"I never imagined Wano's strongest cursed blade would fall into the hands of an out-sea ruler."
Fūgetsu Kisaburō felt a pang of disappointment; odds were he'd never bring shodai kitetsu back to Wano.
Yet wasn't that the ultimate acknowledgment of the cursed sword itself?
Letting shodai kitetsu's fame spread across the world wasn't a waste of a swordsmith's life's work.
"Tch! Only the Gorosei? I'll cut them down sooner or later!"
Rocks never gave the Gorosei a second glance; his target had always been Imu alone.
Even if the five elders boasted Admiral-level strength, to him they were still just one slash away.
Mere speed-bumps!
Still, the Gorosei plus the God's Knights and Marineford—an outrageous force.
Even if he pushed Fang Huo, Newgate, Shiki, and Linlin to Admiral level, it wouldn't be enough.
He needed to recruit more king-tier officers!
That Patrick Redfield not only possessed Innate Observation Haki but also mastered all three colors of Haki.
Such talent had to be secured!
He'd have to ask Fang Huo again; he needed more subordinates with the makings of kings.
Before, he'd written off every weakling—anyone who couldn't endure a burst of Haoshoku was trash unfit for the Rocks Pirates.
Now he barely respected officers who lacked a king's caliber.
Getting those officers to Admiral level was nigh impossible.
In the final war they'd be little more than decoration.
Fine—let them handle elite Vice Admirals and quasi-Admiral powerhouses.
If they grew a bit stronger, a few top officers might stall an Admiral for a while.
But victory would be decided by those few with the true makings of kings.
—Hearing their Captain vow to slash the Gorosei, rookies like Maron felt numb.
With the Rocks Pirates' current strength, they probably—maybe—weren't a match for the World Government.
Maron was rattled; he'd thought ruling West Blue's underworld was a grand enough dream.
Never could he have guessed Rocks already aimed to topple the Celestial Dragons and dominate the world.
Following Rocks, he might die at any moment!
This was crazy dangerous!
Fang Huo, of course, knew the crew's power wasn't enough to overthrow the World Government.
His eyes gleamed; he had to try—he had to recruit Gol D. Roger, Silvers Rayleigh, and Silvers Rayleigh, the gold-silver-copper trio.
Plus the Red Count, Redfield!
Then the Rocks Pirates would reach their ultimate, strongest form!
Power enough to flip half the world upside down!
Fang Huo and Rocks locked eyes, each seeing the other's eagerness and hunger.
—After Fang Huo's revelations and Rocks' tyrant declaration, the Gibeck's Sword slipped into an intense training regime.
Even Stussy, the delicate blonde, pushed her limits under the pressure.
Her physical-talent surpassed Kiel Bastard, Maron, and Long Bread.
Fang Huo had her train in Rokushiki-like arts, boosting speed, evasion, finger-strikes, and kicks.
Among the Six Powers, the leg technique Rankyaku's air-blade and the finger-gun upgrade Shigan: Tobizuki were deadly ranged attacks.
A charged Rankyaku could rival a swordsman's flying slash.
Kaku's Rankyku sliced Enies Lobby's massive structures like paper.
Pleasure-Quarter Queen Stussy's Tobizuki flicked mini air-blades, assassinating Loan-Shark King Du Feld from miles away—an illustrious feat.
Fang Huo mused: Tobizuki is basically finger-sword qi!
Master Rankyaku and Tobizuki and you've got true no-sword style slashes!
Hands and feet, each releasing blades at will.
Pair that with the Chop-Chop Fruit and, like Seraphim Hawkeye, every finger could flick terrifying slashes.
With his Moonlight Ability, Fang Huo could already unleash moonlight slashes at will, no weaker than CP0's Rankyaku or Tobizuki.
The seven star demon sword's slash-amplification plus moonlight made him a terrifyingly destructive swordsman.
—After a week of training, the Flying Battleship reached the legendary scholars' island, Ohara.
On the island stood the tree of knowledge, holding every book in the world.
Each year Ohara's scholars purchased newly published volumes worldwide to add to the tree.
A custom kept alive for thousands of years.
Publishers and bookstores donated new tomes to Ohara, contributing to the world's knowledge.
The tree of knowledge drew scholars and scientists from every corner of the globe.
For now, Ohara's historians and archaeology doctors hadn't yet courted death by studying the poneglyphs.
Thus the island remained stable, peaceful, and prosperous.
West Blue pirates and gangsters generally left the world's repository of knowledge untouched.
To West Blue folk, Ohara was a sacred place, one of their prides.
Even pirates refused to harm this isle of learning.
Officials and scientists from pirate-allied kingdoms like Hua and Sang visited to study.
Hence no pirate dared damage the island.
But that day, a Flying Battleship shattered the scholars' tranquility.
The most learned people on the seas instantly recognized the Rocks Pirates' flag.
Panic swept the island!
What did the lawless world's worst pirates want with Ohara?
Would they burn the tree of knowledge or abduct scholars from every sea?
Unforgivable crimes!
If Rocks dared such sacrilege, they would die defending the tree and its trove of knowledge.
After the initial chaos, countless scholars stepped forward unflinching to face the pirates.
"Hey, hey, what's with all the death-glares?"
"I've got zero interest in you bookworms!"
A member of the Davy Clan who loved history and ancient scripts, Rocks—brutal as he was—would never harm these scholars.
He only wanted to topple Imu and rule the world, not destroy it.
The world still needed their research and inventions.
"Quiet! I'm here for one thing only: to find someone!"
"Would any learned soul kindly tell me which West Blue isle bears the surname Barlorick?"
"I honor contracts—one hundred million for that intel."
Standing on Gibeck's Sword's prow, Rocks raised a finger, surveying the steadfast scholars below.
Today he'd play by rules and contracts.
If he could recruit an archaeologist or scientist here, all the better.