The so-called Rocks Pirates of a New Era was not an actual pirate crew.
It was more of a label.
Just like the Supernovas who gathered on the Sabaody Archipelago from all across the seas in each era, it was a collective name given to the powerful figures who had appeared during the Summit War.
And every central figure among them was far from ordinary.
Pink Cain, who possessed a dragon-type Mythical Zoan fruit and could recruit numerous powerful fighters through his own influence.
Fire Fist Ace, the man whose capture had lit the fuse for the Summit War, now the one leading the Whitebeard Pirates and wielder of the Logia-type Flame-Flame Fruit.
Sabo, who held the Rumble-Rumble Fruit and possessed both extreme destructive power and terrifying speed.
Straw Hat Luffy, a rookie Supernova of the Worst Generation with immeasurable potential.
Yamato, daughter of Emperor Kaido, a Mythical Zoan user capable of fighting former Marine Admiral Zephyr head-on.
And Charlotte Katakuri, the strongest of the Big Mom Pirates' Sweet Commanders.
But the most important person of all was none other than Buggy the Clown, once a crewmate of the Pirate King, Roger; suspected of having countless hidden connections to Rocks and the man who had even started a live broadcast during the Summit War.
Although most of the information about Rocks pointed toward Blackbeard, Buggy had occupied half the broadcast screen at the time too.
So Morgans simply went along with it and included him in the list.
By contrast, although Blackbeard had once held the title of Warlord, he had not done anything especially eye-catching during this incident.
Compared to Buggy, who had publicly cursed out an Emperor and stood unfazed before several powerful figures, Blackbeard ended up being left off the list entirely.
As for why the Marines learned about this ahead of time, that was all thanks to Morgans.
That man never learned his lesson.
He loved publishing information the Marines had explicitly forbidden from being released.
This time, Sengoku had specially sent people straight to Morgans' nest, only for them to find it empty.
That damn birdman had already escaped, leaving behind only a few draft pages.
And written on those drafts was none other than the list of the Rocks Pirates of a New Era.
"That's the situation. But you and I both know this title isn't just symbolic. They really do have the potential to reach the level of the Rocks Pirates back then! Think about it. Among this group, there are already five people with Conqueror's Haki. If they're given enough time to grow, and if they truly gather together one day, won't the Marines be completely finished?"
Sengoku rubbed his forehead helplessly and poured out all the worries weighing on his mind.
Garp, however, did not take it seriously at all. Instead, he threw his head back and burst into laughter.
"As expected of my grandson! Bwahahahaha!"
"That's enough, Garp!"
…
At that moment, Cain and the others were riding on the same ship as Shanks' group, leading the remaining vessels away from Marine Headquarters.
Hancock stayed nearby, carefully taking care of Luffy.
The pirates who had been completely silenced by Cain's earlier words could still feel resentment and dissatisfaction in their hearts, but they could not find even half a sentence to refute him.
For now, they could only suppress those feelings and leave first, continuing to deal with the mountain of affairs left behind after Whitebeard's death.
On the ship's deck, only Yamato and Ace remained.
The two looked at each other, and for a moment, neither knew what to say.
Yamato was clearly stunned for a while.
Then, without saying much, she suddenly turned and ran off.
Ace lowered his head, his eyes fixed tightly on his own hands. His fingertips were trembling slightly, as if he had touched something unbearably hot.
Seeing this, Cain walked up and patted him on the shoulder, his tone calm.
"I know it's hard for you to accept all at once, but the fact is exactly that. Oden didn't choose Whitebeard, and he didn't choose Roger either. So what's there to keep agonizing over?"
Sabo also stepped forward at the right moment, gently comforting him.
"No one can live a perfect life. What we should do is learn from the admirable parts of others, not cling only to their flaws. Right?"
Ace, however, continued staring at his hands. His voice trembled as he stammered,
"No… that's not what I'm struggling with. Just now, I touched… I touched…"
"Huh?"
Cain and Sabo froze at the same time, tilting their heads in confusion.
Their faces were full of blank incomprehension.
They had no idea what he was talking about.
"I really touched it just now…"
Ace's cheeks instantly flushed scarlet.
He suddenly covered his face with both hands, squeezing out a tiny explanation through the gaps between his fingers.
As it turned out, when Yamato had raised her kanabo high and lunged at him earlier, both her arms had been lifted, leaving the front of her body completely unguarded.
Ace, who had been pushed forward, instinctively opened his hands to block her.
But Yamato had slammed into him with all her momentum, knocking him to the ground, and in the chaos, his hands had happened to touch her…
That soft… place.
What made it even more embarrassing was that Yamato breast was just too big!
Before Ace even realized what he had touched, he had failed to control himself properly, and his fingers had moved unconsciously a few times.
No wonder Yamato, who usually called herself a man, had blushed so suddenly—even if she normally did not care much about that sort of thing.
But Ace was different.
He was the first friend she had ever made in her life.
Such an intimate touch was still enough to make her flustered.
More than that, her conviction in calling herself Kozuki Oden had already begun to waver.
If she really started looking at herself as a woman, then how exactly did she see Ace?
The moment she thought too deeply about it, her heart became a mess.
"So Yamato didn't run off because her faith in Kozuki Oden collapsed, but because of what you did?"
Cain rolled his eyes, his voice full of helplessness.
Of course, Cain was saying this, but if he were facing Uta, he would not have performed any better.
"It's your fault!"
Ace exposed one eye through his fingers and shot back in embarrassment.
Sabo opened his mouth, but in the end, he merely coughed twice, completely unsure of what he was supposed to say.
"Then hurry up and chase after her so you can explain properly. That's better than standing here like an idiot!"
Cain kicked Ace and offered his suggestion.
After all, in this world, it was often the people who had never been in a relationship themselves who were best at giving advice about other people's love lives.
Ace was already embarrassed enough to be completely flustered. After being kicked, he immediately ran off in the direction Yamato had fled.
Only Sabo and Cain remained where they were.
Seeing this, Sabo spoke at the right time.
"Cain, I need to take Iva and the others back to report. It'll probably take two or three days before I can return. Let's get together properly then."
"Sounds good."
Cain answered.
"Ace has to deal with Whitebeard's funeral, and Luffy probably won't wake up for several days either. Let's set a time."
Not far away, Hancock was especially sensitive to the name "Luffy."
Her ears immediately perked up, and she secretly listened in on their conversation.
"How about four days from now?" Cain continued. "We'll meet on that island near Amazon Lily where the seasons keep changing. Your Revolutionary Army should be able to find the location."
"It's in the Calm Belt, but now that you can fly, getting there shouldn't be a problem."
Sabo nodded and was just about to turn away to say goodbye when Jinbe's anxious shout suddenly rang out.
"HEY! WHAT ARE YOU PLANNING TO DO TO LUFFY?"
Everyone turned toward the sound and saw Hancock carrying the sleeping Luffy as she leaped onto the Kuja Pirates' ship.
Once she confirmed they could leave, she directly ordered the ship to break away from the fleet and sail into the distance.
She did not forget to look back and shout,
"THEN IT'S AGREED! WE MEET AGAIN IN FOUR DAYS! UNTIL THEN, NO ONE IS ALLOWED TO DISTURB MY TIME ALONE WITH LUFFY!"
After everything that had happened along the way, Hancock's obsession with Luffy had already become something they were used to.
Even so, seeing this scene, Cain and Sabo still could not help the corners of their mouths twitching.
At the same time, Cain rubbed his chin, his face turning thoughtful.
"I feel like I forgot something…"
"You're thinking about Katakuri, right?"
Jinbe walked over with a helpless expression and immediately understood.
"After Pops passed away, Fish-Man Island lost its protection. I've already asked Katakuri to help contact the Big Mom Pirates and request their protection. He's probably already on his way to Fish-Man Island by now."
Cain nodded in agreement.
Shanks truly did not have the time to protect every territory under Whitebeard's name.
Seeking out Katakuri and Big Mom was indeed the safest option for protecting Fish-Man Island right now.
But even so, the strange feeling in Cain's heart did not disappear.
He kept feeling as though, aside from Katakuri, there was someone else he had forgotten.
...
At the same time—
Lilith, whom Cain had forgotten, was inside one of Kuma's paw-shaped bubbles, screaming in despair as she flew toward the Revolutionary Army's new base!
The Sky Island located in the first half of the Grand Line.