Unlike the Pangaea Castle, which had fallen into a dead silence filled with a chilling aura!
At this moment, Beehive Island was still immersed in a sultry night, thick with the scent of male hormones and fermented alcohol.
This was a pirate's paradise.
A sanctuary of chaos and freedom.
The air remained heavy with the smell of rum, mingled with the charred aroma of roasted meat.
The massive bonfire had been burning for half the night, with only a few lingering flames still flickering.
Thousands of pirates, having just survived the battle of God Valley, were now sprawled haphazardly across the ground!
Some lay slumped beside barrels, clutching half-empty bottles.
Others were piled on top of one another, forming small mountains of bodies.
A chorus of snoring echoed in waves, seemingly loud enough to drown out the sound of the distant crashing surf.
This was the carnival of the victors.
The ultimate indulgence after returning from God Valley.
Every survivor wanted to pour every last drop of their life into this single night.
In the center of this sea of drunks, beside a giant long table hastily cobbled together from a dozen massive ship planks, only a few people remained sober.
Most of the monsters who were famous across the seas, or those destined to stir up storms in the future, had also collapsed.
"Gurarara... another... barrel..."
The young Newgate, the future Strongest Man in the World, leaned ungracefully against a pile of empty liquor barrels.
His blonde hair was a messy tangle across his face, and he held a massive wooden barrel tightly in his arms. Drool leaked from the corner of his mouth, and his snoring made the ground tremble.
Not far away, Golden Lion Shiki had his entire face buried in a platter of gnawed bones.
His hand clawed blindly at the air as he mumbled incoherently.
"My future... fleet... must definitely fly..."
Charlotte Linlin lay beneath the table, surrounded by dessert crumbs, her mouth still smacking in her sleep.
The young Kaido had fallen directly into a wine vat, with only half his head visible, blowing large bubbles with every breath!
As for Rayleigh, he was holding Shakky in a private spot, "exploring the mysteries of life!"
The passion faded.
The night deepened.
Drunks littered the ground.
Only three remained truly awake.
Rocks.
Roger.
And Lucian.
These three top-tier monsters had just shone brilliantly at God Valley, three men who had trampled the World Government's dignity into the dirt. Now, they sat around the bonfire, enjoying a rare moment of tranquility after the revelry.
*Glug.*
Rocks tilted his head back, draining the nectar from the giant goblet in his hand in one go.
A splash of liquor trailed down from the corner of his mouth, flowing over his scar-ridden chest.
He wiped his mouth with a casual swipe, his eyes remaining as sharp as a hawk's even through the haze of intoxication.
He didn't look at anyone beside him, staring only at the dancing flames. His voice was husky and low: "Those bastards in the World Government... they've been crippled this time."
Sitting opposite him, Roger was ungracefully picking his teeth with a small fishbone.
Hearing Rocks' words, he grinned, revealing a row of stark white teeth: "Ah, yeah. Those guys who call themselves 'gods' are probably hiding under their covers crying right now! Hahahaha!"
Roger's laughter made it sound as if he hadn't just survived a desperate, life-or-death struggle, but rather an amusing adventure game.
Rocks snorted coldly, glancing sideways at Roger: "You're certainly optimistic. Don't forget, it wasn't just those five old fossils we were facing."
At the mention of that existence, Roger's tooth-picking paused slightly.
The smile on his face faded, and a rare flash of solemnity crossed his eyes.
He recalled that terrifying power that had possessed Saturn and descended upon the battlefield.
The monster who called himself the "King of the World"—Imu.
Even for powerhouses like them, who stood at the pinnacle of the sea, recalling that desperate darkness still caused a shiver to run through the depths of their souls.
It was power from an entirely different dimension.
If Lucian hadn't appeared at the end and displayed a terrifying strength capable of matching or even suppressing a "god," they likely would have all been buried in God Valley.
At this thought, the gazes of Rocks and Roger simultaneously shifted toward the young man sitting between them.
Lucian.
He sat quietly, gently swirling his wine glass.
His gaze passed through the liquid, looking toward a place far away.
He was too young.
Sandwiched between these two weathered men whose faces told stories of a thousand storms, the twenty-something Lucian seemed out of place.
Of course, that was only if one ignored the god-like, terrifying power he had exhibited at God Valley.
The night wind blew, swirling between the three of them.
An eerie silence fell.
Rocks set down his empty barrel and reached out to open another.
Roger tossed away the animal bone, intending to find a topic to break the oppressive silence.
Right at that moment.
The hand Lucian held his glass with paused.
This wasn't due to physical discomfort, nor was it caused by external interference.
It was a sensation originating from the depths of his soul.
It was the "energy ball" he had left in the skies of God Valley, the one he had fired toward Mary Geoise.
It had exploded.
Though he was far away and could not witness the spectacular sight with his own eyes, as the master of that energy, Lucian clearly perceived the terrifying power unleashed in that instant.
And... the dark aura that had attempted to suppress the explosion, only to be blasted into fragments.
"Heh."
'Seems it successfully exploded. I hope you're doing alright, Imu!'
A very faint chuckle leaked from the depths of Lucian's throat.
The corners of his mouth curled upward, uncontrollably and extremely slowly.
It wasn't his usual polite smile.
It was a smile tinged with playfulness, a hint of mockery, and even the satisfaction of a prank successfully pulled off.
The movement was tiny.
Brief.
But the gazes of Rocks and Roger had never left him.
Consequently, they captured it instantly.
At God Valley, facing the Five Elders and the "god" named Imu, this man's face had always remained calm.
A total indifference, as if he were manipulating everything in the palm of his hand.
But now, he was actually smiling.
In the depths of the night on Beehive Island, far from the battlefield, he was smiling at the empty darkness.
*Thump.*
The liquor barrel Rocks had just lifted was slammed heavily back onto the table.
The thick wooden tabletop let out a muffled groan, and several cracks spiderwebbed out from under the barrel.
His aggressive eyes narrowed, and he leaned forward, locking onto Lucian.
"Hey..."
Rocks' voice was low and raspy, carrying an irresistible pressure.
"Brother, what are you smiling about?"
Rocks' intuition told him that there was something massive hidden behind Lucian's smile.
On the other side, Roger also dropped his carefree act.
He uncrossed his legs and sat up straight.
The eyes that were usually beaming with laughter were now filled with sharp intensity.
"Yeah, brother."
Roger grinned, showing his white teeth, his great beard twitching.
"Did you think of something fun? Joy is better when shared—tell us so we can have a laugh too!"
Their gazes, like two searchlights, focused simultaneously on Lucian's face.
In an instant, the post-drink lethargy vanished, replaced by a taut tension.
The air was still thick with the smell of alcohol.
The surrounding drunks continued to snore thunderously, completely unaware of the change in atmosphere.
Facing the questions from Rocks and Roger, Lucian didn't answer immediately.
He held his glass.
The smile at the corners of his lips didn't vanish; instead, it expanded bit by bit until it filled his entire face.
Within that smile was three parts disdain, three parts pleasure, and four parts of a thick, indelible mockery.
He slowly withdrew his gaze from the void and swept it across the tense faces of Rocks and Roger.
Then, he did something neither of them expected.
He leisurely brought the glass to his lips, tilted his head, and drank the remaining rum in one gulp.
*Glug.*
His Adam's apple bobbed.
"Haa—"
Lucian set down the empty glass and let out a long sigh.
Satisfied.
Exhilarated.
He extended a finger to wipe a drop of liquor from the corner of his mouth.
He looked back at the two men before him, whose faces were written with "curiosity."
The night wind picked up, causing the charcoal fire to flare brightly for a moment, casting his face in alternating light and shadow.
In the flickering firelight, his smile became even more inscrutable.
And Rocks and Roger became even more convinced that Lucian's smile absolutely hid a secret.