Pirate: This Marine has two Rinnegan.

"Jie Jie Jie!"

"Blackbeard" let out another strange laugh, then he spread his arms wide and roared to the sky.

"Not only Newgate, but even Linlin and Kaido were once my subordinates! Because I'm Rocks!!!"

As soon as he finished speaking, a domineering aura erupted from Lox, accompanied by jet-black lightning, and the ground beneath his feet cracked under the force of this aura.

Marco's pineapple head was also blown backward by the force of the wind. Looking at the apocalyptic scene around Lox, a blank expression appeared on Marco's face.

He knew that this aura was Conqueror's Haki, and its intensity was not low, perhaps even comparable to Shanks'.

Furthermore, he knew that Teach did not possess Conqueror's Haki, and even if she did, it would be impossible for her to reach this level.

How could someone with such Conqueror's Haki have endured so much in the Whitebeard Pirates for so many years?

Combining this with what Lockes had just said, Marco was starting to believe it.

Whitebeard once mentioned his former captain to Marco, but only said his name was Rocks; he remained silent about anything else.

Therefore, the name Rocks was an absolute secret, and it was almost impossible for Teach to have known it.

Marco frowned and asked,

"You say you are Lox, then where is Teach, and why have you taken his form?"

"Hmph, I've always been inside his body, it's just that this idiot never realized it. As for him, that idiot is already dead at the hands of Admiral Shirin, you can just ask anyone on this island!"

However, Rocks made a mistake. After he unleashed his Conqueror's Haki, everyone on the island had passed out, and even if Marco wanted to ask, he couldn't find a single person who was conscious.

Marco, head bowed, struggled to withstand Rocks' terrifying Conqueror's Haki. Suddenly, he noticed several wisps of blue flame rising from his feet.

Upon seeing those wisps of blue flame, Marco was overjoyed. He could now feel his connection with the Devil Fruit gradually returning!

Once he can use his ability, he can quickly recover from the injury to his foot, which will make him less passive in the upcoming battle. If all else fails, he can make a strategic retreat!

It wasn't that Marco was cowardly; it was just that he felt he had to tell his father the news he received today. Compared to Rocks, Teach's matter seemed less important.

Thinking of this, Marco decided to buy some time. He looked at Lox and asked,

"So how did you end up inside Teach's body? This seems really weird, doesn't it?"

"Heh, have you heard of the Battle of God Valley?"

Chapter 197 The Amazing Journey of Rocks

"Valley of the Gods?"

Marco frowned; the term was somewhat unfamiliar to him.

Lox didn't expect Marco to know the name, and he continued talking to himself.

"Back then, I led my men in a decisive battle against the navy there, and the result... well, let's just say it was a disaster."

Rocks' face showed a hint of resentment. Needless to say, the Rocks Pirates lost that battle, but he was not convinced!

In that battle, Sengoku, Kong, and Garp, all at their peak, participated. It can be said that they were the main force of the Navy at that time.

But how bad were the Rocks Pirates?

Even if Kaido was still quite inexperienced at the time, what about Big Mom, Whitebeard, and Shiki?

Besides these top-tier fighters, the Rocks Pirates also have several members who are no weaker than the current Yonko's first mate, not to mention their captain, Rocks!

What ability did the Navy have at that time to challenge the Rocks Pirates?!

Thinking of this, Lox's eyes turned bloodshot, and he said through gritted teeth,

"If it weren't for that bastard Roger's help and that unknown power, how could the Rocks Pirates have lost?! This sea should have belonged to the Rocks Pirates!!!"

While Marco listened to Rocks's long-winded remarks, he was secretly working hard to restore his own strength, and the results were quite good.

A vibrant blue flame rose from his crushed ankle, and the broken bones had almost fully healed.

Lox seemed oblivious to Marco's strange behavior, continuing his rambling, incoherent ramblings.

"That idiot Roger, what benefit did helping the Navy bring him? In the end, he still died at the Navy's hands. What an irony! Hehehehehe!"

Rocks truly hated Roger to the core. He had nothing to say about being defeated by the Navy, as the two sides were enemies to begin with.

But Roger, you were clearly a pirate, yet you played the grand scheme, saying that for the sake of the world, Rocks couldn't continue his reckless behavior.

When Rocks heard this, he burst out laughing.

Why?

If those useless people in Mary Geoise can rule the world, why can't Rocks?

What kind of prince will Xiangning?

They talk about doing it for the world, but have those Celestial Dragons actually brought any benefits to the world? The things they've done are things even he's never heard of before.

Roger, not only did you not go looking for trouble with those Celestial Dragons, but you even helped the Celestial Dragons' lackeys, the Navy, to deal with him. This is simply the biggest joke in the world!

If Roger hadn't already died and his body hadn't been recovered by the Navy, the first thing Rocks would have done after being resurrected was to grind that hypocrite Roger to dust!

Lox's rage had reached its peak; endless darkness surged from his body, turning the entire space into a dark domain.

Marco's abilities were fully restored at this moment, and he immediately activated his powers to transform his arms into wings and fly into the sky.

Ignoring Marco, after venting his resentment, Lox looked up at Marco in the air, grinned, and asked...

"Have you thought it through? Do you want to become my first subordinate after my resurrection?"

Marco didn't answer Lox; he had something else he wanted to confirm. He stared at Lox below and asked,

"How did you survive that battle? And why are you residing in Teach's body?"

"Hehehehe! That's all thanks to this Dark-Dark Fruit!"

Rocks' words indicate that he was the previous user of the Dark-Dark Fruit, and he played a crucial role in making the Dark-Dark Fruit known as the most vicious Devil Fruit.

Rocks didn't go into detail about how he operated it; it was a deeper level of power he only realized when facing death—the Dark-Dark Fruit.

Only at that moment did he realize just how powerful the forces of darkness truly were!

It turns out that the gravity of darkness really can attract everything! Including the soul!

When he was about to die, he used the gravity of darkness to hold onto his soul, which was about to leave his body, and forcibly prevented it from going to the underworld.

However, Rocks was not a user of the Yomi Yomi no Mi (Revive-Revive Fruit), and his soul, separated from his body, became increasingly weak without the protection of any special power.

Even though his soul strength far exceeded that of ordinary people, it gradually approached collapse over time.

Until he found a special guy on a small island, who was Teach when he was a child.

This guy's body is naturally different from ordinary people. He has two hearts and a talent that even Rocks envies: he can withstand the power of multiple Devil Fruits!

So Rocks didn’t hesitate to attach his soul to Teach.

However, he sadly discovered that because his soul had been worn away during the long journey, it was suppressed by Teach's original soul as soon as it entered his body, and he almost became a supplement to Teach's soul.

He narrowly escaped with his soul, which remained inside Teach's body.

Rocks had already given up hope of being resurrected and only wanted to use Teach to take revenge on the world.

So Rocks kept hinting in Teach's mind, telling him about Teach's physical talent to withstand multiple Devil Fruits and the importance of the Dark-Dark Fruit.

This kind of spiritual hint came silently, and even Teach himself didn't know how he knew these things, nor did he think much about it, as he was single-mindedly searching for the Dark Fruit.

In his search for the Dark-Dark Fruit, Teach joined the Whitebeard Pirates. Little did he know that Rocks, who was inside him at the time, was so angry that his soul almost dissipated.

Rocks thought Teach was such a fool, utterly useless. Of all people to associate with, why did he have to join his former subordinate, Newgate? That guy who only knew how to play house?

Would he have a chance to find the Dark-Dark Fruit if he were in the hands of someone like that? Moreover, Teach's reason was that joining the Whitebeard Pirates would give him a greater chance of finding the Dark-Dark Fruit!

This idiot doesn't even consider that even if you did find the Dark-Dark Fruit, given your status in the Whitebeard Pirates, why would they give it to you?

To Rocks' utter surprise, Teach actually found the Dark-Dark Fruit!

Moreover, Teach was ruthless enough to kill and steal the treasure, and then defected from the Whitebeard Pirates!

In response, Rocks couldn't help but laugh at himself, realizing he had really misjudged Teach; this guy was truly born to be a pirate!

Until Teach, carrying the Dark-Dark Fruit, wandered around and eventually encountered Chiga...

Rocks felt his life was bleak and lamented that revenge was hopeless.

But then a turning point came: Chiga killed Teach by extracting his soul and gaining the power of the Dark-Dark Fruit.

This gave Rocks a golden opportunity, allowing him to take over Teach's body and resurrect himself.

Recalling this tortuous experience, Lox couldn't help but shake his head and sigh.

"It's so unpredictable!"

Chapter 198 Marco vs. Lox

After speaking, Lox extended another invitation to Marco.

"Alright, this is the last time I'll ask you: do you want to become my subordinate?"

This is already three visits from Locke, so if Marco doesn't agree now, it would seem like he's being ungrateful.

But Marco was destined not to agree. Whitebeard was no different from his own father in his heart. How could he betray his own family?

What's more, Rocks still looks like Teach, which Marco finds utterly repulsive.

Marco answered with his actions.

He transformed into a beast, flapping his wings and unleashing a series of blue fireballs at Lox below.

Having learned his lesson the hard way, he knew he had to avoid physical contact with Rocks, so he used a ranged attack and deliberately increased the range of the attack.

Although the Phoenix Fruit also has the ability to generate fire, its flames are healing flames and do not have a burning effect.

Marco's fireballs only relied on their powerful impact to attack the enemy.

Seeing that Marco had refused him, Lox wasn't annoyed. He grinned and said,

"Looks like you still prefer playing house with Newgate, what a shame!"

As he spoke, Lox casually waved his hand, and the darkness behind him instantly condensed into jet-black spears, shattering the blue fireballs that were attacking him.

Immediately afterwards, the dark spear suddenly lengthened and pierced towards Marco.