[Memo-Memo Fruit LV5]
[Devil Fruit Ability: Memory Manipulation]
[Effects by Level]
[LV3: Unlocks the fruit's full base abilities. Allows reading, extracting, replacing, and altering a person's memories. Requires 1 billion Beli for Eternal Unlock.]
[LV4: Advanced Devil Fruit mastery. Grants the technique "Memory Thread." Anyone touched and pierced by the threads enters a temporary state of "Memory Confusion." Requires 30 billion Beli for Eternal Unlock.]
[LV5: Devil Fruit Awakening – Memory Absorption. Affects all nearby living beings to extract their memories. Specific memories can be located by searching with keywords. Requires 9 billion Beli for Eternal Unlock.]
The Memo-Memo Fruit, which originally belonged to Charlotte Pudding, was undoubtedly a very unusual Devil Fruit.
In terms of raw combat power, it was nothing more than a pure support ability, offering almost no direct boost in battle. But for Star-Lord at this moment, it was incredibly important.
Because,
'Buzz!!'
Star-Lord slowly reached out and touched Linlin's soul. A strip of memory, resembling a reel of film, was gently pulled from it and into his hand.
Within those memories, he saw Linlin's entire life unfold. Her parents abandoned her as a child. Meeting Mother Carmel. Her time in Elbaf, the land of the Giants. Everything was there.
Star-Lord didn't alter any of it. The good memories and the bad ones alike, they were all part of the road Linlin had walked. Instead, he activated his awakened Devil Fruit ability and searched her mind using a single keyword.
[Memory Search - Rocks]
With a single thought, the countless film reels began to shift. Most of the memories faded away, leaving behind only a handful of short clips. Star Lord focused his attention on them.
"Hey! You're called Linlin, right?" A familiar voice reached his ears. "You're pretty strong. Want to join my pirate crew and become one of my subordinates?"
It was Rocks' voice.
The young Charlotte Linlin chewed happily on a piece of cake while carrying Napoleon over her shoulder. She frowned at him. "Why should I join you?"
Rocks answered as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. "Why? Because we're pirates. When you see someone strong you like, of course you invite them."
Linlin looked even more confused and clearly irritated. "I don't have a habit of sharing my treasure with other people. And more importantly... why would 'I' be your subordinate?"
"Relax. I'm not interested in taking my crew's treasure either," Rocks said. "As for why you're the subordinate... naturally, it's because I'm stronger."
"Hah? You've got some nerve saying that!" Furious, Linlin swung her blade.
From then on, she became a member of the Rocks Pirates.
The memories that followed matched everything Star Lord already knew. Ochoku, Whitebeard, Kaido, Shiki, Silver Axe, Gloriosa... The Rocks Pirates had continued to grow as one powerful figure after another joined their ranks.
Until that day.
On the island known as God Valley, the Rocks Pirates reached their turning point. Within Linlin's memories, the final battle at God Valley unfolded before Star Lord with perfect clarity.
Kaido, Linlin, Whitebeard, Rocks, Roger, Garp. Six monsters who stood at the very peak of their era, and who would still be regarded as legends today, had joined forces against the being that had descended upon them.
It was the world's god... Imu.
It had descended into the body of one of the Five Elders, Saint Saturn. Saturn's lower body remained that of the giant, spider-like Gyūki, his own Devil Fruit ability. But his upper body belonged to Imu itself. It was a gigantic, pitch-black figure whose true appearance couldn't be seen at all.
From Star Lord's point of view, it looked remarkably like... the shadow of a tree.
'"So it really is that thing..."' Behind his mask, Roy silently confirmed his suspicion once more.
The mural he had seen in the Abyss... the black shadow born from within that enormous, unknown tree... that had been Imu itself.
Everything that followed happened exactly as Roy already knew. Rocks was taken over by Imu's "Black Transfer Domination," and Linlin withdrew from the battlefield. The memory slowly faded away.
"...Nothing useful." Roy couldn't hide his disappointment.
Ever since leaving the Abyss, he had never stopped investigating the truth behind God Valley. If anything, he cared about it even more now. At this point, he already counted the World Government, the Celestial Dragons, and that so-called Sir Imu as his absolute enemies. Whether because of their clashing values or everything they had done, there was no room for reconciliation.
That made the Davy Clan represented by Rocks, along with the truth from eight hundred years ago, something he had to uncover. Only by learning Imu's origins, and only by understanding Davy Jones and Joy Boy, could he properly prepare for the day he faced Imu.
And ultimately... kill it.
Unfortunately, Linlin hadn't been one of the people who stayed until the very end of the battle at God Valley. She hadn't lied to Ochoku before, either; she really 'hadn't' seen Star Lord at God Valley.
But just as Star Lord was about to stop reading Linlin's memories,
"...Hm?" His expression suddenly changed.
Because after the memories of God Valley, another strip of film slowly appeared. One that was clearly connected to 'Rocks'.
Judging by its position and length, Star Lord immediately realized something. "This is... a memory from 'after' God Valley?!"
Frowning, he raised his hand without hesitation.
[Soul Ingress]
His soul shot straight into the memory.
[Memory Reading · Soul Experience]
In an instant, the world around him changed.
'Crash!'
The roar of the waves, the salty sea breeze, and scattered rays of sunlight overhead all rushed toward him. Everything inside the memory felt completely real.
The first thing Star Lord saw was the enormous object towering above him. It was a colossal tree that covered half the sky, like a pillar holding up the world itself. Its twisted roots resembled giant serpents, and high among its branches stretched rainbow bridges. Countless villages could be seen in the distance.
"Elbaf." The sight instantly told Star Lord where he was. The world's strongest nation, the land of the Giants, built upon the World Tree, 'Treasure Tree Adam'.
But the first thought that crossed his mind wasn't about Elbaf itself. '"If Treasure Tree Adam is already this enormous... then just how unimaginably huge was the tree in that mural?"'
He thought back to the tree depicted in the Abyss mural. Based on everything he'd pieced together, the Treasure Tree Adam that formed the foundation of Elbaf was likely nothing more than an offshoot of that ancient tree, a root sucker bestowed upon the Giants by Davy Jones.
But he didn't have time to think any further.
"Mamamama! When I got your letter, it nearly scared me to death! I can't believe you actually survived after what happened at God Valley, Rocks!"
"How'd you break free from that control? Back then, you looked like you didn't have any strength left at all!"
Linlin's voice interrupted his thoughts. He turned around and saw a young Linlin sitting cross-legged behind him. She held an enormous red wine cup, obviously made by the Giants, and her cheeks were already flushed from drinking.
But what surprised Star Lord even more were the three figures sitting beside her.
A massive, broad-shouldered man with a crescent-shaped mustache and blond hair, the young Whitebeard, Edward Newgate.
A shirtless young man with a pair of horns and a powerfully built physique, the young Kaido of the Beasts.
And seated at the head of the table... Rocks D. Xebec.
The white bandages wrapped around the left side of his body, together with what Linlin had just said, made one thing perfectly clear. He had survived God Valley.
"..." Even Star Lord, who had mentally prepared himself for anything, couldn't help being shocked.
After the God Valley Incident, the supposedly dead Rocks had actually met with Kaido, Linlin, and Whitebeard again in Elbaf?
'Gulp... gulp...'
"Haa..." Rocks drained the last of his drink and set the cup down. "Didn't I already tell you? It was... an accident." He grinned. "An accident that went beyond destiny."
He offered no further explanation. Instead, he turned toward Kaido. "Hey, Kaido. What's with you? Why're you sitting there drinking by yourself? Didn't you finally get your power? You looked pretty happy about it back at God Valley."
Just as Rocks said, Kaido wore a gloomy expression. Hearing that, he emptied another cup of wine in one gulp.
"Getting that power really 'was' something worth celebrating... But now? What's the point of it? If you want to become the world's strongest creature, if you want to win the greatest war of all... then in the end, Haki is what really matters."
The moment he said that, Linlin scowled. "Hey, Kaido! What's that supposed to mean? Don't forget, that 'legendary Devil Fruit' you're so proud of was something you snatched from 'me'."
"So what?!" Clearly drunk, Kaido glared right back at her. "You saw that monster at God Valley too, didn't you?! Devil Fruit powers were completely useless against it! Haki wasn't exactly all that effective either! Even Rocks' Conqueror's Haki couldn't hurt it! But at least it could make it feel pain!"
"Hah? So that's your attitude now? Good timing, I still haven't forgiven you! Wanna fight, you little apprentice?!"
"Fine by me! Linlin, we're not crewmates anymore. If we're fighting, I won't hold back!"
Seeing the two of them rolling up their sleeves and getting ready to brawl, Whitebeard simply raised his giant cup and took another drink.
"Ha... It's been a long time since I've had Giant wine." He set the cup down and looked toward Rocks. "So, Rocks... what are you planning to do next? You specifically called only the three of us here, made us promise not to tell anyone, and chose to meet in Elbaf... You know, don't you? Harald is working for the Government now."
Whitebeard was clearly the most level-headed of the three. In just a few sentences, he pointed out the core of the situation.
This meeting in Elbaf had completely caught Whitebeard, Kaido, and Linlin by surprise. Each of them had been summoned by the supposedly dead Rocks without knowing beforehand what the meeting was about. Rocks had even specifically instructed them to keep it a secret. Normally, with the pride the three of them possessed, they would never have obeyed such a request.
But Rocks was different. To Kaido, he had once been the World's Strongest, someone worthy of respect. To Linlin, he had been the head of the family she once belonged to. To Whitebeard, he was a man he truly acknowledged. That was why they had come.
At the same time, Whitebeard had raised another important issue. They were meeting in Elbaf, whose King Harald was now working for the World Government. Even though Harald had once been Rocks' closest friend, they'd long since gone their separate ways. Choosing Elbaf as the meeting place was a dangerous move.
"Hahaha! That's just like you, Newgate!" Hearing that, Rocks only burst into laughter, completely unconcerned. "I know Harald has already signed a contract with the 'World' and become one of its Divine Blades. Don't worry. Our meeting in Elbaf has nothing to do with him. I already had someone tell him the truth about God Valley... and about the 'World.' Though knowing him, he probably didn't believe all of it."
He sighed. No one understood a friend better than another friend. As Harald's former closest friend, Rocks knew better than anyone how stubborn the Giant King, whose strength rivaled his own, really was.
"But it can't be helped. We're not friends anymore. A man has to take responsibility for the choices he makes." Rocks shook his head before regaining his usual spirited expression. "As for why I invited you here... I'm sure you've already guessed."
His gaze swept across the three of them.
"You're all my comrades. You all stood beside me at God Valley and faced that monster yourselves. So by now, you've realized it too, haven't you? That thing... 'is' the 'World.' That thing... is my ambition."
"..."
"..."
"..."
The three people sitting before Rocks all fell silent. Standing inside the memory, Star Lord also remained quiet.
He had already guessed as much. The three people before him had all fought Imu personally at God Valley. They were among the very few who had truly laid eyes upon a god. That was why Rocks had summoned only them.
As for what Rocks had said, Star-Lord wasn't surprised in the slightest. Rocks D. Xebec had never hidden his ambition. He never wanted to become the Pirate King; he wanted to conquer the world.
Or rather, that was the very reason he had founded the Rocks Pirates in the first place. He had gathered countless powerful individuals, each with their own fierce ambitions. None of them got along, none of them respected each other, and none of them could be controlled.
Yet Rocks didn't care. He even encouraged it. Power, freedom, kingdoms, wealth... whatever a person's ambition was, he admired it. What he wanted was for people to challenge the world's order.
And it was obvious that even after God Valley, he still hadn't abandoned that dream.
"I'm a pirate. A pirate's ambition only ends with death!"
Rocks rose to his feet. Holding his wine cup high and spreading his arms wide, he looked at the three of them with blazing determination in his eyes.
"I'll tell you this much. The preparations for our promise are complete. I am going to meet my death! I asked you here because this is the last time I'll ever invite you, "
The waves crashed against the shore. The sea breeze whispered through the air. His wild laughter mixed with his fearless declaration.
"So... will you stand with me and become enemies of the World one more time?!"
"If you're willing... then drink this cup with me!"
'(End of Chapter)'
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