CHAPTER 31: The Beginning of Evil

"ZEHAHAHHAHAHAH! I SEE YOU ALL GIVING MY CREW SOME TEACHINGS. NOW GIVE ME A FACE AND LOWER IT DOWN, ZEHAHAHHAHAHA!" proclaimed Rocks as he stood next to Alvis, brandishing his swords and shrouding them in darkness, a reddish energy swirling around them like lightning.

Though the tension was palpable, the opposition didn't dissipate. "ZEHAHAHHAHAH! I LEAVE THE NEW WORLD FOR MONTHS, AND NOW IT SEEMS MY FACE BECOME WORTHLESS! NOW LOWER IT OR DIE!" With a strike of his sword into the ground, the island trembled under the weight of his conqueror's Haki-infused command.

Alvis couldn't help but marvel at the ruthless display.

"Now," Rocks paused, his gaze sweeping over the assembled pirates. Raising his hand high, a deep reddish hue settled in his eyes.

"PIRATES! TODAY, I, ROCKS, CREATE THE ROCKS PIRATES! I ANNOUNCE THE DAVY BACK FIGHT! THE LOSERS LOSE THEIR FREEDOM; THE WINNERS GAIN EVERYTHING! ZEHAHAHAHHAHA! TODAY, YOU EITHER PLAY OR DIE!"

"Gu Ra Ra Ra Ra! Ruthless as ever, Xebec! Gu Ra Ra Ra Ra!" A voice rang through the pirates as a huge beast moved toward the seashore, causing the pirates on both sides to either fall to the ground from the being's movement or freeze in fear.

"HE'S... HE'S EDWARD NEWGATE! WITH A BOUNTY OF SIX HUNDRED MILLION BELI! KNOWN AS THE DESTROYER OF THE SEA! IT'S SAID HE CAN DESTROY THE WORLD!" Someone holding a camera remarked casually, seemingly unafraid of Edward or the pirates.

"Jihahahahahaha! ROCKS, HOLD YOUR WORDS! JIHAHAHAHA! I WILL BE THE KING OF THE WORLD! HOW COULD I BE A CREW MEMBER OF SOMEONE ELSE? JIHAHAHAHA!" Another voice echoed through the sky.

"HE'S... HE'S SHIKI, THE RULER OF THE SKY! WITH A BOUNTY OF FIVE HUNDRED MILLION BERRIES!" The photographer continued taking pictures, asking Shiki to pose, earning a thumbs-up from Alvis for his ruthlessness.

"Ma ma ma ma ma! Lovely, Rocksy! Ma ma ma ma ma! Will your heart allow you to be ruthless to me? Ma ma ma ma ma!" Said a pink beauty as she moved forward, standing next to Edward and Shiki.

"SHE'S... SHE'S CHARLOTTE LINLIN, KNOWN AS THE FLOWER OF THE SEA AND THE MOST BEAUTIFUL WOMAN IN THE WORLD! WITH A BOUNTY OF FIVE HUNDRED MILLION BERRIES!" The photographer, now visibly shaking with excitement, murmured to himself while snapping pictures of the lineup.

Alvis, overcome with curiosity, approached the photographer, who was exclaiming about big news.

He was left speechless upon returning to his place but then felt someone's gaze upon him in the distance.

Turning his head, he saw a panda looking at him, sending a chill down his spine. "Even Captain Rocks didn't scare me like this," he murmured.

"What did you say, kid?" Rocks, focused on the future legendary pirates and future Yonkos, heard Alvis's words, piquing his curiosity along with others nearby.

"Captain, look over there!" Alvis pointed toward the panda, unconcerned about his captain and the others' reactions.

As they turned their heads to look, they found nothing. Rocks, now wearing a ruthless expression, raised his hand, seemingly ready to knock Alvis out again, but his anger was interrupted by laughter.

"Gu Ra Ra Ra Ra," "Jihahahahahaha," "Mamamamamma"

The trio laughed at the odd sight of Alvis and Rocks together. Unfazed, Alvis sensed that something was wrong and channeled haki to his legs. Purplish wings appeared on his back, but just as he was about to jump, he froze in place, along with everything around him.

A panda-like figure appeared before him, causing Alvis to break into a sweat. The figure removed its panda mask and spoke, its words sending a shiver down Alvis's spine.

"Welcome, young Planes-walker . I haven't seen your race in I don't know how long. This world is different from what you know, and reality isn't always consistent. This avatar... even coming closer to you makes it disappear. I don't know exactly what you are, but I hope you don't get lost. Paint a better picture for this world. I have no control over it anymore. I hope you can continue the story of the legendary creator, Eiichiro Oda." With those words, the being touched Alvis, sending him flying even though time was stopped.

As cracks appeared around the being, it replaced its panda-like head and put it on. Alvis, standing frozen in time, watched as cracks spread all over the being's body. As it moved toward the sea, the cracks gradually fell away, leaving only dust in its wake.

Alvis felt an odd sensation, as if he had lost someone he knew and loved, although he couldn't explain why he wasn't scared. When time resumed, the trio of pirates stopped laughing and looked at Alvis with confusion, even the ruthless Rocks seemed puzzled.

Standing before his captain and the legendary trio, Alvis muttered, "Captain, if I told you I met God, would you believe it... and he left..." He raised his head toward Rocks, his confusion evident.

Rocks, with a disbelieving look, replied, "There's no such thing as God, boy..." His words carried a hint of uncertainty. For the first time, Rocks D. Xebec seemed unsure, and those nearby felt a sense of fear at the being that had sent Alvis away under their noses without any detectable presence.

With a sigh, Alvis continued, "Captain... I won't betray you, but I won't stand by you either... I think this world has a bigger picture than just piracy... A mystery intrigues me, Captain." A reddish glare appeared in his eyes as Alvis resolved to uncover the old history of this world. That was his dream—to witness the end of history and the beginning of the future.

"ZEHAHAHAHAHAH! YOU ALSO WANT TO BE KING OF AN ERA, ZEHAHAHAHAHAH!" Rocks's eyes bore a dangerous intensity as he leaned in toward Alvis, expecting to find at least a glimmer of fear. But Alvis met his gaze squarely, devoid of any hint of fear. The laughter echoed until it faded away.

"From the moment I saw you, you were different. Even when I hit you, stabbed you, and threw you to the sea, I have never sensed fear from you. You always look at me as if you're looking at a dead person, zehahaha, kid... What have you seen to lose all sense of fear?" Rocks D. Xebec's confusion was palpable, unable to comprehend how this young boy never showed even a flicker of fear.

As Rocks spoke, the pirates around them regarded Alvis with newfound respect. "Gu Ra Ra Ra Ra, a ruthless kid," remarked Edward, eyeing Alvis with a mix of admiration and caution.

"JIHAHAHAHAHA, YOUNG KID, IT SEEMS YOU'VE MARKED YOUR CAPTAIN'S DEATH, JIHAHAHAHAHAHA," Shiki bellowed from above, observing Alvis with keen interest.

"MAMAMAMAMMA, WHAT A STRONG HEART, MAMAMMAMAMA! I DON'T THINK I'VE TASTED YOUR KIND YET, MAMAMMAMAMA," Charlotte Linlin's words sent chills down Alvis's spine. In response, he used his virtual step to appear behind Rocks, using him as a shield.

Caught off guard by Alvis's sudden movement, Rocks reacted instinctively, kicking Alvis and sending him flying back toward the ship.

"Now that the troublemaker is away, LET'S START WITH THE DAVY BACK FIGHT!" With a flourish, Rocks pulled his sword from the ground, imbuing it with haki. "Now, who among you will be the first to receive my teachings? Zehahahahhahaha!"

Seconds passed, tension mounting. Edward regarded Rocks with amusement, brandishing his gigantic naginata spear-like weapon, Murakumogiri. "Today, you will fight the world's strongest pirate," he declared, raising his weapon high and bringing it down with swift force, colliding with Rocks' own sword, which was tainted with a dark hue.

"CRACK CRACK CRACK! THE SKY, THE SKY HAS CRACKED!" A deafening scream pierced the air, followed by laughter echoing through the skies. Shiki, pulling his swords painted in a similar dark hue to Rocks', descended from above with lightning speed, employing his Two Sword Style - Lion Strike, colliding with the combined force of Xebec and Edward, sending shockwaves rippling across the island as cracks continued to spread.

"YOU CAN'T LEAVE US ALONE, ROCKS! JIHAHAHAHAHA!" Shiki's laughter reverberated, matching the intensity of the clash between the pirates.

Meanwhile, Charlotte Linlin, known as Big Mom, summoned her Sons Prometheus and Napoleon. "You can't leave a beautiful woman hanging, right? Come to mama, Prometheus! Come to mama, Napoleon!"

"HI HI, MAMA!" responded the entities as Prometheus, a small sun, descended from the sky. With her hat transformed into a huge sword, Big Mom plunged it into the sun, eliciting cries of anguish. Unfazed, she painted her sword in fire. "SWEET FIRE!" she declared as her flaming sword clashed with the combined might of the four legendary pirates, causing the ground to shake violently, the island quaking beneath their immense power.

"ZEHAHAHAHAH! NOW I WILL SHOW WHY I'M CALLED THE STRONGEST ON THE SEA!" With maniacal laughter, red lightning crackled around Xebec's sword, shattering the stalemate in an instant and sending all of them flying, crashing into ships or houses in the distance.

"Damn Haoshoku infusion." Standing in the sky, flapping his wings, Alvis observed the scene, focusing on Rocks' swords. He noticed only Rocks' sword flashing with red lightning, similar to a Conqueror's Haki clash but as a coating. Flapping closer to the ground near Rocks, Alvis felt the pressure of death, even from a little distance. Sensing the danger, he distanced himself but tried to use Observation Haki to train and maybe understand something or two.

"ZEHAHHAHAHHAHA! KIDS, I KNOW THIS WON'T BEAT YOU!" Rocks raised his sword to defend against a sneak attack from Shiki, who appeared fast enough with the help of his fruit ability. Rocks raised his leg, channeling Armament Haki to it, and with a swift kick, sent Shiki flying again.

"Gu Ra Ra Ra Ra! GURA GURA NO MI - SHOCKWAVE!" Edward Newgate descended from the sky, with the tip of his spear emitting something similar to a light orb from his Gura Gura no Mi powers.

ZING ZING!

As the tip of Rocks' sword and Edward's spear touched each other, a crack appeared in the air. The crack continued, destroying the ground and shaking the air. Another stalemate occurred, but this time, Edward in the sky was shaking, perhaps due to Rocks' tremendous strength or his fruit ability. However, this stalemate didn't last much longer.

Stepping with his right foot forward, sending Edward back to the ground, a series of sword strikes ensued. This was a fight of pure strength, and Edward was losing. "What a monster," cursed Edward after only a few exchanges of swords and spear clashes. Anyone with decent eyesight could see that Edward was faltering in strength and combat experience.

In terms of strength, this should have been impossible, considering Edward's lineage as half-human and half-giant, known for their formidable strength. However, in terms of combat experience, the answer was clear. One was a legendary pirate, while the other was just a newcomer to the New World.

"ZEHAHAHHA! KID, THERE'S STILL A LONG WAY FOR YOU TO MATCH ME!" exclaimed Xebec as he struck the sword into the ground, summoning a strange reddish energy that crackled with red lightning. Using the sword as an accelerator, he swiftly turned a hundred and eighty degrees and struck with his palm.

"D. Style - Haoshoku Infusion X Emission - Giants Killer," declared Xebec as he delivered a powerful blow to Edward's chest, sending him flying backward with a cough of blood. "This should slow him down. What a dangerous fruit," he remarked, turning his attention toward Shiki, who was flying with multiple huge rocks, and Charlotte Linlin, who was charging toward him with a dangerous smile on her face.

"Sigh. Crazy women and stupid bug," muttered Rock as he sighed and pulled his sword, engaging in battle against Shiki with his sword and Charlotte with his bare hands, driving them into another stalemate.

Alvis, descending from the sky with eyes burning with a hunger for battle, paid no heed to the danger signaled by his Observation Haki. He crashed into the ground, attempting to channel Armament Haki around his body to form a coating. With his hands and feet painted in a dark hue, Alvis joined the fray with hand-to-hand combat.