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Chapter 47: Silver Axe's Jealousy! Heading to Sabaody
Time flew by.
With Lotte and Whitebeard's failed recruitment attempt,
The entire Rocks Pirates were stunned.
After all, both Whitebeard and Tree Demon Lotte held extremely high status in the crew—yet someone still dared refuse their invitation.
Weren't they afraid of angering Captain Rocks?
Putting that aside for now.
Quite a few pirates secretly gloated over Lotte and Whitebeard's failure.
After all, both of them were currently Rocks' favorites. Surely the captain wouldn't let them off lightly this time, right?
Silver Axe watched the scene with a cold sneer.
He hadn't even needed to act—the two idiots had messed up on their own.
Everyone knew Rocks never forgave mistakes. Perhaps he would even take back that Supreme Grade Sword Lotte had only recently obtained.
Silver Axe snickered inwardly.
Rocks stood at the bow, frowning as he watched.
"What's going on? They actually failed the mission. Did something unexpected happen midway?"
He had assumed Whitebeard and Tree Demon Lotte were a sure thing.
Yet the result was this.
Whitebeard seemed about to speak.
Lotte reached out to stop him, then looked up at Rocks and said calmly,
"It's nothing. The Roger Pirates' strength was beyond expectations."
"I felt it was too risky, so we came back."
"Surely the captain doesn't want me taking unnecessary risks over small matters, right?"
As the words fell,
The surrounding cadres were all stunned.
Was Lotte planning to take full responsibility himself?
Had he gone mad?
Normally, sharing blame would be far better than bearing it alone.
Even Rocks narrowed his eyes.
He had no intention of harshly punishing Lotte—after all, the kid was a genius he highly valued.
From every angle, Lotte was crucial to the plan.
Blaming the failure on Whitebeard
Would be enough to settle the matter.
But since Lotte insisted on taking it himself, Rocks had to respond accordingly.
Thinking this,
Rocks pondered for a moment.
"In that case, we'll drop the matter here."
"Lotte—as a cadre who failed your first mission, go back and reflect properly for now."
As the words fell,
Shock appeared on many of the cadres' faces.
This kind of "punishment" was practically nothing. Since when was "reflection" considered a penalty?
Way too lenient!
The cadres inwardly complained.
Silver Axe's face was filled with disbelief. He couldn't help but speak up toward Rocks.
"Captain, they failed the mission!"
"Is this really all the punishment?!"
Before he could finish,
Rocks glanced at Silver Axe, a vicious smile curling on his lips.
"What? Do you have a problem with my decision, Silver Axe?"
"How I punish them is my business, isn't it?"
As the voice fell,
An extremely terrifying wave of Conqueror's Haki instantly enveloped everyone.
Several cadres—including Silver Axe—changed color.
The captain's orders were absolute.
This was especially true on Rocks' ship. Silver Axe's protest was undoubtedly crossing a line.
Silver Axe snapped back to his senses, regret rising in his heart.
"No... I spoke out of turn."
He replied stiffly, casting a deeply resentful glance toward Lotte and Whitebeard.
If not for those two...
How could he have ended up in this situation?!
Rocks was blatantly favoring them. No matter what, he was a veteran cadre! Yet Rocks gave him no face at all!
The other cadres also fell slightly silent.
Since the captain had already announced the punishment, there was no point in continuing to watch the drama.
Lotte glanced at the furious Silver Axe and sneered inwardly.
If he weren't in a hurry to head to Sabaody Archipelago,
He would have already started dealing with this old dog on the ship.
After the crowd dispersed,
Rocks also prepared to return to his room to organize intelligence.
The more detailed the information he gathered, the sooner he could locate God Valley!
After all, in God Valley
Was buried a true weapon from the Ancient Era.
As long as he could obtain it,
Overthrowing the World Government would no longer be a dream!
Thinking this,
A slight smile inevitably curled on Rocks' lips.
"Ahem—Captain, don't leave yet."
"I still have one request. I hope you'll agree."
Lotte quickly called out to stop Rocks.
He had no intention of running to Sabaody on foot.
He definitely needed to borrow a ship first.
Rocks turned around, looking at Lotte with some confusion.
"What is it?"
Lotte pulled Whitebeard beside him and smiled.
"I heard there's going to be an auction at Sabaody Archipelago with something I want. So I plan to borrow a ship and make a trip there."
"I'll come back after I grab it."
As the words fell,
Rocks narrowed his eyes.
"Are you sure?"
"That place—if something happens, the consequences won't be small."
Sabaody Archipelago.
It was one of the locations closest to Marine Headquarters.
If Tree Demon Lotte got into trouble there, even he would find it difficult to provide timely support.
Whitebeard immediately vouched confidently with a laugh.
"Gurararara! Just leave it to me—I'll make sure the kid doesn't get into trouble!"
"Even an Admiral couldn't do anything to the two of us!"
Rocks hesitated for a moment.
Whitebeard and Lotte together were indeed very strong.
Even a Marine Admiral wouldn't pose much of a threat to them.
A small place like Sabaody was nothing.
"Fine. Go if you want."
"Just come back soon. I still have plans to carry out."
Rocks waved his hand dismissively.
There was still some time before he obtained God Valley's location.
He might as well let these two go cause trouble.
He wasn't worried they would have other ideas. After all, on these seas right now,
Only the Rocks Pirates were the true victors.
After receiving Rocks' approval,
Both Whitebeard and Lotte smiled.
"Gurararara! Captain, we're off then. We'll be back after we grab the goods."
The two selected an inconspicuous small ship and set sail toward Sabaody Archipelago.
After all, if a large ship arrived,
Marine Headquarters next to Sabaody definitely wouldn't sit idly by.
As the ship gradually sailed away,
Silver Axe watched the scene and clenched his fist tightly.
If he could get rid of those two,
He would undoubtedly become the strongest cadre under the captain.
But he needed a way.
This time, with them heading out alone, it was the perfect opportunity to strike.
Though Silver Axe lacked confidence in beating Whitebeard,
He felt Marine Headquarters would be very interested.
Thinking this,
A vicious glint flashed in his eyes toward the departing small ship.
Here's the complete, line-by-line accurate English translation of Chapter 48 exactly as you provided — no cuts, no trimming, no repetition, no summarization, just pure translation:
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