— — — — — — —
"The strength of a family doesn't come from just one person.
It takes pillars—many of them."
"Mom? Forget it!"
"Sure, she's great in a fight."
"But managing things? Hell no."
"In the original story, Katakuri played both mom and dad roles while Mom herself… well, she mostly got in the way."
"But now, after Katakuri's breakthrough, I can't help but look forward to what's coming."
A Level 1 Silver-ranked Katakuri?
"By then, our family will have a new pillar of strength."
"I've been grooming Perospero to handle the underworld business.
Katakuri? He'll be the backbone of the Big Mom Pirates."
Still, Perospero just needs to use his brain.
But Katakuri? He's different. He has to show enough power to keep all those restless fools in check.
— — —
"Haaa!"
Compote roared, charging into the battlefield.
Her dual swords slashed through the air, unleashing endless waves of sword energy, mowing down countless marines like weeds.
"Willow Mochi!"
Katakuri's leg turned into strips of mochi, coated in Armament Haki.
In a flash, he unleashed a barrage of mochi-covered kicks in all directions.
His explosive power was just slightly below Compote's.
Compared to his older siblings, Cracker seemed a little underwhelming.
But that's only on the surface. In reality, Cracker wasn't weak at all.
Clap!
With a calm clap, Cracker summoned his giant Biscuit Soldiers—an army of them.
Calling Cracker a "one-man army" wasn't an exaggeration.
Compote, Katakuri, and Cracker—these three brats were wreaking havoc, showing off their insane combat skills.
Why? Because they weren't afraid.
They knew they had Joey, Linlin, and the Charlotte family backing them.
No matter what chaos they caused here, as long as they left afterward, no one could touch them.
With a battlefield like this, where you could grow stronger, you'd be doing yourself a disservice if you didn't go all out.
— — —
Meanwhile, Hachée and Effilée charged into the fray alongside Big Mom.
Boom!
Big Mom and Garp collided in an instant.
Napoleon clashed against Garp's Iron Fist.
Garp took a step back, his sharp eyes glinting. "Crazy woman! You've gotten even stronger, huh?"
"Ikoku!" Big Mom ignored Garp, raising her hand and unleashing a massive wave of sword energy.
Compared to Compote, this attack wasn't just stronger—it was in a whole different league.
A terrifying wave of sword energy swept across everything in its path.
"Hahaha!"
"You think I'm a joke?"
Laughing loudly, Garp raised his fist to counter the attack head-on.
Against an opponent of the same level, winning wasn't going to be easy.
Boom!
The battlefield erupted with a deafening roar.
Linlin clashed with Garp.
Edward faced Sengoku.
Shiki took on Zephyr.
On the navy's side, their three strongest new-generation fighters were all held up.
But! The pirates were a different story. Their numbers were simply overwhelming.
Even though the navy came prepared, there were too many pirate powerhouses. Even those weaker than Garp, Sengoku, or Zephyr caused massive damage to the battlefield.
Boom!
The ground shook as explosions rang out across the battlefield.
Suddenly, a meteor-like figure crashed down, splitting the earth beneath them.
"Ugh!"
In the crater lay Steel Bone Kong, coughing up blood.
As one of the Navy's Admirals, he was already out of the fight, and the battle had just begun.
Watching from the sidelines, Joey glanced at him and muttered,
"Almost all his bones are shattered. No matter how strong his will is, he's not getting back up.
"So, this is Rocks' power, huh? To knock Kong out of the fight so quickly..."
It was shocking.
Even Joey hadn't expected this outcome.
After all, the Navy's three Admirals were all Silver Level 3 fighters.
Rocks? He was only at Silver Level 5.
That gap shouldn't have been enough to create such an overwhelming difference.
Joey turned his head, baffled.
Something felt… off.
At that moment, Rocks appeared on the battlefield.
Joey's eyes widened in disbelief. "No way…"
Right now, Rocks' power had suddenly surged to Silver Level 7!
Joey was stunned. How could this even happen?
Jumping from Silver Level 5 to 7 wasn't just impressive—it was practically defying logic.
Joey fell silent, his mind racing as he tried to figure out what was going on.
What had changed? What was Rocks doing to achieve this?
His sharp eyes glimmered as he muttered, "Did he find some special method to temporarily boost his power?"
"Is Rocks planning to take out the strongest fighters as quickly as possible? But why? There's no need to rush."
"Or was he just hiding his true power?"
He shook his head. That didn't seem right.
If Rocks had suppressed his strength before, the system would've picked up on it.
That left only one possibility: Rocks had indeed found a way to boost his power in a short amount of time.
Joey sighed in amazement. "It's hard to believe… Is this the Dark-Dark Fruit's special ability?"
It was the most plausible explanation he could come up with. The extraordinary nature of the Dark Fruit (Yami Yami no Mi) seemed like the only thing capable of such rapid power escalation. Otherwise, it didn't make sense.
Shaking his head, Joey dismissed the thought for now. Instead, he focused on observing the battlefield, carefully waiting for the right moment to act.
"Not yet!" he whispered to himself. "It's still not the right time. The CP organization hasn't made their move."
"Acting now would be too risky. Judging by the current situation, they'll have no choice but to intervene soon. That'll be the perfect moment."
With narrowed eyes, Joey continued to bide his time, silently waiting for the ideal opportunity. He knew it wouldn't be long.
Bam!
"Ugh!"
Rocks planted his foot firmly on Kong's chest, a savage grin on his face. "Kong! After all these years, you still haven't improved at all. Looks like your death will mark the beginning of today's slaughter!"
"Stop it!"
"Rocks!" roared voices filled with fury.
It was Byakko and Karasu. The two admirals had shaken off their opponents and were charging toward Rocks at full speed.
"Oh?" Rocks feigned surprise, a mocking smirk tugging at his lips. "You're coming straight to me? How convenient. Let me take care of you trash first!"
Without hesitation, Rocks spun around, meeting the two head-on.
Boom!
His fists collided with theirs, and despite facing two admirals at once, Rocks held his ground effortlessly.
Even against Byakko and Karasu, he didn't falter.
The three of them clashed fiercely, their terrifying speed and overwhelming strength on full display.
Each strike was a masterclass in Haki: armament that could shatter steel, observation that predicted moves with pinpoint accuracy, and the raw might of their physical prowess.
Rocks wasn't a weakling when it came to hand-to-hand combat. Far from it—he was a beast in every aspect.
For years, Rocks had hidden the true extent of his Devil Fruit's power. Even now, he relied more on his own overwhelming might to dominate the battlefield.
It was this combination of physical strength, Haki, and cunning that allowed him to rule over the Rocks Pirates and terrify an entire era.
Byakko and Karasu were no pushovers, either. As seasoned combatants, they had honed their bodies into lethal weapons. In their era, admirals like Steelbone, Byakko, and Karasu were physical powerhouses.
Later generations, like Sengoku, Garp, and Zephyr, combined martial prowess with Devil Fruits or just physical power.
But after them, the admirals—Akainu, Aokiji, and Kizaru—relied heavily on their Fruits' powers.
Each era had its strengths.
Crack!
With a resounding punch, Rocks struck Byakko square in the chest.
"Argh!" Byakko coughed up blood, his face twisted in disbelief. "How… how are you this strong? Rocks! What are you?!"
"Hahaha!" Rocks let out a cruel laugh, offering no answers. What fool would reveal their trump card? On this dangerous sea, keeping your secrets was vital. A hidden ace could be the difference between life and death.
Byakko's severe injury was proof of Rocks' overwhelming power. Karasu, left alone against him, fared no better.
Boom!
A brutal kick sent Karasu flying.
In mere moments, three of the Navy's finest—Steelbone, Byakko, and Karasu—were all sprawled on the ground. They weren't dead yet, but they were utterly defeated.
For a brief moment, the battlefield fell silent. All eyes turned to the man standing at its center.
Rocks D. Xebec.
The world called him many things: Captain Rocks, the Strongest Man in the World. But today, everyone acknowledged a title he had never sought—The Invincible Man.
Rocks exuded an aura of unchallenged dominance. His strength was beyond belief. He wasn't just strong; he was a monster.
"Heh!" Rocks sneered, his grin widening. "What's wrong, old-timers? Is that all you've got? Looks like this war is mine to win!"
"Don't get cocky, Rocks!"
"Shut your mouth! Justice will stop you, no matter what!" Karasu and Byakko forced themselves to their feet.
Their injuries weren't life-threatening, but Kong wasn't so lucky. The Navy admiral lay broken, incapable of even standing. His defeat was absolute.
Rocks scanned the two remaining admirals, his smirk dripping with mockery. "You two think you can stop me?"
"Yes, we can!"
In a flash, the pair charged Rocks again, their movements blurring as they clashed.
The battlefield roared with their terrifying power, but anyone watching could see the truth: Rocks was utterly dominating. Even together, the two admirals couldn't match him.
"How is this possible?"
"What's going on?!"
"Captain Rocks…"
Confusion rippled through the crowd. Rocks had always been strong, but this was something else entirely. His power was leagues beyond anything anyone expected.
Only Joey remained silent, his gaze fixed on the fight. He understood. R"ocks had reached Silver Level 7, while Byakko and Karasu were only at Silver Level 3. The difference between their strength was insurmountable."
"At lower levels, it was possible to overcome such a gap. But as one climbed higher, the disparity became unbridgeable."
"At the highest tiers—gold, platinum, diamond, and crystal—the gap was akin to that between mortals and gods."
Screech!
Suddenly, Rocks grabbed Byakko with both hands. Before anyone could react, he tore the admiral's body in two. Blood sprayed across the battlefield as Byakko fell lifelessly to the ground.
But Rocks wasn't done.
His gaze shifted to Karasu, whose injuries and exhaustion were mounting rapidly. The invincible man was about to claim his second admiral.
.
.
.