At the very top of the skull-shaped rock on Hachinosu, inside a grand hall—
"Gururu… gururu…"
A Den-Den Mushi on the table began to ring.
From the shadows, a tall man—his face obscured—reached out and picked it up.
"Speak."
The voice on the line turned instantly respectful.
"Report, Captain."
"Shiki, Wang Zhi, Silver Axe, and John—four division commanders—have all gone out to search for that new pirate, Romu."
Captain?
Yes.
This man was the true master of Hachinosu.
The tyrant of the seas—
Rocks D. Xebec.
"I know," Rocks replied, calm—yet carrying an unquestionable pressure.
"Do we track them and gather intelligence?"
"No."
"Captain, four commanders at the same time—"
"I don't like repeating myself. You understand."
"…Yes, Captain!"
Even the Den-Den Mushi seemed to sweat. The call ended hurriedly.
Tap. Tap. Tap.
Rocks' left hand drummed on the table in a steady rhythm.
"Romu…" he murmured.
"The one who killed a Vice Admiral."
"We can absorb him."
"Monsters…"
"The more, the better."
Then his eyes snapped open.
Wild, blood-red light flashed in them.
"Celestial Dragons…"
"Die."
…
Back to Romu and Newgate
A gust of wind rolled through the wreckage.
The tavern sign, still stubbornly hanging by a few screws, finally gave up—BANG—and hit the ground.
The bar was gone.
Reduced to broken beams and shattered boards.
Hundreds of pirates lay buried under rubble, eyes rolled back, foam at their mouths—still unconscious from the Conqueror's Haki clash.
And on top of the ruins sat two people still awake.
One wore a gray short-sleeve shirt and wide trousers, with a neat, sharp face.
The other was enormous—five, six meters tall—golden curls spilling from a dark headscarf, built like a war god.
Romu and Edward Newgate.
The two of them laughed like old friends, clinking surviving wooden barrels and drinking like the world had ended.
"I'm thrilled!" Newgate boomed, shoving his barrel toward Romu.
"Been a long time since I fought like that!"
He grinned.
"I can drink ten jin."
"If I'm drinking with you—twenty, minimum!"
It wasn't boasting.
It was pure goodwill.
After that clash, Newgate genuinely liked Romu.
Romu lifted his own barrel and knocked it against Newgate's.
"Mine's two liang," he said with a crooked grin.
"But I'll drink with you—"
"Even if it kills me."
Newgate froze for half a second—then dumped the barrel down his throat and roared with laughter.
"Gurararara!"
"Good!"
"Tonight, it's just the two of us drinking till we drop!"
Romu didn't answer.
He tried to copy Newgate and chug—
and immediately choked.
"Cough—cough!"
He sputtered, face a little red, looking uncharacteristically awkward.
Newgate slapped his thigh and laughed even harder.
"Romu!"
"Your drinking's nowhere near your fighting!"
Romu wiped the spilled liquor off himself—then, as if offended by the universe, raised the barrel again and kept drinking anyway.
Newgate watched, amused…
and his favorability shot up.
When Romu finally set the barrel down, Newgate's expression turned serious.
"Seriously, Romu."
"Join my division."
"Treasure doesn't matter. If you want it—take it."
Romu's eyes narrowed slightly.
He snapped his fingers.
Two massive flowers bloomed behind them in an instant.
He leaned back onto one, arms behind his head.
"Let me think."
Newgate looked at the flower behind him, intrigued.
So this was the fruit.
Plant manipulation.
He tested it with a hand, found it solid, then lay back the same way—relaxed, staring up at the sky.
"Join a crew…" Romu murmured.
And for the first time, he truly considered it.
To be honest—
he did want to join.
First: as a transmigrator, he knew Newgate wasn't performing. When he said treasure didn't matter, he meant it.
Newgate had come to sea looking for family.
Second: after that battle, Romu finally saw his path clearly.
Kill strong enemies. Absorb life essence. Grow stronger.
That had always been his instinct—he just hadn't admitted it as a plan.
Third—and most important:
The Rocks Pirates were a nest of monsters.
Whitebeard.
Shiki.
Charlotte Linlin.
Wang Zhi. Silver Axe. John.
And even the future "Beasts" Kaido.
Fighting alongside—and against—people like that would sharpen his real combat experience quickly.
And Rocks himself?
A pure-blooded madman of ambition.
Openly challenging the World Government.
Openly dreaming of slaughtering Celestial Dragons.
Aiming to become the "King of the World."
By the timeline, the God Valley Incident wasn't far off.
A battlefield like that would be overflowing with life essence—far beyond the small-scale hunting Romu had been doing.
…
Under the night sky, stars flickered like sparks.
Newgate lay quietly on the flower, gazing upward.
He didn't interrupt.
Even though he badly wanted Romu in his division, he waited.
That was respect between strong men.
Minutes passed.
Romu sat up.
Face serious.
"I'll join the Rocks Pirates."
Newgate sprang upright, elated.
"But," Romu added, voice firm,
"I want to be a division commander."
Newgate paused.
Then he understood.
He looked at Romu deeply and nodded.
"Fair."
"With your strength… you can carry that title."
They shared a grin.
Romu lifted his barrel again. Newgate followed, laughing.
But then—
Both of them stiffened at the same time.
Romu's eyes narrowed.
"Someone's coming," he said softly.
"More than one…"
◇ I'll drop one bonus chapter for every 10 reviews (leave a review/comment!)
◇ One bonus chapter will be released for every 100 Power Stones.
◇ Read 60 chapters ahead on P@treon: patreon.com/KageNaruto