"Rocks must be losing his mind by now! Jiehahahahahaha!"
The raucous laughter of the Golden Lion Shiki echoed across the bay, wild and infectious. He could barely contain his excitement at the thought of seeing Rocks D. Xebec enraged.
"Oi, this island's a damn mess… Gurararara!"
A deep laugh rumbled from Edward Newgate, his beard still white though his face was young and brimming with strength. A striking young woman — Buckin, still far from the elegant infamy she'd one day become — sat casually on his shoulder, fanning herself in the heat.
"Rocks Port's taken heavy damage," muttered Wang Zhi, stroking his trimmed beard as he stepped toward the shore. "I just hope all the ones who died were rookies. I don't like wasting my time."
Before he could take another step, the drunk beside him swayed violently — and promptly fell face-first onto the dock.
"John! You damned drunk!" barked Silver Axe, catching him neatly with the shaft of his massive axe.
The bleary-eyed Captain John squinted up at the island, mumbling, "Wait… am I flying?"
Silver Axe sighed. "Hopeless."
Beside them, Fireblossom, the Empress of Amazon Lily in this era, idly stroked the serpent coiled around her arm as it hissed with curiosity.
Then — ha ha ha ha ha!
That unmistakable laughter rolled over the sea, shaking the entire island.
No rage. No frustration.
Just that overwhelming, infectious madness that could only belong to Rocks D. Xebec.
His wild hair whipped like sea serpents as he leapt onto the prow of his flagship.
He wasn't the tallest among his monstrous crew, but his sheer presence — that grin of unshakable confidence — dominated the scene.
"The perfect opportunity has come, hasn't it?"
His words alone carried the weight of command.
Even Whitebeard frowned slightly — the man's arrogance could test anyone's patience. But this was what made Rocks unstoppable. Without that mad confidence, even overwhelming power couldn't have held this pack of monsters together.
"The damned God Knights… this time, we'll wipe them all out!"
"Pack up! Fix the ships!"
"Tomorrow, we sail — let's show those Celestial bastards the wrath of the sea!"
Ambition burned bright in Rocks' eyes. If they'd stolen Devil Fruits from him, he would steal back everything — and more.
He would slaughter the Celestial Dragons, crush the God Knights, and turn their "game" into a massacre.
The Celestial Dragons believed pirates were still disorganized scum.
The Five Elders thought this chaos was temporary.
But every soul living through this era knew the truth:
This was the Age of Rocks, the Reign of Madness.
"Captain's moving again, huh? Looks like we're really going to fight the Celestial Dragons."
A young Kaido, barely twenty-one but already towering, cracked his neck. Even at eight, he'd been massive — now, his spiked kanabo was longer than most men were tall.
He was still an intern in the grand fleet, but already hailed as a prodigy — a future monster.
"Kaido!"
Charlotte Linlin, bright-eyed and terrifying even in youth, laughed heartily. To Kaido, she was the dependable "Big Sis" of the Rocks Pirates.
"That man always has his own schemes. Don't let him trick you, got it?"
"Everyone here's got ambition. This crew won't last forever."
Kaido nodded solemnly. He was furious too — one of the stolen Devil Fruits had been meant for him.
All eyes turned to Rocks as he raised his arms high, his voice booming like thunder.
"From this moment — I will choose a crew for the assault!"
"At noon tomorrow, those who stand at Rocks Port shall sail for God Valley!"
"There, you'll find treasures! Women! Celestial Dragons! Devil Fruits!"
"Whatever you seize is yours — that's the pirate's way!"
"And when this battle is won, I will become ruler of the world — and you, the founders of the New Era!"
The air trembled with his Conqueror's Haki — words alone bending wills, driving men to madness.
"Uoooohhh!!!"
"Long live Captain Rocks!"
"I'll be the last one standing!"
The pirates roared.
They came from every corner of the seas, and now they stood united — not by loyalty, but by greed and glory.
To them, life or death meant nothing.
The voyage to God Valley would take days, plenty of time to recover and sharpen their blades.
And those chosen to join the strike force… were monsters among monsters.
At the far end of the beach, near the roaring harbor, Sharn watched in silence.
The swarm of pirates lifted their weapons like a wave of madness. The air stank of blood and ambition.
Rocks turned, his gaze locking onto Sharn.
"Boy, your eyes… they're full of ambition!"
"Don't fall too early, or you'll never see the new world!"
The confidence, the overwhelming will in Rocks' tone — it was enough to burn through a man's soul.
Behind him stood legends-in-the-making: Whitebeard, Big Mom, Kaido, Shiki… each one already commanding their own influence, each harboring dreams of supremacy.
Rocks knew it — but he didn't care.
So long as their ambitions aligned with his for now, that was all he needed.
"The victor shall be King of the World!"
Sharn's Demon Compass began to spin again, glowing faintly.
A new fate point had appeared.
Before he could turn, a blade stabbed toward his back.
Here in Rocks Port, everyone standing was a rival.
Outside of shipwrights and laborers, every pirate here fought for a slot on the warship to God Valley.
Under any other captain, such chaos would have been suicide.
But this was Rocks' fleet — and Rocks encouraged madness.
If you wanted to be lawless, you needed the strength to back it up.
Sharn's body reacted instinctively.
"Shigan!"
He pivoted, drove his finger forward — and the attacker dropped, lifeless.
Standing over the corpse, Sharn's eyes were cold and sharp.
No fear of killing. No hesitation.
The memories of the body's previous owner whispered in the back of his mind — this was survival, pure and simple.
With each motion, his precision improved. His strikes grew faster, cleaner, stronger.
He had surpassed the limits of the human body — and he was only getting started.
"Kaido," Linlin said, stepping across the wooden planks, her cleaver glinting crimson in the sunrise, "that kid's about your age, huh? Got some fire in him."
Kaido glanced over. "He's about as tall as Katakuri."
Her smile flickered. Katakuri, her second son, was only ten this year. She hadn't thought about her children in a long time.
Meanwhile, more pirates surrounded Sharn, blades flashing in the dim light.
The slaughter raged through the night.
Only those who survived until dawn would earn a place aboard the ships bound for God Valley.
[Fate Point Triggered — New Choices Available]
[Choice 1: Stop fighting, choose peace — Reward: Death (restart at checkpoint).]
[Choice 2: Stow away on a ship, flee from Hachinosu — Reward: Human-Human Fruit.]
[Choice 3: Survive until dawn and board the ship to God Valley — Reward: 'Soru (Shave) (Soru),' the most practical of the Six Powers.]
"Three! Three! Three!"
Good thing Sharn still had some sense left. Otherwise, he'd have accidentally picked "peace" and died instantly.
Driven toward the sea, surrounded on all sides, he fought like a demon.
By the time the first light touched the horizon, over a dozen bodies lay at his feet — his strength keeping others at bay.
Hunger gnawed at him, so he stole food from the corpses, chewing through dried rations between fights.
The night crawled on. He didn't dare close his eyes once.
When dawn finally broke, the harbor was overflowing with pirates.
The entire island had turned into a battlefield of exhausted survivors.
"All hands — prepare to set sail!"
Rocks' booming voice rolled across the port.
"The ships are stocked with food, water, and medicine!"
"Get ready for war!"
Cheers erupted again.
Madmen didn't turn sane overnight.
[Choice Completed]
Sharn straightened up. His body glowed faintly, fatigue washing away as strength returned. His reflexes, speed, and explosiveness surged to new heights.
He had learned Soru, the blinding step of the Navy's Six Powers — and his body adapted to withstand it perfectly.
All around, the decks overflowed with food, meat, and rum. The victors of Hachinosu feasted like beasts.
Even the skull-shaped mountain seemed to smile wider in the dawn light.
The age of madness was setting sail.
Many believed the Rocks Pirates were unstoppable.
Some whispered that peace would soon return once they were crushed.
But the truth was crueler.
The nightmare hadn't ended.
It was only beginning.
Sharn devoured bread, roast meat, and sweets, guzzling wine straight from the bottle.
Bandages wrapped his arms and torso, but exhaustion hit him like a wave.
The young recover fast — soon, even his fellow survivors snored where they sat.
When his stomach was full, Sharn leaned back against the wall and drifted into dreamless sleep.
On the main deck, Rocks stood tall, arms crossed, watching the horizon blaze gold.
"Chef, those brats all eaten their fill?"
The lanky Streusen grinned.
"Of course, Captain."
In this crew of monsters, even a cook could seem ordinary.
Deep within the ship's hull, the Demon Compass continued to spin, whispering of fates yet to come.
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