As one of the last pirate crews to leave, the Roger Pirates' ship was naturally pursued by the Marines.
But the Marines' true focus was no longer Roger.
It was the total destruction of God Valley.
The island had to vanish completely.
That was Imu's highest order.
As a result, Roger's crew escaped pursuit without too much difficulty.
Imu's power was troublesome—an ability with absurd mechanisms—
but over endless years, Imu had also developed a detached attitude toward many events.
Unless something involved Joy Boy or Davy D. Jones, Imu usually left matters to others.
And on some issues, Imu showed a strange kind of indifference—
or perhaps simply apathy.
For example:
Even after attacking one of the Five Elders, Garp would still later be promoted publicly as a Hero of the Marines.
At this moment, Roger was not worth Imu's concern.
Once Rocks's "death" was confirmed, Imu ended that descending manifestation and returned to Mary Geoise.
As for Nereus, flying alone through the sky—
he also left God Valley's range quickly.
Babelle and the others, having departed earlier, had already escaped the encirclement and were sailing across the sea.
It did not take long for Nereus to catch up.
"Big Bro, how did it end over there?"
Babelle, steering the ship, casually asked about God Valley.
Even though he had left early, he had seen enough to understand how enormous the destruction was.
At this point, Babelle fully realized his brother had been right:
If he had stayed, he might never have left alive.
"Most likely, you'll never hear the names God Valley or Rocks again.
The World Government will erase every trace of their existence." 🌫️
"Sounds like them. Fits their style perfectly. They'd never admit any of this happened."
After years at sea, Babelle understood the World Government well enough.
No need to mention anything else—
the Void Century alone explained everything.
But those words sounded very different to the others aboard.
"Um... benefactor... what should we do now?"
"What about us?"
Nereus looked toward the civilians and answered calmly.
"I have two choices for you.
First:
I drop you at a safe island, and from there, everyone lives by their own fate."
During his years sailing, Nereus had not only rescued slaves—
he had also helped merchant ships suffering disasters at sea.
In this dangerous ocean, shipwrecks happened far more often than in ordinary worlds.
Especially on the Grand Line, where unpredictable weather constantly sank ships.
For people who still had somewhere to go, this was usually how things ended.
After all—
Nereus's group was not a passenger vessel.
They could not carry people forever.
"Then... what's the second choice?"
"I have another island.
Far from here.
But safe enough.
If you want, you can live there."
That island lay in the New World near the Calm Belt.
Protected by surrounding still waters, it had become a quiet refuge across the sea. 🏝️
Many of the slaves Nereus rescued had nowhere left to return to.
Their homes were gone.
Their families lost.
If left alone on the sea, many would simply be captured again.
So for such people, Nereus had not abandoned them—
he settled them there.
"If you live there, you follow its order.
And because of the sea conditions, leaving the island is difficult.
Think carefully before deciding."
Whispers spread across the deck.
But for people of this world, difficulty leaving an island was hardly unusual.
That was normal.
Even neighboring islands on the Grand Line could exist in entirely different eras—
an ancient island beside a futuristic one was not impossible.
Even in the calmer Four Seas, most ordinary people never sailed far.
Many never left the island where they were born.
Dangerous waters.
Pirates.
The cost of long-distance passage.
All of it made travel rare.
Only specialists or those driven by ambition crossed oceans often.
Changing islands was not especially frightening.
What mattered more was:
What kind of order ruled Nereus's island?
Former slaves made the decision first.
They chose to follow Nereus.
Soon most God Valley civilians did the same.
Only a few hesitated—
but seeing everyone else decide, they quickly followed.
At that very moment—
a massive shadow appeared above the clouds.
Looking closely, it was a giant dragon. 🐉
The dragon spotted the warship below—
and dived as though finding prey.
"Worororo... a lone warship. Perfect, I'm hungry... Hm? Babelle?"
The dragon was naturally Kaido.
After eating his Devil Fruit, Kaido had chosen to leave God Valley by flying.
Though he had fought on the island, he was not injured—
but his stomach was empty.
And for Kaido, a Marine warship often equaled a convenient dining hall.
Back when he was newly wanted, whenever hungry, Kaido would intentionally get captured.
Once aboard a prison ship, he would break free, eat, and leave.
This time, he intended the same—
until he saw a familiar face.
Babelle alone did not concern him.
But logically—
if Babelle was here, then Nereus should be nearby.
"Of course... there you are."
Soon Kaido spotted Nereus standing on the bridge.
Yet instead of retreating, he landed calmly on deck.
"Nereus?"
"Kaido?"
"Nereus, who would've thought we'd meet again here? We really do have fate between us.
How about joining me for something big?
I want to build a pirate crew ruled by violence—
where absolute power decides everything!" ⚔️
His hunger forgotten, Kaido extended an invitation instead.
"Nereus, if strength decides everything by your logic—
then if I join you...
wouldn't that mean you listen to me?"
Nereus did not reject him immediately.
He simply asked from another angle.
"Uh..."
"And speaking of that—
you still haven't paid for what you broke in my tavern, have you?"
"Th-that..."
"And also—"
"Wait! Nereus!" 😨
Kaido suddenly pointed sharply.
"There's a Marine mixed in on this ship!
Let me kill him!"