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Bang!
The moment Shakky spoke, an overwhelming burst of Haoshoku Haki erupted, nearly shattering the air.
Yes.
As the former empress of Amazon Lily and captain of the Kuja Pirates, who had clashed with Roger and Whitebeard on the sea, Shakky naturally possessed Haoshoku Haki.
But...
Buzz!
In the next instant, she sensed an aura emanating from her opponent. It seemed to be Haoshoku Haki as well, yet it was distinctly different.
While the Haoshoku Haki wielded by the most powerful individuals represents a disdain for the world's established order and rules, nearly every Haoshoku user possesses their own unique will and logic.
And, the aura emanating from Youji was far more primal and ferocious.
It was as if the king of beasts from ancient times had unleashed a deafening roar across the primordial wilderness, standing supreme above all living creatures.
Without a doubt, this presence alone confirmed that the rumors circulating across the sea were no exaggeration. In fact, he was even more terrifying than the legends suggested.
"Just being one of the Twelve Zodiacs grants one the 'qualities of an Emperor'?" Shakky's eyes grew increasingly grave.
Bang!
The colliding auras instantly shattered the wine glasses on the table.
Youji was surprised by this scene. He knew the "Tyrant Winged Dragon" Devil Fruit had effects similar to Haoshoku Haki, but he never expected it could produce a "Haoshoku clash."
Naturally, this wasn't the crux of the matter.
He merely chuckled and said, "Don't be so tense, Madam Shakky. I didn't come here to fight. I've come to seek out the Dark King, Silvers Rayleigh, and ask him a few questions."
Upon hearing this, Shakky gave him a deep, scrutinizing look.
This legendary former pirate had already gleaned the most crucial information from Youji's seemingly nonchalant words.
To the Twelve Zodiacs, her and Rayleigh's hidden identities, which they had kept secret for so many years, were clearly no secret.
Therefore...
Snap.
Shakky's imposing aura vanished as she lit another cigarette.
"Then you've come at a bad time," She said. "Old Ray isn't on the Sabaody Archipelago."
'Not here?'
Hearing this, Youji's brow furrowed beneath his mask, and he glanced at Shakky suspiciously.
But Shakky merely shrugged nonchalantly. "That's right. He recently received an invitation to meet two old friends."
"Old friends?" Youji's frown deepened.
He studied Shakky and concluded that this "boss lady" was likely telling the truth. After all, no one could have possibly known that he was coming to the Sabaody Archipelago.
Moreover, neither Rayleigh nor Shakky were the type to hide for such a trivial reason.
"What a coincidence," Youji sighed.
But at that very moment...
"However," Shakky said, taking a drag from her cigarette, "if you're looking for information, you might as well ask me. When it comes to information, I'm quite confident in my abilities."
Her words startled Youji for a moment.
Then it dawned on him... of course!
Though this former empress wasn't a member of the Roger Pirates, she was once the most sought-after woman of a bygone pirate era. She was admired by both Roger and Rayleigh.
She was a true information broker, so it was possible that she knew something valuable.
But before that...
"Why would you help me?" He asked, his curiosity piqued by Shakky's offer.
"I don't know. Maybe it's my sixth sense. It's usually spot-on," Shakky said with a smile. "Besides, I'm not giving you this information for free. For every piece of information you ask for, you must tell me something I'm curious about in return. Naturally, sensitive information can be withheld by mutual agreement."
She extended her hand. "Information for information. That seems fair, right?"
"Fair." Upon hearing this, Youji nodded slightly.
"Then, please ask your question." Shakky calmly gestured for Youji to go first, seemingly unconcerned that he might break his word.
"Did Mr. Rayleigh ever mention anything to you about Skypiea's 'God's Domain' and the two messages left there?"
Youji cut straight to the point.
Shakky's usually impassive face visibly registered surprise.
Clearly, she hadn't expected his first question to delve into such sensitive territory.
"Well, this is..."
She took a deep drag from her cigarette, and her expression quickly returned to normal. "Old Ray did take me to Skypiea. It was one of the islands that Roger reached on his final voyage. Rocks left a message there, and Roger had Kozuki Oden carve his own message beside it."
True to her adherence to rules, she spoke with remarkable conciseness.
"We already know all that," Youji said softly. "What I want to ask about is the content of those messages, particularly any information related to Rocks' inscription. Ideally, I'd like to know the date it was carved."
As his words hung in the air, he saw Shakky smile.
"If I'm not mistaken, you want information about 'Star Lord,' right?"
She spoke the name directly.
"...!"
Even though Youji had already suspected it, his heart still skipped a beat.
'Do all the powerful figures from the past era know this name?'
'That makes no sense! If that were the case, why wouldn't the Marines and the World Government have any records of it?'
But Shakky's next words immediately dispelled his doubts.
"Regarding that name, I have no information, and I can tell you, Rayleigh doesn't know either."
Shakky stated the answer plainly.
"Rayleigh told me that, after leaving Skypiea, the Roger Pirates became curious about the message and asked Roger about 'Star Lord.'"
"But Roger told them nothing. He only said it was 'another possibility that could change the world, something he had promised someone not to reveal.'"
Shakky chuckled as she recalled the annoyed expression on her lover's face when he told the story. "Rayleigh held a grudge about that for years."
"..."
Youji fell silent. Beneath his rooster mask, Roy was momentarily stunned.
'Roger hadn't even told his own crew about Star Lord?'
Before he could process this, Shakky addressed his other question proactively.
"As for the message from Rocks you mentioned, Rayleigh did tell me some things about it."
The mention of that name caused a subtle shift in Shakky's expression. For those who had lived through that era, the name itself carried immense weight.
"First, regarding the time the message was carved, Rayleigh said that after Roger refused to tell them about 'Star Lord,' he revealed this information as compensation."
She took a deep drag from her cigarette.
"That message was carved 32 years ago."
Upon hearing this, Youji was instantly stunned.
"32 years ago?"
This number completely defied his understanding.
Because he was certain that the God Valley Incident occurred 33 years ago!
In other words...
"Was this message from Rocks carved after the God Valley Incident?"
The implications were staggering.
This meant Rocks hadn't died at God Valley.
"Quite surprising, isn't it?" Shakky said, taking another drag from her cigarette before dropping her second bombshell. "Moreover, Roger said he sensed 'the weakness of a dying man' in Rocks's words."
She continued softly, "He might have survived, but that's all."
At this, Rooster fell silent again.
His mind began frantically processing the information.
He knew Roger had the ability to "hear the sound of all things." Though he was unable to decipher ancient scripts, he could discern their general meaning. For example, in Skypiea, he had sensed "immense power" emanating from a Poneglyph. Indeed, the text contained clues to the whereabouts of the mighty Poseidon.
Assuming Shakky's words were true, then Roger's interpretation held significant weight.
From this, it wasn't difficult to deduce the following: Rocks had survived the God Valley incident, but he was left severely weakened and nearly died.
Following a prearranged agreement, Rocks traveled to Skypiea and left behind a cryptic message.
"To think he carved a message of that scale while in such a weakened state... Just how strong was he at his peak?"
Youji thought to himself, lost in his own musings.
He quickly snapped back to reality and turned to Shakky. "What happened in the end?" he asked, his gaze sharp. "If Rocks didn't die at God Valley, what was his final fate? Why is there no trace of him on the sea?"
Shakky simply shook her head. "I don't know."
Perhaps her sixth sense had compelled her to proactively approach Youji and the others.
She knew Rocks well. She had spent a considerable amount of time on his "Pirate Island" in the past, and he had relentlessly pursued her for a long time.
Although Shakky harbored no romantic feelings for Rocks, she had to acknowledge that Rocks D. Xebec had truly been a flagbearer of his era.
And that was the strangest thing of all.
She was certain that he wasn't one to keep silent.
If his death was inevitable, it would have been a violent, earth-shattering end, not a quiet walk into the dark night.
But the truth was that no one knew his fate. It was as if he had died quietly in some forgotten corner.
Even the Roger Pirates, who believed he might have survived God Valley, couldn't find any reliable information about him at sea.
Perhaps only Roger knew something, but he refused to tell his crew.
"...".
And so, Youji's questioning came to an end.
He fell into silent contemplation.
'When exactly did Rocks die, and how? Or did he even die at all?' Curiosity gnawed at him, but the answers remained elusive.
Yet clearly, this wasn't the most important thing.
Most importantly, Roy now felt a growing conviction about the origin of all the changes:
"God Valley."
His previous assessment of the timeline had been incorrect.
According to Shakky, the inscriptions on Skypiea were carved after the God Valley incident.
This clarified the most significant divergence in the story.
The point in the future to which he had traveled was likely one of the most dangerous times and places in the history of the sea: the God Valley incident itself!
"...It is way too convenient."
Roy couldn't help but feel suspicious. The timing was simply too coincidental.
If he had traveled back in time using the Return-Return Fruit's Awakened ability, his destination should have been random.
Landing at the exact moment of the God Valley battle was an improbable coincidence.
Therefore, a unique's explanation was...
"I actively chose it."
At that moment, he still didn't know why or how he did it.
But he was certain of one thing: "For some reason, after overcoming the side effects of the Modo Modo no Mi (Return-Return Fruit), I deliberately chose the most dangerous moment."
Just as he was pondering this, Shakky suddenly spoke up.
"Now it's my turn to ask you questions, right?"
"Ask away," Youji replied, momentarily taken aback before pushing his thoughts aside.
"I have only two questions," Shakky extended two fingers. "First, is 'Star Lord' connected to your group, the Twelve Zodiacs?"
"Second, what is your purpose in coming to the Sabaody Archipelago?"
Her questions were concise and avoided probing too deeply.
After a moment of silence, Youji answered directly. "Star Lord is our leader."
Those few simple words caused Shakky's hand, which was holding a cigarette, to clench abruptly.
Though she had suspected as much from Youji's questions, hearing that name, the one that had only ever existed in Rayleigh's stories, uttered in reality still left her somewhat in disbelief.
However, Youji clearly had no intention of elaborating further on the matter.
"As for my purpose in coming to the Sabaody Archipelago," he continued in an icy tone, "it's to find someone for my subordinates."
Brrr, Brrr. Brrr, Brrr.
Just then, the Den Den Mushi in his arms began to ring.
Youji nodded to Shakky in acknowledgment before answering it.
"Lord Youji, that guy... he's here."
Alan's voice came through the Den Den Mushi. But his tone was unmistakably filled with such intense hatred and rage that it seemed he was grinding his teeth.
"Understood," Youji spoke softly before hanging up.
He then brushed aside his scattered thoughts and turned to Shakky.
"It seems the person you've been waiting for has arrived," Shakky murmured.
"Precisely. Thank you, Miss Shakky, for clearing up my doubts. I must take my leave."
As he spoke, Youji reached up to adjust his mask.
He bowed gracefully and slowly retreated into the light streaming through the window behind him.
Buzz!
In a flash of blinding light, he vanished without a trace.
The tavern was empty once again.
"...Hmph."
Shakky watched the lingering motes of light fade. She took a silent drag from her cigarette and walked to the tavern entrance. She reached out to remove the "Temporarily Closed" sign.
But her hand froze mid-motion, and she slowly lowered it.
Her sixth sense told her that this place might become troublesome soon.
As always, her sixth sense was remarkably accurate.
She flicked her cigarette butt to the ground and crushed it underfoot. "Fine, let's close for a while."
(End Of This Chapter)