One Piece: Space-Space Fruit, Joining the Rocks Crew

On the ruins of the Valley of the Gods, which is mostly submerged, lies a relatively intact rocky platform.

Space distorted slightly, and black particles seeped out from the void, beginning to condense, rotate, and recombine.

Thirty seconds later, Im reappeared.

She opened her eyes and looked around.

The Valley of the Gods no longer exists; only a sea of ​​floating pebbles remains.

In the distance, a few scattered ships were desperately fleeing.

She unleashed her full Observation Haki.

No.

There was no trace of Luo Tian, ​​no spatial fluctuations, nothing at all.

That guy seemed to have vanished into thin air.

Im stood there, silent for a long time.

Then she smiled.

It wasn't an angry laugh, nor a mocking laugh; it was a calm laugh, tinged with a certain interest.

"Even if that guy is still here, what can he do?" she murmured to herself.

"I can't kill him, and he can't kill me. It's...an interesting situation."

For the first time in eight hundred years, someone has been able to "escape unscathed" from her presence.

No, it wasn't a complete escape.

It is "equal confrontation".

"Lord Im!"

Just then, several figures swept in from a distance and landed on the rocky platform; they were the Knights of God.

They were severely injured by Lox in the previous battle and have only now barely regained their ability to move.

"Are you alright?" Garin Sheng knelt down on one knee.

Im did not look at Garin Saint.

"Prepare to return."

As he spoke, Im raised his hand, and a huge black magic circle appeared beneath his feet.

At the center of the array pattern is an inverted pentagram, surrounded by ancient characters.

"Abyss Teleportation".

The magic circle shone brightly, enveloping Im and all the members of the Knights of God.

The next second, the light disappeared, and the reef was empty.

Only the waves crashing against the wreckage seemed to recount the earth-shattering battle that had just taken place.

……

On the sea.

The Oro Jackson was sailing leisurely on the calm sea.

The deck was piled high with treasures looted from God Valley.

"Hey, is Roger still not awake?"

Not yet.

"Captain Roger, if you don't wake up soon, we're going to open the treasure chest!"

The crowd gathered in the center of the deck, where a dozen or so treasure chests of varying sizes were piled up.

"I'll open it!" A crew member excitedly rubbed his hands together and stepped forward to open the container lid.

Just then—

"Wait a moment."

The cabin door was pushed open, and Roger stepped out.

He was covered in bandages, and his face was still a little pale, but his eyes had regained their former sparkle.

"Captain Roger!" Everyone was pleasantly surprised.

Roger grinned: "I've made you worry..."

"Great! Great!" the crew exclaimed excitedly. "Look at all this! We're rich!"

Roger looked at the mountain of treasure on the deck, then at the excited faces of his crew, and suddenly a look of frustration crossed his face:

Are you really worried about me?

"Of course!" they all said in unison, but the golden glint in their eyes betrayed them.

Roger shook his head and walked to the largest treasure chest.

He was about to say something, but suddenly stopped.

"What's wrong?" Ridley asked.

Roger frowned, squatted down, and pressed his ear against the lid of the box.

"There are sounds inside."

"A sound?" Everyone fell silent.

Listen carefully, and you can definitely hear it—very faintly, like…breathing?

There was also a certain soft, rubbing sound.

"Could it be some kind of trap?" Jabba gripped his axe tighter.

Roger shook his head, signaling everyone to step back.

He carefully grasped the edge of the box lid, took a deep breath, and then—

Open.

There were no traps, no poison gas, and no treasure in the treasure chest.

There is a baby.

A baby with red hair, sleeping soundly.

"..."

The deck was deathly silent.

Everyone stared wide-eyed and gaped, as if they were witnessing the most incredible sight in the world.

The baby seemed disturbed by the light, wrinkled its little nose, and then slowly opened its eyes.

Those were innocent and naive eyes.

He looked at the group of dumbfounded adults gathered around the box and suddenly laughed.

She stretched out her little hand and made a "ee-ya" sound.

"A red...red-haired baby?" someone stammered.

Why is there a baby in the treasure chest?!

"Whose child is this?!"

Roger stared at the baby for a long time.

Then, he smiled too.

It wasn't a loud laugh; it was a very gentle and complex laugh.

He reached out and gently picked up the baby.

The baby didn't cry or fuss; instead, it grabbed one of his fingers.

"It seems..." Roger looked at the red-haired baby in his arms, a glint of light flashing in his eyes, "This is fate's arrangement."

The crew members looked at each other, then laughed.

Laughter echoed across the deck.

Fate is always so mysterious.

Among the treasure chests they plundered, they found the most precious "treasure".

The life of the chosen one, "Box" Kex, begins here!

……

Three days later, newspapers around the world carried the same news on their front pages:

Hero Garp Takes on Rocks One-on-One! A Resounding Victory in the God Valley Campaign!

The reports sensationalized the story, portraying Garp as a hero who single-handedly defeated Rocks and saved the world.

The destruction of the Rocks Pirates was attributed to the wise command of the Navy and the great leadership of the World Government.

As for Luo Tian, ​​Im, Roger, and others, they were not mentioned at all.

The public was in an uproar.

"The Rocks Pirates have been defeated?!"

"Rocks is dead? As expected, Vice Admiral Garp is still the strongest!"

"Garp! Garp! He's the real hero!"

People eagerly passed around newspapers in the streets and alleys, cheering with joy.

The reputation of the Navy Headquarters has reached unprecedented heights.

However, in a VIP ward at the Naval Headquarters Hospital, the person involved was throwing a tantrum.

"What's going on?!" Karp tore the newspaper in his hand to shreds.

"That bastard Morgans! I'm going to kill him!"

The ward door was pushed open, and Zhan Guo walked in.

He looked at the scraps of paper scattered on the ground and sighed.

"Give up, Garp. The World Government must have made him write it that way."

It cost a lot of money and put a lot of pressure on us.

"Then let him write the facts!" Garp slammed his fist against the wall, causing spiderweb-like cracks to appear. "It's clearly—"

"The truth?" Sengoku interrupted him, his voice calm:

"Garp, the World Government and the Navy are both huge organizations."

Including the military forces of all member states, we have tens of millions of people worldwide.

Everyone has their own stance and their own interests.

"Even if I realize that those bastards at the top are rewriting history and covering up the truth, what can I do?"

Turning a blind eye is already the limit.

Karp was stunned.

He looked at the Warring States, his longtime comrade-in-arms and rival, and suddenly felt a little unfamiliar with them.

"Ha..." Garp laughed, his laughter tinged with anger and disappointment.

"You bastard... that's exactly what's wrong with you. You're such a climber-obsessed jerk!"

He suddenly rushed forward and delivered a flying kick to Sengoku!

Sengoku didn't dodge; instead, he threw a punch at Garp's face, angrily saying:

"Shut up! What good will barking like a dog at the bottom of a cliff do?"

The two started fighting in the hospital room.

This wasn't a friendly exchange; it was a real fight.

Every punch lands squarely, every kick hits the bone.

The walls were cracked, the furniture was smashed, and the medical equipment broke down with a series of cracks.

They only stopped, panting heavily, when both of them were bruised and battered.

Garp grabbed Sengoku's collar with both hands, his eyes burning with rage:

"Warring States... let me tell you. If one day your heart turns black and you become like those bastards... I will definitely kill you!"

Sengoku stared at Garp for a long time, then burst into laughter:

"See, how reassuring! I have such a close friend who can prevent me from going astray."

He patted Karp on the shoulder:

"So, don't quit, Garp."

Garp released his grip, grinning, "Idiot. I have too many things to protect at the bottom of this cliff... I'm not going to back down."