Somewhere in the far reaches of the New World.
On a massive deserted island.
Boom! Boom! Boom!Boom! Boom! Boom!
Violent explosions and the sounds of collisions rang out incessantly, one after another. A small portion of the island was shaking continuously.
"Brothers! Get them! Kill all these guys!!"
"Charge!!!"
"You bastards! Fire the cannons!!!"
...
"Bastard! World! Why are you here?!!"
Knicks, the Captain of the Violent Bear Pirates, held a longsword, looking at the man in front of him with horror.
Compared to eight years ago, World, wearing his signature horned helmet, had grown taller and more mature. His strength had also refined significantly.
Knicks wanted to cry but had no tears. He cursed silently in his heart: Why did I have to run into this plague, World, in such a remote place?
Although this sea area was technically in the New World, it lacked islands rich in resources or mineral veins. It was sparsely populated, with barely any nations established. It was a region rarely tread upon by either pirates or Marines.
He had intended to bring his crew here to rest and reorganize for a few days. As luck would have it, they ran straight into World's pirate crew.
Immediately, a fierce battle erupted between the two crews. Cannons roared, bullets flew, and all sorts of techniques were unleashed.
Cries of agony and shrill screams filled the air. But how could they be a match for World? Fighting until now, his men had been almost completely wiped out. Only a few stronger ones were struggling to hold on, but judging by the situation, defeat was only a matter of time.
"Hahahaha... Knicks! Consider yourself unlucky to have met me."
World grinned savagely, walking toward the injured Knicks.
Knicks' appearance was also unexpected for him.
The New World was currently in turmoil. A year ago, Rocks began using violent means to recruit crew members all over the seas. Several powerful pirates had already been forced to join the Rocks Pirates.
When World first heard the news, he had scoffed at it. But a few months ago, Rocks actually sent someone to contact him. The other party clearly expressed their intent: they wanted him to join the Rocks Pirates.
World rejected Rocks' demand immediately. Join the Rocks Pirates? Was he joking?!
However, he knew full well how powerful Rocks was. Even if he didn't want to admit it, he had zero chance of winning against Rocks. As long as he was in the New World, he couldn't avoid him.
Just then, his brother ByrnJack came up with an idea.
Come to this extremely remote sea area, lie low for the time being, and wait for the right moment.
Few people came here. Those big-shot pirates in the New World wouldn't come to this godforsaken place without a reason.
According to ByrnJack's deduction, Rocks recruiting crew members so urgently meant he was planning something big. Rocks was ambitious, and everyone knew who he wanted to take down.
As long as they laid low for a while and waited for Rocks and the World Government to tear each other apart, they could come out later and reap the benefits. Even if there were no benefits, not getting caught by Rocks was a win in itself.
Besides, resources here were scarce, but that didn't mean there were no resources. Just enough to survive was guaranteed.
No matter what, they would rather die than join the Rocks Pirates.
"Hehehehe... Knicks, I didn't want to kill you originally. But who asked you to have such bad luck? Since you delivered yourselves to my doorstep, don't blame me."
"Die!!!"
World grinned ferociously. His fist, covered in Armament Haki, swung out, blasting Knicks' head apart directly. Red and white matter splattered across the ground.
"Useless trash!"
Indifferent, World kicked Knicks' corpse aside and wiped the blood off his body.
"Brats, clean up the battlefield quickly."
"Keep anything useful. Throw anything useless into the sea."
"Yes, Boss!!"
The blood-soaked underlings around him responded one after another.
"Cough, cough, cough..."
Just then, a coughing sound came from behind World.
World, who had just sat down, immediately stood up and hurried over.
"Brother, didn't I tell you to rest? Why did you come out here?? They were just a bunch of trash; they weren't my match at all."
ByrnJack waved his hand, his voice low and raspy. "Little brother, I've been feeling uneasy these past two days. I'm afraid something bad is about to happen."
World blinked twice, then laughed loudly, unconcerned.
"Hahahaha... Alright, alright, Brother, I get it. You've said that countless times already."
"Aren't we doing just fine right now?"
"Don't worry. As long as we stay here, that guy Rocks won't be able to find us. You're overthinking it."
World gave ByrnJack a dose of reassurance.
"Perhaps. By the way, take a look at this newspaper." ByrnJack stopped dwelling on it and handed a newspaper to World.
"What is it?!" Confused, World wiped the blood off his hands carelessly.
"This guy?!! He looks familiar!!"
Seeing Renault's photo on the front page, World's brows furrowed deeply, but for a moment, he couldn't recall where he had seen this person.
"Eight years ago, at the Sabaody Archipelago auction house. He was the one who snatched the Treasure Tree Adam from us. You almost died at their hands."
ByrnJack's reminder made World's face darken instantly.
"Bastard! It's actually those guys!!!"
"But when did these guys become so powerful?? Even Zephyr and Garp from the Marines were no match for them!!!"
After reading the report, World was both furious and slightly shocked.
He hadn't seen them for a few years, but these brats had improved their strength remarkably fast.
"Hehehehe... Damn it, what bad luck. I was thinking of killing them once I found them, but now it seems... forget it. Consider them lucky!!"
He wasn't a fool. Anyone who could defeat Garp and Zephyr was definitely not weak. At the very least, with his current strength, he certainly couldn't do it.
"I'm telling you this because I hope you won't be impulsive. If we encounter them in the future, endure what can be endured, and avoid what can be avoided."
Seeing that World wasn't trying to act tough, ByrnJack felt relieved.
"Hahahaha... Don't worry, Brother, I'm not that stupid. It's too cold out here; let me help you back to your room!"
...
Rocks' Stronghold, Hachinosu (Beehive Island).
"Wahahahaha... Let us welcome our new member!!!"
"The renowned great pirate of the New World, Whitebeard Edward Newgate!!!"
"From today onwards, Whitebeard is a member of our Rocks Pirates! Tonight, we feast! Everyone, drink to your heart's content!!!"
On the main seat, Rocks, shrouded in shadows, raised his wine bowl high and shouted excitedly.
"Hahahaha... As expected of Boss Rocks! Even a great pirate like Whitebeard has joined our Rocks Pirates!!"
"Isn't that the truth? Our Boss is the strongest!!!"
"Our pirate crew's power has grown again!!"
"Awesome! This is truly awesome!!!"
The underlings below chimed in, drinking bowl after bowl, toasting and celebrating in high spirits.
Situated beside Rocks, Whitebeard listened to these grating words, his face grim and ugly. In the end, his pride had lost.
Rocks' strength was simply too terrifying. He had no ability to resist at all!!
"When we first came here, we felt the same way you do. You'll get used to it."
"Besides, you are now one of the Division Commanders of the Rocks Pirates. You could say you're 'beneath one man, above ten thousand.' It's not as suffocating as you think."
Just then, Captain John, who was also a Division Commander, walked up to Whitebeard with two bottles of rum and handed them over.
Seeing Whitebeard hesitate, John leaned in and lowered his voice.
"Hehehehe... Whitebeard, I advise you to be sensible here. If you really piss off Rocks, you'll wish you were dead. I'm telling you this for your own good."
After speaking, he forcefully shoved the rum into Whitebeard's hand and turned to leave.
Rocks acted as if he hadn't noticed anything, drinking cup after cup with the underlings below.
Just as an underling filled his bowl, Rocks suddenly stopped and looked at Wang Zhi, who had failed his mission.
Seeing the smile vanish from Rocks' face, the bustling Skull Hall instantly fell silent, dead silent.
A pirate who was about to burp immediately covered his mouth, his face turning beet red, but he dared not make a sound.
"Wang Zhi, did Renault really say that??" Rocks asked abruptly.
Wang Zhi stood up immediately, terrified. "Yes, Boss. Those were his exact words. Even I was injured by those guys."
Looking at Wang Zhi's somewhat pale face, Rocks nodded.
"Good. Very good. Excellent!!!"
His voice was calm. But anyone who knew Rocks knew that he was enraged.
Renault was in trouble now.
"Any news on the Golden Lion and World?!" Rocks suddenly changed the subject.
"Boss." A pirate minion stepped forward. "Boss, we haven't found World yet, but the Golden Lion... it seems he went to the East Blue."
"Someone spotted his tracks in the East Blue."
"East Blue??" Hearing this, Rocks frowned, but soon, his furrowed brow smoothed out again.
"Hehehehe... Does he think hiding in the East Blue will help??"
"The Float-Float Fruit ability is crucial to my plan. Golden Lion, I won't let you escape."
As he spoke, a chilling cold light shot from Rocks' eyes, making people afraid to look directly at him.
"Whitebeard, you come with me to the East Blue to find the Golden Lion. The rest of you, stay here."
"Remember, while I'm gone, do not act rashly. Wait for my return for everything."
"As for that brat Renault..."
Crack—
Rocks applied a little force with his palm, and the massive ceramic bowl shattered instantly, spilling wine all over the floor.
"As long as the Cast Kingdom is still there, he can't run!!"
"Renault, I hope when I stand before you, you'll still have that attitude!!"
Hearing Rocks' voice, which sounded like a demon from hell, everyone shivered involuntarily.
"Renault?!!" Hearing that familiar name again, a scene from the past resurfaced in Whitebeard's mind.
It was Renault who had snatched the Tremor-Tremor Fruit from his hands back then.
Could he really...
Whitebeard shook his head as soon as the thought arose. Remembering Rocks' strength, Whitebeard sighed helplessly. Perhaps before long, he and Renault would be teammates.
"Why is everyone so serious?? Drink!!!"
"Come on, come on! Drink up!!!"
"Brothers, bottoms up!!"
With a single sentence from Rocks, the Skull Island became lively once again.
...
Marineford.
Ever since Renault's bounty was released, the Marines had sent people to monitor every move of both the Cast Kingdom and the Rocks Pirates.
Things happened exactly as they predicted: Rocks sent Wang Zhi to recruit Renault. And the result was also as they guessed: Renault rejected Wang Zhi.
"Hahahaha... Interesting. Things are getting interesting now!!!"
Looking at the news sent back by the intelligence agents, Kong (Commander-in-Chief) couldn't help but laugh loudly.
"Truly an arrogant brat. He doesn't yet know the consequences of offending Rocks!!"
Sengoku, who had dealt with Rocks several times, shook his head slowly.
That guy was notorious for seeking revenge for the smallest grievance. Once targeted by him, there were only two outcomes.
The first was to join the Rocks Pirates and become one of them. The other was death.
Until now, no pirate who rejected Rocks had lived to tell the tale.
"Now, it all depends on Rocks' next move!!"
"However, I'm still more concerned that Renault might be forced by intimidation to join the Rocks Pirates," Vice Admiral Tsuru, always cautious, said worriedly.
"Don't forget, even Whitebeard lost to Rocks and joined his crew."
"Rocks' current power cannot be underestimated. If he gains Renault's assistance, it could be fatal for us."
Seeing everyone thinking optimistically, Tsuru poured a bucket of cold water on them just in time.
Kong frowned, hesitating for a moment before speaking.
"Tsuru, you're right, but there's no need to worry too much about this matter."
"Back in the Holy Land, when the Five Elders formulated this plan, they had already prepared for the worst-case scenario."
"If things truly turn out as you say, and the Renault Pirates merge into the Rocks Pirates, once they pose a direct threat to the World Government, the Elders will have a solution. We need not worry."
Tsuru, Sengoku, and the others looked at each other. Listening to Kong's words, it seemed that no matter what happened, the Five Elders had a plan up their sleeves.
"Since that's the case, I have no further questions."
Seeing that Kong didn't want to say more on the subject, they knew better than to ask. Sometimes, one had to know their place.
"Then let's see what Rocks does next."
"If they really start fighting each other, it would save us a lot of trouble."
"Agreed!"
...
Kingdom of Cast.
"Well? Did you find World?"
Renault asked, lounging comfortably in a rocking chair, eyes closed as he accepted the fruit Linlin was feeding him.
Flame Flower was skillfully massaging Renault's legs, a look of pure bliss on her face.
Black Shadow squatted on the lawn, wiping his short dagger—which never seemed to get clean enough—occasionally blowing a breath of air onto the blade.
Rupert had pulled a pile of ship repair tools out of the pocket on his belly to sun-dry them; they had been sitting there so long they were about to rust.
Rogue was drilling the soldiers, teaching the Rokushiki (Six Powers) to the dozen or so with the best aptitude. Out of a full twenty thousand soldiers, he had only found a little over ten with decent potential, which made Rogue want to cry.
In the kitchen, Streusen was cooking so frantically he nearly flipped the wok into the air, bustling about to prepare lunch for everyone.
Hajrudin lay on the grass, teasing the fluttering butterflies.
Hearing Renault's inquiry, Jace, who was buried under a pile of newspapers, poked his head out.
"Boss, I've gone through every newspaper from the recent period. There are only six mentions related to World."
"Four of them show irregular activity in locations too far apart to provide any useful information."
"As for the remaining two reports, they took place in the same sea area. But that area is in the middle of nowhere, a godforsaken place. Plus, the two incidents were two months apart, so there's not much reference value."
Jace listed every scrap of information he could find about World with a pained expression. Feeling that his efforts were fruitless, he tossed all the newspapers aside.
"Captain, I'm powerless here."
Exhausted, Jace lay spread-eagled on top of the newspapers.
"Appearing twice in the same sea area with a two-month gap? And in a godforsaken place, you say?"
"World... what are you doing there?!"
"Hajrudin, come out with me tomorrow!!"
"Okay, Boss."
Hajrudin responded without turning his head, still teasing the butterfly in front of him.
...