"Listen to this first."
Anyone could tell something was off with Rocks.
This level of agitation was unlike his usual self.
So Charlotte Linlin directly took out a special Den Den Mushi—
a recording-type transponder snail.
This type was much larger than ordinary Den Den Mushi, usually used in surveillance rooms together with visual snails.
But in Linlin's hands, the size looked almost perfectly normal.
After a quick adjustment, recorded audio began playing through the room.
At the same time, everyone present received a paper intelligence sheet.
📞📜
"Cough... cough... Whoever receives this message, I guarantee what follows is true.
This is a Celestial Dragon slave transport ship.
The Celestial Dragons are preparing one of their games.
Treasures, Devil Fruits, rare slaves—all prizes.
Each chest is worth ten billion berries.
Destination: God Valley, West Blue. Coordinates are..."
A low female voice spoke rapidly, giving precise details.
There was no plea for pity.
No request for rescue.
Only a clear explanation of how valuable the prizes were.
She understood one thing clearly:
The World Government led this.
The Marines escorted it.
The people preaching justice were actively supporting a slaughter game.
So no appeal to morality would work.
Only greed.
Money moved hearts.
If the profit was high enough, someone would come.
And only chaos created escape.
"Too suspicious. Where's the source?"
Wang Zhi clearly didn't trust it.
Beside him, Buckingham Stussy guessed perhaps someone inside the Marines had begun wavering and leaked information.
But most people were focused elsewhere:
Shakky.
"Shakky's alive?!"
"Where is she?!"
"Idiot, they just said it—God Valley!"
"I'm asking where God Valley is! I'm not a navigator! Who understands coordinates?!"
The room instantly descended into noise.
Meanwhile others were trying to process the implications.
"So it really was the World Government bastards who took Shakky?!
No... of course it was those bastards...
No wonder none of my routes found her..."
Ganzui muttered to himself.
Most Rocks members had thriving side businesses before joining.
Many came from underworld backgrounds.
Ganzui specialized in smuggling.
And for smuggling, stable hidden routes were everything.
He controlled many secret sea lanes.
After Shakky vanished, every route he checked came back empty.
That failure had irritated him for months.
"So we're going to take Shakky back?"
"Xiong, what stupid question is that? Of course we are! Maybe she'll fall for whoever rescues her."
Shiki immediately criticized Silver Axe—
but then became a target himself.
"No, besides Shakky, there's treasure too! Shakky should fall for whoever grabs the most treasure!"
That came from Captain John.
His greed for treasure was legendary.
Shakky mattered—
but treasure mattered more.
Enough to require serious thought.
💰🏴☠️
Soon the entire discussion revolved around Shakky.
The meeting steadily drifted off-topic.
At this point it looked less like strategy—
and more like a mass therapy session for aggressively repressed pirates.
"...If I save Shakky, Roger would thank me too..."
That was Gloriosa's internal logic.
She had feelings for Roger.
And Shakky, like her, came from Amazon Lily.
Former vice-captain.
Future empress candidate.
Naturally, she intended to rescue her.
Stussy herself had zero interest in Shakky—
but great interest in treasure.
She had just opened her mouth to discuss loot with Whitebeard—
when Whitebeard calmly said:
"Out of friendship, I think we should rescue her.
If she falls for me because of it, I wouldn't object."
"Newgate, what exactly are you saying?!"
Even Stussy looked offended.
😂⚔️
Through all this, Rocks remained silent.
The coordinates had already confirmed it for him:
God Valley.
His home.
Unlike the Grand Line's chaotic magnetism, compasses worked normally in the Four Seas.
And that location—
he knew it well.
Very well.
Charlotte Linlin ignored the Shakky madness and walked directly to Nereus.
"Nereus, let's cooperate first.
I was probably the first to receive the message.
But the broadcast method was crude enough that others likely have it too.
Marines. Celestial Dragons. Other pirates.
That island will be chaos.
We should secure an alliance now—
take the Devil Fruits and treasure first,
then divide it afterward."
Unlike the others, Linlin had broader priorities.
She could already tell:
God Valley would become total disorder.
Securing one reliable ally mattered.
Although their values clashed and their relationship had fractured,
among everyone in Rocks's crew—
Nereus remained one of the few she trusted relatively more.
Because here—
everyone watched everyone else.
Even Rocks.
Linlin had even warned Kaido before:
Never trust too much.
"I have no objection. Temporary cooperation is fine."
Nereus accepted immediately.
He already knew the final result of God Valley.
He knew fragments of what happened—
though not every detail.
Enough to understand alliance was useful.
🤝🌊
"Wait—Nereus, Linlin—you're both ability users, right? Then Devil Fruits are useless to you!"
Kaido suddenly cut in.
Linlin rolled her eyes.
"Kaido, what nonsense are you saying? If you don't eat one yourself, give it to someone else. Or sell it. Rare fruits are never cheap."
Nereus glanced at Kaido.
Among the men present, aside from himself and Rocks,
Kaido was the only one unaffected by Shakky.
There was simply no space for women in his priorities.
Only strength.
Only powerful Devil Fruits.
Still—
his logic remained questionable.
"In that case, count me in too.
I only need one fruit."
Kaido formally proposed joining.
According to the original timeline, without Nereus, Linlin and Kaido would have temporarily partnered.
Though that alliance ended badly—
Kaido ultimately stole the Azure Dragon fruit Linlin had secured.
Now, Linlin already had a superior alliance option.
But that did not stop Kaido from forcing himself into the arrangement.
BOOM.
Before either Linlin or Nereus answered—
Rocks slammed a fist into the stone table.
The hard surface instantly cracked in every direction.
It looked ready to collapse.
💥👑
"Enough arguing!"
His voice crushed the room into silence.
"Dividing spoils now is too early!
Shakky, treasure, Devil Fruits—
none of it is ours yet.
Temporary alliance first.
We take everything back—
then discuss distribution.
Anyone disagree?"
His eyes swept across the room.
No one spoke.
"Cowards stay on the island.
Anyone going to God Valley—
prepare to set sail."