No one except Arthur knew what was really going on.
But that didn't matter.
When Captain Rocks D. Xebec gave an order, no one questioned it — they obeyed.
Soon enough, the Rocks Pirates began gathering aboard the flagship. The turnout, however, was smaller than usual — only six senior officers were present, alongside Arthur, Kaido, Shakky, and a few other ranking members.
That wasn't surprising.
The Rocks Pirates were rarely all in one place. A fleet that massive couldn't function if every monster onboard sat still. Every officer commanded their own territories, fleets, or underground operations.
"Haaah..."
Shakky lit a cigarette, exhaling a curl of smoke as she smiled faintly.
"Arthur, Kaido — want one?"
"Not interested," Kaido grunted, crossing his arms.
Arthur simply shook his head. He didn't need to say anything.
Shakky didn't mind — after spending enough time with them, she knew how these two worked.
"The God Valley War..."
Arthur's thoughts drifted toward that name.
The God Valley Incident — that battle would mark the final blaze of glory for the Rocks Pirates. And within that chaos, the greatest opportunity in history awaited him.
Over the past year, Arthur had amassed ninety Devil Fruits — an absurd number by any standard.
Not because he lacked ambition.
But because finding Devil Fruits wasn't easy.
Even kings and emperors hesitated to bring one out in the open.
The last time he obtained such treasures, it had taken invading the Ferguson Empire and storming the Red Line itself — feats that shook the world.
Repeating that would be suicide.
No — this upcoming event would be different.
It would be the perfect chance to seize more Devil Fruits than ever before.
Tap. Tap.
The air shifted. Rocks D. Xebec entered the hall.
A year had passed, yet his presence was utterly unchanged — wild, domineering, monstrous.
He strode to his throne, dropping into it with a heavy crash. His grin twisted into something feral as his gaze swept across his gathered officers.
"Brats!" he barked. "You're all wondering why I called you here, aren't you?"
The room fell silent.
No one dared interrupt.
Rocks' grin widened into madness.
"Next month marks the Celestial Dragons' twenty-year banquet!" he roared. "All the Dragons — all those self-proclaimed gods — will gather at God Valley!"
His voice deepened, every word crackling with bloodlust.
"That will be our opportunity! We'll slaughter every last Celestial Dragon... and claim the world itself!"
"OHH HAHAHAHA!!!"
His laughter shook the walls — a roar of pure insanity and ambition.
"God Valley...?"
"The Celestial Dragons...?"
"'Claim the world,' he says..."
The officers murmured. Some laughed wildly; others fell into uneasy silence.
A Celestial Dragon banquet — once every twenty years.
The sheer concentration of power there would be unimaginable.
The Rocks Pirates were mad, yes, but not stupid.
They knew this meant war not just with the Marines — but the entire World Government.
And even monsters like them hesitated before that thought.
—
"Hmph!"
Rocks' eyes flashed. "Prepare yourselves! One month from now, we attack God Valley!"
He stood, scanning their faces one by one — a silent warning lingering in his gaze.
Those who faltered...
would die before they had the chance to refuse.
Without another word, he turned and walked away.
Many of the more fanatical crewmen followed, their laughter echoing down the corridor.
Only a handful remained behind.
...
"Glug—"
Captain John gulped down his drink and smacked his lips. "Captain Rocks really has lost his mind this time. Attack God Valley? Where even is that place?"
Ochoku, stroking his beard, smirked. "If I remember right, the eternal log pose we retrieved last year leads directly there. I didn't think Rocks would actually use it..."
Silver Axe narrowed his eyes thoughtfully. "A Celestial Dragon banquet, huh..."
"Jihahahaha!"
Shiki burst into laughter, his golden hair wild. "A mad plan for a mad crew! I love it!"
No one bothered to respond. They'd long accepted that Shiki was insane.
Arthur exhaled silently. The longer he spent with them, the clearer it became — there wasn't a single sane person in the entire Rocks Pirates.
Whitebeard called everyone "son."
Shiki was clinically deranged.
Big Mom spent all her time finding husbands and having children.
John was a drunkard.
Silver Axe was obsessed with treasure.
Ochoku pretended to be a gentleman philosopher despite his barbaric strength.
And Rocks D. Xebec himself? He was the greatest madman of them all.
Leaning against a wall, Charlotte Linlin crossed her arms and smiled slyly.
"So, Arthur-boy... any thoughts?"
"Thoughts?"
Arthur met her gaze. Linlin, at this point in time, was still lucid — ruthless but cunning. Only in later years, once she became an Emperor, would her intellect fade beneath her gluttony and madness.
He chuckled. "If we join this operation, it's nine deaths out of ten. If we don't, it's ten out of ten. You all know what happens to anyone who disobeys Rocks."
A quiet tension filled the room.
He wasn't wrong.
Every single one of them had joined the Rocks Pirates the same way — beaten into submission by the captain himself.
Arthur continued calmly.
"So stop overthinking. Participate, do your part... and survive. Rocks is rushing this war because time isn't on his side anymore. Even monsters grow old."
He turned and left.
The others remained silent, deep in thought.
They all understood the truth — this so-called "God Valley War" might sound glorious, but none of them could predict how it would truly end.
---
Back aboard his ship, Arthur sat alone, lost in thought.
"Arthur."
Kaido approached, dropping to the deck cross-legged. "Tell me the truth. Are we walking into certain death?"
Arthur shook his head slowly. "For Rocks... yes. I don't think he plans to come back alive."
Kaido frowned. "You mean—"
Arthur nodded. "He's nearly a hundred years old. For a human, even one like him, that's ancient. He's burning the last of his fire."
Kaido fell silent.
Arthur smiled faintly. "Don't worry too much. The Celestial Dragons won't fight to the death. And besides..."
He narrowed his eyes, voice lowering into a murmur.
"The World Government needs pirates."
Kaido looked up in confusion.
Arthur continued. "The Five Elders can't allow pirates to disappear. They need us to keep the allied nations in fear. Without pirates, the World Government loses its leverage. Balance must be maintained — even chaos has a purpose."
He smiled. "God Valley will be exactly what they want to see — destruction that maintains the world's order."
Maybe there were too many Celestial Dragons.
Maybe the Navy had grown too powerful.
Maybe the Rocks Pirates had served their purpose.
Whatever the case — everything was proceeding according to someone's design.
"Hahaha..."
Arthur leaned back lazily. "Kaido, don't bother worrying about fate. Focus on what matters — how much profit you can grab from this banquet."
"After all—"
He smirked. "It's a Celestial Dragons' banquet."
"Hmm?"
That single sentence caught everyone's attention.
Kaido, Edward, Shiki — all turned toward him, grinning with the same feral excitement.
If death was unavoidable, then they might as well seize everything they could.
And who in the world was richer than the Celestial Dragons?
Arthur knew exactly what he was doing — planting that thought deliberately.
He needed chaos. Only through greed could he ensure God Valley's spoils reached their maximum.
---
Kaido eventually left.
Shakky lingered behind him, watching Arthur with amused eyes.
"So... you're using them."
Arthur smiled. "They're letting themselves be used. Who would ever give up the chance to plunder the Celestial Dragons?"
Indeed — the humiliation of their earlier failures still burned in men like Ochoku, John, and Silver Axe. This time, they'd go all out.
A year ago, during his raid on the Red Line, Arthur had secretly freed every slave he could find.
The World Government buried the incident completely, rewriting the records — but the freed slaves hadn't forgotten.
They whispered of an unnamed savior.
A man who had defied the fate and broken their chains.
They called it the First Liberation of Slaves.
Arthur, of course, paid little attention to such things.
He'd done what he wanted. Nothing more.
"Haaah..."
Shakky exhaled another wisp of smoke. "Still, the Celestial Dragons' wealth... who could resist something like that? But after this, the Rocks Pirates will be finished."
Arthur nodded. "Yeah. It's time. The greatest crew in history — there'll never be another like it. For Rocks, though, the real tragedy is that not every strong pirate joined him."
He chuckled softly.
"Roger, Chinjao ... so many powerful men still roam free. Maybe that's what bothers him most — that even at his peak, he never unified the world's monsters."
Shakky shook her head. "Some things just can't be reached, Arthur. Even glory has its limits."
"Maybe."
He smiled faintly. "By the way... when this is over, Shakky, would you consider working with me? As my intelligence broker?"
"Oh my~" She arched an eyebrow teasingly. "Are you saying you're interested in me, Arthur?"
Arthur grinned. "If you want to take it that way, I won't deny it."
Shakky laughed quietly. "Sorry, kid. I'm done being a pirate. After God Valley, I'm retiring — washing my hands of this life. Maybe I'll start a bar, sell information to whoever pays best."
"A future information broker, huh?"
"That's right."
"If you ever need intel," she added with a wink, "I'll give you a discount."
Arthur chuckled. "You're such a con artist. I'd never trust your 'discounts.'"
Shakky laughed again, softly this time. "Maybe not. But I mean it — I'm done with piracy."
Arthur turned his gaze toward the horizon.
The Rocks Pirates were already preparing for war.
In just one year, he had left a mark on this monstrous crew — his own story written in its bloodstained history.
And now, with the God Valley Incident approaching, that history was about to end.
He whispered to himself:
"After this... the world will plunge into an age of true chaos."
And for the first time, he wondered—
Was he ready for what came next?
-----------------------------///
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