Like Ginny, Rocks understood exactly what kind of people he was dealing with.
Just as Nereus had told him earlier during their battle—
these people were excellent in favorable fights,
but when it came to true life-and-death struggle,
very few could be fully relied upon.
So Rocks did not tell them the truth:
that God Valley was his homeland,
that his family lived there.
Instead, he guided everything through profit.
And besides—
Rocks believed he himself was strong enough.
As long as the other members of the Rocks Pirates arrived there too,
the enemy would inevitably be forced to divide attention.
And once part of their focus shifted—
he believed he could accomplish his true goal.
That proposal received temporary agreement from everyone.
But everyone also understood one thing clearly:
When the time came, whoever grabbed more kept more.
⚔️💰
"According to the intelligence, those slaves will arrive at God Valley in two weeks.
From Beehive to God Valley... timing is enough."
After agreement was reached, Charlotte Linlin explained the schedule.
From Beehive in the New World to God Valley in West Blue, normal routes required major detours.
But they had no intention of taking normal routes.
They would head south—
and cross the Calm Belt directly.
The Calm Belt, true to its name, was a silent sea without wind.
Two vast Calm Belts divided the Grand Line,
together with the Red Line forming the boundaries of the Four Seas.
Its danger came not only from windless waters that trapped sail-driven ships—
but from what lived below.
Sea Kings.
Countless Sea Kings nested beneath those waters.
Creatures even more dangerous than ordinary sea beasts.
For ordinary ships, entering meant suicide.
For the monsters gathered in Rocks's crew—
crossing it was merely inconvenient.
If necessary, Shiki's Float-Float Fruit could simply carry everyone through the sky.
🌊🐉☁️
The meeting ended quickly.
People dispersed to prepare:
fresh waterfoodammunitioncrew arrangements
Even moving fast, the voyage still required time.
And beyond supplies, each faction had internal matters to arrange.
Because the Rocks Pirates were closer to a Rocks Grand Fleet than a single crew.
A loose coalition.
Some were lone wolves like Kaido.
Others, like John and Nereus, commanded personal sub-groups loyal only to themselves.
Nereus did not walk with Linlin or Kaido.
Even with temporary alliance, there was little worth discussing now.
They would adapt when they arrived.
Because Nereus had his own priorities.
He knew what God Valley truly meant:
the end of the Rocks Pirates.
After this—
they likely would never return here again.
Still, departure would not happen today.
Even moving quickly, preparations took time.
So Nereus planned to wait until night, when everyone returned, before arranging everything in detail.
Meanwhile—
Nanaimo, who had gone out earlier to play, was walking through Beehive's town district.
Though Beehive was a pirate island,
its dense population forced a kind of rough order.
Unstable.
Violence remained common.
The calmest period had actually been when Shakky ran her own Rip-Off Bar here.
Because she had established one strict rule:
Anyone who came for her bar was forbidden from fighting anywhere on the island.
And surprisingly—
many pirates obeyed.
Even vicious enemies sometimes passed each other without drawing weapons.
Now Nanaimo was not in the island's center.
This outer district remained relatively orderly.
Fights happened—
but consequences were rarely serious.
Mostly because the people here were weaker.
There was a saying on Beehive:
"The deeper you go, the crazier the monsters become."
Though in truth, that mostly meant:
the deeper in—
the stronger the people.
Nereus was an exception.
Because of fish-men and merfolk, his territory was built along the outer coastline.
🌊🏝️
At this moment,
a small cloud roughly Nanaimo's size floated in front of her.
Ahead, two pirates were fighting beside the street.
A common Beehive scene.
Nothing major—
just minor chaos.
When scattered debris flew outward—
chairs, bottles, broken wood—
the cloud instantly rushed forward.
Its body expanded like a shield above Nanaimo's head.
Though made of cloud,
the objects did not pass through.
Instead—
they struck it like metal,
falling with sharp clinks.
"Princess Nanaimo, should I—"
"Nermes, I'm just out playing. Don't cause trouble."
"At once, Princess Nanaimo~"
☁️✨
The cloud immediately abandoned any attack idea.
Instead it floated overhead like a protective umbrella while escorting her through the street.
"You're really reliable, Hermes."
"It is my honor! I, Hermes, am the bravest Homie of all! Protecting Princess Nanaimo is my highest duty!"
Yes—
this cloud was a Homie.
A creation born from Charlotte Linlin's Soul-Soul Fruit.
By using her power, Linlin could grant life to:
objectsanimalseven natural elements
These creations gained intelligence, personality, and often special abilities.
Some possessed impressive combat power.
And every Homie developed its own personality.
Even Linlin herself could not fully predict what kind would emerge.
This included natural elements too:
Prometheus (fire)Zeus (thundercloud)
Hermes was made from a composite of various Sky Island clouds.
That explained why it could alter structure freely—
including defensive hardness.
It contained Iron Cloud, a Sky Island material with metallic properties.
☁️⚡🛡️
Many Charlotte children possessed personal Homies.
But Nanaimo's cloud was special.
Unlike ordinary Homies,
Hermes had been created using Linlin's own split soul.
Meaning it stood at the same highest class as Zeus and Prometheus.
Because Nanaimo was:
Linlin's first daughter.
And shortly after birth, Nanaimo had already displayed extraordinary talent.
That alone made her special enough to receive one of Linlin's strongest creations.
With Hermes following her,
it formed an additional layer of protection.
Because even separated from Linlin,
a top-tier Homie was not something ordinary enemies could handle.
"Come on, hurry up. These ice creams are going to melt."
"At once! Mama's territory ahead! Full speed!"
As it spoke,
Hermes reshaped itself into a horse.
It lowered beside Nanaimo,
inviting her to ride.
But Nanaimo ignored it completely.
Instead she kept hopping forward on her own,
ice cream in hand.
🍦☁️💚