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"Mama⊠In the Valley of the Gods, I advise you not to even think about making a move on him, John, Silver Axe, Ochoku," Charlotte Linlin laughed mischievously, the battlefield chaos mirrored in the glint of her eyes.
"Only I am qualified to surpass and defeat this opponent, Ayr! If you want a fight, let me be your opponent instead!" Kaido declared, his massive kanabo resting on his shoulder, Haki crackling faintly.
"How could I let you kill my only friend?" Whitebeard snorted coldly, the power of the Tremor-Tremor Fruit radiating as fissures in the air shimmered near his fist.
The sea is not just about killingâit's about territory, willpower, and legacy.
This was something that Golden Lion, Charlotte Linlin, Kaido, and Whitebeard understood all too wellâespecially after following Rocks.
"You guysâŠ!!!" John gritted his teeth, his eyes locked on the four formidable monsters in front of him.
He cast one last glance at Ayr, whose Susanoo had faded, and whose Conqueror's and Armament Haki had nearly burned out. His body showed clear signs of fatigue and depletion.
He could probably be killed now with a concentrated effort.
But⊠unfortunately, because of the human walls named Charlotte Linlin, Golden Lion, Whitebeard, and Kaido blocking the way, there was no opening.
"You bastards⊠you'll regret this decision one day!" Silver Axe snapped coldly.
"Regret?" Golden Lion sneered with a sharp glint in his eyes. "Silver Axe, regret isn't in our vocabulary."
"I've warned you already. Don't be too stupid," Charlotte Linlin said, her tone laced with threat as her homies crackled with life, eager to pounce.
"Damn it!" Silver Axe growled.
Ochoku gave Ayr one last glare filled with killing intent, then turned to the others.
"Forget it. Before this island completely sinks into the sea, let's look for Uranus. We're wasting time," he suggested.
With Zhenwu Admiral and the Black Bat Admiral restrained by Roger, Rayleigh, and Jabba, John, Ochoku, and Silver Axe had no immediate adversaries left.
They couldn't eliminate Ayr now, and prolonging the conflict would only weaken their chances further.
Why not seek an ancient weaponâUranus?
John and Silver Axe exchanged glances, each one still filled with seething hatred for Ayr⊠then silently turned and left.
As their auras vanished into the chaos, Ayr exhaled deeply and re-sheathed his sword.
"If you want to say thank you, don't bother," Charlotte Linlin said casually, arms crossed. "We're just paying back what we owe."
If it weren't for the incident on Hive Island, where Ayr indirectly saved all their lives, Linlin would've gladly watched him fall today.
"Ayr! Sooner or later, I'll be the one to kill you!" Kaido shouted.
"Kill me?" Ayr chuckled faintly. "I'll be waiting, Kaido."
Ayr acknowledged Kaido's potential. The man's ceiling was undeniably high.
But that didn't mean he feared it.
"Gurararara! Ayr, when this war is over, we'll share some drinks," Whitebeard roared with a grin.
"Of course," Ayr replied, smirking.
Though there had been a small standoff, the war in the Valley of the Gods was far from over.
Some factions were still locked in deadly combat. Others, like John and Silver Axe, had turned their eyes toward the secrets hidden within the island's depthsâlike Uranus.
Ayr, however, withdrew from the fighting for the time being, retreating to a ruined ancient structure to recover his stamina and reforge his Haki.
The Valley of the Gods trembled with chaos. Amid the battles, a shift in fate was still unfolding.
---
Meanwhile, at the Holy Land of MariejoisâŠ
In the grandest chamber of Pangaea Castle, the Five Elders convened.
"The war in the Valley of the Gods has been raging for some time now," said the blond elder, legs crossed elegantly as he sipped his steaming coffee.
"I'd wager that by now, many of the major cadres of the Rocks Pirates have fallen."
"This time, not only did we send the top brass of Marine Headquarters," added the tall elder with long, straight hair, stroking his beard.
"But we also secured temporary alliances. The Roger Pirates and the remnants of the Wald Pirates agreed to join us in eliminating Rocks."
"With this level of force gathered, it would be more difficult to lose than to win," he chuckled.
Indeed, the Rocks crew was filled with monstrous combatantsâRocks himself, and now Ayr, who had emerged as a terrifying new variable.
But the Marines weren't unprepared.
They had brought out all their top-tier power, and even rallied pirate factions through temporary pacts.
From the standpoint of the World Government, this battle was destined to crush the Rocks legacy.
"Our directive was clearâMarine forces must prioritize Rocks and Ayr," said the elder with glasses, steepling his fingers. "If all goes according to plan, both should have perished by now."
While the Rocks crew was dangerous, only Rocks and Ayr truly disturbed the balance of the world.
Rocks had power that overshadowed the entire sea.
And Ayr⊠he was young, but his talent had already shaken the foundations of the world.
"Even if Edward Newgate, Kaido, Shiki, Linlin, John, Silver Axe, and Ochoku survive, they won't matter without a head to follow."
"Once Rocks and Ayr are dead, the others will be scattered and broken. The Rocks Pirates will cease to exist," the elder with the katana said, the corner of his lips curling upward.
"The organization that's plagued us for over a decade is finally reaching its end," he added, voice cold with satisfaction.
The black-suited elder leaned forward slightly.
"After the fall of the Rocks, how should we reshape the New World?"
Though no reports had yet reached them confirming total victory, all five believed the end of the Rocks crew was inevitable.
"With the Rocks disbanded, few great pirates will remain," suggested the scarred elder. "For now, we allow them to develop independently."
The World Government and Marine force could, in theory, wipe out every pirate crew in the New World.
But they deliberately chose not to.
The reason was simple: pirates maintained the illusion of chaos.
And that illusion made profit possible.
Eliminating all pirates would, paradoxically, make the New World too safe.
And if the New World seemed safe, the kingdoms would stop paying the Heavenly Tributeâthe astronomical "Heavenly Gold"âto the World Government.
The yearly tributes were paid in exchange for "protection" from the pirates.
If the pirates no longer posed a threat, why would any kingdom pay the tithe?
And without that tithe, the Celestial Dragons' entire system of luxury and entitlement would collapse.
That could not be allowed.
So the Elders had long accepted the necessity of controlled chaosâa balance between pirates and Marines.
Even now, with the strongest warriors at their disposal, the Elders themselves would not descend from the sacred thrones of Mariejois.
Their power was absolute, yes, but maintaining the illusion of instability served their agenda far more than absolute control ever could.
Thus, they watched the Valley of the Gods from afarâŠ
And waited.
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