"A ship of the Giant Race?!"
"Who cares! Sink it! No one stands in our way!"
In an ordinary world, where naval technology is defined by cannons and hulls, a ship's tonnage would dictate the outcome of a battle. A massive vessel could effortlessly crush a smaller one. But on these great seas, size is only one piece of the puzzle.
The members of the Rocks Pirates certainly didn't fear the opposing ship. Anyone with a reputation on this crew had the power to destroy a vessel with ease. Even the sight of Giant soldiers lining the deck wasn't enough to instill fear; Charlotte Linlin even looked upon the Giants with a gaze of pure avarice.
[(Mama~ Mama~ The military might of the Giants... I really want it...)]
"Wait!"
Just as the crew clamored to sink the Giant ship, Rocks called them to a halt.
"Rocks? What are you doing? Don't stop us!"
"Jarl Ha! Come out! I know you're on that ship!" Rocks ignored his crew and shouted toward the vessel. He was certain that if the Giants dared to intercept him, Jarl Ha would be aboard.
Rocks' intuition proved correct. A Giant—bearing twin horns and standing twice as tall as his kin—stepped forward.
"We are under orders to stop you pirates, Rocks—you who have gone mad for the sake of a single woman. You should know that sinking your little boat would be child's play for us."
"And sinking your big ship wouldn't be hard either, you 'King.' Do you really think this is how you'll earn enough merit to join the World Government? No matter what you do, you'll only be remembered as the 'Madman' who tried to change Elbaf. Can we talk?"
Faced with Rocks' inquiry, Jarl Ha did not refuse. Instead, he allowed Rocks to board his ship, ordering the Giant soldiers to retreat and give them space.
"Logan, you come too. You should hear this as well," Rocks said after a moment's thought, beckoning Logan before boarding.
While the Giant soldiers wondered what their King was discussing and the Rocks Pirates complained about the waste of time, Rocks began to reveal his secrets aboard Jarl Ha's ship.
"The truth is... I have a hidden name."
Logan had been curious about what Rocks wanted to say, but the mention of a "hidden name" immediately sparked a connection. On these seas, those with hidden names were never simple—like the hidden "D." In the original timeline, Law had one as well.
"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, but we managed to survive by scraping a living in the Underworld. I've never spoken of this before; you are the first outsiders to hear it... Logan? Are you even listening to me?"
Rocks held a massive sake bowl, speaking of these revelations as if they were mere small talk, only to notice Logan seemed distracted by something else.
"I'm listening, keep going. So, you're saying your clan is even more high-profile to the World Government than the Buccaneer or Lunarian races?"
Logan had heard of things like the "Davy Back Fight," but when the name Davy D. Jones was uttered, an old memory surfaced in his mind. It was that, combined with the "hidden name" issue, that had caused his mind to wander.
"Hard to say. Regardless, we are a race targeted by the World Government. Two years ago, I had children. Fearing my actions would affect them, I sent them back to my hometown. And that hometown... is God Valley."
"Could it be... the World Government did this to lure you out?!" Jarl Ha, despite claiming he was there to stop Rocks, showed a flash of concern.
"No. With so many Celestial Dragons on that island, how could they possibly want me there? This must be a blunder on their part."
"No, Xebec. You need to understand," Logan countered. "There are two types of Celestial Dragons: the elites who join the Holy Knights, and the ordinary scum. Those useless ones make up the vast majority. Their lives aren't as important as you think. When you broke into Mary Geoise all those years ago, didn't you see that person? Do you think that's someone who cares about the lives of others?"
Logan challenged Rocks' logic. Although he had never met Imu, he knew enough based on his memories.
[(To that person, even the Five Elders are just replaceable consumables to be discarded if they fail. If the Davy lineage is truly that significant, Imu wouldn't care about a few casualties.)] Logan kept these thoughts to himself; some secrets were not meant for sharing.
"Perhaps. I used to think I was just unlucky, swept along by a whirlpool of fate. If it's a conspiracy, it might actually make more sense. But regardless, I'm going to save my wife and children. Logan, if your daughter were there, could you just ignore it? It was actually a stroke of luck they captured Shakky... otherwise, it wouldn't have been easy to gather this many people to go to that island."
Rocks' resolve remained unshaken. He even made a final request for Jarl Ha to help him, but Jarl Ha refused.
Later, according to reports from a World Government surveillance ship nearby:
Jarl Ha's ship suddenly erupted in flames, its masts snapped. The Rocks Pirates were not delayed and continued their advance toward God Valley. What exactly happened on Jarl Ha's ship remained a mystery to the world.
As time passed, it wasn't just the Rocks Pirates; other pirate crews, driven by various motives, began to converge on God Valley. Some sought the island's treasures, some sought fame, and many came for Shakky.
The Roger Pirates were also making their way there, and Garp—having received word from Roger—was likewise en route. God Valley had become the center of a world-shaking vortex, drawing in the strongest powerhouses from across the globe.
On the soil of God Valley itself, the hearts of the natives and the slaves were slowly consumed by terror. The Celestial Dragons had promised that anyone who survived three weeks on the island would be granted their freedom. This led some to harbor a glimmer of hope, thinking this wasn't a death trap.
But in reality, it was a lie—told only to ensure the "prey" ran as hard as they could to increase the "hunters'" sport.
At the same time, others were already plotting their escape. Ivankov and Ginny had already gathered with a group of slaves, including a young Bartholomew Kuma.
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