This was a name buried in the dust of history.
Aside from those who had lived through that era, most of the younger generation in this new age had no idea what this name represented.
"Rocks Pirates… what's that?"
"Never heard of it…"
"They even killed a Marine Admiral?!!!"
Only Neptune and some of the older kings, along with members of the World Government, knew certain details.
Especially CP0—masters of intelligence work—they vaguely understood what Keek was referring to.
Forty years ago, Rocks had truly stormed into the Holy Land, killed a Marine Admiral, and ultimately retreated unscathed.
And according to the intelligence records, Keek had indeed once been a member of that pirate crew.
"Tch…"
Things had become troublesome.
At this moment, Charlos seemed to have an underdeveloped brain. He had completely forgotten that his father's death had come from Orin's foot.
Now, seeing a shriveled old man daring to threaten to kill him, his eyes turned bloodshot with rage.
"You mere mortal!!!"
"Kill him! That's an order, CP0!!!"
The moment Lucci heard that, he sensed something was wrong.
"Hey!!!"
But it was already too late.
Keek's eyes were filled with crimson fury. With his aged body, he charged forward in Charlos's direction.
Kaku and the other CP0 agents tried to intervene, but they were blocked by Keek's bodyguard squad.
Each of them possessed strength at or above Vice Admiral level. Aside from Vergo, there were even fighters comparable to Yonko commanders.
They were all powerful figures who, like Vergo, had once received Orin's favor during the era of the [Black Emperor].
They had begun guarding King Keek long ago.
"He's just a Celestial Dragon. It's not like Orin-san hasn't killed one before. No need to make such a fuss, CP0."
The leading guard spoke calmly. His domineering Haki was powerful, his attacks fierce and ruthless, forcing Kaku into pure defense.
No one could stop Keek's advance. His fist was wrapped in not particularly dense Armament Haki.
Charlos's bloodshot pupils widened as he watched that figure approach—
"Bang——!!!!"
With just a single punch, the bubble helmet shattered. Charlos's entire face caved inward like a blooming chrysanthemum.
He collapsed to the ground, life or death unknown.
The surrounding royalty nearly went mad, clutching their heads and screaming—
"His face's been punched into his skull!!!"
"At that level, he's definitely dead, right?!!!"
Even Shirahoshi stopped crying at this moment, staring in shock at Old Keek's figure.
"Grandfather of Lord Orin…"
...
Meanwhile,
The Revolutionary Army had already infiltrated the Holy Land in secret. Karasu, Morley, and other commanders were spreading chaos throughout the city.
"So it's those brats from the Revolutionary Army?"
Green Bull slowly transformed into a gigantic wooden giant.
"You should know very well what happens to those who resist the Celestial Dragons."
Fujitora and Green Bull stood guard here. Although they sensed an extremely intense battle erupting elsewhere in Mary Geoise, they had little room to spare attention.
The Revolutionary Army commanders had already pinned them down.
"Be careful, Morley. Dragon said we must not endanger that old gentleman during the operation!!!"
"I know already."
Elsewhere, the other two Revolutionary Army forces were also rescuing slaves.
Sensing the unrest in Mary Geoise, Keek glanced in those directions.
"The Revolutionary Army? They don't even dare to kill Celestial Dragons?"
"Just small-time commotion…"
Karasu, as a commander, didn't even dare to attack a Celestial Dragon directly—he could only continuously prevent the other side from killing.
In Keek's view, such revolution and resistance were far too weak and powerless.
...
While the Holy Land Mary Geoise was in chaos,
The five elders representing the highest authority were heading together toward a throne.
Along the way, they also heard bits of news.
"How utterly arrogant—to kill a Celestial Dragon within the World Government!"
"The same conduct as Orin…"
"It's unrealistic to detain him completely in the Holy Land. At the end of the day, the death of one Celestial Dragon is not entirely unacceptable. Years ago, Orin also killed one in full public view…"
"If necessary, when we receive King Cobra, we can also receive that King Keek at the same time—to prevent further rebellious acts."
They discussed among themselves, not taking the chaos in the Holy Land too seriously.
After all, the God's Knights were present, and there were two Marine Admirals stationed here. The foundations of the Holy Land would not be shaken.
Soon, King Keek and King Cobra both received a summons from the Elder.
Cobra had long wanted to meet them. Keek, on the other hand, wore a displeased expression.
After all, he had no interest in meeting the leaders of a group of maggots.
But since it was his last visit to the Holy Land, taking a look at these so-called "Highest Authority of the World" wasn't a big deal.
Not to mention that among them was the "true culprit" who had killed Captain Rocks back then.
However, before that, the two kings had to attend the World Conference, representing that all the kings had gathered.
At the conference, King Cobra and King Riku jointly submitted a proposal to abolish the [Shichibukai] system.
The gathered kings looked at each other. Many gazes turned toward King Keek, who was somewhat connected to the matter.
The reason was obvious to everyone.
"There's no way to stop pirates from plundering!!! The law of the jungle has evolved on this sea for tens of thousands of years!"
Keek himself didn't particularly care, but holding onto the belief that he had once been a pirate, he still refuted them.
He had once roamed the seas with monsters like Rocks, plundering as they pleased.
For example, they had once gone to a temple nation that committed unspeakable acts—claiming to offer salvation while actually hoarding wealth—and robbed all of their treasures.
That had been the happiest period of Keek's life.
"You are also a king, King Keek! How could you say such a thing?!!!"
The two kings wanted to approach him, but due to status constraints, they dared not lay a hand on him. They could only stare at him with reddened eyes.
"If pirates were allowed to invade Duramos, turning your people into toys, making loved ones forget each other's existence forever—would you accept that?!!!"
"If Duramos were shrouded in drought, and people slaughtered each other for resources, what would you think then?!!!"
As they spoke, the two benevolent kings even shed tears.
"If every pirate had even a shred of morality, our nations would not have fallen into despair and war!!!"
Keek stiffened, staring blankly at the two of them. He wanted to say something from the perspective of a grandfather.
But when he thought of parents and elders who had forgotten their loved ones' very existence,
When he thought of children who had innocently lost their homes—
"...Sorry."