In this world, very few people could stay unmoved by something that could grant any wish. Roger was one of them, but clearly Rocks was not.
For Rocks, who wanted to become king of the world, if such an item existed, he would absolutely take it. He wouldn't act picky or stubborn like Roger.
As for whether it was real or fake, he could check after it was in his hands.
"Another troublesome guy…"
Both Toguro and Roger turned to face Rocks. At this point in time, Rocks was the strongest man in the world—stronger even than Roger. But in the pirate world, as long as the gap wasn't huge, a perfect-state battle between top fighters would often drag on for a long time.
"Roger, hand me the Shikon Jewel." Rocks tilted his head with a crackling sound and looked at Roger.
"If you do, your crew won't be wiped out here today."
As expected of a pirate who aimed to be king of the world—his overwhelming presence was far above Roger's. Just walking toward them was like a mountain pressing down.
His raging Haki clashed with Roger and Toguro's Haki and demonic aura. Their duel instantly turned into a three-way standoff. The shockwaves were several times stronger than before, shaking God Valley violently. The sky rumbled and the earth trembled!
At first, Roger was serious, but then he squinted and laughed loudly. "Sorry, but I don't share the things I get my hands on. I'm a pirate—what pirate would hand over his spoils?"
He grabbed a chest beside him, flipped it over, and dumped out piles of gold and jewels. Countless treasures scattered on the ground—enough to make ordinary people lose their minds. But the three men didn't care at all. Their eyes locked on a glowing purple orb hidden among the treasure.
Roger and Rocks had never seen the Shikon Jewel before, but at first glance they knew this orb was different. A faint glow pulsed from it, and it gave off a strange pull.
Roger slowly bent down, picked it up, and held it between two fingers. With some surprise, he said, "So it's just this small thing, huh?"
"Let's settle this the pirate way…" Roger looked at Rocks and Toguro, then suddenly hurled the jewel high into the air. He knew very well that holding onto it would instantly make him the main target of both men. So rather than cling to it and be taken out, better to stir the fight into chaos.
Toguro and Rocks both leapt upward, reaching for the jewel. But Roger swung his blade, coated in Conqueror's Haki—an attack no one wanted to block head-on.
Except Toguro wasn't human—he was a demon.
Rocks hesitated at Roger's strike, but Toguro didn't back off at all. He took the blow head-on and still grabbed the jewel. His foot stomped against the air, sending out waves of heat, and he shot upward.
"Don't think you can run!" Rocks grinned. His body suddenly became darkness itself. Endless shadows wrapped around his blade, black currents swirling outward. A massive pull of gravity surged into the sky. Toguro's pupils shrank—his body, mid-leap, was yanked back down by the sudden force.
The Dark-Dark Fruit?!
In the One Piece manga, Rocks never really appeared—only through the memories of Sengoku and Kaido. Just like Roger, he was shrouded in mystery. At least Roger was known not to be a Devil Fruit user, but for Rocks, there had been no information at all.
People had long guessed he was the previous user of the Dark-Dark Fruit, but now it was confirmed…
And unlike the later Blackbeard, Rocks not only had a powerful ability but also unmatched swordsmanship. The Dark-Dark Fruit combined with his blade made him truly peerless in this era!
Darkness and gravity dragged at Toguro's body as Rocks slashed, his strike like cutting through the night itself. Toguro's pupils shook, his muscles bulged and writhed, and with a roar his demonic aura flared even stronger.
"One hundred percent of one hundred percent—only like this can I truly become a demon."
Toguro's body swelled to more than double its size. His muscles bulged grotesquely, even forming lumps along his shoulders. Facing Rocks's slash, he took a deep breath and blew out a roaring storm.
"Hah!"
His shout shook heaven and earth. The darkness filling the sky cleared in an instant, and below, Rocks was trapped in the center of a massive tornado.
If it had been before he got the Shikon Jewel shards, using this state would have meant almost certain death. The energy cost was far too great. Even if he managed to kill his opponent in one or two blows, the drain would burn away his very life.
But with the support of six shards, Toguro could now hold this form for a while. Fully transformed, he broke through Rocks's gravity and in a sudden burst appeared dozens of meters away.
"Interesting! So this is a demon!"
But Roger had already seen through his movements. The moment Toguro landed, Roger's blade was already there. Toguro raised his arm to block it head-on, but even in his full power state, Roger's strike cut through the Haki covering his arm, leaving behind a deep bloody mark.
At the same time, Toguro threw his left fist at Roger. Roger tilted his head to dodge, and the ground in front of that fist was ripped apart, leaving behind a massive trench that stretched far out. A mountain in the distance had its top half completely blown away by the force!
"Black Prison!"
Before Roger could even be surprised, while Toguro was still being pushed back by the strength of that strike, Rocks—who had been trapped by the raging winds—finally unleashed his power.
In an instant, the whole land turned into a sticky darkness. Roger and Toguro's bodies felt bound by it, and the next moment, the darkness began to shrink, dragging both of them back into…
That original darkness!
Rocks crouched on the ground, his sword stabbed into the earth.
And the ground where it pierced…
Had already become a black hole!