"Rocks?"
When Whitebeard uttered that name, a wave of shock rippled through the gathered crowd. The veterans of the sea wore expressions of utter disbelief, their faces paling, while the younger generation looked on with blank confusion.
Monkey D. Luffy, seeing the gravity of the reaction, tilted his head. "Hey, Nami, who's this 'Rocks' guy?"
"You idiot captain! How can you not know who he is?" Nami barked, her fist connecting with the back of Luffy's head in her signature display of temper.
However, as Usopp and the others turned to her for an explanation, Nami paused, her bravado flickering. "Actually... I don't think I know either!"
Thud!
Usopp and the rest of the crew performed a synchronized faceplant. The silence was deafening. If she didn't know, why was she so confident in beating Luffy for his ignorance?
Nami laughed sheepishly, rubbing her hand. It was purely muscle memory at this point; besides, Luffy was made of rubber—it wasn't like it actually hurt him.
Sabo, the Revolutionary Army's Chief of Staff, stepped forward with a wry smile. "Rocks D. Xebec," he began, his voice carrying the weight of history. "Over forty years ago, he ruled the seas as an absolute tyrant. He was the undisputed overlord before the era of Gold Roger. In fact, three of the current Four Emperors—Whitebeard, Kaido, and Charlotte Linlin—were once mere crew members under his command. He is the symbol of a bygone, terrifying age."
Being high-ranking in the Revolutionary Army gave Sabo access to intelligence far beyond the reach of the average pirate.
The Straw Hats stared in stunned silence. Three of the Four Emperors had been his subordinates? Just how monstrously powerful was that crew?
"But if they were that strong, why haven't we heard of them?" Nami asked, her curiosity piqued.
Sabo's expression turned grim. "It makes sense. Rocks' ambition was boundless—he wanted to be the King of the World. Officially, he was defeated at God Valley by the combined strength of Roger and Garp. That battle is exactly what solidified their legends. But according to our investigations, the Celestial Dragons played a significant role in his fall. The World Government intervened because Rocks posed a direct threat to Imu's throne. Consequently, he was systematically erased from the records of history."
Sabo turned his gaze toward the massive warship looming on the horizon. Atop a central throne sat a giant of a man, a predatory smile etched onto his face as he surveyed the ruins of Mary Geoise.
It was indeed Rocks D. Xebec, the former King of the Sea.
"It seems," Sabo muttered darkly, "that Xebec managed to cheat death all those years ago."
Shouts of alarm began to erupt from other parts of the battlefield.
"Wait, is that... Kaido of the Beasts?!"
"And over there—that's Big Mom! Charlotte Linlin!"
"Dammit, look at the other one! It's 'Golden Lion' Shiki!"
The scene was surreal. Not only had the long-dead Rocks reappeared, but Kaido and Big Mom seemed to have fallen back into rank behind their former captain. Chaos threatened to overtake the onlookers as they struggled to process the return of these legends.
While the others were reeling from the figures on deck, Gol D. Roger's eyes were fixed on the vessel itself. His expression shifted from surprise to grim realization.
"That ship..." Roger breathed, his voice tight. "That's the long-lost Ancient Weapon, Pluton! I never imagined it would end up in Rocks' hands."
"What? Pluton?!"
The crowd's fear intensified. The World Government had just unleashed Uranus, and now Pluton had arrived to join the fray. The man who should have died at God Valley had returned, armed with an Ancient Weapon and flanked by Kaido, Big Mom, and Shiki.
What was his endgame?
In the midst of the panic, several eyes shifted toward Lin Xuan. The reappearance of dead legends was a trick they had seen before—Roger himself had been brought back during the Summit War. Many suspected this was another one of Lin Xuan's hidden cards.
Sensing Whitebeard's questioning gaze, Lin Xuan simply shook his head. "This has nothing to do with me."
Lin Xuan had actually considered using the Reanimation Jutsu on Rocks before. Recognizing the man's strength, he had even tracked down a site likely containing Rocks' DNA—the same island where he had dealt with Blackbeard and rescued Ace. He had obtained the sample and tasked Orochimaru with the summoning.
The result? A complete failure.
There was only one reason the Reanimation Jutsu would fail: the soul was not in the pure land. The owner of the DNA was still alive.
Seeing Rocks now didn't surprise Lin Xuan; it felt like an inevitability finally manifesting.
Trying to play the fisherman and reap the spoils? A clever plan indeed, Lin Xuan thought with a cold sneer.
Rocks' timing was impeccable. He hadn't shown his face when the battle was at its peak. He waited until the eight ancestors of the Celestial Dragons were dead, until Imu was incapacitated, and until the powerhouses of the Ninja Guild were exhausted and wounded.
He had waited for the moment of maximum vulnerability to sweep in and claim the world for himself. With the power of Pluton and his resurrected crew, Rocks clearly believed he could wipe everyone out in one fell swoop.
Unfortunately for him, being the "fisherman" is only a good role if the "fish" are truly helpless.
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T/N:
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