Watching the seawater continue to surge in, Is knew the battle had finally come to an end.
He withdrew the True Several Thousand Hands and sat down atop the ruins.
After fighting for so long, even he was exhausted now.
The dark clouds overhead, churned by the battle, were slowly dispersing, revealing the crimson glow of the evening sky.
It was dusk.
"Haa…"
Is let out a long breath.
Rocks had been brought down.
The era of Rocks had ended as well.
Tap! Tap! Tap!
Suddenly, footsteps sounded behind him.
Six shadows appeared before his eyes.
He turned sharply and saw that Senju Hashirama, Uchiha Madara, the Old Heavenly Master, Unohana Retsu, Tatsumaki, and Acnologia were all standing behind him.
Tatsumaki stood in the middle.
In her hands was a small piece of cake.
A gentle smile rested on her face as she handed it to Is. Her cheeks flushed slightly as she turned her head away with a tsundere-like awkwardness and muttered softly:
"Happy birthday, Is."
"Happy birthday, Is!"
The other five spoke in unison, celebrating Aurelius D. Virel Is's birthday.
"…Today is my birthday?"
Is froze for a moment as he accepted the cake, staring at the evening glow illuminating the six figures before him.
For some reason, an indescribable emotion welled up inside him.
"Of course. Today's your birthday. Seriously… how could you even forget your own birthday?" Tatsumaki puffed out her cheeks slightly before pinching his face.
"Yeah, Is. Today's your birthday."
"Happy birthday, Is. An old man like me isn't good with sentimental words, so all I can do is wish you a happy birthday."
"With such a shabby birthday celebration… you won't be upset, right, Is?" Hashirama asked with a smile.
"How could I be? I'm happy beyond words."
Is smiled brightly.
"Sorry, Is. We originally prepared a huge cake and plenty of surprises for you, but…"
Acnologia stepped forward, regret evident in his voice.
"…Sorry."
Because the Rocks Pirates had attacked out of nowhere.
Almost all of God Valley had been reduced to ruins.
The surprises and cake they had prepared had been destroyed as well.
That was why, on Is's birthday, they had only managed to find this tiny cake.
He genuinely felt guilty about it.
"The size of the cake doesn't matter. Having one is enough. As for surprises… the fact that all of you remembered my birthday and prepared surprises and cake for me already means more than anything."
Every word Is spoke came from the heart.
The fact that Tatsumaki and the others had remembered his birthday and prepared something for him truly moved him beyond measure.
"Is, I didn't prepare anything for your birthday. How about I let you beat me up once?" Acnologia suddenly said.
"Hahaha…"
His words immediately made everyone around burst into laughter.
Even Is couldn't stop the corner of his mouth from rising.
"I'm serious, Is," Acnologia said solemnly.
"Alright, Acno, move aside. Today's Is's birthday."
Unohana pushed him away without hesitation.
"Hurry and eat the cake, Is. A birthday only feels complete if you eat cake." Tatsumaki smiled softly.
"Yeah, hurry and eat it. We put a lot of effort into making this cake," Unohana reminded him.
Is ate the small cake in his hands.
Then he looked at the six people before him and said with heartfelt gratitude:
"Thank you… everyone."
After finishing the cake, Is felt emotions he couldn't put into words.
Someone remembered his birthday.
Someone had prepared a cake for him.
Such a simple gesture shattered the defenses around his heart.
He didn't know how to express it.
All he could do was thank them.
"Sigh… it's all Rocks' fault. Otherwise, we definitely would've given you a wonderful birthday," Tatsumaki said regretfully.
They had prepared many surprises for Is.
And an enormous cake.
Everything had been painstakingly arranged just to surprise him.
But Rocks' sudden attack had caught them completely off guard.
This birthday had been reduced to a tiny cake.
Although Is didn't care, all of them still felt deep regret.
"Being able to spend this birthday with all of you… even without cake, I'd still be happy. As for Rocks, his death counts as a gift. I doubt anyone will come looking for trouble with us for a long time."
Is smiled.
Rocks was dead.
Though many of his crew had escaped, they had surely learned their lesson.
They wouldn't dare seek trouble with him again.
"Is!"
Suddenly, from the horizon, Marine Admiral Sengoku and Fleet Admiral Kong rushed over, followed by a large number of Marines.
After arriving at God Valley, they discovered that the powerful officers were either dead or nowhere to be found.
And throughout the way, they hadn't seen any trace of Rocks.
…
"Saint Aurelius D. Virel Is… where is Rocks?"
Upon arriving, Kong saw nothing but ruins stretching everywhere.
Yet Rocks was nowhere in sight.
"He's already sunk into the sea."
Is pointed toward the enormous crater nearby.
Seawater was continuously pouring into it.
Before long, all of God Valley would sink beneath the ocean.
"You… killed Rocks?"
Kong sucked in a cold breath as a terrifying possibility surfaced in his mind.
A great pirate who had ruled the New World for years and wreaked havoc across the seas—
Rocks—
Had been ended by a Celestial Dragon today?
Before this, Kong would never have believed a Celestial Dragon could kill Rocks.
But ever since Aurelius D. Virel Is appeared, this Celestial Dragon had shattered his expectations time and time again.
This time, the shock left him unable to calm down for a long while.
"I think he's dead."
Is glanced toward the giant crater overflowing with seawater.
"Even Rocks wasn't your opponent… Saint Aurelius D. Virel Is?"
Sengoku pushed up his glasses, cold sweat appearing on his forehead.
A Celestial Dragon possessing such terrifying strength—
No one could remain calm hearing that.
"…That at the corner of your mouth… is that cake?"
Kong suddenly noticed a trace of frosting near Is's lips.
"Today's my birthday."
Is licked it away and smiled.
Kong was briefly stunned.
Then he took a deep breath and shouted:
"Saint Aurelius D. Virel Is—happy birthday!"
"Happy birthday, Saint Aurelius D. Virel Is!" Sengoku said respectfully.
"Happy birthday, Saint Aurelius D. Virel Is!"
The Marines behind them immediately stood at attention and shouted in unison.
Long ago, they had already heard rumors that Aurelius D. Virel Is was different from other Celestial Dragons.
Now, seeing him with their own eyes—
And learning he had killed Rocks—
Every Marine present felt nothing but shock.
And genuine respect.
"Sorry, Saint Aurelius D. Virel Is. Today was your birthday, yet… it was ruined by the Rocks Pirates."
Kong felt regret on Is's behalf.
"It's fine."
Is looked toward the six people beside him and smiled indifferently.
With them by his side on his birthday—
Did he really need cakes and surprises to make it meaningful?
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