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"Tread! Tread! Tread!"
While the crew murmured among themselves, footsteps echoed across the deck.
From the shadows of the cabin, Captain Rocks D. Xebec emerged, his imposing figure casting a long shadow as he stepped onto the bow of the ship, arms folded behind his back.
"Captain Rocks, Ayr and the others… they've been gone for quite a while now. Could it be… they're dead?" Captain John approached from behind, a faint, mocking smile playing on his lips.
When Rocks sent his elite cadres on the mission to retrieve the Eternal Pose to the Valley of the Gods, he had confiscated their Vivre Cards. Everyone aboard knew: when someone dies, their Vivre Card begins to burn away and eventually disintegrates completely.
So right now, Rocks held the fate of Ayr and his team in his hands—literally.
"Captain Rocks, if the mission in Mariejois failed," Silver Axe began cautiously, stepping forward, "shouldn't we start thinking of alternative ways to obtain the Eternal Pose to the Valley of the Gods?"
He didn't even bother to question whether Ayr had died. He simply assumed the mission was a failure—and that Ayr and his team had perished.
"Captain Rocks," said Ochoku, his tone slow and deliberate, "perhaps you should personally lead us to Mariejois. We can retrieve the Eternal Pose ourselves."
The moment Ochoku's words left his mouth, John and Silver Axe turned and stared at him.
Was he serious?
Mariejois wasn't just dangerous—it was the beating heart of the World Government, guarded by CP0, Admirals, and maybe even Imu himself. Ayr's team had likely fallen there.
And now this man wanted Rocks—the strongest and most dangerous pirate alive—to walk right into that lion's den?
But despite their silence, John and Silver Axe shared Ochoku's sentiment.
Not because they truly wanted to complete the mission…
But because they wanted Rocks to die.
If Rocks fell at Mariejois, the Rocks Pirates would collapse.
No more hierarchy. No more captain. Every man would be free—and the strongest among them could finally rise without Rocks' iron shadow looming overhead.
Rocks glanced back, his gaze sharp and cold.
"What's this? Do you all believe Ayr and the others are dead?" he asked flatly.
"Well… I wouldn't go that far," John said, feigning a shrug. "But with them taking this long to return, it's likely something went wrong."
"Indeed," Silver Axe nodded, voice calm. "If they've failed… we need to make alternate preparations."
Rocks didn't respond. He turned away, eyes gazing out at the endless sea ahead.
He was silent.
But behind that silence was a storm of fury.
Though he'd formed this crew for mutual benefit and profit, this level of betrayal and impatience was enough to stir even his deeply buried disgust. The moment his subordinates stopped profiting, they began scheming for his downfall.
How pathetic.
Yet when the scheming trio—Silver Axe, John, and Ochoku—saw Rocks say nothing, they mistook it for quiet confirmation.
If Rocks wasn't denying it, then perhaps Ayr and the others truly were dead.
Without them, the Rocks Pirates had lost five of their top fighters.
The structure of the crew would collapse. Power would scatter across the seas. Their time to rise had finally come.
But before they could celebrate further—
Rocks raised his hand, five intact Vivre Cards fluttering between his fingers. He grinned wide.
"They… are back."
"Back? What do you mean?" John blinked.
"Who's back?" Ochoku asked, confused.
Then, their eyes followed Rocks' gaze to the distant sea.
A huge white cloud was drifting toward them at an unnatural speed.
No—not a cloud.
It was Ayr's group, riding on Golden Lion Shiki's floating rock platform, soaring over the ocean.
The silhouettes became clearer: Ayr, Shiki, Whitebeard, Big Mom, and Kaido—all alive.
"They're back! It's Captain Ayr—they're all back!" one crewmate shouted from the crow's nest.
"It's insane—they returned from the Holy Land Mariejois without a single casualty!"
"HAHAHA! I knew they'd make it back! These guys escaped an Admiral's siege once before—what's Mariejois to them?!"
Cheers erupted across the ship. The previously anxious crew now roared in celebration.
Their heroes—legends in the making—had returned.
The crew had expected failure or death. But what they saw now was proof of the Rocks Pirates' invincibility.
Meanwhile, John stood frozen, face twisted.
"How… how did they all make it back alive?" he muttered.
"Damn it," Silver Axe growled, jaw clenched. "These bastards—are they immortal? How the hell did they survive Mariejois?"
He hadn't expected all of them to die—just Ayr would have been enough.
But now they were all back. Every one of them.
At the front of the ship, Rocks stood unmoving, a smile creeping across his face as the five approached.
Hands behind his back, his voice rang out loud enough for all to hear.
"Did you retrieve the Eternal Pose to the Valley of the Gods?"
"Jihahahaha! Of course!" Golden Lion Shiki laughed, reaching into his coat.
"I, alone, found the Eternal Pose to the Valley of the Gods!"
He tossed it toward Rocks, who caught it mid-air with one hand.
A broad grin split across Rocks' face. He pocketed the device without another word.
"You've all done well," he said. "But why did it take so long to return?"
To be honest, even he had begun to suspect the worst. If not for the Vivre Cards, he might've believed they were dead.
The delay had been… unnatural.
Ayr gave a sidelong glance at Shiki and Charlotte Linlin and sighed.
"Ask them," he muttered. "The moment we left Mariejois, those two started arguing about who had the right to keep the Eternal Pose."
Everyone turned to Shiki and Linlin.
"Typical…" Kaido grunted, crossing his arms.
"They fought each other mid-air, and after draining what little strength they had left from Mariejois, they managed to blow up the damn ship," Ayr continued flatly.
The crew was stunned.
Even after exhausting themselves during the mission, Shiki and Linlin had still found the energy to fight each other.
And of course, being as powerful as they were, their duel resulted in complete destruction of their transport.
They were forced to regroup and use Shiki's ability to fly back—hence the delay.
Yet despite the chaos, one fact stood tall: they returned victorious.
And the eternal pose to the Valley of the Gods—the key to confronting the hidden power of Uranus—was now in Rocks' hands.
The storm was approaching.
And every crewmate, every betrayer, every loyalist, now had a choice to make:
Follow Rocks to the top of the world… or fall trying.
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