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Chapter 19: Revenge Target! Plundering the Heavenly Tribute
The once-noisy ship fell into dead silence.
Everyone's eyes widened instinctively,
Their gazes unconsciously shifting toward Lotte.
A pre-war meeting wasn't unexpected.
After all, every time the Rocks Pirates undertook a major operation,
Rocks would always gather the ship's cadres to discuss the upcoming plan together.
Ordinary members only needed to obey orders.
But this time was different.
In addition to the original cadres on the ship,
He had actually called Lotte—who had only recently joined—to attend.
This was the first time such a thing had happened in the Rocks Pirates.
Even the others hadn't expected it.
For a newcomer who had just joined not long ago to already be invited to such a meeting...
Didn't that mean...
In Captain Rocks' eyes, Lotte's status was already comparable to a cadre?!
The thought made the other pirates suck in a cold breath.
The looks they gave Lotte now carried a few extra parts respect and awe.
In their eyes,
Lotte becoming a cadre on the ship was now a done deal!
Whitebeard, upon hearing this, also looked somewhat surprised as he glanced at Lotte.
Then he laughed and slung an arm around the youth's shoulders.
"This is the first time I've seen the captain take such an interest in a newbie. Lotte, your luck really is something!"
"Since we're going the same way, let's head over together."
In Whitebeard's view,
Lotte was one of the rare pirates on the ship he didn't dislike.
So seeing the captain value him made Whitebeard genuinely happy—he was already planning to celebrate with some good sake later.
Lotte's mouth twitched slightly.
He really had no resistance to Whitebeard's overly familiar attitude.
"Fine, let's go together then."
Lotte stood up, stretched lazily with a smile, and casually glanced at his current attribute panel.
[Name: Lotte] [Age: 17] [Bloodline Ability: Hashirama Cells (Current Mastery: 30%)] [Skills: Wood Release (Current Power Limit: B+ rank), Three-Color Haki (Proficient 20%), Flying Slash Swordsmanship (Beginner 80%)] [Inventory: None] [Combat Power: 4000~5500] [Overall Evaluation: Host's strength is equivalent to an ordinary Marine Headquarters Vice Admiral. Current Hashirama Cells mastery is slowing—suggest Host seeks new sign-in opportunities. Though not yet on par with cadres on Rocks' ship, Host can stand alone in the New World.] [Special Remark: You could go challenge Garp to a one-on-one now.]
Seeing that special remark, Lotte's heart instantly went speechless.
Challenge Garp one-on-one?
He'd probably die trying...
Could Garp even be compared to an ordinary Vice Admiral?
This system really loved stirring the pot when watching drama.
Still, the overall evaluation was spot-on.
Though Lotte had sufficient talent,
He couldn't achieve a massive leap in strength in a short time.
If he wanted to grow as quickly as possible,
He still needed to find new sign-in opportunities.
...
Moments later,
Whitebeard led Lotte to the door of the main ship's meeting room.
Bang!
He pushed the door open with domineering flair, drawing all the cadres' attention.
Golden Lion Shiki, Charlotte Linlin, Silver Axe, Wang Zhi, and a host of other infamous New World great pirates were all gathered.
Many eyes
Fell on Lotte beside Whitebeard.
After all, since the Rocks Pirates' founding,
This was the first time they'd seen a newcomer receive such attention from the captain.
To be fair,
The talent Lotte displayed in the recent battle was indeed astonishing.
But he still couldn't compare to the cadres.
Many of the cadres felt some dissatisfaction in their hearts.
Silver Axe glanced at the arriving Lotte and sneered coldly.
"Oh? Isn't this the little kid who just joined a while ago? Isn't it a bit inappropriate to let him join such an important meeting?"
"What if he's a Marine spy?"
He had disliked Lotte for a while now.
He never expected Rocks to actually invite the kid to this meeting.
Just a brat—
What qualifications did he have to sit as equals with them?
Hearing this, Lotte immediately became displeased. Even Rocks hadn't said anything yet,
And this guy had jumped out to pick a fight.
Lotte retorted mockingly.
"Since Silver Axe says I'm a spy, at least bring some evidence."
"Or are you dissatisfied with the captain's orders?"
One of the iron rules on the Rocks Pirates' ship
Was absolute obedience to Captain Rocks' commands.
Whitebeard beside Lotte also looked displeased—after all, this was someone he had brought.
For Silver Axe to show no face at all...
Whitebeard sneered as he looked over.
"Silver Axe, your brain really isn't working too well."
"Are you doubting my judgment?"
Golden Lion Shiki—who usually didn't get along with Whitebeard—surprisingly spoke up in rare agreement.
"I also think Lotte has the qualifications to join this meeting. Him becoming one of us is only a matter of time."
"Besides, this is the captain's order."
Shiki glanced at Lotte, the corner of his mouth curving upward slightly.
Recruiting Lotte had long been his goal—helping the kid with this small favor cost him nothing.
If not for Rocks keeping such a close watch lately,
Golden Lion Shiki would have already extended the invitation.
Silver Axe was instantly speechless.
He hadn't expected a couple of mocking remarks to stir up such a storm.
And Whitebeard and Golden Lion Shiki—those two bastards—were actually standing up for this kid who had only just joined the ship!
His face flushed red with anger.
Noticing Rocks' gaze shift toward him, Silver Axe could only snort coldly.
"Do whatever you want!"
His glare at Lotte was full of malice—he silently resolved to find trouble for the kid during the next operation.
This matter wouldn't end here!
Rocks raised an eyebrow slightly at the scene.
"Enough. Save the arguing for outside. Let's begin the meeting."
As the words fell,
The room instantly fell silent.
Whitebeard led Lotte to find seats.
Once everyone was seated,
Rocks finally pulled out a piece of intelligence from his coat.
He calmly opened it, and a slight smile curled on his lips.
"Our next retaliation target
Will be the affiliated nations in the New World or the Grand Line.
This time, we're not just plundering the wealth of those nations—we're taking their Heavenly Tribute to the Celestial Dragons as well.
Everything—seized together!"
The moment Rocks mentioned "Heavenly Tribute,"
Every cadre in the Rocks Pirates' meeting room froze in shock!
Plundering the Heavenly Tribute?!
This was no joke!
Even Lotte subconsciously licked his lips, suddenly feeling his mouth go dry.
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