Chapter 151: I'm Here, Captain Rocks
After the massive shockwave of Haki subsided, Rocks retracted his fist on the spot and looked toward the massive palace. At this moment, Luo Han 's golden spear was striking at Aikes and the others.
"So Aikes and the rest are fighting that brat Luo Han ? Blue Demon? Hah!"
Rocks squinted his eyes, silently mocking in his heart. Let them dance around a little longer.
He withdrew his gaze.
Thud! Thud! Thud! Thud!
Four successive sounds rang out in front of Rocks. Three CP0 captains collapsed to the ground, turning into blackened charcoal.
Only the CP0 chief remained kneeling, arms hanging down, his whole body burning with intense heat. His hair and skin were already completely burned off, revealing blood-red muscle. Even his eyes were gone, leaving only two hollow sockets from which steam poured out.
"Oh! Still not dead? That's much better than the previous two punches. To hold out this long… Just for that, I, Rocks, am willing to—Hmm!"
Rocks suddenly paused mid-sentence, listening closely.
Sss… Sss…! Something seemed to be burning. Rocks frowned. Just then, a wisp of greenish smoke rose from his chest.
"No! It can't be…!"
Rocks' expression changed drastically. He hurriedly reached into his coat pocket and pulled out a stack of Vivre Cards. Three of the cards were rapidly burning, and in no time, they turned entirely to ash and scattered.
The scene fell silent instantly.
Thump… Thump… Thump…
So quiet that even the wind seemed to vanish—only the sound of Rocks' heartbeat remained.
"Farewell, brothers…" Rocks whispered softly after a long pause. Then, with sharp eyes, he suddenly turned toward Kaido, who had been silently watching the whole time.
"Once I get that thing, you trash won't need to exist anymore!"
Rocks glared in rage, then withdrew his gaze. He crouched slightly and pushed off the ground—BOOM!—a sonic boom erupted beneath him. Still brimming with fierce Haki, Rocks shot into the sky, heading straight for the massive palace.
"Whew… He's finally gone. That monster…"
BANG! As soon as Rocks left, Kaido's massive body collapsed to the ground, gasping heavily.
"That was really close. I almost got wiped out!"
Kaido let out a sigh of relief. When Rocks looked at him earlier, he truly felt like he was going to die. Luckily, Rocks left in the end.
"But what happened in there that made Rocks rush off so urgently?" Kaido wondered. He hadn't seen the moment when Rocks' Vivre Cards burned to nothing, so he had no idea someone had killed Rocks' companions.
"Still… what overwhelming power! Captain Rocks, how did you do it?"
He walked up to the fallen CP0 members, looking at their miserable state, and sighed in awe. His desire to understand Rocks' mastery of Armament Haki only deepened.
In fact, that's the main reason Kaido stayed on the Rocks Pirates—to seek Rocks' guidance. Unfortunately, Rocks never taught anyone—not even his closest allies.
Left with no other choice, Kaido hoped to glean some insight just by watching Rocks fight. But he rarely had the chance to see Rocks unleash his full strength. This time, he finally did.
"I better head to the palace. Maybe if I watch a bit more, I'll uncover the secret behind Rocks' Armament Haki."
With hope in his heart, Kaido left for Luo Han 's location.
Only the CP0 chief remained kneeling in silence. A faint whisper eventually emerged: "Rocks' Haki… has weakened…"
Then all fell silent.
Thud! The CP0 chief collapsed, his body gradually turning to ash.
From that moment, all seven navy admiral-level forces and six vice admiral-level forces who had joined in attacking Rocks had perished.
...
Whoosh! A dark figure streaked across the sky, followed by a sonic boom.
The navy fleet—led by the Fleet Admiral and Steel Bone Kong—saw the shadow flash past.
"That shadow just now… was that Rocks?" Kong said in shock. That kind of flight speed—he'd only seen it before from that brat Blue Demon.
"No doubt about it. That was Rocks. Kong, go check where he came from. The rest of us will pursue him." The Fleet Admiral frowned with worry. He hadn't seen the CP0 chief or Kaido, and quickly issued orders.
"Understood, Admiral!" Steel Bone Kong responded and rushed toward the CP0's last known location.
Thud thud thud! The Fleet Admiral and two other admirals took off in pursuit of Rocks.
...
Behind the foundations of the massive palace, in a small forest, Luo Han stood and, with his back to Whitebeard and Cole, said, "Rocks is coming. You two stay here and just watch. Trust me—it'll be fine."
With that, he slowly began walking toward Aikes and the others—or rather, toward Rocks.
Ever since witnessing Rocks' power, Luo Han had always felt he wasn't strong enough to beat him. Even after becoming capable of fighting Garp and Roger at the same time, he still felt he fell short of Rocks.
He had always thought it was a lack of strength. But in the moment he instinctively killed Rocks' comrades, he realized—it wasn't that.
If he didn't overcome this constant sense of inferiority, he would never reach Rocks' level—let alone surpass him.
So Luo Han decided to face Rocks one-on-one, to fight and destroy that lingering insecurity—his inner demon.
Whitebeard and Cole simply watched him go. Though they were worried, they said nothing about helping. This was Luo Han 's own battle to overcome his inner demons—he needed no assistance.
Boom! Rocks arrived, landing next to the crater where Aikes and the others had gathered.
They had already awakened and placed the bodies of their fallen comrades together.
Rocks deactivated his Haki mode and slowly walked down. Aikes and the others held back their tears, silently stepping aside.
He knelt before the three fallen comrades, gently touching each of their faces with a trembling hand.
The memories of better days rushed into Rocks' mind. He smiled faintly, then slowly stood up and looked around—but Luo Han was nowhere to be seen.
"I'm sorry, Captain! It was my recklessness that led to—" Aikes stepped forward but didn't finish his sentence.
BOOM! A sudden force struck him, launching him to the edge of the crater, stirring a cloud of dust.
"Aikes!!" Kodak and the others were stunned, then shouted and ran toward him.
"Stop right there, you idiots!" Rocks shouted furiously, his face dark.
"Captain…" Kodak and the others froze, lowering their heads, not daring to meet Rocks' eyes.
"Lift your heads—now!" Rocks ordered.
"Yes… sir!"
One by one, Kodak and the others looked up. Aikes also returned, unharmed—Rocks clearly hadn't used full strength, only knocking him away.
Once everyone faced him, Rocks spoke in a deep voice: "You are my crew—remember that, you idiots! No matter what you do, it's never wrong. So don't apologize. Especially not to me."
"The blood spilled by Alex and the others… I, their captain, will avenge it personally!"
Aikes and the others froze for a moment. Then their sorrow turned into deep hatred for Luo Han .
"Now then—where is that brat Luo Han ?!"
Just as he spoke, a calm voice echoed out.
"I'm here, Captain Rocks!"
(END CHAPTER)
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