Roger's words struck Rocks like a thunderclap. In that instant, he understood one thing clearly: Roger, a fellow pirate, had aligned himself with the World Government against him.
Newgate forced Saint Fingerland back with a powerful tremor. The young Newgate's exposed chest was marred with several deep, crisscrossing stab wounds, some still seeping fresh blood.
The golden armor unique to the God's Knights, worn by Saint Fingerland, was fractured in several places, blood sliding down from the corner of his mouth. A young Newgate, fueled by the Tremor-Tremor Fruit, was no easy opponent. Their clash had been ferocious, and had Roger not arrived when he did, one of them might have fallen that very day.
Newgate glanced toward Roger, curiosity flickering in his eyes as he tried to decipher the man's intentions. Roger, however, did not arrive alone. Moments later, Silvers Rayleigh appeared with the rest of the crew, standing firmly behind their captain.
The arrival of the Roger Pirates shifted the tide of the battle instantly. Rocks' grim expression deepened; he looked as though he wanted to devour Roger whole. The remaining members of the Rocks Pirates, excluding Linlin who had vanished, frantically searched for a way to retreat.
Rocks recognized the shift and could not afford to hesitate. His roar fractured the air, his Conqueror's Haki exploding skyward in crackling black lightning. With a storm-like momentum, Rocks locked onto Roger with murderous intent. Even if he lost today, he would kill Roger.
Roger's expression was grave as he coated his great sword, one of the Twelve Supreme Grade Swords—with Conqueror's Haki, and charged. Their clash was earth-shattering, but Roger's arm began to numb. Rocks' raw physical power exceeded even his expectations.
Rayleigh attempted to join in, but Garp was faster. A pitch-black iron fist dropped from above, catching Rocks off guard in his obsession to kill Roger. Garp's strike sent Rocks flying backward.
Roger and Garp now stood side by side. Rocks, enraged beyond restraint, spat through clenched teeth:
"Utterly disgusting!"
He had meant to eliminate Roger first to stabilize his forces, but the reversal enraged him. The momentum continued to slip from his grasp.
At that moment, Linlin reappeared, holding a cyan Devil Fruit in her hand. With her Soul-Soul Fruit ability, she had given life to the land itself, allowing her to retrieve the Blue Dragon Fruit.
Rocks felt a flicker of relief, believing Linlin still displayed some loyalty. But her next words froze him.
"Kaido, you silly boy! Why are you fighting so hard? Look what I found! Come with me!"
Kaido's eyes widened at the sight of the Blue Dragon Fruit. Overjoyed, he rushed to Linlin, and the two disappeared from the battlefield within seconds.
A brief silence fell.
Newgate let out a soft sigh at the disarray of the Rocks Pirates. He slung From Clouds Cut across his back and walked away unchallenged. No one attempted to stop him.
Shiki calmly puffed his cigar. As a Float-Float Fruit user, escape was a trivial matter. No one dared to interfere.
Rocks watched silently as Newgate departed. Yet Roger and Garp felt something shift. Rocks, trapped and cornered, was preparing to unleash everything he had left.
Saint Saturn allowed himself a brief flicker of triumph. But he remained tense. He knew Rocks was most dangerous at this very moment.
Rocks slowly raised his head, his voice slicing sharply through the rattling battlefield:
"Roger. Celestial Dragons. Navy. All of you deserve to die."
Boom.
The ground shattered beneath him as Rocks and his remaining loyal subordinates rushed into the enemy lines. Limbs flew, blood mist filled the air, and the battlefield was thrown into chaos once more.
The combined forces of the World Government, Navy, and Roger Pirates pressed in tightly. Top fighters swarmed toward the rampaging Rocks, who tossed aside his blood-soaked cloak and laughed wildly.
"Come on! All of you! I am Rocks!"
Time passed. The roars echoing across God Valley slowly faded.
At the valley's edge, Newgate pushed a small wooden boat into the sea and climbed aboard. The Rocks Pirates' ships had been destroyed by Navy battleships; the makeshift boat was his only means of escape.
Looking back at God Valley, he shook his head softly.
"Goodbye, Captain Rocks."
Fumbling through his clothing, he pulled out a sky-blue Devil Fruit and examined it.
"To pick up a Devil Fruit on the way here… it must have been prepared by the Celestial Dragons. Quite a bargain."
On a Navy battleship, Sengoku sat on a bench, wiping blood from his wounds. Too many Navy soldiers were injured, overwhelming the medical corps. Relying on his strong body, he treated himself to save resources.
A sudden bang sounded as Garp burst into the room.
"Hey! Sengoku, are you alright?"
Sengoku winced as tweezers were still lodged in his wound. Garp tossed a wooden box toward him without thinking.
"Look what I found!"
The box, decorated with gold leaf, suggested immense value. Sengoku opened it slowly. Inside rested a golden Devil Fruit.
He looked up in disbelief. Garp grinned casually.
"This must belong to the Celestial Dragons. I found it, and well… I'm no fan of theirs. I won't hand it in, but I don't want to be tied down either. If you want it, it's yours."
Meanwhile, aboard the Roger Pirates' ship, Roger and his crew gathered around a wooden box containing a red-haired baby. Instead of crying, the infant waved tiny hands and giggled.