I am the Bandit King of the East Sea.

Fortunately...

"Don't panic, hold on tight to the dragon, charge! Charge!"

The Dragon King stopped rambling and, pulling on the small boat beneath his feet, his dragon body disappeared into the clouds, flying swiftly.

As the Dragon King proceeded, a small path suddenly opened up amidst the dense dark clouds ahead, and it swiftly passed through it...

More than half an hour later.

The thick thunderclouds finally dispersed, and at that moment, a steep, red cliff stretched across the sea, seemingly endless.

We've arrived at the Red Earth.

Chapter 785 The Hat Passed Down Through Generations

Several days have passed since the Battle of God Valley.

On Scarborough Island in the New World, Roger's pirate ship is docked in the harbor.

Roger leaned against the ship's railing, his body wrapped in bandages, but he was not in particularly good spirits.

He gazed at the horizon where the sea met the sky, the direction of the Valley of the Gods, and occasionally glanced at the captain's hat and the straw hat he held in his hands, drinking alone.

At that moment, footsteps sounded behind them, followed by Rayleigh's voice.

"What's wrong? You're not reminiscing about Lox, are you?"

Roger turned his head, weighed the captain's hat in his hand, and said casually:

"Rayle, do you remember who owned this hat?"

“Isn’t that just Rocks?” Rayleigh replied in surprise.

"No, before Rocks, this hat had another owner."

"That was over a month ago, when we first came to Scarborough Island..."

Roger narrowed his eyes and began to recount the past:

"We encountered the Rocks Pirates and the Navy fleet here."

"I remember Wang Xige was wearing this hat when he fought the Rocks Pirates' officers."

"He was quite the star back then..."

"He doesn't usually wear a hat, but during the fight he suddenly put it on, and then, amidst strange noises, he started smashing bottles around..."

"Hehe..." Roger chuckled as he said this.

"I've never seen a guy who fights using only bottles."

Roger tilted his head back and gulped down a mouthful of wine, then continued speaking:

You should still remember what happened after that.

“Wang Xige suddenly intervened in my battle with Rocks and personally put this hat on Rocks’ head.”

Rayleigh listened silently as Roger finished recounting the story, but a ripple of emotion stirred within him.

The captain's hat originally belonged to Wang Sieg, who then entrusted it to Rocks.

Later, Wang Sieg died at the hands of Rocks, who, before dying, gave the hat to Roger.

“It seems that this hat might have some special meaning for those two men… just like your straw hat,” Rayleigh said.

"Who knows?"

Roger chuckled.

"Speaking of Wang Xige... I actually discovered that Rocks was seriously injured before fighting me and Garp, or perhaps it was some kind of serious illness."

“Really? That's a good thing Rocks can still fight normally…” Rayleigh replied casually, but then quickly realized what he meant:

"Wait, what does this have to do with Wang Xige?"

Roger replied:

"Wang Xige isn't the kind of guy who would die so easily at the hands of Rocks... Rocks is strong, that's true, but Wang Xige is strong too."

"Perhaps Rocks' injuries were sustained in the battle with King Sieg..."

Upon hearing this, Rayleigh's expression also showed some emotion.

During the God Valley battle, Rocks' strength was enough to shock all the marines and pirates.

But Roger said that even the mighty Rocks wasn't at his peak; he might have been injured by King Sieg beforehand.

“You have a very high opinion of Wang Xige,” Riley exclaimed.

"Perhaps..."

Roger replied casually.

He stacked the two hats together, the straw hat on the bottom and the captain's hat on top, and then put them on his head.

"Wait... Roger, you can wear your hat this weird way if you want, but at least let me have someone alter it a bit, okay?"

Rayleigh said:

"You are, after all, the captain. Why don't you put the Roger Pirates' flag on this hat?"

"That's a good idea."

Roger's eyes lit up, but then he put down the bottle and casually drew his knife.

"But before that, there is another matter."

He raised his hand and slashed upwards with a sword light. The sword light cut through the air with a soft whistling sound, and then a few black feathers fell to the ground.

The man wearing the Tengu mask flapped his wings and flew in the air, looking down at Roger and Rayleigh.

"We've been discovered? No wonder he's the man who ended Captain Rocks's life." Tengu said.

"What brings one of the Rocks Pirates' officers here to see me?" Roger, sword in hand, suddenly had a glint in his eye:

"Want to avenge your captain? If you're talking about that, I'm wide awake..."

Seeing Roger's fighting spirit suddenly rise, the tengu in the air repeatedly waved its hands in denial:

"No, the Rocks Pirates no longer exist."

"I'm looking for you because I want to join the Roger Pirates."

"what?"

Roger was stunned, his fighting spirit vanished instantly:

"Why do you have to come to me? Although the Rocks Pirates are gone, I heard that Shiki and Whitebeard have started their own pirate crews."

Tengu shook his head:

"They are also officers of the Rocks Pirates, just like me. Why should I be their subordinate?"

"But you, Roger."

"You defeated Captain Rocks, and..."

Tengu's gaze fell on the hat on Roger's head:

"Captain Rocks personally handed you the hat, didn't he? Perhaps Captain Rocks felt that you were the most suitable man to inherit the title of the Lord of the Seas!"

Roger had already sheathed his sword; he waved his hand dismissively.

"Just because I accepted Rocks' hat doesn't mean I want to be the ruler of the seas."

"Furthermore, I refuse your request."

No sooner had the words left his mouth than a whistling wind suddenly came from afar.

A cannonball struck the water near the pirate ship, splashing water and causing the ship to sway.

"Roger! Don't even think about escaping! Surrender!" A powerful roar came from afar.

"It's Garp!"

On the other side, Jabba glared angrily at the Black-Winged Tengu:

"You're the one who brought the navy here, aren't you?"

He picked up his double axes and forced the Black-Winged Tengu to leave the ship.

Roger glanced at Garp in the distance and immediately called to the entire crew:

"Guys, get ready, we're running away!"

Roger's pirate crew left in a flurry, leaving Blackwing Tengu still somewhat bewildered.

Suddenly, the hairs on his body stood on end, and he sensed extreme danger, causing his muscles to stiffen instantly.

"Roger escaped, but having a former Rocks Pirates officer is still a gain," Garp's voice rang out behind Tengu.

"Garp?" Blackwing Tengu's pupils shrank, his face filled with terror.

"Weren't you just seriously injured? How could you be recovered so quickly?"

"Oh. You mean the Valley of the Gods?" Garp scratched his head.

"I ate a bit too much meat these past two days and got a good night's sleep, so I'm almost fully recovered... But now's not the time to talk nonsense."

Garp smiled and clenched his fist.

"I can't just leave this great pirate from the former Rocks Pirates behind."

Chapter 786 The Mastermind Behind God Valley

Marineford, Naval Headquarters.

The warship, decorated with a giant dog's head at the bow, sailed into the harbor and docked.

Sengoku stood side by side with two people wearing smiling masks, already waiting at the port.

"Sengoku, you're really impatient. As soon as you heard that Tengu wanted to see you, you came right away," Garp laughed.

"After all, he was the first former Rocks Pirates officer to be captured, and he had contact with the Roger Pirates. I'm very curious what important information he wants to reveal..."