In Nereus's impression, neither Garp nor Roger were what you'd call serious people. Having their brains short-circuit and doing outrageous things wasn't strange at all.
He just hadn't expected that this "illness" of theirs had already started so early…
"Still able to speak normally, so you're definitely not being controlled…"
"Nereus, the situation here is pretty complicated. If you were controlled too, we really wouldn't be able to handle it."
They had fought with Nereus before and knew exactly what he was capable of. One Rocks alone had already given them a massive headache, if Nereus was added on top of that…
What made it even worse was that God Valley was now shrouded in a curtain of rain. In this kind of environment, the strength Nereus could unleash would be even more terrifying.
Although Nereus couldn't really be considered an ally, at least a clear-headed Nereus could listen to what others said. No matter how you looked at it, that was far better than being controlled.
However, the two of them didn't seem to be listening to Nereus at all. Seeing that Nereus's behaviour and speech were completely different from Rocks's, Garp finally let out a sigh of relief.
Roger did greet him, but he and Garp seemed to realize something else at the same time and suddenly asked Nereus:
"Wait a second! Who are you calling polio-ridden?!"
"And what do you mean by Alzheimer?! Am I that old?!"
"Sigh…"
Nereus didn't respond to them. Instead, he helplessly covered his face.
At this moment, Nereus felt he had made a huge mistake. Comparing the two of them's brains to the level of a normal human really wasn't appropriate.
Just now, although Garp and Roger had been repelled, Rocks had also been blasted away. At this moment, Rocks had already stood back up and swung his sword straight at Nereus.
Boom!
After a deafening explosion, Nereus blocked the blade with both claws and clearly sensed the changes in Rocks.
"Stronger than before… his reason seems to be gone, but his fighting instinct is still there? His Haki hasn't diminished either, but it seems to be mixed with something else…"
"Be careful! He is no longer the Rocks you know!"
From the side, Roger slashed at Rocks. Although he didn't break through the Haki Rocks was using to defend himself, he still forced Rocks back once again.
[Nereus… kill me. I'm begging you… with Roger and Garp helping… you can definitely do it…]
As Rocks was driven back, Nereus also heard a voice coming from him. More precisely, his inner voice.
This ability is usually called the Voice of All Things, an ability possessed by only a portion of people.
Those who have this ability can hear certain sounds that ordinary people cannot.
The sounds made by beings like Zunesha and Sea Kings are like this.
Because Roger and Garp possessed this ability, they were able to hear Rocks begging them to kill him.
Nereus himself already had this ability, and in his daily life he even communicated with the Fighting Fish and Sea Beasts he had domesticated, something extremely rare even among the Fish-Men.
Unlike Merfolk, who are born able to communicate with fish, most Fish-Men cannot understand the language of fish. Only a small number of individuals can do so.
Nereus's ability to hear this made him an especially rare existence.
"Kill you… Xebec… so that's how it is. To think it's because of something like this… how ironic."
At this point, Nereus already had the answer as to why Garp and Roger had joined forces.
"You heard what Rocks said too, right? Let's team up for now! He's way too abnormal in this state!"
"What exactly turned him into this?"
Originally, when Nereus came back, he had intended to fight other Celestial Dragons who possessed the Knights of God's immortality, to study their immortality ability.
But now it seemed he had discovered something even more troublesome.
If even someone like Rocks could be controlled by this method, then the plans going forward would have to be rearranged. At the very least, he'd need to find a way to avoid this kind of control before taking any further action.
"Earlier, we encountered something pitch-black. After Rocks fought that thing, he ended up like this.
As for what that thing actually was, I don't know."
Taking Nereus's words as tacit agreement to cooperate, Roger also explained what had happened earlier.
"That giant spider was one of the Five Elders, the World Government's highest authority; it seems his name is Saturn. As for that black shadow… I don't know either."
Garp also walked over and shared what he knew, but what they didn't know didn't mean Nereus didn't.
Nereus clearly remembered that, so far, the greatest recorded battle loss suffered by the Five Elders had been caused by Imu.
One of those seemingly unkillable Five Elders had been reduced to withered bones by a single thought from Imu.
As for the black shadow Garp and Roger mentioned, aside from Imu, there was no one else it could be.
Even without knowing the full details of God Valley, based on past memories and what was happening on the scene, such an answer could be inferred.
Boom!
Before Nereus and the others could finish speaking, Rocks, still in his demonic state, moved again, swinging a powerful slash at the three in front of him.
This was the command received by Rocks's body: all living beings on the island were his targets.
Although all three avoided the strike, the only remaining mountain of God Valley was left tottering by the shockwaves of the attack, as if it might collapse at any moment.
"Galaxy Impact!"
"Kamusari!"
The shockwave from Garp's punch and Roger's slash arrived together. Although they forced Rocks back once more, all of them could tell that Rocks hadn't suffered any fatal damage.
Instead, the aftermath of the attack completely toppled God Valley's last remaining mountain, and the entire island began to crumble apart.
"So even that had no effect… Armament Haki is a power no weaker than a Devil Fruit ability. Our attacks were all imbued with Conqueror's Haki. It's impossible for them to be ineffective…"
"The defense he's using is also Conqueror's Haki. Our attacks are being canceled out. If this drags on, we'll definitely lose, we can't outlast this monster in terms of stamina…"
Garp panted heavily as he answered Roger's question.
Prolonged combat only works when both sides are of similar strength, and Rocks had clearly surpassed that threshold.
"The quality of your Haki isn't enough, you can't break through his defense like this. Do it again. Fuse the two of your Haki together.
As long as you can wear down part of Rocks's defense, I can break through his defense."
A swirling vortex tinged with a bloody hue condensed in Nereus's hand, where a massive amount of Conqueror's Haki was compressed and refined, resembling a drill poised to strike.
In a one-on-one, even Nereus would have difficulty deciding a victor against Rocks under these conditions, but with Garp and Roger's help, the outcome would be different.
"How ugly you've become… Xebec…"
At this moment, tears streamed down Rocks's face. From his mouth came occasional eerie, low growls, and in Nereus's mind, Rocks's voice had been reduced to just three words.
[Kill me…]
Facing Rocks in this state, killing him was instead a form of release.
"It seems there's no other way. Nereus, whatever you do, don't miss! God of Fire Ace!"
"Infinitum…Explosion!"
Fist shadows and blade light flashed, and a thin crack appeared in the invisible armor surrounding Rocks's body.
Different from the original timeline, because of Nereus's involvement, Garp and Roger hadn't poured all of their Haki into the attack, leaving some strength in reserve, but it was enough.
"Blood Slaughter • Hell Thrust!"
The balance was broken. Facing Nereus's offensive, Rocks could no longer maintain his defense, and the Haki between Nereus's claws pierced straight through his chest.
[Th… thank you…]
That eerie sensation vanished from his body, and Rocks's consciousness began to recover. Yet in those final few seconds, he seemed to hear…
"River of Death!"
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