Ron gazed at the receding figure of Rocks.
The wind brushed through his bangs, tousling a few strands of his black hair, yet it couldn’t extinguish the blazing heat quietly igniting in his eyes.
Perhaps… fate doesn’t allow me to develop peacefully either!
If that’s the case… then on this path filled with thorns, I’ll cut through them with my blade, water the soil with blood, and carve out a bloody road by sheer force!
Suddenly, the corners of Ron’s mouth slowly curved upward into a faint smile.
Then, he lifted his foot and stepped forward, following without hesitation.
Ahead, Rocks seemed to have already noticed the figure trailing behind him.
Without stopping his stride, he burst into loud laughter.
“Hahahahaha…”
“My name is Rocks D.
Xebec.
You can call me Captain, or you can call me Boss.
Of course, if you don’t like either, you can just call me by my name, ‘Rocks’.”
“My name is Ron.”
“I’ll remember that, Ron.” Rocks turned his face slightly, a flicker of appreciation passing through his eyes.
“From now on, you are the second apprentice crew member of my Rocks Pirates.”
“The second?”
“Mhm.
The one before you is named Kaido, a young man with great potential.”
“Aren’t you concerned about my strength?” Ron changed the subject, mainly because joining the Rocks Pirates had gone too smoothly.
“Wororororo~ I’ve always had a good eye for people.”
Whether it was when meeting Roger or himself, he hadn’t seen any fear in Ron’s eyes.
Usually, someone with that kind of temperament isn’t too bad.
“Where are we headed next?” Ron asked about their itinerary.
“Finished our business, so of course we’re heading back,” Rocks replied.
This trip was for Roger’s sake, but unfortunately, things didn’t go as planned.
Roger absolutely refused to cooperate.
In the end, Rocks didn’t force the issue—after all, those with different paths cannot work together.
At the island’s harbor, the wind howled and clouds churned.
Dark, ink-like clouds rolled across the sky, while the sea surged violently, waves exploding into snow-white foam.
An immensely grand ship lay quietly docked at the pier.
Scattered across the deck, sitting, standing, or lying down, were figures brimming with unruly arrogance.
On the pirate flag’s background was embroidered a black fang tearing through the heavens.
As the flag flapped in the wind, its snapping sounded like war drums beating.
This was the most luxurious, most outrageous, and most terrifying pirate crew in history.
There was the future “Strongest Man in the World,” one of the Four Emperors, Whitebeard, Edward Newgate.
There was the future “Strongest Creature,” one of the Four Emperors, Kaido.
There was the future “Four Emperors” member, Charlotte Linlin.
And there was the legendary pirate “Golden Lion” Shiki.
…And so on… and so on…
Names that could keep Marine Headquarters awake all night were casually scattered across the same deck.
“Rocks still hasn’t returned yet.
Could he have been taken out by Roger?” Wang Zhi leaned against the ship’s railing, his rough hand firmly gripping a roasted lamb leg exuding a fragrant aroma.
He tore off a large chunk of meat with a fierce bite, then lifted a bottle of fine wine with his left hand, tilting his head back to gulp down a large mouthful of strong liquor.
“Kyahahaha!” The Golden Lion perched on the mast let out a long, booming laugh upon hearing this.
“If that’s the case, then I, Shiki, will reluctantly take on the role of captain for the Rocks Pirates.
From now on, all of you must address me as Captain.”
Big Mom sat on the ship’s railing on the other side, holding a fruit cake in her hand.
As she picked up a piece of fruit and popped it into her mouth, she couldn’t help but scoff, “Stop daydreaming, Shiki!
If Rocks really dies, I’ll be the one taking over.”
“Hehe” Stussy leaned against the shadow of the cabin door, a faint smile curling at the corners of her lips.
“Whoever wants to be captain can be captain, but Rocks’ wealth belongs to me, Stussy.”
“You?
Stussy?
Don’t be ridiculous.
Rocks and I were like brothers.
His wealth should rightfully go to me,” retorted Captain John.
In his eyes, anyone could be captain for all he cared, but if anyone tried to snatch the treasure, he’d fight them tooth and nail.
On the deck, Kaido sat cross-legged against the wall, a massive spiked club resting beside him.
In front of him was a plate of steamed buns, which he stuffed into his mouth with relish while inwardly grumbling, ‘These people really have too much time on their hands.’
Kaido’s goal at the moment was simple.
He knew that with his current strength, he couldn’t gain any real benefits aboard this ship of “scoundrels.” So, he had been searching for a Devil Fruit that could make him stronger.
Especially after seeing Whitebeard wield the power of the Tremor-Tremor Fruit, his desire had grown even stronger.
Whitebeard sat atop the ship, enjoying the sea breeze and occasionally taking sips of fine wine.
He neither participated in nor had any interest in their discussions.
In fact…
he found them somewhat distasteful.
What were these guys thinking day in and day out?
Since when did crewmates eagerly wish for their captain’s death?
Wait…
actually…
that seemed pretty reasonable.
After all, no one on the ship truly saw Rocks as a “boss” in the conventional sense.
He was merely a powerful and generous “partner.”
And they were nothing more than a temporary gathering of scoundrels sharing the same ship.
Silver Axe leaned against the ship’s railing and spotted two figures approaching in the distance.
He spoke up slowly, “Enough with the daydreaming, everyone.
Rocks is back.”
Upon hearing this, the others showed little reaction.
They had merely been grumbling earlier—no one actually believed Rocks would lose to Roger.
As Rocks drew closer, they also noticed Ron following behind him, and almost simultaneously, their gazes turned to scrutinize him.
“Hey, Rocks, is that guy behind someone you won from Roger’s crew?” Big Mom licked the cream off her fingers and asked with a playful smile.
In the world of pirates, there was a game called the Davy Back Fight—a brutal contest between pirate crews involving multiple challenges, where crewmates and flags could be stolen from one another.
In a Davy Back Fight, any crewmate selected by the winning side would immediately become a subordinate of the winning captain.
And among the Rocks Pirates, many crewmates had been won by Rocks in such games.
“No,” Rocks waved his hand dismissively and chuckled lightly.
“This is a brat whose reputation is so rotten that even Roger wanted nothing to do with him.
But…
I, Rocks, don’t mind.”
“Reputation too tarnished?”
Everyone was taken aback for a moment.