For the next week that followed the incident, the shocking news of Xebec's death had immediately hit the newspapers and spread across the world like wildfire.
The entirety of the sea had sighed a collective breath of relief on the confirmed death of one of the most dangerous hooligan pirates to ever sail.
The entire World Government had not wasted any time on announcing its absolute victory over the Pirates to the public.
They were pushing Garp as the forefront of the entire war and the sole hero of the day, which is something that Garp does not seem to appreciate at all.
"WHAT THE HELL IS THIS? ROGER, I, NEWGATE, AND THAT GIANT PRINCE HAD ALL BANDED TOGETHER TO DEFEAT ROCKS. WHY IS MY NAME THE ONLY ONE MENTIONED HERE?" Garp, despite being covered in heavy bandages from head to toe due to his injuries, yelled loudly over his longtime friend in the Marines, Sengoku the Buddha.
Sengoku, at this time, whose facial structure looked so young and unburdened, appeared entirely different from the old, wise agenda man in the future who would lead the Marines.
"Relax, Garp, that article is only written due to them being paid by the World Government.
The World Government and Marines are massive organizations. What do you think would've happened if the world learns that you, a marine, had teamed up with pirates to kill another pirate?
That's going to be bad for their reputation and name, plus, you don't know the motivation of every single member of this massive organization, so if you deem the higher-ups' action insane, you should simply turn a blind eye," Sengoku said towards Garp with a calm demeanor.
He was the one who had given Garp the newspaper in the first place, intending to congratulate and inform Garp that he was up for a significant promotion due to this event, something that Sengoku knew deep down Garp would just refuse immediately.
"WHAT DID YOU SAY?!!" Garp said as he loudly yelled towards Sengoku again.
Sengoku had just faced Garp without any fear or flinching, as he was already used to the temperamental reputation and outbursts of Garp from their years of friendship.
But before they could further fight against each other regarding the politics of the promotion, Garp suddenly remembered something important that he had neglected to ask.
"Did you see my son on the final headcount? I remember seeing him in the God Valley, then I got occupied in the fight," Garp said with a little concern evident in his voice.
Despite his tough outward exterior and rough personality, Garp truly cares about his family deep down.
"No, I had seen the list. Dragon isn't on the list of survivors. There's not even a record of Dragon getting on the boat, as he was not supposed to be on that mission.
Turns out that he had a friend over the higher-ups, where he was given the chance to prove himself to rank up faster and be involved in a lot more missions," Sengoku said.
He explained this matter clearly, as he was able to interview the brigade leader whom Dragon had been a member of to get the full picture.
"Ah, is that right? No matter, I'm confident that Dragon survives, my son won't die easily, but I'm afraid, he won't be back in the Marines anymore," Garp said with a resigned tone.
He realized that the event that he had experienced yesterday was particularly bad for him, a veteran who had already been exposed to the rotten parts of the Marines and had grown numb to them.
But for Dragon, his kid, who has a rose colored point of view on the duties of Marines and Justice, this event would fundamentally change him and his path forever.
-----------------
The remaining members of the Rocks Pirates, however, had immediately begun to fight violently over the remaining resources on the Pirate Island of Hachinosu.
They were acting like vultures picking at a carcass, excluding Thor and Newgate from their petty squabbles.
These two did not come back to the Island, as they both knew deep down that the era of the Rocks Pirates is now finished, and there was nothing left on that island for them.
"The Rocks Pirates are officially disbanded," Thor announced on the Den-Den Mushi that Vegapunk had created specifically for long-distance calls.
It was a special modified version that could connect multiple Den-Den Mushi receivers instead of just the standard one-by-one connection, essentially functioning like a massive group call across the seas to reach every member at once.
"Who gave you the right to announce this? You're not our leader," Ganzui said arrogantly towards Thor over the transmission.
The others on the line supported Ochoku, clamoring for their own status and refusing to take orders from the giant.
"The next time we meet on the sea, we are all enemies. Don't expect mercy from me. You abandoned us when we needed you. Your life is a fair game," Thor said with an incredibly serious tone.
His message amongst them was made very clear, especially directed at both Kaido and Linlin.
They knew exactly what they were up against, but they had chosen to leave the battlefield instead of fighting, an act which Thor viewed as unforgivable cowardice.
Thor then hung up the Den-Den Mushi abruptly, cutting off their protests. He decided to contact Newgate privately to have a talk with him, as these two are the only ones who knew the real story that happened in the God Valley. Borsalino was informed much later on by Thor regarding the specific details of the betrayal and the battle.
[A WEEK BEFORE]
Thor, Rocks, and Borsalino managed to catch up with the ship where Eris and the remaining members of the Davy Clan had boarded.
Eris had requested that they raise their sails and wait in the middle of the ocean.
Eris wanted to wait for Rocks, despite not having any assurance that Rocks would still be alive.
When Eris saw Rocks's smiling figure that was approaching them from a distance, tears kept coming down Eris's face uncontrollably.
Teach was smiling broadly on his father's figure, while Rocks's grandmother and father also looked at Rocks proudly from the deck.
"Did you manage to avenge our fallen members and our island?" Rocks's grandmother immediately asked.
This question made Rocks's face drop, as he knew that he not only did not manage to achieve this vengeance, but also, he was one of the contributing factors where the God Valley into the sea.
As if recognizing the deep sadness on Rocks's face, Rocks's father tapped his shoulder reassuringly, and his grandmother did the same.
"Welcome back," The remaining members of the Davy Clan said simultaneously towards Rocks. Eris and Teach joined in as well, as they welcomed back Rocks into their family.
The entire ship then underwent a celebration of them surviving the purge of their clan, as they all see it as a victory, even if just one of them survived the ordeal.
"What's your plan now?" Thor asked about the Rocks after the celebration had died down, as they both looked over the horizon at the open sea.
"I think I'll take your offer," Rocks said towards Thor. Thor then smiled, and the ship that they were on veered towards the Country of Elbaph.
They all needed to avoid as much exposure to other ships as possible, which made them take a longer, more treacherous route.
[PRESENT]
Now, after a week of traveling on the longer route by sea, where they won't have any encounters with World Government ships, as they are traveling where the waves are much more dangerous, they saw the giant tree.
It was the massive structure that encompassed the entire Elbaph, which indicated that they were now near their destination.
As they got closer to the shore, Thor couldn't help but hear a loud wailing. It was something that seemed to be crying out in pure agony.
Thor recognized their voice immediately. As the ship got closer, the wailing became louder and louder, until Thor's eyes reached the right sight.
He then saw Loki's figure crying loudly over the beach, looking out at the sea like he was mourning the loss of someone important to him.
"Seems that you have a fan remaining," Thor couldn't help but tease Rocks lightly. Rocks just hugged his wife and son tightly, as he, as well as his wife and son, and the remaining members of the Davy Clan, were now nearing their new home and a new beginning.