"Saint Naya, please calm down."
"My subordinates have already negotiated with the Rocks Pirates. You'll be able to return soon."
Sengoku had no choice but to try and placate Saint Naya.
Even he had to admit the Rocks Pirates were downright inhuman.
This was pure torture!
The Rocks Pirates were truly full of talented individuals.
Who came up with the devilish idea of putting a Celestial Dragon on display like a circus monkey?
This operation was so audacious it made Sengoku's scalp tingle!
"Navy, this Saint wants to return, to return immediately!"
"You useless navy, why has it taken you so long to retrieve this Saint?"
"All of you are trash, worthless trash! You all deserve to die!"
In the blink of an eye, Saint Naya had returned to his familiar, arrogant self.
He unleashed a torrent of abuse at Sengoku.
"The fault is ours. Please forgive us, Saint Naya."
"We've completed negotiations and will come to the New World to retrieve you in one week."
"One week?!"
"You lowly commoners! This Saint wants to return now, do you understand?"
"This Saint will tell my great-grandfather and have all of you navy dogs removed from your posts, you damned commoners!"
"This is also Saint Saturn's order. Please comply."
"Great-grandfather? No, that's impossible! This Saint is his favorite grandson!"
"Please remain calm. We will retrieve you in one week."
"Impossible, impossible..."
Upon hearing it was Saint Saturn's command, Saint Naya's mind went blank.
He didn't know how to respond to Sengoku's words, only repeating "impossible" over and over.
Shiki couldn't be bothered with him any longer and directly took the Den Den Mushi, saying:
"Jeehahaha! Then it's settled. Bring the goods in one week, and we'll hand over the Celestial Dragon to you."
Click
The call ended, and Shiki waved his hand.
His subordinate quickly stepped forward and led the Celestial Dragon away.
With only one week left, they needed to hurry with the exhibitions.
A large portion of their Rocks Pirates comrades still hadn't seen this "monkey" yet.
"Jeehahaha! Captain, let's have a banquet!"
Shiki looked toward Rocks sitting in the main seat and laughed heartily.
"Agreed. Let's hold a banquet to celebrate our great success this time!"
"Oh~~~"
"Everyone, clean up! Party time!"
"Get wild, all of you!"
"Yes~~~"
In the blink of an eye, the central hall of Hachinosu transformed into a banquet venue once again.
The entire Rocks Pirates was immersed in the joy of their tremendous success.
Glug glug glug
"Ha~"
"Wahahaha! What a rare and wonderful sight!"
Rocks sat in his main seat, watching the banquet below with great pleasure.
Then he turned to Brian beside him and said:
"Brian, you and Shiki are the biggest contributors to this success."
"You and Shiki will take the largest share of the ransom for the Celestial Dragon."
As captain, Rocks had always been generous.
Brian and Shiki deserved the lion's share of the ransom materials.
The remaining shares would be distributed to every officer from top to bottom.
Only what remained after that would go into his own pocket.
The Rocks Pirates had always maintained an unwritten tradition.
Whenever Rocks assigned a mission, the crew member who completed it had the right to claim first pick of the spoils.
The minimum split was 70-30, while senior officers received a 60-40 division.
The higher one's rank within the pirate crew, the greater their share of the loot.
As for acquisitions made by crew members outside mission hours, those were either distributed independently or traded among themselves.
It was precisely this distribution system that enabled Rocks to gather so many formidable experts under his command.
Mere strength alone couldn't accomplish this.
Only such a allocation mechanism could maintain stability among the ship's multitude of crazed monsters.
Of course, Rocks himself was incredibly wealthy.
No one aboard knew exactly how many treasures Rocks possessed.
Years of accumulation, ancestral inheritances, and more—there was simply too much to count.
Moreover, Rocks' personal ambitions never centered on these minor gains.
His true targets were the Celestial Dragons, the World Government, and ultimately becoming the King of the World.
If he conquered the entire world, what couldn't he obtain?
"Splendid, many thanks then, Captain."
Hearing Rocks' declaration, Brian nodded in satisfaction.
Brian had played a major role in negotiating the ransom supplies for the Celestial Dragon.
Otherwise, why would there be specific requests for Mythical Zoan and Ancient Type Devil Fruits?
Valuable materials were also first proposed by him, with other officers following suit.
Shiki's focus leaned toward Logia Types, plus massive amounts of Berries.
Beyond Brian and Shiki, other officers contributed numerous suggestions as well.
All proposals were eventually compiled into the aforementioned plan.
Though substantial haggling occurred at the end, the final distribution left everyone content.
"Captain, we're maintaining extra vigilance for the exchange in one week."
"The Navy aren't exactly honorable—we must be cautious of them conspiring with the World Government to ambush us."
"Wahahaha, I'm aware of that."
Rocks nodded in agreement with Brian's warning.
"That old fool Kong was never a decent man to begin with."
"Having suffered such a loss this time, he might not obediently hand over everything."
"I'll have Newgate and Linlin accompany you and Shiki to ensure nothing goes wrong."
"The other officers and I will stand ready to provide support at any moment. Proceed with confidence."
"Good, that sets my mind at ease."
With all four senior officers of the Rocks Pirates deployed, plus Rocks himself remaining in reserve for immediate reinforcement...
Even without counting other crew members, this lineup was more than sufficient to handle anything in the New World.
He couldn't conceive of any scenario where they might fail.
Unless the Five Elders personally took action with the entire Navy mobilized.
But that was simply impossible.
Would they abandon the first half of the Grand Line and the Four Seas?
If their headquarters fell into chaos, it would alarm Imu.
The Five Elders would surely pay with their lives.
...
Meanwhile, as the Rocks Pirates celebrated joyously with a feast...
The Navy headquarters simmered with rage, the atmosphere thick with tension.
BAM—
CRACK—
In the conference room.
The moment the Den Den Mushi call ended, Kong's explosive temper flared again as he slammed his fist onto the newly replaced table.
The fresh table immediately shattered into splinters.
Another cloud of wood dust settled on the floor, making his adjutant grimace with unspoken frustration.
Damn it, another expense.
The Navy's budget had just taken another hit.
"Marshal, please forgive my impertinence."
"This subordinate still believes our Navy must not compromise with pirates."
"Given the current situation, it is even more crucial for our Navy to launch a full-scale assault—to stop killing with killing, and restore our Navy's formidable authority, Marshal."
Below, a middle-aged Vice Admiral stepped forward and spoke loudly.
Clearly, this Vice Admiral belonged to the hawkish faction.
In his prime and wielding substantial power, he represented the most radical segment among the hardliners!