"Hahahaha…!"
Elsewhere in the New World, on another ship—the world's most powerful pirate crew, the Rocks Pirates—another booming laugh rang out.
The most fearsome pirate in the world, Rocks, who held the strongest power of this era, looked at the newspaper in his hands. His laughter shook the entire ship.
"Someone actually dared to give those snot-nosed fat pigs no face at all, huh? Now that's interesting!"
No doubt about it, Rocks had seen the news too, and he was especially intrigued by the Nine-Tails blasting Mary Geoise.
On his ship were many pirates who would later shake the world: Whitebeard, Golden Lion, Big Mom, Kaido—top-class powers of the world, all under Rocks' banner. With so many mighty figures gathered, his ambition grew boundlessly.
He aimed to become king of the world, to stand against the World Government. Now, seeing the Nine-Tails wreak havoc on Sabaody and fire on Mary Geoise, he was thrilled beyond measure.
But then…
"Tch, doesn't this mean that damn fox is stealing all the spotlight?" Rocks' face suddenly turned grim. It was as if the sky itself felt his anger, as black lightning fell and immense power shook the raging seas.
In an instant, a powerful wave of pressure spread out from him. Even though it was released unconsciously, the Haki alone made many on the ship feel dizzy and faint. But no one stopped Rocks. That was how this pirate crew worked—if you collapsed or died, it was simply because you weren't strong enough.
No one would speak up for the weak.
"Don't do this."
Rocks said in a dark tone. In front of him stood Shiki, Edward Newgate, Charlotte Linlin, Silver Axe, John, and Wang Zhi—great pirates whose names shook the world. On the entire Rocks Pirates' ship, the only ones who could withstand his Conqueror's Haki were them, plus one more—Kaido.
Then, the man who ruled over all of them, Rocks D. Xebec, loudly announced his next plan.
"Come on, let's stir things up too! Let the World Government know that the Nine-Tailed Fox is nothing compared to us, the Rocks Pirates!"
.........
"Now the whole world knows."
Pirates and ambitious men everywhere either celebrated or trembled in fear. Only Marine Headquarters was filled with unease. Even though they had beaten the Nine-Tails, pirates were becoming even more reckless, forcing them to increase their forces just to keep order.
Inside the Fleet Admiral's office, the current Fleet Admiral, Kong, shouted in anger,
"Who allowed this news to spread?!"
"The commotion was so big, it would've been hard not to report it." Garp picked his nose. Other than Kong, the only ones present were Sengoku, Garp, and Zephyr—the three who had fought the Nine-Tails.
"The Nine-Tails itself isn't the problem. Even if that got reported, fine. The real issue is…"
Sengoku frowned. "Why were Zephyr and that man called Zero also photographed?"
"Judging from the angle, it must have been taken by civilians on the ship." Zephyr sighed. "Luckily, they didn't hear our conversation, or who knows what kind of chaos that would've caused."
"In any case, the situation is serious. The World Government took a huge hit—killing the Nine-Tails isn't enough to make up for it. We must find out exactly who that Zero really is, why he showed up there, and what this so-called 'Invisible Empire' behind him really is!"
Kong said in a deep voice, "Zephyr, your intel is valuable, and you played an important role in this battle. I've already submitted a request to the World Government to promote you to Admiral. In a while, you'll officially be an Admiral."
"I plan to personally investigate that man, Zero. Would becoming an Admiral now slow me down?" Zephyr frowned.
"No. That's also part of the plan from me and the World Government. You'll take full responsibility for chasing down the truth about the 'Invisible Empire.' Whether it's local governments or CP, they'll all cooperate with you."
Kong then gave his orders. "Sengoku, Garp, you two get ready to head to the New World."
"Hmm? Finally starting again?!" Garp grinned wide. "After resting so long, I feel like my body's starting to rust!"
Kong nodded and stressed, "Pirates in the New World have been running wild lately. That's why I'm sending both of you together. You must wipe out the ones causing chaos!"
"Don't worry, don't worry."
After the orders were given, the three left the Fleet Admiral's office together. Sengoku congratulated Zephyr first.
"Congrats, Zephyr. You're about to become an Admiral."
Originally, Zephyr didn't have enough seniority. He was supposed to become an Admiral two years later at the age of thirty-eight. Now, at thirty-six, he was promoted earlier—one of the changes caused by Genichi's arrival.
Garp was also meant to be promoted at the same time, but as soon as he woke up and heard about it, he flatly refused.
He could choose of his own will whether or not to protect the Celestial Dragons, but he would never allow himself to truly become their dog!
"Garp, are you sure about this?"
Zephyr glanced at Garp again. His memory was still clear—he remembered the changes that happened to Garp when he came out of the Nine-Tails' body.
Garp's body had been wrapped in a strange red layer, like a thin film covering him. That power wasn't Haki, nor was it any Devil Fruit ability. But it was clearly evil, and it was the power of the Nine-Tailed Fox.
If Garp hadn't kept using Armament Haki even while unconscious, that power would have completely eaten away at him.
Even so, the power still tortured him. After returning to Marine Headquarters, even the hospital couldn't make him better, and they couldn't find anything wrong through tests either.
All they could say was that it depended on whether Garp's willpower could overcome the Nine-Tails' power. It was only after Garp woke up that they finally learned what that idiot had done.
After being swallowed into the Nine-Tails' stomach, Garp actually thought of fighting fire with fire. He opened his mouth wide and bit a chunk of flesh straight out of the Nine-Tails' belly!
After that, he felt his body burning hot, and he kept fighting inside the Nine-Tails' body. Combined with Sengoku and Zephyr attacking from the outside, they were able to bring down the Nine-Tails sooner.
It could only be said that Garp's body was monstrous. Anyone else in such a high fever would either die or end up brain-damaged, but Garp woke up looking refreshed, not at all like someone who had been unconscious for days.
"Of course I'm fine!"
Garp laughed loudly. "I wasn't afraid of that big fox itself—how could a piece of its meat possibly kill me?"
"Don't worry, I feel like I've got endless energy now. This time, I'm definitely going to catch that bastard Roger!"