The man flying toward them was Shiki, the one pushed forward by the rest of the Rocks Pirates to deliver the message.
The future "Golden Lion," Captain of the Flying Pirates, and one of the legendary Great Pirates whose name would shake the seas after the era of Rocks came to an end. Shiki was the one sent because delivering a message to Rocks and Logan in the heat of battle was no easy feat.
Under these circumstances, neither of them could receive Den Den Mushi signals, and the shockwaves from their combat were not something an ordinary person could break through. Furthermore, since the battle was taking place on a reef in the outer sea, only someone capable of flight could approach quickly.
As for how they knew Rocks and Logan were here... it wasn't complicated. Only those two could cause such a massive disturbance.
"Not interested."
"Don't get in the way, Shiki! Get lost!"
The "treasure" of Hachinosu that Shiki had mentioned wasn't an object, but a person: Shakky of the Kuja Pirates.
A few years ago, Shakky had opened a tavern on the island and driven many men wild. Logan, however, was not among them; she simply wasn't his type. During her stay on the island, a state of lovesickness known as the "Shakky Virus" began to spread. Logan often felt that the crew looked like they were suffering from a collective, sudden outburst of frustration.
A year ago, Shakky had suddenly vanished, taken from the island by person or persons unknown. The act took only a few hours and resulted in the death of Malone, who was on guard duty that night. Only today had news finally surfaced.
Rocks himself had once been infatuated with Shakky, but those thoughts vanished after he started a family. To Rocks, having Shakky snatched from his own island was a blow to his prestige, but his duel with Logan had just reached its climax, and he had no intention of stopping immediately. It wasn't as if he could teleport there instantly anyway; he figured he could finish the fight first. He simply found Shiki's timing annoying.
"It's not just Shakky. There's a massive amount of treasure and Devil Fruits. For some reason, the Celestial Dragons have gathered at God Valley in the West Blue. It seems..."
"Where did you say?! God Valley?!"
The words "God Valley" instantly seized Rocks' attention. His desire to fight vanished. Signalling Logan to pause, he appeared in front of the Golden Lion with speed so great that Shiki barely had time to react.
"What exactly is going on? Tell me everything!"
God Valley was Rocks' hometown. His wife, children, and family were all there. Hearing that the Celestial Dragons were gathering there sent him into an immediate state of agitation.
"Uh... it's pretty complicated. How about we head back first?"
Golden Lion pointed back toward Hachinosu. After receiving the news, many members had already gathered to discuss their move; they were only waiting on Rocks and Logan.
Despite having no inherent flight ability, Rocks moved faster than Shiki or Logan. With a few flashes of movement, he had already covered a great distance toward the base.
"He's certainly in a hurry... Logan, let's head over too."
Shiki didn't chase after him immediately. He had a feeling that Rocks was currently like a powder keg ready to explode; it was better to keep some distance.
"Is there specific information about the Devil Fruits?" Logan asked.
Though he didn't know the exact details of this timeline, Logan knew the general cause and outcome based on his memories of the future. The Celestial Dragons' "Hunting Game"—where rare and powerful Devil Fruits were offered as prizes for the Celestial Dragon elites. The Uo Uo no Mi, Model: Seiryu (Fish-Fish Fruit, Model: Azure Dragon) and the Nikyu Nikyu no Mi (Paw-Paw Fruit) were both on that island.
"Don't know. The Intel only mentioned rare fruits; it didn't specify the types."
Devil Fruits—the secret treasures of the sea. Each one could grant its eater a unique ability, many of which possessed world-shattering power. Even those that weren't strong in direct combat often had incredibly specialized effects.
Logan was naturally interested in them; they were one of his primary goals. While eating a Devil Fruit turned one into a "hammer" who could no longer swim (even for Fish-Men), Logan was special—he had a way to bypass that weakness.
As for others, it depended on the situation. Some powers were worth the sacrifice. Besides, his subordinates weren't just Fish-Men and Merfolk. Even if he didn't eat them, selling them on the Black Market would fetch an astronomical sum.
Compared to the gold and jewels, Logan found the Devil Fruits much more enticing. He held no prejudice against them; like Haki, they were a unique power of this sea. It was like having two legs—there was no reason to only train one. His goal was to master both Fruit abilities and Haki to their absolute limits.
"Let's go."
Logan didn't press for more details. He beat his wings and followed. Everything would be repeated during the emergency meeting anyway. Shiki said nothing more, activating his Fuwa Fuwa no Mi powers to follow suit.
When Logan arrived at the center of Hachinosu, most of the core members of the Rocks Pirates were already there.
Edward Newgate, Kaido, Ochoku (Wang Zhi), Silver Axe, Captain John, Miss Buckingham Stussy, Gloriosa... excluding the deceased Malone, the lineup was practically complete.
The crew members were bickering and occasionally trading blows, while Rocks sat in the main seat with a dark expression, silent.
"Oh~ Logan, even you're here. Looks like this really is a big incident~"
Buckingham Stussy, sitting beside Whitebeard, greeted Logan warmly. Essentially, these people were just temporary associates, but they maintained a surface-level rapport. Logan was actually quite popular among the female pirates on the island. His strength was undeniable, and he was quite handsome—especially when compared to some of the "freakish" appearances of other members of the Rocks Pirates.
"Ma-ma-ma-ma! You've come as expected, Logan. It seems there's something there that interests you as well."
Charlotte Linlin arrived late, holding a Den Den Mushi and several documents. Because of her specialized intelligence network in the underworld, Linlin acted as the crew's information officer. She had just finished organizing the reports.
She and Logan had a past romantic history; their relationship after breaking up wasn't terrible. While they didn't exchange sweet words, they didn't jump straight to fighting either. Casual small talk was fine.
However, Rocks was currently extremely irritable and in no mood for chatter.
"You can reminisce some other time! Linlin, stop the nonsense. What the hell is going on with God Valley?! What news did you get?!"
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