Chapter 18: Davy and Harald
"A Giant ship?!"
"It doesn't matter! Sink it! No one gets in our way, no matter who they are!"
If this were an ordinary world where naval warfare was still defined by big ships and heavy cannons, tonnage alone could almost determine victory or defeat.
A large ship could crush a small one with absolute prejudice. But on this sea, that was only one aspect.
At the very least, the members of the Rocks Pirates weren't afraid of the opposing ship. Anyone with a name on Rocks's ship could destroy a vessel with ease.
Even seeing the rails lined with Giant soldiers wasn't enough to scare them. Charlotte Linlin, looking at those Giants, even revealed a look of greed.
[Mamamama~ The military might of the Giants... I really want it...]
"Wait!"
Just as the crew was shouting to sink the Giant ship, Rocks called them to a halt.
"Rocks? What are you doing? Don't stop us!"
"Harald! Come out! I know you're on that ship!"
Ignoring the others, Rocks shouted toward the ship. He was certain that if the Giants dared to block him, Harald must be on board.
In fact, Rocks wasn't wrong. A Giant with two horns on his head, standing twice as tall as the other Giants, stepped forward.
"We have orders to stop you pirates who have gone mad for a woman, Rocks. You should know that sinking your little boat would be child's play for us."
"Sinking your big ship wouldn't be hard either, Big Lug King. Do you think doing this will rack up merit for joining the World Government?
No matter what you do, in the end, you'll just be seen as the 'lunatic' who wanted to change Elbaf. Can we talk?"
Faced with Rocks's request, Harald ultimately didn't refuse. Instead, he allowed Rocks to board his ship and ordered the other Giant soldiers to step back and give them space.
"Nereus, you come too. You should hear these words as well."
After thinking for a moment, Rocks called Nereus along before boarding.
...
The Giant soldiers didn't know what their King was discussing, and the Rocks Pirates were complaining about Rocks wasting time.
Meanwhile, on Harald's ship, Rocks began to tell his secret.
"Actually... I have a hidden name."
Nereus had been wondering what Rocks wanted to say, but as soon as the term "hidden name" came out, Nereus immediately thought of something else.
On this sea, those with hidden names were usually extraordinary—like the hidden "D." In the original timeline, Law also had his own hidden name.
"That hidden name is Davy D. Xebec. The legendary pirate Davy D. Jones is our ancestor. The World Government has likely always wanted to eradicate us.
However, surviving in the dark corners of the world, we managed to scrape by.
I've never told anyone this before. You are the first outsiders to hear it... Nereus? Are you listening to me?"
Rocks held a massive bowl of sake, speaking casually as if chatting about daily life, but when he turned his head, he saw Nereus seemed distracted by something else.
"I'm listening. Go on. So, are you saying your clan is taken even more seriously by the World Government than the Buccaneer Tribe or the Lunarian Tribe?"
Although he had heard of things like the Davy Back Fight before, when Rocks mentioned the name Davy D. Jones, an octopus face still surfaced from the distant memories in Nereus's mind.
Coupled with the previous issue of the hidden name, he got slightly distracted, associating it with other things.
"Hard to say. Anyway, we are a clan targeted by the World Government. Two years ago, I had a child. Worried my actions would endanger them, I sent them back to my hometown.
And my hometown... is God Valley."
"Don't tell me... the World Government is doing this to lure you out?!"
Although Harald had said he came to stop Rocks, hearing this made him show a look of concern.
"Unlikely. With so many Celestial Dragons on that island, why would they want me there? This must be a miscalculation."
"No, Xebec. You have to understand, Celestial Dragons come in two types: the elites who joined the God's Knights, and the ordinary scum.
That trash makes up the vast majority. Their lives aren't as important as you think. Didn't you meet that person the year you broke into Mary Geoise? Do you think that's someone who cares about the lives of others?"
Nereus refuted Rocks's idea. Although he hadn't met Imu either, relying on his memories, he knew a thing or two.
[Even the Five Elders are just expendable resources to that guy, replaceable at any time. If they're dissatisfied, they'll discard them directly. If the Davy clan is really in that situation, sacrificing a few lives probably doesn't matter to Imu.]
The latter part remained in Nereus's thoughts; some secrets he wouldn't share with others.
"Maybe. Before, I thought I was just unlucky, swept forward by the whirlpool of fate. If it's a conspiracy, that might actually make more sense.
But no matter what, I have to save my wife and child. Nereus, if your daughter were there, could you ignore it?
It's actually fortunate they took Shakky. That was their biggest mistake... otherwise, gathering so many people to this island wouldn't have been easy."
Rocks's resolve didn't waver. In the end, he even asked Harald for help, but Harald refused.
After that, according to the news from the World Government surveillance ship stationed nearby:
A great fire suddenly broke out on Harald's ship, and the mast was snapped. The Rocks Pirates were not stopped by him and continued advancing toward God Valley.
What exactly happened on Harald's ship remained unknown to anyone.
...
It wasn't just the Rocks Pirates. As time passed, other pirate crews began approaching God Valley with various motives.
Some wanted to seize the treasures on the island, some wanted to make a name for themselves, and quite a few were there for Shakky.
The Roger Pirates were also heading for God Valley. Having received a message from Roger, Garp was also making his way there.
At this moment, God Valley seemed to become the center of a whirlpool churning the world, attracting strong individuals from everywhere.
Meanwhile, on the soil of God Valley, fear gradually took over the hearts of the natives and the slaves brought to the island.
The Celestial Dragons promised that anyone who could survive on the island for three weeks would be granted freedom. This gave some people hope, thinking this wasn't necessarily a death sentence.
But in reality, that was just a lie—designed to make these people run for their lives with all their might, thereby increasing the Celestial Dragons' amusement.
Similarly, there were those plotting to escape the island. For example, Ivankov and Ginny had already gathered with a group of slaves, including Bartholomew Kuma.