Chapter 32: The Fall of the Giants: A Battle’s End and New Horizons

Karl had no idea what Rocks was thinking.

But when he looked to the center of the battlefield he could tell this fight was coming to an end.

The giant captains were nearly overwhelmed, unable to withstand the onslaught from Newgate and Charlotte Linlin.

After all, they could only put up a fight against the Rocks Pirates by joining forces with the X Pirates when facing these top-tier powerhouses.

One-on-one? They stood no chance.

“Rocks really keeps his Devil Fruit under wraps,”

Karl wondered in the back of his mind.

It seemed Rocks only used his Devil Fruit during the God Valley incident.

In all other battles Karl had never heard of Captain Rocks displaying any Devil Fruit powers.

Still, even without using his Devil Fruit, Rocks’ mastery over all three types of Haki put him squarely at the top.

Soon the other three fronts had wrapped up, leaving just the showdown between Rocks and Jorlul.

The other captains quickly gathered to watch the clash between the two titans.

“Jihahahaha!”

“Has Captain Rocks lost his edge?”

Golden Lion stepped aside, barely hiding his delight. From his perspective Rocks should’ve finished this long ago.

If Rocks really was slipping maybe it was time for him to break away from the crew after all.

“Gurarararara!”

“Golden Lion, watch a little closer.”

Newgate saw things differently. To him, Rocks was sharpening his Conqueror’s Haki with every blow.

Every time Rocks attacked that longsword was wrapped in swirling Conqueror’s Haki.

But even now nobody could tell if Rocks was still at his peak or had more room to reach a higher level.

“Mama-mama-mama!”

“I want some cake.”

Charlotte Linlin was starting to get peckish. After fighting for so long, even a little exercise left her feeling hungry.

…

While the others chatted away Rocks set his sights on experiencing the giants’ legendary Hakoku.

He’d always been curious about the might of the Giant Kingdom’s ultimate technique—Hakoku.

These days only Jorlul knew the move among the Giant Pirates’ crew. Rocks had no intention of challenging the Giant Kingdom itself.

He might be among the world’s strongest but even he might not make it back from facing the Giant Kingdom head-on.

Just a village of a few hundred giants could claim to be the world’s strongest nation.

So with hundreds of thousands of giants, wouldn’t the Giant Kingdom truly be unrivaled?

Rocks had no urge to try, nor any need to provoke them. One wrong move and his entire plan could unravel.

“Jihahahaha!”

“Jorlul, come on—show me the giants’ trump card! Let me see what you’ve got.”

Rocks kept goading him. Meanwhile, his own longsword—wreathed in Conqueror’s Haki—clashed again and again with Jorlul’s enormous blade.

Each time their weapons collided, black and purple lightning crackled in the air, exploding all around. Winds howled and the sky split open, giant shockwaves tearing through everything nearby.

Jorlul realized Rocks was holding back during their fight.

Looking around the battlefield, he saw his Giant Pirates utterly destroyed—he was the only one left.

Regret gnawed at him. The Giant Pirates had started out with four captains.

But now, after inheriting the crew, he hadn’t protected their glory. Instead he’d led them to total ruin.

And now, he knew—he wasn’t leaving today.

“Just as you wish, Rocks.”

“You want to see it? Then I’ll show you what our giants’ Hakoku can do!”

Suddenly, Jorlul’s aura changed. His colossal frame blazed with blue radiance, muscles tensed, and even Rocks couldn’t help but feel a chilling surge of danger—excitement mixing with fear at such overwhelming power for the first time.

Jorlul shifted his weapon in front of him and swung hard at Rocks. To the naked eye, the shockwave was nearly invisible, but the flood of Haki was overwhelming—powerful enough to rip the air itself apart.

With a suppressed roar a wave of energy erupted—a tangible force made of nothing but pure power.

“Now, that’s what I’m talking about!”

Rocks surged forward, not dodging but attacking head-on with all his might against the oncoming blast.

“Jihaha, that’s it!”

“Divine Might!”

Unleashing one of his ultimate moves, Rocks swung his Haki-coated longsword to meet the energy wave.

“Boom!”

The instant their skills collided wild energy burst outward—trees shattered, the ground split open, and a full fifth of Beehive Island crumbled into the sea.

The shockwave from their clash split the sky itself, leaving a rift that refused to close.

“So this is how my story ends?”

Things soon quieted. Rocks stood tall, sword in hand, while Jorlul dropped to his knees.

“I’m still a little unwilling to accept it.”

“I’ve let everyone down. I’m sorry…”

The light faded from Jorlul’s eyes. He was gone.

After decades ruling the latter half of the Grand Line, the legendary pirate met his end at Rocks’ hand—a worthy ending that didn’t diminish his people’s pride.

“Clean up the battlefield.”

“We’ve got bigger plans ahead.”

Truthfully, this fight hadn’t been much trouble for the Rocks Pirates.

Their victory came all too easily. Maybe a little too easily—and Rocks’ gaze settled right on the X Pirates.

Because news and newspapers still spread slowly across the seas,

as long as they moved quickly, they could wipe out the X Pirates before word reached them.

“You two can sit out the next battle.”

Karl said firmly. After all, the X Pirates were even stronger than the giants had been.

If they weren’t careful, Long Yi or Long Er might not make it back.

“Alright.”

Though the two weren’t happy about it, they had no choice but to stand down.

“Gurarararara!”

“Karl, you’ve gotten a lot stronger lately.”

Newgate had kept an eye on Karl the whole battle, noticing how much his power kept surging in the heat of combat.

Even Newgate was envious of Karl’s remarkable physique.

He hadn’t expected the Titan bloodline to be this powerful.

“Haha, thanks for always looking out for me, Newgate.”

Karl was genuinely grateful to Newgate. If he hadn’t found himself stranded on that deserted island, he’d never have joined the Rocks Pirates, fought in so many legendary battles, or made such huge strides in strength. If he’d tried to train alone he probably would’ve hit a wall ages ago.

Now, every day, he could feel himself growing even stronger. Karl knew he’d hit his limit someday, but by then his power would be enough to dominate the Grand Line.