At last, the day of the assault arrived.
The entire crew assembled on deck, fully prepared.
Rocks remained behind with half the crew to guard the ship. Golden Lion Shiki was assigned as commander of the assault force, while Chu Qiye, Edward, Kaido, and the others would spearhead the landing.
Once the island's military forces were neutralized, they would fire a signal flare for the rest to land.
"Brothers! Show some spirit! There's endless treasure waiting for us on that island!"
"Wooooh!!"
Nothing motivated pirates better than treasure. Their morale soared instantly.
The assault team boarded a secondary vessel.
Shiki activated the power of the Float-Float Fruit.
The ship slowly rose into the air, passing through clouds until it hovered above Basback Island.
But Shiki did not lower it.
A bad feeling spread through the group.
"Brothers, I'll go ahead. Good luck to the rest of you!"
"Jahahahaha!"
Shiki burst into laughter and flew out of the vessel alone.
The ship was at least a thousand meters above the ground.
Even powerful pirates risked death from a fall like that.
"You bastard! Are you insane? Put us down!"
"Damn it! Don't hold me back—I'll kill him!"
"Shiki! This isn't the time for jokes!"
…
"Jahahaha… I just love watching you squirm helplessly."
"Idiot."
Chu Qiye glanced at him as if looking at a fool.
"Cloud-Walking Talisman."
His hands moved rapidly, drawing sigils midair. Within moments, over a dozen talismans were complete.
As if alive, they flew onto the pirates' backs and adhered themselves.
The sigils activated.
Everyone began floating.
Shiki's grin froze mid-laughter.
Long ago, Chu Qiye had realized the true value of Tongtian Talisman:
Team-wide buffs.
Imagine starting a game with Red Buff, Blue Buff, and Baron Buff already applied to your entire team.
How would the enemy even compete?
Even a mediocre pirate crew could instantly rise to elite status with such a technique.
But Chu Qiye rarely used it that way.
Not just because it drained stamina—
There were deeper reasons.
Seeing themselves floating, the pirates cheered in astonishment.
"Whoa! Qiye, didn't know you could do that!"
"You're basically a walking cheat code!"
Chu Qiye smirked.
"Now's not the time for compliments. I'm planning to beat up Golden Lion. Anyone interested?"
"I'm in!"
"My fists are itching!"
…
The pirates turned toward Shiki with cold smiles.
Shiki swallowed hard.
Without hesitation—
He ran.
"Run? Where exactly?"
"Immortal-Binding Talisman!"
A glowing chain shot out, wrapping around Shiki's leg midair.
"Damn it!"
Shiki drew Oto and slashed backward, sending a flying sword arc toward Chu Qiye.
Edward stepped in first.
Murakumogiri swung effortlessly, shattering the slash.
"Brothers, give our dear commander a warm welcome."
"Yes!"
Shiki's face drained of color.
"Wait—don't come any closer!"
…
After a thorough beating, they tossed him back onto the ship like discarded trash.
He was still an officer—and the Float-Float Fruit was too valuable to lose—so no one went for the kill.
"Our commander is currently asleep," Chu Qiye declared solemnly.
"So I'll be taking over."
"You're free to cause chaos—but I have one rule."
"No harming civilians."
"I've got no objections."
"I'll follow you, Qiye."
The pirates voiced agreement.
Only Kaido remained silent, expression unreadable.
After the Shiki incident, most of them had developed a favorable impression of Chu Qiye. They were willing to listen.
"Now then…"
Chu Qiye mimicked Rocks' tone.
"Let's make some noise."
"Woooooh!!"
Clang! Clang! Clang!
Alarm bells rang across Basback Island.
"Enemy attack! Pirates have landed!"
The Marines mobilized immediately. Basback's national army scrambled to arm themselves.
A stern-faced general barked orders as soldiers equipped weapons.
At that moment—
A black-haired youth casually walked into their camp.
"Heh… Jackpot."
The soldiers panicked at the sight.
Only the general remained composed.
"You must be the Black Devil. Looks like this pirate crew attacking us is no small force."
"General Blackrock, don't exaggerate. The Rocks Pirates are just a newly formed crew. Nothing special," Chu Qiye replied lightly.
General Blackrock—the supreme commander of Basback's national army.
One of the island's three Devil Fruit users.
The strongest among them.
"Enough nonsense."
Blackrock raised his hand.
"Open fire!"
"My target is you. The rest can take a nap."
Conqueror's Haki erupted.
One by one, soldiers collapsed unconscious.
Only Blackrock remained standing.
"Conqueror's Haki…!"
His eyes widened.
One in millions.
On small islands like this, most would never witness it in their lifetime.
Chu Qiye adopted a fighting stance, excitement flashing in his eyes.
"Come on, General. Let's have a proper fight."
"You filthy pirates—I won't spare a single one of you!"
Blackrock slammed his hand to the ground.
His Devil Fruit power activated.
His body began merging with the surrounding stone—transforming into a massive stone being.
The Stone-Stone Fruit.
A Paramecia-type fruit bordering on Logia-like properties.
The user could assimilate with stone they touched, adopting its hardness, mass, and structural qualities as their own.
Fortunately, the user's true body did not permanently become stone—it remained hidden within.
Otherwise, it would be far more troublesome.
Chu Qiye's Observation Haki flared.
He leapt aside just as massive stone spikes erupted from where he had stood.
"So eager?"
"Then I won't hold back either."
"Five Thunder Talisman — Second Layer!"
Two sigils formed in his palms.
Thick lightning bolts, like serpents, shot toward Blackrock.
The general remained calm.
A towering stone wall rose before him.
BOOM!
The lightning obliterated the wall—
But Blackrock had vanished.
The ground began trembling violently.
A massive stone face formed in a nearby wall, roaring at Chu Qiye.
"Die!"
Chu Qiye clicked his tongue.
"What a hassle…"
"Should've just let Edward handle this."
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