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Chapter 42: Blocked Confrontation! Challenging Rayleigh
At this moment,
The pirate ship carrying Lotte and Whitebeard
Had already arrived near the Roger Pirates. Looking at the distant pirate ship, Whitebeard couldn't help but narrow his eyes slightly.
As one of the top powerhouses on these seas,
He could feel a very obvious threat from that ship. Even for him, this level of strength required serious caution.
For a pirate crew that had only just arrived in the New World,
Having such a strong presence was already beyond expectations!
Whitebeard sighed inwardly.
It seemed Rocks wanting to recruit them wouldn't be easy.
After all, a pirate with this kind of strength—unless Rocks himself came,
No cadre could claim certain victory.
Let alone inviting them to join.
Lotte also narrowed his eyes slightly.
Whoosh—!
The extreme clash of Conqueror's Haki erupted almost instantly, sending massive waves rippling across the sea. Black-purple lightning sparks flashed in the air.
Bang!
With a deafening roar!
A several-meter-high tsunami surged from the point where their Conqueror's Haki collided, then shattered into shockwaves that spread outward.
Even the ships rocked violently.
At this point, Rayleigh finally saw the two clearly and raised an eyebrow.
Tree Demon Lotte and Whitebeard Newgate.
This duo had caused quite a storm not long ago!
The two of them had recently killed a Celestial Dragon and the sitting king of Lulusia Kingdom.
Their bounties had skyrocketed again.
Tree Demon Lotte's bounty now stood at a terrifying 1 billion berries, while Whitebeard Newgate's had reached 1.9 billion.
They had become the second and third highest bounties in the Rocks Pirates—only behind Captain Rocks!
But what drew even more attention
Was Tree Demon Lotte's rise from complete obscurity to a 1 billion berry bounty.
In less than three months!
In the history of the World Government,
No one had ever shown such explosive progress.
"Hahaha! Isn't that Newgate and Lotte? What brings you here?"
"Since you're here, come aboard and have a drink!"
Roger laughed heartily.
He pulled another bottle of sake from his coat and tossed it toward the two in the distance.
Whitebeard caught the bottle, opened it, took a swig, and narrowed his eyes.
"Gurararara! You're Roger, right? Nothing major."
"It's just that our captain wants to ask—would you be willing to become subordinates of Rocks? What do you think?"
As the words fell,
Both Roger's and Rayleigh's expressions grew serious.
Roger narrowed his eyes slightly. He calmly placed his hand on the hilt of his sword at his waist.
Rayleigh's face also darkened. The Rocks Pirates had indeed set their sights on them.
If they fought Lotte and Whitebeard here,
Whitebeard's terrifying Tremor-Tremor Fruit
Would undoubtedly pose an extreme threat to their ship!
"And if we refuse?"
Roger asked calmly.
For him, joining the Rocks Pirates was absolutely impossible.
Because his goal had never aligned with Rocks'. Though both were members of the D clan,
He wanted to become the freest pirate on these seas!
Not some king of the world!
As the words fell,
Whitebeard simply laughed heartily.
"Gurararara! I knew you'd refuse! But if that's the case, I won't be able to report back properly!"
With that,
Whitebeard calmly gripped Murakumogiri.
The overwhelming power of the Tremor-Tremor Fruit surged along the blade, causing the surrounding air to tremble violently.
Roger's brow furrowed slightly. Then, black Armament Haki instantly coated his blade.
The atmosphere grew tense in an instant.
Just as the two were about to clash,
Lotte reached out and stopped Whitebeard.
"Enough. A forced melon isn't sweet."
"Since they've already refused, let's drop it."
"If you two keep fighting endlessly, I don't want to have to swim back."
Lotte spoke calmly.
From the beginning, he had never intended to complete Rocks' mission.
After all, as someone who knew the original story, he knew Roger would never accept such terms. Moreover, Roger's strength was on par with Whitebeard's.
Add in the not-yet-fully-grown Dark King Rayleigh,
And even together, he and Whitebeard had no way to force submission.
In that case, it was better to build some goodwill here. It would benefit him when he formed his own crew later.
Seeing Lotte speak up,
Whitebeard looked puzzled but released his grip on Murakumogiri.
"Then how do we explain this to the captain later?"
On the ship,
Rocks' orders were absolute.
Failing this mission would undoubtedly lead to questions upon return.
Lotte said calmly.
"Don't worry—I'll handle it."
Rocks valued him far too highly. He wouldn't harshly punish a newly promoted cadre over a single failed recruitment.
Seeing Lotte's resolve,
Whitebeard understood the kid had made up his mind.
Though he didn't know why Lotte placed such importance on the Roger Pirates,
There must be a reason.
Whitebeard shrugged and slightly loosened his grip on Murakumogiri.
Roger, hearing Lotte speak up for them, grinned widely.
"Kid, you're that Tree Demon Lotte, right?"
"How did killing a Celestial Dragon feel?"
"Since you're not fighting, come aboard and drink with us!"
Tree Demon Lotte.
As a newcomer who had exploded onto the scene these past few months, Roger had paid close attention.
He greatly admired Lotte's act of slaying a Celestial Dragon—he had long disliked those people himself.
Facing Roger's invitation,
Lotte smiled and looked at Roger.
"Well... probably about the same as killing a dog. As for drinking—let's hold off for now."
"I still have one thing I'd like your help with."
Hearing this,
Both Whitebeard and Roger looked at Lotte curiously.
They wondered what this recently famous Tree Demon wanted from them.
Rayleigh immediately asked.
"What is it?"
Lotte raised an eyebrow and looked at Rayleigh playfully.
"Rayleigh—fight me."
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