Return of Rocks!

(General POV)

Staring at the Newspaper in front of him, Jack didn't say anything for a full minute as he read over the headlines. 'King of the World Strikes Back!!' He said in his mind as he repeated the headline.

The figure who Jack believed was IM had finally revealed himself to the world. That in itself was already mind boggling, but then there was the whole thing about attacking. The paper went on to tell how the Emperor, Red Haired Shanks was beaten by this mysterious 'King of the World'.

Shanks was still alive, but it got so bad that he had to flee with the few members of his crew that managed to make it out of the battle alive. This 'King of the World' worked fast, as Kaido and Big Mom were reportedly working for this individual, and as such, had fought the one-armed Emperor with their leader.

Having read the paper for the third time, Jack finally broke out of his internal thoughts before he darted off towards Gran Tesoro, which was docked just off the coast of Foosha. A few minutes later he was walking into the room where Garp, Sengoku, and Tsuru were all sitting as they drank tea.

"Who is he?" Jack asked the second his form came into being. Seeing him appear, the three of them turned their attention to the Newspaper Jack was holding into the air. It only took a second for all three of them to immediately recognize who the man was, and if their expressions were anything to go by, they weren't too pleased with the man.

"ROCKS!!" Garp growled, showing a rare side of anger. "Xebec?! Didn't he die like, 40 years ago?!!" Jack asked in surprise. "He should have!! Rogers and I fought and killed him in God's Valley! I don't understand how he's alive, but without question, that's him!!" Garp said, his eyes never leaving the paper in front of him.

"He's been the one ruling the world in secret. The Five Elders answer to him!" Jack stated, making all three geezers tense up. Had they really been working for a criminal all this time?

Jack listened as Garp recounted the events of the Gods Valley Incident, and needless to say he was a little surprised. It took both Garp and Rogers to take Rocks and his crew down, with there being only a few pirates surviving that day. According to Garp, Rocks was a monster in human skin, someone with ambition and who possessed the means and cunning to do it all.

"My guess is he fought the Elders and took over in the shadows. I don't know what he did to make them so scared of him, but he certainly seems like he would have no problem torturing them into submission." Jack said, getting a collective nod from the senior citizens.

Rocks had essentially been ruling as king of the world for nearly 40 years now, and it didn't seem like many people knew about it. And now that his throne was being challenged, he decided to make himself known, gathering a force that might be strong enough to oppose Jack, and he struck at Shanks because it was no secret Shanks leaned more towards helping the people of the world then conquering them into submission.

Jack wasn't sure if they would try to go against Whitebeard, as it wasn't well known that his strength had returned to him. Hell, Jack figured they would have gone after Whitebeard first if not for the fact that he had an enormous following of soldiers compared to Shanks. There was also the power of his Devil Fruit to deal with, which was no small thing.

"Well... I would have had to deal with him sooner than later, so I guess this works as well." Jack said, looking far more confident than they thought him to be. "He's not going to sit back and wait for the war. That whole thing is on your terms, and he'll change them so they're on his!" Garp stated, but it was for not as Jack could pretty much figure that out already.

"He has one of the ancient weapons... Uranus." Sengoku said hesitantly, a look of horror and disgust on his face. He now knew that the weapon was actually in the hands of a bloodthirsty pirate, although that wasn't too much worse than being in the hands of the Dragons in Jack's opinion.

"What is Uranus? Pluton is a ship, and Poseidon is... well she's special." Jack said, not wanting to give away who Poseidon actually was. "I don't know..." Sengoku said, wondering what the weapon was himself. "Do you know where it is?" Jack asked, a little hopefully. Sadly the old Buddha did not, which was a bit understandable.

Why would the rulers of the world tell their underlings where the most dangerous weapon in the world resided? "Yeah, that would have been too easy." Jack said as he turned to leave the room, then suddenly stopped. "Oh yeah. I'm going to kill the dragons, Sengoku. Deal or not." Jack said, then continued on his way.

Leaving Gran Tesoro, Jack went straight to the guild hall, calling everyone for a meeting. It wasn't long before Luke and the others were all gathered in the large room, where Jack proceeded to explain the events in the paper. Makino was by far the most distraught, but she calmed down when she found out that Shanks was still alive, just his whereabouts unknown.

When Jack told everyone how the infamous Rocks D. Xebec was actually the secret ruler of the world, many were outraged, although many thought it made a certain amount of sense. Who better to lead the scum of the world than the biggest scum of them all.

"In light of this new information, we're going to destroy the holy city and everyone in it!" Jack stated, the venom oozing out of his voice. Those in the room who had been former slaves looked a little torn. They dreamed of destroying that place, but they also feared going back there as well, regardless of the newfound power. It had been their own personal hells, and they would all rather die than go through those tortures again.

"When do we leave?!" Luke asked, his excitement plain for all to see. He's wanted the dragons dead from day 1. Luke blamed them all for what happened to his family, and killing them all was his own personal wet dream.

"In an hour. According to the papers, Rocks is in the New World with Kaido and Big Mom, and we still don't know where the ancient weapon is. I hope that if we decimate what's left of the holy city then we might be able to destroy it. Although that is a long shot." Jack said, knowing there wasn't much hope for destroying the thing, but it couldn't hurt. Plus this would let a few people here get rid of some demons that rested in their minds.

No one needed to be told a second time, and immediately went to say their goodbyes and gather their things. An hour later and hundreds of people were standing aboard the Black Pearl, geared up and ready for battle. A little surprising was a certain group of people.

Mihawk had shown up without ever having been asked, most likely going to find out more about what happened to Shanks. Luffy came as well, standing beside Rayleigh and Garp. Garp apparently came to hopefully finish what he started all of those years ago, but Jack more or less planned to be the one to fight Rocks.

Zoro tagged along, although it was mainly to see how his strength compared to the monsters out in the world. He had thought he was strong, but after meeting Hawkeye and Luke, he knew he was just a frog in a well, oblivious to the serpents and dragons that roamed the land and skies.

Canna and Ajax also showed up, this being a chance to destroy their fear of the dragons once and for all. For the most part, the WMP would stay in the Blues. Both Dragon and Jack figured Rocks or Kaido would take advantage of this situation and do something horrible, so they would be on high alert.

However, they knew they would need to hurry up the attack, so while they were gone, Dragon would be getting the strike force of those who would be fighting in the war. All of the weaker soldiers would be staying in the blues, but the elites would be getting ready for when Jack returned to get them all.

Before long they were soaring through the skies, heading towards the holy city. With their power being boosted, it only took a few hours for them to get there. They should have arrived in the dead of night, but for how bright it was when they arrived, many didn't think it was still night.

In reality, the Dragons had been so scared of the darkness, they had put up enough lights and stuff to turn night into day around the holy city. Jack had apparently been a boogeyman of sorts to them, and they feared he would jump out of any shadow and torture them again. It wasn't out of the realm of possibility, but Jack would rather erase them while he was here then let them breathe for a moment longer.

They were still about a mile away from the city when alarms started ringing all across the city, and Jack figured they had been spotted by the lookouts of the city. Didn't matter though.

"Kill them all!" Jack commanded, then unleashed a widespread stream of midnight black flames that devoured the outer buildings of the newly constructed city. He wasn't about to let any of them get the chance to escape, and cutting off their path of retreat was his best option.

Luke unleashed his Haki to make sure there weren't any new slaves that had been brought here, but he found none. The world had seen what Jack had done to the slavers, and the risk outweighs the reward. Most slavers found themselves with a high enough bounty on their heads that made their own families turn on them.

It got so bad that even the royalty of some countries that allowed slavery got bounties put on their heads, at which point slavery became outlawed around the world almost overnight. There were still some places in the New World, but it was only by people who were confident in their strength to get rid of the bounty hunters who might come for them.

Ajax and Canna both unleashed streams of their power in a direction where no one else was heading, causing a path of great destruction. By the time the smoke and dust settled, there was nothing left in their wake, though that didn't seem to cause even remotely as much damage as Luke and Jack were causing.

Just Luke by himself was destroying buildings left right and center with pillars of lightning raining down from the skies, while the man himself was ripping people apart with his two blades. Jack on the other hand was incinerating the new buildings as if they were made of gasoline, with the people inside of them.

The group of Logia users left a wake of destruction behind in their wake, not leaving a soul alive to tell the tale. Before long they arrived at the majestic looking Pangea Castle, and though it was a truly beautiful building, it was only seen as an oversized target.

The Celestial Dragons inside tried to mount somewhat of a defense with a few scattered Cipher Pol agents, but for the most part they were all off in the New World with Rocks D. Xebec. In the end what little defense they could muster was all for naught, and they were slaughtered like pigs in a slaughterhouse, which coincidentally, was exactly what it was.

Once everyone was dead and there was nothing left, Jack unleashed a wave of fire that quickly spread to engulf the area which the once glorious city used to reside. The Pearl once again departed the Red Line, leaving a sea of Midnight flames to continue burning for the months to follow.

Rather than head back to Foosha, Jack and his group set off to the New World. Hawkeye wanted to know what happened to Shanks, and most everyone was curious to see what was going on. Viola was currently in Foosha, so Luke didn't need to worry about her, but she had asked him to check up on her family in Dressrosa.

She would have come along with them herself, but Luke hadn't even given her the option before he left her tied up in his room. He of course did bribe Selene to go in there once they were gone and untie her, but he suspected she wouldn't be putting out for him for a while.

"Shanks is most likely on Yukiryu Island. He's got a small fortress in the middle of a volcano there. It should have enough resources for him and what's left of his crew to be holed up there for a while. It's not super well known, especially not by the other Emperors, so I think he'd be there." Hawkeye said, giving out one of the destinations where they would most likely be going on this little trip.

First and foremost however, they would be going to Dressrosa. Allies came first, and despite how many of the people in the East liked Shanks, he was still a pirate.

"We'll head there after Dressrosa. Rocks is outrageously petty. If you punched him, he'd stop at nothing to rip off the arm that struck him, even if it was just a sparring match. I wouldn't put it past him to go after everyone you ever waved at and kill them just to get back at all of the shit you've done to him." Garp stated, giving everyone aboard a little glimpse at the mind of their opponent.

Before long they could see the island of Dressrosa coming into view, and they were a little worried to see a fleet of ships surrounding the island. However things seemed to get better as they got closer, and it was clear to see that the ships were all sporting the flag of Whitebeard.

The Moby Dick was even anchored at the docks, alleviating the worries of most people here. Whitebeard wasn't an enemy, and Jack didn't think he'd go back to serving under Rocks even if it cost him his life. When the Pearl sat down beside Moby Dick, there was already a crowd waiting to greet them.

"I take it you've read the paper?" Whitebeard said, looking the same as the last time Jack saw him, though he did seem far angrier. "I have. Where is he?" Jack asked, jumping down onto the docks, the others following suit. T

he few of them who hadn't met Whitebeard before were gawking like idiots. Jack overheard Ajax whispering to Canna something about getting the man's autograph, causing a slight smile to form on his face before it disappeared.

"He's in Wano with Kaido and Lin Lin. Pretty much her whole force is there with them along with a few battleships full of Cipher Pol agents. They're gearing up to strike, and strike hard." Whitebeard said, rolling his right shoulder, like he was loosening it up for a fight.

"Did he come to talk with you?" Jack asked, his curiosity on the matter not allowing himself to hold the question at bay. "He did, but it was more of a fuck you then anything. I'm not about to let my family serve under that lunatic! Not again!!" Whitebeard stated, the force of his Haki almost rolling off of him.

"Have you heard anything about Shanks?" Jack asked, staring at Whitebeard out of the corner of his eye. There was a long moment of silence before Whitebeard finally answered, "He's fine. He was the one who warned me about Rocks after their little run in with each other. He was on his way to Yukiryu, but I told him to just stay here. King Riku is helping them all right now.``

Whitebeard's words seemed to grab the attention of everyone present, especially Hawkeye. He had originally been correct in his assumption, but now he found out that Shanks was here of all places. Before anyone could do anything, Whitebeard began to speak once more.

"What the papers didn't say was Rocks had Kaido with him during the attack, and yet that brat somehow managed to get out of there alive, but not without losses. Only himself and 3 of his crew members survived."

That came as a bit of shock to most people. It was well known throughout the world that Shanks was a powerhouse, but his crew members weren't slouches either. They were all monsters in their own right, and the fact that Rocks and Kaido managed to take out that many of them was quite surprising.

Seeing their surprise, Whitebeard smiled grimly as he added, "They gave as good as they got! Kaido's last two disasters, King and Queen were killed, as well as over a hundred high ranking Cipher Pol officials. That's not even counting the number of lower ranked soldiers and pirates that were killed during the attack!"

His words were like music to Jack and Luke, who were taking the news better than anyone else here, save for maybe Luffy. All he cared about was that Shanks was alive, not too worried about anything else.

"What about Kaido and Rocks? Were they injured?" Garp asked, showing more interest in Rocks than he had about anyone else for years. "Shanks said he cut out one of Kaido's eyes, but Rocks was almost untouchable. Said his Haki has gotten stronger than anything he's ever seen." Whitebeard said, almost whispering the last part about the Haki.

Jack could hear Garp mumbling something under his breath, but he couldn't quite make out the words, but the fact that Garp didn't look too happy was already a bad sign. The guy only ever got serious over things that could potentially destroy the world.

They walked for a little over 20 minutes before they got to the castle where they were welcomed by King Riku and his family. Luke was pretty close with them considering how close he was with Viola, so they all knew him a little better than they did Jack and the others. They greeted each other before they were led to where Shanks was resting with what was left of his crew.

Benn Beckman, Yasopp, and Lucky Roux all sported some form of injury, but for the most part they didn't look too bad. "You guys look like you just got your asses kicked!!" Luke said cheerfully, rubbing a little salt into the wounds. Despite Shanks and Whitebeard being somewhat allies, it didn't mean Luke had to like them.

Before the pirates could say anything, their attention was pulled towards the door, where a pink-haired woman was carting in some food and drinks. "Sorry for the interruption, but I thought you might like some snacks!" She said, her cheerful demeanor lightening the mood in the room a bit.

"Thanks Rebecca!" Luke said as the little girl began to leave the room. "Anything for you, brother-in-law!!" She shouted before storming out of the room. Luke had been in the midst of swallowing a cookie when she said that, and it had caught him a little off guard to the point where he started choking. "That's not funny!" He shouted out to no one, completely ignoring the people watching him around the room.

When Luke finally settled down, Jack asked Shanks about what happened. It was all about what he expected from the papers and from what Kaido told him, but it was still quite a tale. When the story was done, Jack stared intently at Shanks before asking, "We're going to kill Rocks and Kaido. You in?"

Before Shanks was attacked, Jack would have put it at about 50/50 chance of Shanks joining them if he asked, but now with Rocks having killed his friends, the odds went up to around 95/5 in favor of him joining.

In response to the question, Benn Beckman, Yasopp, and Lucky Roux all got to their feet, followed lastly by their captain. "That son of a bitch is going down!" Shanks stated, a dark gleam in his eyes.

'Well, got two of the Four Emperors!' Jack thought amusedly. Not even 2 years ago he was contemplating killing both of these men off, and now they were joining him in taking down some of the biggest threats to the world there was.

"Good! We're going to make a quick stop back to East Blue, then head to Wano. Everyone should be there or close to there by now. We'll come back here to get you and the old man!" Jack said, departing the room with a few others. Garp, Hawkeye and Rayleigh would be staying here, but everyone else would be going back to gear up.

"Why do you even bother setting dates for battles? No one ever agrees with them!!" Luke asked once they were back on the ship. It was a fair point. Not once had anyone ever let him fight them on the timer he gave them, then again it made a bit of sense. Why fight him on his terms when they could do it on theirs.

"To give them time to all get together!! You'd think they'd like the time, knowing when to expect an attack, but no! They want to rush it instead of postponing it for more time!!" Jack said, grumbling as the ship lifted into the air. It was time to gather the fleet!

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(Garp POV)

As he watched Jack and the others leave back to East Blue, Garp turned and walked towards the other end of the harbor, pulling something out of his jacket. It was an Eternal Pose to Wano, which he started to follow as he shot off into the air.

He knew Rocks better than almost any person alive, save for maybe Whitebeard, Kaido and Big Mom, and if the past was anything to go by, he needed to get there sooner than later. He wasn't foolish enough to think he could take on two Emperors and Rocks by himself, but he could surely make their lives miserable while he waited for Jack to get there in force.

Using Moonwalk, Garp travelled faster and farther than most people could by ship in weeks in just a few hours. It was how he had gotten to Marineford to kill Akainu, simply by running through the sky.

The sun was just setting when he arrived off the coast of Wano, and immediately he knew that his assumption was correct. Just like he had done in the past, Rocks was gathering up civilians to use as a shield to deter Jack from using any of his big guns or explosives.

Any person who was ever held captive by this man would eventually be killed anyway, even if Rocks had to flee he would kill them out of spite. The man had done that a few times in the past against the marines, but it eventually got to the point where they knew that once they were taken by Rocks then they were already as good as gone.

Taking cover in some trees, Garp watched the pirates moving civilians around to stand on ships. He should have expected this, but it still came as a little surprise when he saw Cipher Pol agents dragging people in chains to put them somewhere to shield themselves.

His anger was at a boiling point, but he didn't let himself act out and give away his position. Sengoku had berated him countless times in the past for such actions, but he knew he could do it then because not many people were ever a threat to him, but he wouldn't do it here. He had no idea where Rocks or Kaido were, but he didn't want to let them know he was moving about the island.

Before long two men were coming towards his position, dragging a bound woman behind them. "-told you we could do this!!" One of them said, looking down at the woman with a twisted smile on his face. The other seemed just as happy as they continued on towards him, and Garp had to restrain himself from jumping out and ripping them apart. That could wait a few more seconds.

Garp moved back slowly behind a big enough tree to block his huge frame, and as soon as the two idiots walked past him, Garp grabbed the skinny one by the back of his neck with his left hand, while his right hand was already a blurring rocket that smashed into the other man's head, causing it to burst apart before anyone knew what was happening.

The skinny man didn't get the chance to even let out a squeak of horror before he was pulled off his feet and slammed head first onto a rock, killing him instantly. Looking down at the bound woman, Garp raised a finger to his lips for silence, and once she nodded in understanding, he removed her bindings.

"Where's Kaido?!" Garp asked, figuring Rocks would be with him. "O-Onigashima..." The woman answered hesitantly, unsure what this man was going to do with such information. "Good! Now where is that?!" Garp asked, causing the woman to frown.

Before she could answer, Garp grabbed her and threw her over his shoulder. "On second thought, you better just show me!" Garp said, not giving her the chance to decline.

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(General POV)

When Jack and the others got back to Foosha, there was a small fleet of ships waiting just off shore. "We've been ready for a while now." Dragon said, appearing out of nowhere. Looking out over the few ships, Jack was happy, yet a little depressed.

It would take over a week at their top speed to get even close to Wano, and even then they might not even be there with these ships. This was why he liked just having the Pearl. It was fast, comfortable, sturdy, and there were almost no wait times for travel.

"How soon can the fleet depart?" Jack asked, wondering how soon they would be able to leave. "Anytime! We've been preparing for this for a long time!" Sabo said, coming to stand beside Dragon.

"Are all the Adventurers here?" Jack asked, looking on the ships for people who weren't in WMP uniforms. "All of the ones who are going are all near your guild hall. When you're ready to go just come find me and we'll set out." Dragon said before he walked off.

Seeing him leave, Jack decided he best hurry up and get his own shit together.

'Let's do this shit!'