“Justice?” Rocks let out a laugh, as though he’d just heard the funniest joke in the world.
Crouching down until he was eye level with the CP commander, he wore a mocking grin.
“Don’t mention that ridiculous word to me.
The so-called justice you cling to is nothing more than the leash the Celestial Dragons use to keep their dogs obedient.” He raised a finger and gently tapped the CP commander’s forehead.
“Let me guess.” His voice was as soft—and as chilling—as a devil’s whisper.
“The Soul Echo Fruit can hear all things.
To those parasites who’ve lived far too long and grown bored of the world, that ability would make the perfect toy.” “So…
did some bloated Celestial Dragon hear the legend and send you lapdogs to find it for him?” The CP commander’s pupils shrank.
The subtle reaction didn’t escape Rocks’ notice.
“So I was right.” He withdrew his finger and stood, the smile on his face turning icy.
“Which family?
Acting under the Five Elders?
Or just another maggot crawling around the Holy Land of Mary Geoise?” The CP commander clenched his jaw without answering, but his mental defenses had already collapsed beneath Rocks’ piercing gaze.
The man before him possessed not only monstrous strength, but a devilish intellect.
At that moment, Ryne, who had remained silent until now, walked over.
He glanced at the prisoner before speaking to Rocks.
“Captain.
His heartbeat sped up, and his blood flow changed.
When you mentioned the Celestial Dragons and the word ‘toy,’ his emotional fluctuations were the strongest.
Your deduction was correct.” With the Soul Echo Fruit, Ryne’s perception had evolved far beyond ordinary hearing.
By listening to the rhythms of another person’s body, he could distinguish genuine emotions from lies.
“Wahahaha!
Hear that?
Even my Head Chef says you’ve already given yourself away!” Rocks burst into laughter.
“Well then, I’m no longer interested in your little secrets.
They’re boring.” He turned and began walking away, as though he’d completely lost interest in the captive.
“Wait!” The CP commander suddenly shouted.
He knew this was his final chance.
“I’ll talk!
I’ll tell you everything I know!
Just…
please…
give me a quick death!” Faced with overwhelming power—and the despair of having every lie seen through—loyalty and pride were worthless.
Rocks didn’t even bother turning around.
“Too late.
I’ve already lost interest.” Just then, the situation changed.
Silver’s sharp gaze snapped toward the shoreline.
“A ship is approaching,” he reported calmly but urgently.
“Fast.
It’s not a Marine vessel.
It bears the Cipher Pol emblem.” “Oh?” Rocks raised an eyebrow.
“So the reinforcements finally arrived?
Perfect.
Saves us the trouble of swimming to the next island.” Their own battered little ship had barely survived the storm and the earlier battle.
Dorum had already declared it wouldn’t make it to the next island.
The crew hurried to the shore.
A sleek black vessel cut through the waves toward them.
Smaller than a Marine warship, it was several times faster.
Instead of a ram at its bow, it carried a strange device glowing with eerie blue light.
“It’s the Ghost Prototype Ship used by CP0!” The captured CP commander cried out in shock from Gatz’s grip.
“It’s equipped with the newest Seastone interference cannon and advanced tracking systems!
You can’t escape!” “Escape?” Rocks laughed.
“Why would we run?” The Ghost Prototype Ship had already spotted them.
Energy gathered at the bow as streams of blue light converged into a single beam.
“A Seastone beam!
It’ll drain a Devil Fruit user’s strength instantly!” The CP commander shouted desperately.
“Gatz, stuff something in his mouth.
He’s getting annoying.” “With pleasure.” Grinning, Gatz ripped off a sleeve from the prisoner’s own uniform and shoved it into his mouth.
“All right, boys.” Rocks rolled his shoulders, a hunter’s grin spreading across his face.
“Don’t sink the ship.
Dorum needs a new home.
Finish this quickly—it’s almost lunchtime.” “Yes, Captain!” Before anyone could move, the Seastone beam fired.
Its target was the most conspicuous man on the beach—Rocks.
Yet before it came within ten meters of him, it was as if the beam had plunged into an invisible swamp.
Its speed slowed to a crawl.
Its light twisted violently before breaking apart.
Moments later, it vanished completely.
Every CP agent aboard the Ghost Prototype Ship froze in disbelief.
Before they could react— A streak of silver shot from the shore.
Silver sprinted across the sea itself as though walking on solid ground.
The Soul Echo Fruit had granted him a completely new understanding of the voices of wind and water.
Borrowing their power effortlessly, he moved several times faster than before, leaving afterimages dancing across the ocean’s surface.
Even bullets couldn’t keep up with his trajectory.
In the blink of an eye, Silver landed on the Ghost Prototype Ship’s deck.
“Enemy aboard!” The CP agents reacted immediately, drawing their weapons and surrounding him.
These were CP0 trainees, each one far stronger than the CP9 agents Rocks’ crew had faced before.
But the opponent standing before them was a monster whose strength had risen yet again after consuming the legendary Soul Echo Fruit.
Silver’s spear seemed to come alive in his hands.
He could clearly hear every opponent’s next movement and perceive the path each bullet would take before it was fired.
His spear danced like a silver dragon bursting from the sea.
Every parry.
Every thrust.
Every movement was executed with flawless precision.
Silver showed no intention of killing.
Instead, he used the shaft and butt of his spear to knock the agents unconscious one after another.
The entire battle flowed like an elegant dance.
On the opposite side, Gatz watched Silver dominate the battlefield and grew increasingly restless.
“Captain!
I want in too!” “Go ahead,” Rocks said with a wave of his hand.
“Just don’t break the deck.” “Hahaha!
Got it!” With a roar, Gatz bent his knees and launched himself into the air.
His massive body shot across hundreds of meters of ocean like a cannonball before crashing onto the stern of the Ghost Prototype Ship.
“Wahahaha!
Grandpa Gatz is here!” Swinging his enormous anchor, he swept through the remaining CP agents.
After obtaining the Soul Echo Fruit, Gatz could feel power surging through the anchor itself.
Every swing produced a deafening sonic boom.
The agents’ Iron Body (Tekkai) was as fragile as paper before his overwhelming strength.
Bones shattered.
Bodies flew.
None could remain standing.
In less than five minutes, the World Government’s newest technological masterpiece—and its elite crew of agents—had been completely subdued by the Rocks Pirates.
Dorum was the first aboard after the battle.
Running his hands across the ship’s smooth metallic hull while sensing the intricate internal framework, tears filled his eyes.
“Adam Wood for the keel!
And memory-alloy armor!
Incredible!
This…
this is a work of art!
It’s the ship of my dreams!” Only after everyone else had boarded did Rocks and Ryne casually step onto their newly acquired vessel.
“Not bad.” Rocks looked around approvingly.
“Plenty of room.
And that kitchen looks a whole lot better than the doghouse we had before.” He casually kicked the terrified CP0 captain aside before dropping into the captain’s chair with a broad grin.
“All right, boys!
Clean up the battlefield and set sail!” “We’ve got ourselves a new home!” The Ghost Ship rested quietly in the harbor of the Island of Whispering Shadows, standing in stark contrast to the island’s eerie surroundings.
The World Government’s most advanced covert vessel had a new master.
The crew enthusiastically cleaned up the battlefield.
Gatz happily piled the unconscious CP agents into a corner of the deck like sacks of grain while stripping every valuable item from their bodies.
“You lot sail around on a fancy ship like this,” he muttered cheerfully.
“Least you can do is pay the toll!” Meanwhile, Silver stood silently in the crow’s nest, adjusting to his heightened senses.
His vision seemed capable of piercing the fog itself, allowing him to track schools of fish several nautical miles away.
The Soul Echo Fruit had elevated him to a level every assassin dreamed of reaching.
But the happiest man aboard was undoubtedly Dorum.
Like a child with a brand-new toy, he ran all over the ship.
One moment he lovingly stroked the sturdy mast crafted from Adam Wood.
The next, he excitedly tapped the gleaming memory-alloy armor.
“Perfect!
It’s absolutely perfect!
The propulsion system uses the newest steam-turbine hybrid engine!
It even has a Coup de Burst!
The storage room has climate control!
The helm uses hydraulic assistance…
Incredible!
I love this ship!” Dorum disappeared into the engine room and didn’t emerge for hours.
His dreamy muttering echoed from within, giving Gatz goosebumps.
Meanwhile, Rocks lounged comfortably inside the spacious captain’s cabin, flipping through the ship’s logbooks and confidential documents.
With one leg crossed over the other, he rested his feet beside the bound former CP commander and the captured CP0 captain.
Broken by overwhelming fear, the two men had already confessed everything they knew about the mission.
“Saint Garumarco…” Rocks read the name on one document before curling his lip into a disdainful smile.
“A decrepit old Celestial Dragon who’s lived for centuries and wants the Soul Echo Fruit just to stave off his eternal boredom.” “How pathetically dull.” He casually tossed the documents aside and walked to the large panoramic window overlooking the deck.
Outside— Gatz was practicing new techniques.
Each swing of his massive anchor now carried the faint rumble of wind and thunder, the result of learning to hear the voice of power itself.
Silver flashed between the masts like a phantom, moving so quickly that only blurred afterimages remained.
This newborn pirate crew was growing at an astonishing pace.
“Captain.” Ryne’s voice came from behind him.
He had somehow arrived at the doorway without making a sound.
“I’ve inspected the kitchen.” For perhaps the first time ever, genuine satisfaction colored Ryne’s voice.
“The equipment is excellent.
Refrigerated storage.
Ovens.
A temperature-controlled fermentation room.
An independent ventilation system.” “It still falls short of my ideal…” “But at least I can use thirty percent of my full ability here.” Rocks turned with interest.
“Oh?
Then what does your ideal kitchen look like?” A gleam appeared in Ryne’s eyes—the unmistakable look of a chef pursuing the ultimate dream.
“I need a kitchen capable of accommodating a hundred chefs working simultaneously.” “A cultivation chamber that can recreate every climate in the world for raising ingredients.” “A top-tier storage vault forged entirely from Seastone, capable of sealing away every trace of unwanted odor.” “And a complete set of cookware designed by my own hand, capable of controlling heat, pressure, and timing with millisecond precision.” He paused.
Though his voice remained calm, every word carried unwavering conviction.
“My ambition isn’t merely to cook delicious food.” “I want to create dishes that can change lives.” “Meals that grant strength.” “Miracles made edible.” “And ultimately…
the supreme expression of the Way of Food—a cuisine so extraordinary that even the gods themselves would bow before it.”