The God Valley Incident.
To keep it brief, in the year 1484, the Celestial Dragons organized their triennial killing competition on the Valley of the Gods, an island in the West Blue. As prizes, six treasure chests were prepared, each containing powerful Devil Fruits, including the Azure Dragon Fruit and the Paw-Paw Fruit.
When the Rocks Pirates caught wind of this event, they swiftly made their way to the Valley of the Gods. Unbeknownst to them, the Roger Pirates, having learned of Rocks' whereabouts, also set sail for the island.
Meanwhile, the Marines were on high alert. Hundreds of warships stood guard around the Valley of the Gods, tasked with protecting the Celestial Dragons and maintaining order during the gruesome contest. It was during this chaotic battle that Marine Vice Admiral Garp earned the title of "Hero" for his role in defeating Rocks, the terror of the seas, alongside Roger.
But what happened to Rocks' body?
Edie had already asked Whitebeard, Kaido, and Charlotte Linlin the same question. None of them had an answer. The Rocks Pirates had never been a cooperative crew like the Straw Hats; they were a band of vicious powerhouses who only respected Rocks. When the battle reached its peak, no one paid attention to their captain. As the chaos unfolded, everyone fought for themselves, and the fate of Rocks' body became a mystery.
Now, Edie posed the same question to Rayleigh and Shakky.
"Rocks' body?" Rayleigh echoed, startled. His mind raced before a thought struck him. With a curious look, he asked, "I've heard rumors that the Earthly Branch Zishu under your command is a clone of Roger. Is that true?"
Edie took a slow sip of his tea, his calm demeanor confirming Rayleigh's suspicions.
Rayleigh grinned knowingly. "Ah, I see. You intend to resurrect Rocks, don't you?"
Rayleigh couldn't help but reminisce about the strongest person he had ever encountered. Rocks stood at the pinnacle. Even Roger was second to him in raw strength.
Grandma Nyon sighed, her tone both resigned and cautious. "Don't even think about that. That man is far too dangerous."
Edie remained undeterred. He looked back at Rayleigh, then shifted his gaze to Grandma Nyon. "Where is the body?"
At that moment, Hancock, who had been quietly seated next to Edie, rested her head on his shoulder. Her delicate face and poised smile added an air of calm to the room, though her almond-shaped eyes remained fixed on the visitors from Amazon Lily, clearly interested in the conversation.
Rayleigh, however, shook his head. "I don't know. During that battle, I was fighting Golden Lion Shiki."
Edie turned his attention to Nyon, sensing there was more to be learned from her. After a brief pause, Grandma Nyon seemed to recall something. "It's said that Golden Lion Shiki took the body."
Edie's eyes lit up, finally hearing something of value after countless dead ends. "Shiki?" His interest was piqued.
"It's just speculation," Grandma Nyon clarified. She cast her mind back to the chaotic aftermath of the battle. "When Rocks fell, the situation turned into pandemonium. Everyone was running for their lives. Even within the Rocks Pirates, there were factions. Groups like Stussy and Whitebeard, or Charlotte Linlin and Kaido, had no interest in looking out for anyone else when the tide turned."
She continued, "Shiki had the Float-Float Fruit, which allowed him to manipulate the island. He used his ability to tear apart a piece of the God Valley and escape by flying away with that fragment. Ochoku and Captain John were gravely injured, so they fled with Shiki."
Grandma Nyon paused, then added the crucial piece. "Rocks' body was likely taken with them."
She finished with a word of caution. "But this is all based on what I remember. I can't guarantee that the information is completely accurate."
Edie nodded, satisfied. "That's more than enough. Thank you."
Knowing now where Rocks' body might be, Edie's next objective was clear: Find Golden Lion Shiki. But tracking down someone who could fly and who had been lying low for years wasn't going to be easy. Edie mused for a moment. I'll have to find a way to draw him out.
Seeing that the conversation had reached an agreement, Shakky shifted the topic back. "Emperor, what exactly did you mean when you mentioned cloning earlier?"
Edie reclined comfortably on the sofa, glancing over at Hancock before answering. "Cloning takes time. But if it's a clone of Hancock you want, come back in two years, and I'll have a Clone of Hancock ready for you to take."
Edie waved them off with a calm demeanor. "Zishu will escort you back to Amazon Lily," he said, as the visitors from Amazon Lily prepared to leave. Leading them to the exit, Edie's confidence was palpable. In an instant, Zishu, the youthful clone of Roger, appeared before them with a front flip, grinning mischievously. "Guests, it's time for you to go," he said, his tone playful but commanding.
Rayleigh studied Zishu closely. The boy looked no older than fifteen, but the resemblance to Roger was uncanny, though with a notable difference—Zishu had darker skin and lacked Roger's signature mustache. He was like a miniature version of the Pirate King.
With a nostalgic smile, Rayleigh couldn't help but ask, "Zishu, do you know you're a clone of Roger?"
Zishu, full of youthful arrogance, laughed. "Of course I do! I also know my 'prototype' has a son named Portgas D. Ace in the East Blue." He grinned wider and added with a glint of mischief, "When I meet Ace in Goa Kingdom, should he call me 'Daddy' or 'Big Bro?'"
Rayleigh's eyes narrowed at the audacity of the young clone. Zishu's wild and out-of-the-box personality was strikingly different from Roger's.
"I'm here to confirm your identity," Rayleigh said, his voice now serious.
Zishu smirked. "You want to fight me, Uncle?" His eyes danced with excitement.
Rayleigh's expression hardened. "I can't just stand by and watch someone blaspheme Roger's legacy. If I kill you, will your so-called 'Heavenly Father' blame me?"
Zishu chuckled mockingly. "Nah, Lord Heavenly Father is pretty forgiving. If you kill me, he'll just use your blood to clone you too. Then the new you would inherit my title! But come on Rayleigh, That's like asking if Pigs can fly? Not Happening Bozo!"
Zishu's heart pounded with excitement, thrilled at the prospect of a battle with Roger's former right-hand man. Rayleigh, however, remained silent, his decision already made.
"Let's take this to a nearby island," Zishu said, flinging open a window of the Beehive Island skull fortress. With a single leap, he flew out into the open air.
Rayleigh, ever the thrill-seeker despite his age, laughed and followed. Shakky, watching the scene unfold, sighed with a headache. "What are you doing, Rayleigh?"
"Just testing out his skills!" Rayleigh called back before disappearing into the sky.
As the women watched their battle begin, Edie turned his attention to Hancock, leading her to his underground laboratory. "What do you think of the idea of cloning you? She would become the Empress of Amazon Lily in your place."
Hancock, however, looked up at Edie with wide eyes. "Master Edie, I don't want to be separated from you. I'll listen to anything you say, but not this!" Her obedience was accompanied by a softness that brought a small smile to Edie's face.
He gently retrieved a syringe and drew a sample of blood from Hancock's wrist. It wasn't the first time he had collected her blood—he had done so years earlier when he brought her and her sisters to Wanokuni—but this time, the blood was different. The bloodline factor changes as a person grows stronger, and Hancock had only grown more powerful.
"Hancock, you'll decide the future of S-Snake," Edie said thoughtfully, offering three potential plans for the clone's creation.
Plan One: Combine Hancock's bloodline factor with that of the Lunarian clan, the Standard method used to create the powerful Earthly Branches.
Plan Two: Merge her bloodline with that of the Mink tribe, allowing the clone to harness static electricity and undergo the Sulong transformation under a full moon.
Plan Three: Fuse her bloodline factor with the Love-Love Fruit, effectively turning her into a version of Hancock that wields a natural Devil Fruit power rather than relying on an ability ring.
The final option would essentially create a clone who has the Love-Love Fruit's abilities from birth, as if the Devil Fruit had become a living spirit.
After a moment of reflection, Hancock blushed as a bold idea crossed her mind. "Master Edie, what if we merge my bloodline with yours? Then she would be our daughter!"
Edie, momentarily taken aback, chuckled. "Are you stupid? If you want a daughter, we can just turn off the lights and make one the old-fashioned way."
Hancock's face turned crimson, steam practically rising from her head. After more careful consideration, she finally chose Plan Three, preferring to avoid merging her blood with that of outsiders.
Edie nodded, respecting her choice. He quickly set to work on preparing the materials for the clone, while Hancock stood by, satisfied. As Edie worked, Hancock brought up a request. "Where will the clone be placed? Can she have her own private vault? I don't want her seen by others."
"The No. 1 special cloning chamber, the same one you used before," Edie answered. To ensure maximum privacy, he had the chamber reinforced and separated from the others using the Island Fruit.
Three days later, Edie completed the embryo culture and activated the No. 1 cloning chamber to begin the cloning process. Around the same time, Yamato, who had been resting in the No. 2 chamber, awoke. Hancock, full of new confidence, woke Yamato up without issue, feeling a sense of superiority over her former rival.
Meanwhile, the battle between Zishu and Rayleigh reached a cataclysmic climax after two full days of non-stop fighting. Zishu emerged victorious, having even managed to secure a sample of Rayleigh's blood in the process. Though Edie had no immediate plans to clone Rayleigh, he stored the blood for potential future use.
With the battle over, Rayleigh, Shakky, and the others safely returned to Amazon Lily, promising to return in two years to pick up the Hancock clone.
As these events unfolded, Edie publicly issued a bounty reward in the underworld for any information leading to Golden Lion Shiki. A reward of 100 million beli was offered for credible clues, and a staggering 5 billion beli for capturing Shiki alive, along with a personal favor from Edie.
The bounty announcement spread like wildfire, and after two years of relative peace, the world was once again thrust into chaos.