Chapter 48: The Fury of Rocks and the Turning Tide

“What happened?”

Newgate burst in and spotted Golden Lion standing in the corner. Without wasting a second he turned to Shiki and demanded answers.

Karl caught the heavy tension thickening the room. Silver Axe stood at the foot of the dais while, higher up, Rocks glared down with unbridled rage. Karl glanced at Charlotte Linlin, who met his gaze with a small shake of her head, saying nothing.

Karl could tell things were complicated and just stood nearby, his face serious and silent.

“Jihahahaha!”

Golden Lion broke the heavy silence with a wild laugh.

“What else could it be?”

“Something got swiped right under our noses.”

The moment Golden Lion finished, the air seemed to freeze. Rocks let loose a wave of Conqueror’s Haki that pressed down on everyone’s chests, making their breathing short and shaky. The pressure far surpassed anything on the front lines earlier. Cracks split the walls all around.

It was Karl’s first time experiencing the true Conqueror’s Haki of Rocks. No wonder they called him emperor—a force like that made Karl’s skin crawl, filling him with the thrill of real death.

Clearly Rocks’s Haki was strong enough to tear apart actual objects. It was also a brutal sign of just how furious he was, unleashing it with such raw force.

Suddenly, Rocks turned his thunderous glare on Golden Lion, clearly dissatisfied.

“Go find them. They can’t have gotten far yet. There’s another port on the far side of the island—a lot of people escaped by sea over there.”

Even though Golden Lion had been taunting Rocks a moment ago, he didn’t want to get caught in that murderous glare. Sensing something off, he quickly clamped his mouth shut.

Rocks looked almost more infuriated. He knew he’d grown careless. Who would have guessed that Admiral Snow Lion would pull a switcheroo on him? He’d focused too much on hunting down the big threats and ignored the fleeing civilians. And who’d have thought they’d send someone so weak to guard the Devil Fruit? The blunder stung, but Rocks’s pride would never let him admit his mistake.

Rocks stormed out, no longer interested in a treasure vault stripped of any Devil Fruits.

That was why he’d attacked the Tyr Kingdom in the first place—he wanted those precious Logia-type Devil Fruits. And now, he’d come up empty-handed.

When Rocks left, everyone finally started breathing a bit easier.

“Mamamamama!”

“Golden Lion, you’re braver than I thought.”

Charlotte Linlin looked at Golden Lion the way one might look at a heroic fool. Even she could sense that just now, all of Rocks’s fury was trained on him.

“Jihahahaha!”

“Yeah, that was pretty scary.”

Golden Lion’s back was soaked with cold sweat. He’d genuinely thought Rocks might kill him on the spot.

“Alright, let’s send our crews to carry out Lord Rocks’s orders.”

Silver Axe, standing below the dais, was the first to speak up. He’d been part of the Rocks Pirates for a long time, though mostly as an undercover agent. If ever there was a moment for him to take charge, this was it.

“Jihahahahaha!”

Golden Lion let out another boisterous laugh and floated toward the exit. He’d had enough brushes with death for a day—he’d rather just follow orders.

“Let’s move. Everyone, send your men after the runners.”

Newgate didn’t spare a glance for the gold scattered on the ground. He understood just how urgent the situation was, and he had no idea what Rocks might do next. They all hurried out of the treasure vault, calling on their crews to hunt down the escaping masses.

At the rear, Karl and Charlotte Linlin exchanged a quiet glance.

Soon, some pirates began hauling the Tyr Kingdom’s treasures out to their ships, bit by bit.

Meanwhile, larger groups of pirates set out chasing after the civilians now scattered on little boats in the distance. Since the pirates had faster ships, they closed in quickly.

It wasn’t long before the pirate ships reached their prey. The open sea erupted into chaos—a slaughter began right there on the water.

But it was already too late. North had made off with the Devil Fruit, putting a huge distance between himself and the kingdom. As soon as he cleared the Tyr Kingdom’s borders, he changed course, worried the Rocks Pirates would catch on and send pursuit. He steered straight for Navy Headquarters.

The sky darkened as hours of pursuit turned the sea into a burning wasteland, littered with flames.

Reports trickling back from the pirate crews brought little comfort—they’d only recovered some gold and jewels. During the chaos, fleeing civilians had grabbed what treasure they could carry too.

But no matter how hard they searched, there was no sign of the Devil Fruit. It seemed to be long gone.

Back aboard his ship, Rocks ordered a wider search.

The Rocks Pirates kept searching through the night, combing the darkness for any traces. But once night fell, with the sea a black expanse, they had no choice but to return to the Tyr Kingdom and report in. Rocks fumed at the news but knew he was helpless. All he could do was order a retreat to Beehive Island.

Rocks understood that he’d just been played by the Navy.

But that didn’t mean Rocks was going to swallow this defeat quietly!

From that day forward, the Rocks Pirates’ name would become synonymous with brutality.

．．．

Beehive Island!

“Since the Navy pulled one over on me, it’s only right I get my revenge.”

In the pirate council hall, Rocks sat at the head. To his left and right were Golden Lion and Newgate, with Charlotte Linlin and John next. After them came Karl and Wang Zhi, with Silver Axe at the tail end. Kaido wasn’t at this meeting.

Clearly, this meeting was only for the division commanders.

“Now, the New World belongs to us—the Rocks Pirates rule it all.”

A smile spread over Rocks’s once-gloomy face. He knew his plan was halfway to success. Next, he would pull together every ruthless pirate from the New World to fuel his ultimate scheme.

“From here on, I need you to attack every ally nation in the New World.”

“Go one by one. Leave none untouched.”

In Rocks’s mind, this was both about revenge against the Navy and about driving more people into piracy—more pirates, more manpower for his crew.

The New World was made up of hundreds of islands, with thirty-four allied nations among them. The rest were scattered small islands with little population.

So from that day on, the pirates under the Rocks Pirates set out in force, following their commanders and pillaging every island they could reach.

Pirates poured across the New World, plunging it into all-out war.

The Navy may have tricked him, but Rocks was determined to show them what suffering really meant—his name would be infamous for it.

Each commander was given a different number of targets. Karl only had three, meaning he’d be attacking three allied nations.

Luckily, Karl’s assigned nations were all close by—no need for a long journey. Golden Lion’s was the farthest, but with his Float-Float Fruit, he could travel much faster than the rest.

When Rocks finished speaking, everyone nodded seriously before collecting their assignments and leaving the meeting hall.

．．．

Meanwhile, Navy Headquarters—Marineford!

“Finally made it…”

North piloted a battered little boat, his body covered in blood.

He’d rushed all the way from the New World, clashing with pirates the entire trip. Both his strength and spirit were stretched to the limit.

“Who’s there?”

“Looks like one of ours.”

“Quick, check it out!”

Two Navy soldiers at the Marineford port spotted the tiny boat drifting their way.

Hearing voices calling out, North barely managed to say, “I’m Rear Admiral North of the Navy.”

Then, as the weight of his burden lifted, his tense expression faded. Satisfied, he slowly closed his eyes.

“It’s Rear Admiral North—quick!”

Because Rear Admiral North’s white Justice cloak was now stained dark red with blood, the sailors hadn’t recognized him at first. But when they drew closer and saw who it was, they rushed him to the headquarters and immediately notified Fleet Admiral Hill.