He wasn't surprised that Renault managed to defeat Garp and Zephyr. After all, even he had been bested by Renault's hands.
What did surprise him, however, was just how formidable Renault's crew members were.
"Gurararara... The seas are truly becoming more and more interesting!"
"Captain! Anomaly detected ahead!!" A pirate holding a telescope came running over in a panic. "It's Rocks! It's the Rocks Pirates!!!"
Terror was written all over the pirate's face. In the New World today, there wasn't a single pirate who didn't know the name Rocks.
"Rocks..."
Whitebeard narrowed his eyes slightly.
Prior to this, Rocks had sent people to contact him more than once, trying to recruit him into the Rocks Pirates. But he had rejected them all. He didn't believe for a second that meeting Rocks here today was a coincidence.
Rumble...Rumble—
Just then, thunder crashed down from the originally clear sky, and dark clouds began to congregate. Lightning flashed across Whitebeard's eyes, and in the blink of an eye, a torrential downpour began.
The once calm sea churned madly, whipping up waves dozens of meters high. The massive pirate ship bobbed like a tiny leaf, swaying precariously in the wind and rain.
Rocks' fleet arrived before them in no time.
"Hahahaha! Whitebeard! I've come in person this time! Join my crew! I'll take you with me to overthrow the World Government's rule!!"
"The future of this world belongs to us!!"
Rocks waved his large hand, extending the invitation to board his ship once again.
"Gurarararara..."
Whitebeard gripped his bisento and slammed the butt of the shaft heavily onto the deck. An invisible shockwave rippled out, shattering the falling rain around him.
"Sorry, Rocks. I have my own crew, and I have my own family. I have zero interest in your ambitions."
"I will not join your pirate crew. You'd better go find someone else."
Whitebeard laughed heartily, rejecting Rocks' invitation outright.
"Hahahaha... Good! Very good!!"
Rejected to his face, Rocks didn't get angry; instead, he laughed, his expression twisting into something manic and ferocious.
"Whitebeard, since I came here personally, the outcome of today is already set!!"
"You will submit whether you want to or not!!"
Buzz—
The moment his voice fell, a surging, majestic Conqueror's Haki erupted abruptly from Rocks' body. It swept across the distance of dozens of meters, crashing directly onto every member of the Whitebeard Pirates.
Thud.Thud—
Except for Whitebeard, every single crew member collapsed to the ground almost instantly. Their eyes rolled back in their heads as they fainted dead away.
Whitebeard's expression turned grim.
"Rocks! Don't be too arrogant!!!"
Whitebeard roared in fury. His own Conqueror's Haki whistled out from his body, clashing against Rocks' Haki in mid-air.
"Hehehehe... Whitebeard, starting tomorrow, you belong to me—to Rocks!!!"
...
[Time Skip]
Time flew by, and several days passed in a flash.
During this period, the entire Kingdom of Cast remained calm and peaceful. Ever since the Marines issued the bounties for Renault and his group, there had been no further movement.
The Royal Palace Gardens.
"Are those guys scared of us? I thought they'd keep coming at us," Jace said, bored out of his mind, lying on the grass with a foxtail grass dangling from his mouth.
"What? Isn't it a good thing they aren't coming? Are you actually hoping for trouble?" Black Shadow retorted immediately while wiping down his beloved blade.
"It's not necessarily a good thing for it to be too quiet," Renault said as he turned the page of his book.
"Captain, what do you mean by that?" Hajrudin asked, puzzled. He couldn't quite grasp the implication, but it was clear Renault meant something more.
"Although the Marines and the World Government haven't made a move, that doesn't mean others haven't."
Puru Puru—Puru Puru—
Right on cue, the Den Den Mushi next to Renault rang out.
"This is Renault."
"Young Master, a pirate ship has entered the territorial waters of the Cast Kingdom. They are asking for you by name." The soldier on the other end reported faithfully.
"Who is it?" Renault's expression remained calm; he wasn't surprised in the least.
"He says his name is Wang Zhi!"
"Wang Zhi?! Let them in!"
After hanging up the phone, Renault slowly stood up, looking toward the direction of the harbor.
"Rocks... you finally couldn't hold back anymore."
"Captain, is someone here to cause trouble?!"
"Wang Zhi? I feel like I've heard that guy's name before!!"
The crew members chimed in one after another, gathering around him.
"Let's go. Come with me to take a look."
...
Cast Kingdom Harbor.
A massive pirate ship slowly pulled in. Standing at the prow was a tall man with a long beard. It was none other than the renowned New World pirate, and one of the Division Commanders of the Rocks Pirates: Wang Zhi.
"Captain, those guys are really here?"
Several pirates made no effort to hide the disdain in their eyes. Could a broken, backwater place like this really harbor such strong fighters?
"Shut your mouths. You lot better restrain yourselves in a moment," Wang Zhi scolded sternly immediately.
No matter how the Marines might have spun the reports in their favor, the fact that Renault and his group defeated Zephyr and Garp was set in stone. The strength required to do that was evident.
They weren't here to cause trouble; they were here to help the Boss recruit talent. He didn't want the arrogant behavior of these trash subordinates to offend Renault.
Before long, a group of people walked towards them.
Wang Zhi's gaze briefly swept over Renault before shifting to Linlin and Flame Flower.
After all, regarding Renault's strength, the outside world only had speculation. But the battle records of Linlin and Flame Flower were real and verifiable.
Linlin, the Tremor-Tremor Fruit user, had forcefully repelled Garp. Flame Flower, the Soul-Soul Fruit user, had fought Zephyr to a standstill.
After carefully observing the three of them, Wang Zhi looked at the other members. Aside from photos, there was no other information on the rest of the crew. Their strength and abilities were completely unknown. However, he could sense that none of them were weak.
"Did Rocks send you?" Renault stepped forward, getting straight to the point.
Wang Zhi paused slightly, then nodded. "That's right. Our Captain already knows about your exploits."
"He appreciates you and your crew. The Captain sent me to recruit you—he wants you to join the Rocks Pirates!"
"As long as you join the Rocks Pirates, there will definitely be a seat for you as a Division Commander."
Speaking frankly to frank people, the straightforward Wang Zhi didn't beat around the bush.
"You can go back. I won't be joining," Renault shook his head immediately.
Renault's refusal didn't surprise Wang Zhi.
With such personal strength and a powerful crew, plus having forcefully defeated the Marines and gaining massive fame overnight, pride was normal.
When Rocks had sent people to find him, Silver Axe, John, and the others, hadn't they reacted the same way?
But what was the result?
As strong as they were, didn't they eventually have to bow their heads and submit?!
"Hehehehe... Renault, I can understand your current mindset, but you don't know just how terrifyingly powerful Rocks is."
"Nor do you know the consequences of rejecting him!!!"
Seeming to recall something, Wang Zhi's expression filled with dread.
"Up until now, of all the people Rocks has chosen, not a single one has been able to escape."
"So I advise you..."
"Does that include you too?!"
Renault interrupted before Wang Zhi could finish his sentence.
Struck in a sore spot, Wang Zhi's expression shifted, but he quickly recovered his composure.
"Renault..."
"Enough, say no more." Renault waved his hand, cutting off whatever Wang Zhi was about to say next.
"Go back and tell Rocks for me: I will not join the Rocks Pirates. Tell him to give up on that idea."
"That's right! Who does Rocks think he is? Is he worthy of making my brother submit?!" The ever-protective Linlin put her hands on her hips and scolded angrily.
"We've even killed Celestial Dragons, you think we're afraid of Rocks?!"
Jace, who never feared a chaotic situation, chimed in as well.
"You're called Wang Zhi, right? Pass our Captain's message to Rocks, then take your people and get the hell out!!"
"Arrogant!"
Hearing this, Wang Zhi let out a cold snort instantly.
Just a bunch of brats who didn't know the immensity of heaven and earth. Did they think killing a Celestial Dragon made them invincible?
Originally, he had only come here to deliver a message for Rocks. Whether Renault agreed or not was his own business. If he agreed, everyone would be happy, and Wang Zhi could return to report his success. If he refused, Rocks would naturally handle it himself.
But seeing these brats acting so brazenly, completely disregarding him, Wang Zhi was extremely displeased.
No matter what, he was a renowned pirate in the New World. Countless people were terrified just hearing his name! Countless Marines had died by his hands.
Sure, in front of Rocks, he might be a subordinate, a "little brother." But that didn't mean he was lesser than these kids.
"Renault, I will convey your words to Rocks verbatim."
"However, I heard your subordinates defeated Zephyr and Garp. Today, I'd like to test your mettle myself!"
As he spoke, Wang Zhi leapt into the air and stomped heavily onto the ground.
The immense force created a deep crater in the hard earth, with spiderweb-like cracks spreading out from the impact zone.
Renault's eyes narrowed, shooting out a cold, sharp glint.
"Who among the three of you will step up?!"
Wang Zhi, surging with anger, raised his longsword high. His gaze shifted back and forth between Renault, Linlin, and Flame Flower. According to the intelligence, these three were the strongest.
"Dealing with you doesn't require the Captain's hand!!"
Hajrudin, who had been holding back a bellyful of fire, walked out from the crowd with heavy, thundering steps.
Linlin and Flame Flower, who were just about to make a move, stepped back when they saw Hajrudin step forward. Since Hajrudin wanted to fight, they naturally wouldn't stop him.
"Hajrudin! Teach this guy a harsh lesson!!" Linlin clenched her pink fists and shouted indignantly.
"Let him know just how strong you are!!" Flame Flower cheered him on as well.
"A Giant??"
Wang Zhi looked up at Hajrudin, who stood nearly 20 meters tall. There was no disdain in his eyes.
The Giant race hailed from the strongest nation in the world. Once a Giant warrior reached adulthood, they were naturally formidable powerhouses.
Although Marine intelligence didn't have detailed information on Hajrudin, the fact that Renault had recruited him into the crew meant his strength could not be underestimated.
Wang Zhi narrowed his eyes, stroking his beard with one hand while drawing his heavy sword with the other. The corners of his mouth curled up slightly.
"Wang Zhi, coming to experience your skill!!"
Bang!
The moment his voice fell, Wang Zhi raised his heavy sword high and leapt above Hajrudin.
The heavy sword, carrying the momentum of a falling meteorite and immense weight, slashed viciously down towards Hajrudin.
"This isn't a place for you to run wild!!"
Hajrudin roared. He concentrated his Armament Haki, winding up for a heavy strike, and swung his right fist violently from the bottom up.
The fist wind whistled, tearing through the air.
Clang—
The heavy sword and the giant fist collided in mid-air. Both of their Armament Haki erupted violently, sending streams of black energy spreading wildly in all directions.
Hajrudin and Wang Zhi both wore ferocious expressions, locked in a contest of strength. For a moment, neither could gain the upper hand.
"A Giant who has mastered Armament Haki... Troublesome indeed!!"
Wang Zhi gritted his back teeth, looking at Hajrudin with wariness.
The physique of a Giant was already tough. With the addition of Armament Haki, the power was truly terrifying.
"I don't believe this!!!"
Wang Zhi let out another roar. He poured his internal Armament Haki continuously into his giant sword, clashing madly against Hajrudin's Haki.
This wasn't just a collision of strength, but a contest of Haki.
"Go back and tell Rocks—he doesn't have the qualifications to recruit our Captain!!!"
"Soru!" (Shave)
Hajrudin abruptly withdrew his force, and his entire massive body vanished instantly.
"What?!"
Wang Zhi's expression changed drastically. Inertia sent his body plummeting rapidly toward the ground below.
"Heavy Punch!!"
Hajrudin, reappearing instantly, was already behind Wang Zhi. He smashed a heavy fist down toward Wang Zhi's back.
"Damn it!!!" Wang Zhi cursed, his Observation Haki screaming in alarm.
Fortunately, he was experienced. He immediately covered his entire body in Armament Haki, donning a layer of pitch-black armor. At the same time, he forcibly twisted his body in mid-air, holding his sword with both hands to block in front of him.
Bang—
A fist capable of splitting mountains and cracking rocks slammed heavily onto the giant sword. Terrifying power surged through the blade and into Wang Zhi's body.
Wang Zhi instantly felt the metallic taste of blood in his throat, which he forcibly swallowed back down.
Thud, thud, thud.Thud, thud, thud.
The immense force sent Wang Zhi, who had just landed, sliding uncontrollably backward for dozens of meters, leaving a deep trench in the ground.
"Cough, cough..."
Despite Wang Zhi's efforts to suppress it, blood trickling from the corner of his mouth revealed his current condition.
He hadn't expected that Hajrudin, aside from having powerful Taijutsu and Haki, had actually mastered the Marine Rokushiki (Six Powers). To think a Giant could burst forth with such speed.
"Do you still want to fight?" Hajrudin looked down at Wang Zhi from above, his eyes filled with mockery.
With strength like that, wanting to spar with the Captain or Linlin? He was overestimating himself.
"Hajrudin, nice work!"
"Go back and tell that guy named Rocks not to be too arrogant!"
"Imagine daring to come and recruit our Captain. Ridiculous!"
Seeing Wang Zhi eat humble pie, Jace and the others jeered one after another.
"You people... Cough, cough..." Wang Zhi, attacking his own heart with anger, clutched his chest. The residual force in his body was still rampaging, making him extremely uncomfortable.
"I will pass on your words to Rocks. Renault... look out for yourself!"
Supported by his minions, Wang Zhi left a final warning before retreating in a sorry state.
...
"Captain, is this Rocks guy he talked about really that powerful??"
Once Wang Zhi's pirate ship had completely disappeared over the horizon, the crew finally wiped the smiles off their faces.
Lately, they had heard the name "Rocks" more than once.
Aside from the issue of the newspaper the Marines had customized specifically for them, the majority of the news they saw in other reports was about Rocks.
Rocks subdued a certain great pirate in the New World!Rocks led a fleet to plunder a World Government allied nation!Rocks led his crew to ambush a Marine base!
...
The list was endless.
In a short period, Rocks had been acting frantically in the New World, never resting for a moment.
"Rocks, huh?" Thinking back on Rocks, Renault frowned slightly.
He wasn't entirely sure exactly how strong Rocks was, but his strength could be judged indirectly from two aspects.
The first aspect.
In the original story, Rocks successively subdued many great pirates in the New World: Shiki the Golden Lion, Charlotte Linlin, Whitebeard, John, Wang Zhi, Silver Axe, Stussy, Kaido...
The strength of John and the others wasn't clearly defined, so he wouldn't elaborate on them.
But the strength of the Golden Lion, Charlotte Linlin, and Whitebeard was known to all.
The Golden Lion Shiki: The Flying Pirate, user of the Float-Float Fruit. He fought Sengoku and Garp alone at Marineford and was the only pirate to ever escape the "Iron Wall" of Impel Down single-handedly.
Charlotte Linlin: Possessing the "Iron Balloon" natural talent, a future Yonko (Four Emperors) of the New World, ruling over Totto Land with countless subjects.
Whitebeard: User of the Tremor-Tremor Fruit, known as the Strongest Man in the World.
To be able to suppress these three individuals, one could catch a glimpse of Rocks' power.
More importantly, Shiki, Whitebeard, and Charlotte Linlin were all naturally rebellious and arrogant people.
This was different from strength. Strength could be cultivated later or gained through opportunities. But personality was destined, especially at their age; these traits wouldn't change.
Yet, even people as unruly as Whitebeard didn't dare to make a wrong move while in the Rocks Pirates. They were firmly suppressed by Rocks.
It wasn't until after the God Valley Incident, when Rocks died and the Rocks Pirates existed in name only, that these people, harboring their own ulterior motives, were finally able to break away and form their own crews.
The second aspect.
That was the alliance between the Marines and Roger during the God Valley Incident.
At that time, Roger was already somewhat famous, his reputation in the New World second only to Rocks.
Although Renault didn't know exactly why Roger teamed up with the Marines to deal with Rocks, the fact that they had to join forces was direct proof of Rocks' formidable power.
In summary, being targeted by such a person was not a good thing.
"Looks like I need to make preparations early, too." Renault rubbed his chin, falling into deep thought.
Before long, Whitebeard and the Golden Lion would likely be forced to join the Rocks Pirates as well.
By then, Rocks' influence would be even more massive and harder to deal with.
However, for the current Renault Pirates to increase their strength in a short amount of time, it wasn't completely impossible.
Renault thought of at least three ways.
The first method:
Recruit powerful crew members.
The New World was currently in turmoil. Any pirate with a bit of strength would basically be targeted by Rocks and then brought under his banner to become a member of the Rocks Pirates.
Aside from the Rocks Pirates, the Roger Pirates had the most powerhouses.
Vice-Captain Rayleigh and Crewmate Gaban were already famous names.
However, the future Yonko Kaido and the
"Demon Heir"
Douglas Bullet had likely just set sail around this time; their whereabouts were unknown. Perhaps they were still grinding in the
"novice villages"
of the Four Blues, or maybe they had just left the novice zone and arrived in the New World.
After thinking it over, Renault realized there were only two lone wolves left who hadn't been recruited by Rocks yet but were still renowned powerhouses.
One was Byrnndi World, whom he had met eight years ago at the auction house on the Sabaody Archipelago. The other was Patrick Redfield, also known as
"Red the Aloof."
World possessed the More-More Fruit and was known as the
"World Destroyer."
Eight years had passed, so his strength must have improved significantly.
Redfield was even more monstrous. He was born with powerful Observation Haki that could read people's hearts. He could stand toe-to-toe with the future Whitebeard and Roger based solely on his own strength—and that was without eating a Devil Fruit.
If he could bring these two under his command, the strength of the pirate crew would skyrocket.
However, up until now, Renault had only occasionally seen news of World's movements in the papers. As for Redfield, there was absolutely no news about him, nor did anyone know where he was currently operating.
The second method:
Acquire Devil Fruits.
Currently, most of the crew members already had Devil Fruits. Only three people remained without one: Renault himself, Hajrudin, and Black Shadow.
In Renault's opinion, the fruit that suited him best was the Fish-Fish Fruit, Model: Azure Dragon (Uo Uo no Mi, Model: Seiryu)—the very same fruit belonging to Kaido in the original story. After all, Mythical Zoan types were the "meta" in this world. With Linlin's
"Iron Balloon"
physique as support, combined with the insane durability and recovery of a Mythical Zoan, he would be unstoppable.
Over the past few years, he had searched for the Fish-Fish Fruit through various channels but found nothing. Perhaps it was already in the hands of the World Government and would only appear during the God Valley Incident.
As for fruits suitable for Hajrudin and Black Shadow, he had no leads either. He had no interest in weak fruits, and powerful ones were something one could only hope to stumble upon by luck. It all depended on fate.
The third method:
Forging swords!
That's right, forging swords. Specifically, forging Supreme Grade Swords (Saijo O Wazamono)!
There were quite a few sword users in the Renault Pirates. Renault, Linlin, Flame Flower, Black Shadow, and Rogue—five in total.
Black Shadow followed the path of assassination and specialized in using short daggers. Rogue's talent was average; a decent quality longsword was enough to meet his needs. Flame Flower's attacks mainly relied on her Soul Homies. Renault had spent a fortune to buy her a Skillful Grade Sword (Ryo Wazamono), which was more than sufficient for her.
However, he and Linlin were different. Their swordsmanship had already stepped into the realm of Great Swordsmen. Yet, they still didn't have famous swords that truly belonged to them.
Ordinary swords couldn't bring out their full potential, and even Skillful Grade Swords were lacking. Sometimes, after unleashing a powerful technique, their swords couldn't withstand the force and would snap. This had happened when Linlin fought Garp.
If they could forge two Supreme Grade Swords exclusively for them, their strength would inevitably rise to another level.
These were all the methods Renault could think of to increase the crew's strength.
After considering it for a long time, Renault made his decision.
Regarding the first possibility, Redfield was missing, so the only target was World. Although Renault didn't know exactly where World was, he was certain the guy was in the New World. All the previous news he had seen about World pointed to locations within the New World. As long as World was still active there and hadn't gone into hiding, finding him wouldn't be difficult.
The second possibility—finding powerful Devil Fruits—relied too much on luck and couldn't be forced.
The third possibility was completely feasible!
To forge Supreme Grade Swords, the most suitable place was naturally Wano Country. It was the land with the most renowned swordsmiths. In the current Wano Country, there were several craftsmen capable of forging Supreme Grade Swords. As long as they were willing to help, making two exclusive blades for him and Linlin would be no problem at all.
However, forging two such swords would take time.
Thinking it through, Renault decided to prioritize finding World.
His primary goal in finding World was, of course, to recruit him. But if that guy still held a grudge over what happened years ago and refused, then Renault would simply kill him.
He currently had 50 Luck Points in the system. Worst case scenario, he'd gamble on the 50/50 chance to obtain the More-More Fruit. He wasn't interested in the fruit for himself, but it was perfect for Hajrudin.
Renault couldn't even imagine how terrifying Hajrudin would become after eating the More-More Fruit. He already possessed the formidable physique of a Giant, along with mastery of the Rokushiki and two types of Haki. Add the More-More Fruit on top of that, and his strength could rival a Marine Admiral.
Renault planned to head to Wano Country to forge the swords immediately after dealing with this matter.
"Jace, buy all the newspapers from the recent period. Find that guy World for me and figure out his area of activity!"
"Roger that, Captain."
Jace scratched his head, confused about the sudden order, but he agreed immediately nonetheless.
...