Hachinosu Island. Rocks ordered a grand feast that would last three days and three nights.
"Listen up, crew—!"
Rocks stood on a makeshift high platform:
"This battle, we won! And we lost!"
"We won—because we invaded Mary Geoise, killed many Celestial Dragons, and plundered the World Government's treasures! We made those self-proclaimed gods understand that they too can bleed, they too can die!"
"We also lost—because we failed to completely raze the Holy Land, failed to kill the Five Elders, and failed to drag out that rat Imu hiding in the sewers!"
"But one loss doesn't mean eternal defeat!"
"Today's retreat is for a stronger return tomorrow!"
"Now—forget all your frustrations, forget all your grievances, drink heartily! Revel wildly! Three days and three nights, we don't stop until we're drunk!"
"After we sober up, we'll become stronger—strong enough to wipe the entire Mary Geoise off the map next time!"
"Ooh—!!"
"Long live Captain Rocks—!!"
"Drink! Eat meat! Celebrate!!"
The entire Hachinosu Island became an ocean of revelry.
Some hugged barrels of alcohol and drank deeply, others danced in frenzied movements, while many loudly boasted about how many Celestial Dragons they had killed in Mary Geoise.
Meanwhile, at the summit of the Red Line, Mary Geoise was shrouded in gloom.
The Holy Land was undergoing massive reconstruction work.
The World Government building had relatively minor damage, but its outer walls were covered with cracks and scorch marks.
Pangaea Castle had completely vanished, utterly flattened into nothingness.
What remained was a massive depression over five hundred meters in diameter, as if struck by a meteor.
Strangely enough, despite the Rocks Pirates' invasion of the Holy Land Mary Geoise—an event significant enough to shake the world—no news of it spread to the outside world.
Newspapers made no mention of it.
Radio broadcasts remained silent.
Even the intelligence networks of the underworld unusually maintained their silence.
Clearly, the World Government had employed every means to completely suppress the news.
The Five Elders had issued a strict order: anyone who leaked information about the attack on Mary Geoise, regardless of status or position, would be executed.
Most people who knew about this incident had already been silenced.
Only a few powerful factions, like the Roger Pirates, knew about it and avoided being eliminated due to their strength.
Interestingly, the source of this information's spread actually came from Hachinosu Island.
Some members of the Rocks Pirates, while drunk, boasted about their achievements, which were overheard by intelligence agents lurking on the island.
The information then spread through various covert channels.
But due to the lack of concrete evidence and the World Government's forceful suppression, it never developed into widespread public discourse.
...
World Government building, top-floor conference room.
With Pangaea Castle under reconstruction, this had become the temporary meeting hall for the Five Elders.
The room was simply furnished—a round table, five chairs, and the flag of the World Government hanging on the wall.
The Five Elders sat around the table, each with a grim expression.
"Have the efforts to appease the various families been carried out?" Saint Warcury spoke slowly.
"Everything that needed to be done has been done," Saint Nusjuro replied gravely. "The families of the victims have received double compensation, and all damaged palaces are being rebuilt at the World Government's expense."
"It's all because of that damned Rocks Pirates," Saint Peter muttered softly, "and that Raiver…"
At the mention of that name, the expressions of all five darkened further.
Saint Saturn said solemnly, "Without his Space-Space Fruit ability, the Rocks Pirates would never have been able to penetrate so deeply into the Holy Land and cause destruction on such a scale."
"More importantly—" Saint Warcury continued, "without Raiver, the Rocks Pirates would never have been able to retreat unscathed. They might even have been eliminated here by Lord Imu."
"The Space-Space Fruit… truly troublesome," Saint Nusjuro's expression was grave. "That ability is too well-suited for surprise attacks and retreats. Combined with Golden Lion's Float-Float Fruit, the mobility of the Rocks Pirates has reached an unimaginable level."
"But what can we do about it?" Saint Mars sighed. "We can't snipe him, assassinate him, or surround him. That brat's combat power is already at the Admiral level, and he's protected by monsters like Rocks and Whitebeard. Unless Lord Imu personally intervenes, otherwise…"
"Let's not discuss this for now," Saint Warcury changed the subject. "In one month, the triennial Slave Hunting Event will take place, and the location has been set at God Valley. After this great battle, Mary Geoise has suffered heavy losses. Should we still hold this event?"
The Slave Hunting Event—a "grand occasion" in the tradition of the Celestial Dragons.
Held every three years, the Celestial Dragon families would select an island as a "hunting ground," releasing tens of thousands of slaves into it.
Then, members of the various families would enter the hunting ground to hunt slaves as "entertainment."
Finally, evaluations would be made based on the number, methods, and creativity of the hunts, with the winner receiving generous rewards.
This was both entertainment and an occasion for the families to display their strength and vent their desires.
"It must be held!" Saint Mars said without hesitation. "After the attack on Mary Geoise, all the families are seething with anger. The thrill of hunting slaves can vent their rage and divert their attention."
"Agreed."
"I agree as well."
"Then it's settled," Saint Warcury looked at Saint Saturn. "Saturn, you will be in charge of this Slave Hunting Event at God Valley."
Saint Saturn nodded slightly.
The meeting concluded.
In the following month, neither the World Government nor the Marine Headquarters took any retaliatory action against the Rocks Pirates.
Marine Headquarters, Marineford, was unusually quiet, with even routine patrols in the New World reduced.
This abnormal calm unsettled many forces in the New World.
But those in the know understood that the World Government had been frightened by the feint that drew their forces away.
They feared that if Marine Headquarters mobilized its full strength again, the Rocks Pirates would seize the opportunity to launch another surprise attack on the Holy Land.
With Raiver and Golden Lion present, the mobility of the Rocks Pirates far surpassed that of the World Government and the Marines.
Meanwhile, the Rocks Pirates themselves remained largely inactive.
On Hachinosu Island, aside from daily training and plundering merchant ships, the pirates undertook no large-scale operations.
...
One month later.
West Blue, God Valley.
This was a picturesque island with a pleasant climate, located in remote waters of the West Blue far from major shipping routes.
The island housed a town of approximately three thousand residents who lived peaceful, isolated lives.
At least, that had been the case until today.
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