As the great battle between Blackbeard and the God's Knights raged on, the sea itself roared in fury. Mighty waves crashed against the Tequila Wolf bridge, a terrifying sight to behold.
"Zehahahaha! Face the wrath of the sea!"
Blackbeard roared with laughter, his fists clenched tight. A powerful wave of energy surged from his body, enveloping an area a hundred meters around him.
Under the influence of this energy, the dead continuously fell only to rise again.
"What is this power?"
Chox's expression was grave, his voice low. Facing this endless tide of the dead had consumed too much of his stamina; all he felt now was an overwhelming fatigue.
"Haki!"
"Only Haki can transcend all other powers!"
A phrase Rocks had once spoken echoed in Figarland Garling's mind as he stared at the vaguely familiar figures.
Boom! As the words left his lips, he unleashed a slash from his blade. In an instant, countless streaks of black and red lightning erupted in the air, striking down a Marine-like undead. This time, it did not rise again.
"Zehahahaha... Garling, it's been a long time!"
Suddenly, Blackbeard's voice turned imperious as he addressed Garling.
As he spoke, Blackbeard's appearance slowly began to change. He morphed into the man Garling once knew—the man who had wanted to become King of the World.
"Rocks!"
The familiar sight instantly triggered a memory, and Garling leaped back, swiftly putting distance between himself and Rocks.
"Come back to me! Join me once more in conquering this world!"
But contrary to expectations, Rocks did not attack Garling. Instead, he appeared in an instant beside Chox and snatched the sword from his hands.
The blade, which had once belonged to Rocks, was now back in its master's possession.
It seemed to tremble with excitement.
Chox was completely stunned by this sudden turn of events. Seeing his sword taken, he instinctively threw a punch at Rocks.
Countless streaks of black and red lightning immediately erupted!
But Rocks was faster. Gripping his sword, he swung it in a single fluid motion, unleashing an even more overwhelming wave of Conqueror's Haki. The sky itself seemed to churn with the torrent of black and red lightning, turning dark and ominous.
Boom!
In an instant, Chox was sent flying, a trail of blood spraying from the corner of his mouth.
"Defeated! Utterly and completely!"
Chox collapsed to the ground, feeling a sense of powerlessness he hadn't experienced in over thirty years. He had been completely unable to resist his opponent's attack.
"As expected of that man. He's as strong as ever!" Garling's gaze was heavy. He knew he was likely no match for Rocks either. The only option was to call for Lord Imu. He was certain Imu would be very interested in this development.
Garling began to contact Imu through the mark on his body.
But until Lord Imu arrived, Garling's duty was to prevent the destruction of the Tequila Wolf bridge. The bridge was just meters away from completion. If he could see it finished, his mission would be accomplished.
"My crew, destroy everything!"
Rocks clearly understood his priority. With a mighty roar, he commanded his subordinates, and the horde of the dead charged toward the captured slaves.
Blood splattered everywhere, painting a scene of hell on earth.
Among the dead, one figure stood out: the former Emperor, the World's Strongest Man—Edward Newgate, Whitebeard. But this version of him no longer wielded his naginata nor unleashed the terrifying power of the Tremor-Tremor Fruit. He fought with pure physical prowess and mastery of the three types of Haki.
With every punch, the young Marine soldiers standing in his way were sent flying into the sea below.
Bang! Rocks swung his sword relentlessly, sending powerful slashes crashing into the bridge with tremendous force. Garling, seeing this, immediately rushed forward to engage Rocks in a fierce duel.
The two combatants clashed violently.
Buzz! Just then, a violent fluctuation of energy filled the air. An immense, five-pointed star formation appeared, pulsing with purple light that drew everyone's gaze upward.
"Imu, I didn't expect you to show up. What a lively party! It seems you place an extraordinary amount of importance on this bridge."
Rocks glanced at the sky and remarked softly.
Rumble! A colossal figure, thousands of meters tall, slowly materialized. It had horns on its head, long fangs, and a pair of wings on its back, resembling a great western dragon.
With its appearance, an overwhelmingly tyrannical red energy erupted, transforming into a shockwave that swept across the battlefield, bringing a chilling silence to the world. It was a power that seemed to belong to another realm entirely.
Bang! The demonic being stood upon the sea, its massive form towering into the clouds.
Its gaze swept over the scene below.
Boom! Its eyes turned crimson, and a powerful beam of red energy shot down toward Rocks.
"Seriously? Starting with the ultimate move!"
Rocks cursed inwardly as he leaped between the pirate ships, narrowly dodging the energy beam. One by one, the ships he'd just been on were vaporized into dust.
"Lord Imu is far too powerful!"
Garling whispered, his eyes narrowing. Every time he witnessed the demon's power, he was filled with shock.
"I have no idea where Rocks found the courage to do this," he thought mockingly as he watched Rocks flee.
"This can't go on! You think you're the only one with an ace up your sleeve? After all my years of planning, it's time you see my true power!"
"Black Tide!"
Rocks leaped into the air and shouted. The sea before him began to churn, turning as black as ink. A murderous aura surged forth, coalescing into a black, thousand-meter giant hand that swiped at the demonic being.
The Tequila Wolf bridge, lying between Rocks and the demon, was also caught in the path of the attack. The monstrous black fist carried a tidal wave with it, sweeping toward the nearly completed structure.
This terrifying assault stunned the Marine soldiers and slaves on Tequila Wolf.
"When... when did such horrifying beings exist in this world!"
"Run! Run for your lives!"
They screamed and fled in panic.
Bang! The demon seemed to lack a soul, its reactions sluggish. It simply allowed the black hand to slam into its body with a deafening crash.
Thump! Thump! Thump!
The blow, carrying the immeasurable fury of the sea, sent the massive demon stumbling back. It took three heavy steps across the ocean's surface before it managed to regain its balance.
This was the power of the Davy Clan. They are walkers of the sea and death, masters of the souls slumbering in the ocean's depths, and wielders of the sea's destructive force.
Their counterpart is the Sea King, representing the gentle side of the ocean—the power to communicate with all things and soothe every creature within it, a symbol of hope.
These are the two extreme forces of the Sea God. One representing life and hope, the other death and destruction.
The struggle between the Sea God and the Earth God has raged for eons. Countless ages ago, the power of death and destruction gained a temporary victory, shattering the world.
But then, the Forest God appeared. Aided by the power of the Serpent of Karma, they suppressed the Sea God once more. The world continued to evolve, giving birth to a new world. Various forms of life and different races began to emerge.
This was the First World, as recorded in The Halley Codex.
The story of the Second World, which took place 800 years ago, is even more interesting. It is a tale of newborn humans stealing the authority of the gods. The Sea God reawakened, and the world was plunged into crisis once more. In that world, the Forest God slept. Someone secretly plucked a fruit from the highest position, and a war for freedom, led by a man known as the Sun God, was waged and ultimately lost.
The current era is the Third World. Perhaps due to the appearance of Ryuuto, this world has become even more unpredictable, even more insane. The revival of the gods is now inevitable.
Rocks, having inherited the will of the Davy Clan, had used some mysterious ritual to obtain the Sea God's power. They had transformed from rebels into destroyers of the world.
Even Imu began to feel a sense of panic.
The power that had sought to destroy the world in every era had awakened. In the hands of an ambitious man like Rocks, the situation was spiraling out of control. His desires were never simple.
"Zehahahahahaha!"
Rocks laughed maniacally, his face a mask of insanity.
"Only through destruction can there be hope! Let this entire world be annihilated!"
As his roar faded, a colossal wave surged up behind him. At the same time, the moon in the sky began to draw unnervingly closer to the planet.
"This is the Lunar Tide! Let the ocean swallow everything!"
Rocks laughed, his eyes filled with nothing but an endless lust for destruction.
The Rocks of today had long been corrupted by countless souls. Reborn within Blackbeard's body, he was no longer the same man who had charged into the God Valley trap to save his wife and son. Now, he only wanted to destroy the world. The charismatic captain had become the ultimate villain.
Bang! The demon, having stabilized itself, swung its right palm down at Rocks. Red energy swirled around its hand, pulsing with power.
"Tidal Devourer!"
With a sharp cry from Rocks, the wave behind him surged forward, crashing toward the demon with terrifying force. A dark, dreadful energy emanated from within the churning water.
Boom!
The two forces collided, and a violent shockwave erupted across the sea, shaking even the massive Tequila Wolf bridge.
The demon and Rocks continued to exchange blows.
"Garling, I will hold him here! Organize your men and finish the bridge now!"
Imu's voice suddenly echoed in Garling's mind, snapping him out of his stunned state and reminding him of his duty.
It was no wonder Garling had forgotten his task. Witnessing such a terrifying battle, he felt utterly insignificant, like a mortal who had stumbled into a war between gods.
Swoosh! Garling shot toward the final gap in the bridge. He lifted the last prepared section with his own strength and prepared to fly it into place.
Once this section was set, his mission would be complete.
But just then, Whitebeard charged at him, his fist wreathed in powerful Haki.
As black and red lightning filled the air, Garling's eyes narrowed. He could only carry the astonishingly heavy bridge section with one hand, using his other to swing his sword and meet Whitebeard's attack.
Bang!
The two attacks collided violently. Their black and red lightning crackled against each other for a few moments before Garling was sent flying back by the impact.
He couldn't use his full strength while carrying the bridge section.
However, Garling used the force of the blow to his advantage. He pushed off the air, leaped backward to the side of the gap, aimed carefully, and threw the final section into place.
"You bastards! What are you doing? Why didn't you stop him?! Useless! All of you are useless!"
Rocks, watching this, his face darkened with rage.
These resurrected dead were performing abysmally.
Thud! With a heavy sound, the final piece of the bridge settled perfectly into place.
Rocks's heart sank.
He had come all this way only to fail, to watch helplessly as the Tequila Wolf bridge was completed.
Buzz! In that instant, a powerful wave of energy surged from the completed bridge.