Whitebeard glanced over briefly before pulling his gaze back, not caring much at all.
If Rocks hadn’t suddenly rushed up earlier, he would still be sitting on the roof of the ship right now, sipping fine wine and enjoying the salty sea breeze.
“Boring to death.
I’m going back to sleep,” Whitebeard replied flatly.
He gently pushed aside Stussy, who was leaning against him, turned around, and walked back inside the ship.
Pushed back, Stussy swayed slightly.
She instinctively tucked a loose strand of blonde hair behind her ear, tilted her head up to watch Whitebeard’s massive, retreating back, let out a soft huff, and pouted: “What a wooden blockhead…”
…
On the harbor, the transformed Ron looked down at Kaido.
The moment he opened his mouth, the form of a Tailed Beast Ball began to take shape.
Zzzzt!
That tiny spark of dim light expanded at extreme speed.
Backed by the immense energy of the Sage Body, within the blink of an eye, the pinpoint of light turned into a massive sphere of pure energy.
Kaido’s pupils snapped into pinpricks.
He instinctively stepped back three paces, his voice tightening with tension: “What the hell?!
Are you trying to kill me, you bastard?!”
Wasn’t this supposed to be a sparring match?
Looking at this posture, this newcomer clearly wants to take my life!
Ron remained silent.
Feeling the charge was about ready, he fired the Tailed Beast Ball forward.
SWOOSH—!
The sphere packed with terrifying power tore through the air.
Kaido’s face stiffened.
He immediately made the decision to dodge, but the size of the Tailed Beast Ball was simply too massive, and its blast radius far exceeded the limits of his dodge.
“Bastard!!!” Kaido cursed loudly, hurriedly coating his spiked club with Armament Haki.
The next second, he saw a figure appear soundlessly right beside him.
“Sigh…”
A long, drawn-out sigh full of helplessness drifted softly through the smoke-filled air.
“Brats fighting really is dangerous…
They never know when to hold back.”
Before the words fully faded, Rocks had already drawn his blade.
The hum of the sword clearing its sheath had not even settled when Conqueror’s Haki roared like a black-purple storm, wrapping around the entire blade.
Immediately after, his figure vanished completely from where he stood.
When he reappeared, he was right in front of the Tailed Beast Ball.
SLASH—!
Carrying terrifying force, the long blade carved an unmatched, razor-sharp black arc upward from below.
Then, the edge of the blade slammed brutally into the outer energy layer of the Tailed Beast Ball.
BOOOOM—!!!!!
A terrifying blast beyond words detonated in an instant.
Violent air currents burst out like a tsunami, sweeping across the surroundings in a massive ring.
Yet the Tailed Beast Ball did not detonate.
Instead, the moment the blade made contact, an irresistible, immense force forcefully twisted its trajectory, sending it rocketing high into the sky.
It drew an arc across the high air before crashing down violently toward the open sea in the distance.
At that exact moment, aboard the Roger Pirates’ ship that had just sailed away…
After sensing danger through Observation Haki, several figures rushed out from the cabins.
Immediately after, they saw a massive sphere of energy plummet straight into the sea.
HISSS—!
A blinding, stark-white glare erupted from deep under the water.
Then, a heavy explosion shook the surrounding area.
BOOOOOOOOM—!!!!!!!!
The surface of the sea bulged violently upward, and a massive, mushroom-shaped wave edged with stark-white foam shot straight into the heavens.
Roger, Rayleigh, and Gaban all turned their eyes back toward the island at almost the exact same time.
“Those guys from the Rocks Pirates…
did they get into a fight with someone?” Gaban asked, his brows tightly furrowed.
Rayleigh narrowed his eyes, staring in the direction where the explosion had just risen.
After a moment of thought, he said slowly, “Judging purely by the power from just now, it shouldn’t be from anyone currently on the Rocks Pirates.”
When it came to most members of the Rocks Pirates—whether Devil Fruit abilities or fighting styles—Rayleigh knew them well.
“Hahahaha!” Roger, on the other hand, laughed loudly.
“Looks like…
Rocks ran into some real trouble.”
Rayleigh did not join in the laughter.
Instead, he shook his head gently: “It might also cause us quite a bit of trouble in the future.
After all, with Rocks’s personality, when he runs into strong fighters, he doesn’t kill them—he recruits them onto his ship.”
Hearing this, Gaban nodded at once, his tone serious: “Even if we don’t hold any real grudges against Rocks’s crew, once the day comes when interests clash, we will end up standing on opposite sides eventually.”
Roger cut off his laughter.
His expression gradually settled into calm, his eyes burning bright as he gazed toward the island, speaking slowly: “A pirate crew without bonds is nothing more than a pile of sand bound to collapse.
It isn’t the wind that destroys it—it’s that every grain of sand forgot why it stood next to the grain beside it in the first place.”
Just as Rayleigh and Gaban were pondering different takes on that statement, Roger threw an arm around each of their shoulders and grinned, “Come on, let’s head back inside and drink!”
Back on the harbor.
The wild aftermath of energy slowly faded away, and the rolling dust and smoke settled down.
Having deactivated his transformation, Ron returned to his normal appearance.
“Hey, hey, hey, Rocks, did you see that?
This bastard was trying to kill me!” Kaido was boiling with rage.
You told me to spar, and I almost got killed!
If you don’t make this right, this really won’t slide.
Hearing that, Ron showed a surprised look.
He could swear he had no such intention—it was pure slander.
“Look, look!
That bastard still has that careless face!” Kaido said furiously.
Ron’s face twisted slightly.
Wait, brother, what are you even talking about?
“Wahahahaha~” Rocks sheathed the long blade in his hand and chuckled, “Kaido, you’re being too sensitive.
When youngsters fight, it’s normal not to know their own strength.”
“Ah…” Kaido froze for a few seconds.
After regaining his senses, he put on a shocked face: “What kind of joke is that?
Rocks, I definitely don’t agree with the way you’re putting it!”
Rocks gave a light smile and slowly raised his hand, making a peace sign with two fingers.
Ron was completely baffled.
What kind of move is this?
Is he telling the two of us to gang up and beat him?
Hmm~ Very likely.
Is this the Rocks Pirates?
Their way of resolving problems really is straightforward and rough.
‘Two of them, huh…’ Kaido thought to himself.
It seems…
maybe I really was being a bit too sensitive.