The crew of the Rocks Pirates, seeing Bob standing at the ship bow, shouted loudly.
With Rocks now dead, Bob had instantly become the central figure for everyone.
Although Bob had joined the Rocks Pirates for a short time—shorter than most of the other pirates—his actions during this period had deeply imprinted themselves on the minds of the crew.
Whether in terms of strength or influence, he far surpassed the other captains.
If the Rocks Pirates were to vote for a vice-captain, Bob would undoubtedly be the top choice.
Thus, with Rocks' death, the pirates, now without a leader placed their hopes on Bob and began to gather around him.
Soon, the remaining members of the Rocks Pirates boarded the Rocks' ship and stood behind Bob.
The Marines on the main battlefield, witnessing this, gradually quieted their cheers and looked at Bob and his group, their faces filled with mockery.
"Hahaha! The Rocks Pirates are finished!"
"Rocks is already dead. Surrender now, and we might spare your lives!"
"Bob is strong, but can he really surpass Rocks? Even Rocks failed—what can Bob possibly do?"
"Bob fate will be the same as Rocks'! You're all doomed to be wiped out in the Valley of the Gods today!"
"..."
The Marines, seeing the pirates rally behind Bob, laughed heartily after a moment of silence.
In their eyes, Bob was indeed strong.
Not only had he defeated Zephyr, but he had also single-handedly taken down the elite members of the CP Special Operations Unit.
But with Captain Rocks dead, how could Bob a mere commander, possibly be stronger than Rocks?
For the Marines, victory over the Rocks Pirates was now assured.
However, unlike the others, Marine Fleet Admiral Kong, known as "Steel Bone," wore a grave expression.
His condition had improved significantly compared to before. In the world of pirates, physical resilience far exceeded that of humans on Earth, especially among the top-tier fighters.
Though still not at his peak, Kong had recovered enough to be battle-ready.
He looked at Bob standing at the bow of the Rocks' ship, his brow furrowed.
As a pirate with a bounty second only to Rocks, Bob strength was something Kong had long been aware of.
He knew that to decisively win the Battle of the God Valley, Bob had to be dealt with as well.
Kong goatee twitched slightly, his eyes narrowed, and in a flash, he appeared beside Roger.
"Rocks is dead. As long as we take down Bob here, the Rocks Pirates will be finished!" Kong said solemnly, his gaze sweeping over Roger.
"Hahaha! Kong, I'm not your subordinate!" Roger, the swelling on his face having subsided, turned to Kong and said.
"Rocks is dead. Our partnership is over. We are now... enemies!"
Roger ultimate goal in coming to the Valley of the Gods was to kill Rocks. With that accomplished, he had no interest in anything else.
Especially when it came to Bob—Roger had no intention of teaming up with the Marines again.
Hearing this, Kong face flushed with anger as he roared.
"Roger, don't be ungrateful! You're opposing the World Government!"
"Hahaha, what is the World Government? How dare you speak like this in your current situation!" Roger laughed heartily.
After multiple rounds of battles, the Navy had suffered losses not only on the main battlefield but also among their top-tier fighters. The situation was far from optimistic.
Kong was injured, his strength significantly diminished. Garp was severely wounded and could no longer participate in the fight. Zephyr was engaged with Shiki, although he wasn't injured, his stamina had undoubtedly declined. Sengoku condition was similar to Zephyr.
Vice Admiral Tsuru was still in relatively good shape, but as a strategist, her combat strength paled in comparison to Zephyr and the others.
Of the twelve Vice Admirals in the Navy, only four remained. The strongholds of Enies Lobby and Impel Down had also suffered heavy losses. The CP Special Operations Unit was completely wiped out.
With their overall strength drastically reduced, they indeed lacked the confidence to threaten the Roger Pirates.
Thus, the two parties, who had been allies moments ago, now saw their relationship crumble, instantly becoming adversaries.
At this point, on God Valley, the original confrontation between the Rocks Pirates, the Navy, and the Roger Pirates had transformed into a three-way standoff following Rocks' death.
"Hmph!" Kong snorted coldly and retreated. He knew the current situation well—there was no chance of Roger allying with him, so he chose not to linger.
If he continued to pressure or entice Roger, he feared the pirate might turn against the Navy, which would be a greater loss.
After Kong left, Roger shook his head and disappeared in an instant, reappearing beside Rayleigh and the other two. They had been unconscious since being knocked out by Bob and had yet to wake up.
With Roger assistance, the three gradually regained consciousness.
Blinking groggily, they saw Roger standing before them. Immediately, they sprang to their feet, exclaiming.
"Captain!"
Then, as if remembering something, their faces lit up with excitement.
"Was Rocks defeated?" they asked.
Previously, Roger and Garp had teamed up against Rocks, and now Roger stood before them. It didn't take much for the three to guess the outcome.
"Rocks is dead" Roger said calmly.
"Hahaha, as expected of our captain! That great pirate Rocks is finally gone!" Bullett laughed heartily.
Rocks' death was tremendous news for the Roger Pirates. It meant that on the seas ahead, no one would be able to challenge them.
"Rocks was a formidable opponent. If it weren't for teaming up with Garp this time, our crew alone would have been annihilated" Roger said, touching his cheek as he spoke.
Although Roger had personally dealt the final blow to Rocks, he couldn't help but admire the pirate's strength—it was a level beyond his own.
Even with Garp help, it had been a near-death struggle to take Rocks down. This was even after he had previously fought against Kong and severely injured him.
"By the way, what's the deal with you three?"
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