This duel ended with Golden Lion's defeat.
A complete defeat.
A humiliating defeat.
In the days that followed, whenever Golden Lion thought back to this battle… he would find tears welling up uncontrollably.
"Gurararara… Qiye, you brat! You always manage to surprise me!"
Whitebeard slapped Chu Qiye on the shoulder, laughing loudly.
Seeing his friend carve out his own extreme path of the sword in just three months, Whitebeard was genuinely happy for him.
"To think you'd study the blade for three months and defeat a renowned Great Swordsman—unheard of!"
"Haha… just got lucky," Chu Qiye replied modestly.
Whitebeard now believed even more in what Rocks had said.
Chu Qiye might never become a swordsman.
But with a sword—
He might one day surpass them all.
Late that night, Chu Qiye sat alone in his cabin, carefully polishing his "new favorite," Raikiri. His mood was excellent.
He had not only obtained a Supreme Grade Blade—
He had also broken through his bottleneck and found his own path of extreme simplicity.
Another step closer to the pinnacle of the world.
Knock. Knock. Knock.
A sudden knock came at the door.
Thinking it was Whitebeard, Chu Qiye smiled.
"Stop knocking. Just come in."
When the door opened, he was surprised.
It wasn't Whitebeard.
It was Rocks.
"Come out. Let's talk. I'll wait at the bow."
Rocks turned and left without giving him a chance to reply.
"…Sigh. You're the boss. Sure."
Muttering under his breath, Chu Qiye threw on a coat and stepped outside.
At the bow, Rocks stood alone, sea wind blowing through his hair as he stared into the dark ocean. There was a faint air of weariness about him.
Chu Qiye walked up beside him.
"Boss Rocks. You wanted to see me?"
Without looking at him, Rocks said calmly,
"Qiye, your rate of growth is unprecedented. On this ship, aside from me, no one is your opponent anymore."
Chu Qiye paused.
Ah.
So that was it.
Calling him out at night to apply some pressure.
He grinned.
"What's wrong? Afraid I'll stage a coup and take your captain's seat?"
Rocks laughed.
"If you can do it—by all means, try."
"Pass. I'm not your opponent. And I've got zero interest in being captain."
"I know," Rocks said plainly. "Because you don't like the Rocks Pirates."
Chu Qiye almost laughed.
"Boss, who on this ship truly likes the Rocks Pirates? Even you don't. To you, it's just a tool—a stepping stone for your ambition."
"Wororororo! Correct!"
Rocks' eyes gleamed.
"This crew is my tool. The tool that will make me King of the World! You all joined for mutual benefit. No one is truly loyal to me."
"…."
There wasn't much to say to someone like Rocks.
Yawning, Chu Qiye said flatly,
"Anything else? I'd like to go back to sl—"
Before he finished—
Rocks suddenly turned and threw a punch.
The punch wasn't particularly fast.
Chu Qiye took a step back and easily avoided it.
"Hey, what—"
Suddenly—
A violent pain twisted through his internal organs.
He coughed up a mouthful of thick blood.
"You've got all those strange tricks. Why didn't you use them?" Rocks asked with a faint smile.
While activating the Dual Complete Hands to heal himself, Chu Qiye stared at him.
"That was… advanced Armament Haki, wasn't it?"
Rocks smiled.
"Correct. A technique only high-level Armament users can grasp."
"You release invisible Haki externally—turning it into tangible attack or defense. Take it further… and you can even bypass the exterior and strike directly inside the enemy's body."
"No wonder…"
"And that's not all," Rocks continued. "I've also mastered advanced Observation Haki. Reading thoughts. Detecting lies. Even briefly glimpsing the future."
Chu Qiye's expression sharpened.
"Why are you telling me this?"
Rocks' lips curved upward.
"Well? Want to learn? I can teach you."
"…."
Chu Qiye was silent for a moment.
Then he asked calmly,
"What's the price?"
Instead of answering directly, Rocks said,
"Black Devil, you're the freest pirate on this ship. For you, the Rocks Pirates are just a place to rest and train. Sooner or later, you'll leave. Am I wrong?"
Chu Qiye didn't respond.
Which was answer enough.
"I'll teach you advanced Armament and advanced Observation Haki," Rocks said.
"But you must promise—until I conquer the world, you will remain with the Rocks Pirates."
Chu Qiye chuckled.
"And if you fail?"
"Wororororo! I will never fail!"
Chu Qiye almost burst out laughing.
Of course that's what you'd say.
"Fine. I'll stay with the Rocks Pirates. But whether you succeed or fail—once it's over, I'm leaving."
"Deal!"
Rocks' eyes burned with ambition.
"With you and me together, the Rocks Pirates will conquer the world!"
Chu Qiye simply smiled.
Rocks underestimated the hidden power of the World Government.
His failure was inevitable.
In that case, Chu Qiye would just treat the Rocks Pirates like a retirement resort for a few more years. When Rocks inevitably went down—he'd slip away.
After all—
The technique of projecting Armament Haki was just too tempting.
He almost wanted to shout it out loud:
Captain, I want to learn Haki!
"So when do we start?" Chu Qiye asked eagerly.
Rocks shrugged.
"I'd love to teach you now. But you can't yet."
"Your Armament Haki hasn't reached its peak. Max it out first—then come find me."
"…."
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