If you were to ask when the West Blue was at its liveliest, it would be right now.
The God Valley War had caused the Rocks Pirates to collapse, and powerful figures from all sides began going their separate ways, each preparing to usher in a brand-new era.
The entire West Blue was stirred into turmoil by the aftermath.
After several days of sailing, the Roger Pirates were finally nearing a new island.
Gaban, as the crew's navigator, was currently standing on the lookout crow's nest of the mast. He held a monocular telescope, observing the situation of the island from afar.
"Hm?" As if noticing something, Gaban frowned slightly. Lowering the telescope, he called out to the deck, "Hey! Something's going on up ahead. I see the Rocks flag—and their ship."
"Huh?" Roger, who was playing cards on the deck, looked surprised. "Rocks? Impossible! Didn't the papers say a couple days ago they all split up?"
Sitting across from Roger, Valthior played a card and said calmly, "Nothing's impossible. There weren't that many ships in God Valley anyway. You either stole a Marine warship or a pirate ship. Either way, if you wanted to leave, you needed a ride."
Rayleigh smoothly followed up by playing his own card. "Exactly. And this island is the closest one to God Valley. Everyone rushed there in a hurry, so supplies were probably low. It's only natural they'd resupply nearby. We might even run into some familiar faces."
"Makes sense." Roger thought it over and agreed, just as he was about to play his card, he saw Valthior and Rayleigh rapidly finish their hands, slapping down cards one by one.
"Hey! You two are cheating! I haven't even played yet!" Roger exclaimed, flustered.
"You didn't say anything—we thought you were passing," Valthior laughed. "Alright, don't be such a sore loser. You're last place—pay up."
"Pay what? I've got both jokers! Why would I pass? You're the ones cheating!" Roger gritted his teeth.
Rayleigh chuckled. "Whose fault is it for getting distracted? Don't try to weasel out of it."
Amid the bickering, the Oro Jackson gradually approached the island known as Stania.
...
Meanwhile, on Stania Island, three former members of the Rocks Pirates—Golden Lion Shiki, Silver Axe Kyo, and the Catfish Strongman Babel—had gathered.
Interestingly enough, Shiki and Silver Axe could be considered longtime rivals. They had clashed countless times at sea, constantly fighting and clashing even after joining the Rocks Pirates.
And yet, when escaping God Valley, Shiki had ultimately pulled Silver Axe along with him. Together with Babel, they seized a Rocks ship and made their way here.
They had arrived earlier than the Roger Pirates, thanks to Shiki's advantageous ability.
Inside a restaurant near the harbor, Babel was stuffing himself, with piles of empty plates and food scraps stacked in front of him.
Shiki lounged arrogantly with his legs propped up on the table, a cigar clenched between his teeth. His gaze occasionally swept over Babel and Silver Axe, as if deep in thought.
Across from him, Silver Axe sat silently, his eyes hidden behind dark sunglasses, seemingly pondering something as well.
After a while, Babel let out a satisfied burp, patted his belly, and glanced between the two.
"I'm full. The ship's supplies should be stocked by now too. If you've got something to say, say it now. Otherwise, I'm taking my share of the treasure and leaving."
Breaking the stalemate, Shiki exhaled a puff of smoke and said, "Hah… Oi, Kyo. None of us were prepared for this. That bastard Rocks died just like that, throwing all our plans into chaos. The Rocks Pirates are basically finished. Linlin, Newgate, and that brat Kaido—who knows where they've run off to. Only the three of us made it out together. Got any thoughts?"
Silver Axe rubbed his temples, clearly troubled. "My head's a mess too. Like you said, it all happened too suddenly. I've got no idea what to do right now."
Hearing that, Shiki grinned viciously. "We've had our share of grudges, sure—but we were still crewmates. Now that Rocks is dead, a new storm is bound to sweep the seas. How about we join forces? Finish what we started?"
"Join forces? Conquer the world with you?" Silver Axe let out a cold laugh. "If we team up, who's in charge? You think I'd recognize you as captain?"
"What? You saying I'm not fit to lead?" Shiki's expression darkened, his tone turning menacing.
Silver Axe grabbed the massive battle axe leaning against the wall, his face grim. "What, you want to test if my axe's sharp enough?"
"You bastard…" Shiki placed a hand on the twin blades at his waist—Oto and Kogarashi.
Seeing the two about to clash at the slightest provocation, Babel clicked his tongue in annoyance. "If that's all you've got to say, I'm out."
With that, he stood up, casually shoved the table aside, and started walking toward the exit.
This made both Shiki and Silver Axe frown. Just as they were about to say something, a pirate underling rushed in, flustered.
"Bosses! Bad news! The Roger Pirates' ship is about to dock!"
"Roger!?" Shiki's expression shifted in surprise as he stood up immediately.
Silver Axe rose as well. "Didn't expect them to choose this place to resupply too."
Just moments ago, the two were on the verge of fighting—but with the arrival of the Roger Pirates, they instinctively turned their focus outward, standing together.
It had to be said, even if the members of the Rocks crew didn't get along, there was still some underlying camaraderie.
"Let's go meet them. Those bastards made out big at God Valley. If they're in bad shape, we'll wipe them out and take their treasure!" Shiki said after a moment's thought, striding out first.
Silver Axe didn't argue this time. He simply grabbed his axe and followed.
The two rivals acting in such sync left Babel momentarily dumbfounded.
Watching them leave, he scoffed, "You two really are cut from the same cloth…"
After grumbling a bit more, he followed them out as well.
The Battle of God Valley had been chaotic, and the Marines had wiped out many pirates there.
While the main members of the Rocks Pirates had escaped, most of their underlings hadn't. Those who did survive had split off under figures like Newgate and Kaido.
As a result, Shiki's current forces were fairly limited.
Still, even the lower-ranking pirates from Rocks weren't fools. They knew exactly how dangerous the Roger Pirates were. Without orders, none of them dared make a move.
So they could only watch as the Oro Jackson sailed into the harbor and docked.
Moments later, the gangplank was lowered, and Roger stepped off first.
At the same time, Shiki and the others arrived at the port.
"You really haven't got any manners, have you, Roger? " Shiki said mockingly from above the dock, cigar in his mouth as he looked down at him. "Didn't you notice we were here first?"
Roger didn't hold back either. "What, planning to inherit the Rocks Pirates and rule this place? I don't recall Stania flying your flag, Shiki."
As the two traded barbs, Rayleigh and Gaban stepped off the ship, standing behind Roger.
On the opposite side, though Silver Axe was clearly displeased, he gave Shiki some face for now, standing alongside him with Babel.
Soon, their respective crews gathered around them, forming two opposing groups.
Valthior, fully aware that his strength still wasn't enough, had no intention of stepping forward. He stayed quietly among the Roger Pirates, letting figures like Gaban and Rayleigh stand in front of him.
...
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