A few days later, on the deck of the St. Freya.
The afternoon sunlight spilled across the spacious deck, carrying the characteristic saltiness and Warmth of the sea breeze.
Compared to the leisure of the past, the atmosphere on this giant ship was now slightly different, with a few hints of... frantic rushing.
Charlotte Linlin's massive frame leaned lazily against a custom-made lounge chair, holding a special biscuit made by Ripley, taking occasional bites.
Her long pinkish-purple hair was draped loosely, shimmering in the sunlight, with a clear look of exhaustion between her brows.
Gloriosa, like a clingy cat, curled up against Charlotte Linlin's abdomen with sleepy eyes, grumbling incoherently:
"Linlin... next time can you just take those annoying flies..."
Before she could finish her sentence—
"Listen up, you chicks on the St. Freya!!!"
A man's coarse, arrogant roar, amplified several times by a megaphone, suddenly came from the direction of the sea, shattering the brief moment of tranquility.
"Put down your weapons and surrender! The 'Blood Axe' Pirates have their eyes on your ship and... hehe, the beauties on board!
Especially Charlotte Linlin and Gloriosa! Be smart, so we don't have to get rough and hurt your delicate skin!"
The warm atmosphere on the deck instantly froze.
Not far away, Gerd was rubbing her aching arm; she sighed, her voice also thick with exhaustion:
"Whose turn is it now?"
Ripley was carefully wiping her giant axe, not even looking up as she heard this: "According to the shift, it should be..."
Gloriosa, who was lying on Charlotte Linlin, suddenly snapped her eyes open. Two ghostly fires ignited in her azure eyes, and she sprang up from Charlotte Linlin with a 'thud,' her speed so fast she left only an afterimage.
"It's·MY·TURN——!!!" She squeezed those words through her teeth, her delicate face slightly distorted by rage.
"These endless flies!! Can't they let someone rest for even a single minute?!!"
As she gritted her teeth, a strange light began to appear on her body. At the position of her shoulder blades, pure white light particles gathered.
Gerd covered her face wearily: "This is already the third wave this hour... and it's another bunch of suicidal fools."
Ripley calmly set down her giant axe: "After all, the news of the Rocks Pirates' 'annihilation' and Rocks being 'killed in battle' has already spread.
In the eyes of many, we remnants of the former Rocks crew have become a giant cake dripping with honey."
Lilith had walked out of the cabin at some point, holding a sea chart. She picked up the conversation, her voice calm but with a clear chill:
"Not only that. Somehow, news about Sister Shakky has also leaked. To many ambitious guys, without the core deterrent of Rocks, the Heavenly Punishment Pirates—with only Sister Linlin, Gloriosa, and a few other 'mere women' left—is simply a fat sheep they can handle at will. Furthermore..."
She paused, looked at the enraged Gloriosa, and then glanced at Charlotte Linlin, who was still leaning back in her lounge chair, expressionlessly chewing a biscuit.
"The appearance and strength of Sister Linlin and Gloriosa... in the eyes of some foolishly confident pirates, probably provokes their base desire for conquest and greed."
Behind Gloriosa, a pair of long, holy wings suddenly unfurled!
"A bunch of scum driven by lust!" She flapped her light wings, her figure soaring into the sky like an arrow from a bow, leaving behind only a murderous roar.
"I'll just use you all to test the new move I've been working on—!"
Charlotte Linlin and the others didn't move, just listening quietly.
The next second, Gloriosa's clear, sharp cry rang out from the sky:
"Pegasus Meteor Fist!"
Swoosh, swoosh, swoosh——!!!!
Light fists fell as dense as raindrops. Sudden screams of terror and pain from pirates erupted on the distant pirate ship, along with the sounds of splintering wood and explosions!
Boom!
Ah—!
Help...
"My ship!!"... The commotion lasted less than a minute.
Gloriosa landed lightly back on the deck, her light wings retracting. Her face still bore lingering anger, but her eyes were much clearer; apparently, venting was good for physical and mental health.
She brushed off non-existent dust from her hands and snorted: "Solved. A bunch of small fry; they couldn't even make me warm up."
Ripley looked at the battered ship rapidly sinking in the distance:
"True. However, we've already dealt with no less than ten batches of'small fry' like this today. At least three of them had leaders with bounties exceeding eighty million Berries, who are somewhat famous in the New World."
Gerd lamented, slumping against the deck railing: "When will this end? Every day we have to be on guard against attacks popping up from nowhere; I have to sleep with one eye open."
Charlotte Linlin swallowed the last bit of biscuit, brushed the crumbs off her hands, and spoke calmly, both as a comfort and a statement of fact:
"It won't be much longer. The landscape of the ocean is undergoing a violent shift. Rocks' 'death' has left a massive power vacuum. Roger, Whitebeard, Golden Lion... and those hidden ambitious men will soon begin a new round of competition, annexation, and division of power.
Once a new 'Order' or rather a 'balanced chaos' begins to form, these flies who treat us as soft targets and want to scavenge will naturally shift their attention to targets more worth their lives."
Charlotte Linlin's gaze turned toward the distant horizon.
This was the final chaos before the new era, the inevitable growing pains of the transition between old and new powers. They were merely a small boat caught in the middle of this storm.
Just then—
Bulu bulu bulu... bulu bulu bulu... The transponder snail on the small table nearby suddenly rang.
Lilith, being closest, reached out to answer: "Hello, this is the St. Freya."
An excited and incredulous voice came from the other side; it was the Ship Doctor on Thunder God Island:
"Lady! He's awake! Rocks... he, he's woken up!!"
The voice wasn't loud, but in the suddenly silent deck, it was clearly audible.
Gloriosa, Gerd, Ripley, and Lilith—everyone's eyes instantly focused on the transponder snail.
Charlotte Linlin's hand, just picking up a cup of black tea, paused slightly.
Awake?
Her brow twitched instinctively. A hint of surprise flashed through her heart.
Although Rocks' injuries had been completely healed under Charlotte Linlin's ability,
all the doctors, after repeated examinations, had reached the same conclusion: Rocks' life force was severely overdrawn. Saving his life was already a miracle; the possibility of him waking up was minuscule, and he would most likely fall into a permanent vegetative state.
Charlotte Linlin had even planned that once the frequent harassment settled and the situation stabilized, she would take him to the Drum Kingdom to see that Old Hag.
She hadn't expected... he would actually wake up on his own?
Setting down the black tea in her hand, Charlotte Linlin stood up. Her tall frame cast a shadow over the deck.
Gloriosa immediately tried to hang onto her like a koala again, but was lightly pinched by the back of her collar by Charlotte Linlin's two fingers and set aside.
"Linlin~" she let out a dissatisfied, resentful mumble, her large azure eyes looking at Charlotte Linlin accusingly.
"I'm going to take a look; you all stay here and keep guard." Charlotte Linlin was concise, ignoring her acting spoiled.
Behind her, massive Dragon Wings unfurled. With a flap of her wings, Charlotte Linlin's huge body soared into the sky, turning into a streak of light as she sped toward the hospital on Thunder God Island.
Soon, the characteristic smell of herbs mixed with the sea breeze entered her nostrils. Charlotte Linlin retracted her Dragon Wings and landed on the hospital's rooftop terrace, heading straight for Rocks' ward.
Without knocking, Charlotte Linlin pushed open the heavy oak door.
The ward was brightly lit, the window half-open, with the salty sea breeze gently fluttering the white curtains.
Charlotte Linlin's gaze fell on the hospital bed.
The man sat against the raised headboard, covered with a thin blanket.
His once wild, hedgehog-like hair now appeared much duller, and his face still bore the paleness of someone just recovering from a major illness.
His eyes, which once seemed capable of containing the entire ocean's ambition and Haki, now appeared somewhat empty as he gazed at the blue sky and Seagulls outside. Deep in his eyes, a trace of loss remained after the fall of a great beast.
He seemed to be disturbed and slowly turned his head.
When his gaze met Charlotte Linlin's, the loss deep in his eyes quickly receded, replaced by something more complex and difficult to define, yet incredibly familiar—the wildness and unruliness belonging to Rocks D. Xebec.
The corners of his mouth twitched slightly, as if struggling to squeeze out an arrogant smile belonging to a "Overlord of the Sea."
"Yo... Linlin... this... pathetic state of mine... has been seen by you after all..."
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