two extra pairs of fangs protruded from his mouth.
Demonic wings had emerged from his back.
This was Imu's ability:
Once certain conditions were met, control could be imposed in exactly this way.
[Please... kill me...]
That was Rocks's plea.
Though he could not speak aloud, both Roger and Garp heard it.
"I say, Roger—you heard that too, didn't you?"
"Yeah."
"Roger, I originally wanted to wipe out both you and Rocks here."
"I just wanted to steal Shakky and some treasure and run!" 😑
Both complained at the same time—
yet both simultaneously threw off the coats draped over their shoulders.
"So we're teaming up for now?"
"Against my better judgment, yeah. This guy can't be ignored..."
Thus Garp and Roger formed a temporary alliance.
The problem was—
even together, they still could not easily handle Rocks in this state.
In fact, both had just been blasted backward.
"Can someone explain what exactly is happening here?"
At that moment, Nereus arrived at the core battlefield.
In Nereus's memory, Roger and Garp joining forces was expected.
But this mutated Rocks—
that was the unknown variable.
And when Roger saw Nereus arrive, his expression changed instantly.
Then he shouted toward Garp:
"Garp! What the hell is that black monster from your World Government?! Why is even this guy controlled now?!
Is your so-called justice a joke?!" 😡
"Cough... I agree—but forget that for now! Figure out how to deal with these two first!"
To the eye, vampire wings and demonic wings were hard to distinguish.
So when Nereus appeared here, Roger and Garp immediately misunderstood:
They assumed he too had been controlled.
One Rocks alone was already nearly killing them.
If Nereus—someone on Rocks's level—joined in too...
Then survival would become the real issue.
"You two idiots..." 😑
"Do you simultaneously suffer from cerebral palsy and senile dementia?"
"Have you forgotten I'm a Devil Fruit user myself?!"