In the New World, at a certain Marine base, the advance force dispatched from Headquarters was stationed.
The commanding officer of this unit was a renowned Marine hero—
Vice Admiral "Steel Bone" Kong.
Facing a room full of Marine officers, Kong spoke firmly:
"In the past two months, we've gathered enough intelligence on the Rocks Pirates."
"Headquarters has issued orders. It's time to begin the capture operation!"
"OHHH!"
The officers erupted in cheers. They had been waiting for this moment for far too long.
The past two months had been humiliating.
The advance force's mission was reconnaissance. They were strictly forbidden from engaging the Rocks Pirates head-on.
They were the Marines—
Yet whenever they saw the Rocks' flag, they had to retreat immediately.
The roles felt reversed.
Garp pumped his fist excitedly.
"Yoshi! Finally get to fight Rocks D. Xebec! Just thinking about it gets my blood pumping!"
Among all the officers present, only Tsuru and Sengoku couldn't share in the excitement.
They were strategists—unlike hot-blooded types like Garp. They considered the bigger picture.
Tsuru hesitated before speaking.
"Vice Admiral Kong… aren't we moving too hastily? We still don't have complete intelligence on the Rocks Pirates. We don't even know their true combat strength. A rash assault could—"
Sengoku continued calmly,
"And our manpower is insufficient. If we engage now, the casualties will be severe."
Kong nodded.
"You're not wrong. But if we keep retreating, Marine morale will collapse."
"The World Government has been pressuring us relentlessly. No matter what, this operation must proceed!"
His tone was resolute.
"As for manpower, don't worry. Headquarters' main forces are on their way to the New World. They'll rendezvous with us soon. A Marine Admiral will command the operation."
At that point, Tsuru and Sengoku could say no more. They were only colonels—decision-making authority wasn't theirs.
Garp frowned.
"You two overthink everything. They're just pirates. Once I make a move, I'll wipe them out in one go!"
Tsuru rolled her eyes, clearly unwilling to argue.
At this stage, Garp was still young—too young.
Gifted, powerful, dominating in Paradise.
But he had yet to experience the brutality of the New World.
Kong glanced at the trio and suddenly said,
"Garp. For this encirclement of Rocks D. Xebec—you three will not participate. I have another assignment for you."
"What?!"
Garp shot to his feet and slammed the table—
Splintering it in one blow.
Ever since his late-night conversation with Rocks, Chu Qiye had been training Armament Haki obsessively, determined to push it to its peak as soon as possible.
At the same time, he continued practicing the Tongtian Register to grind proficiency.
Unlocking the Eight Extraordinary Techniques remained the highest priority.
The sooner he maxed out Tongtian Register—
The sooner he could unlock Spirit Binding and Command.
As for his "Health-Preserving Sword Style"?
There wasn't much to train.
It was just a handful of basic movements. Even children could mimic them.
With too many tasks and too little time, Chu Qiye began… strategically slacking.
Every mission, he volunteered to remain on the ship, leaving the fighting and looting to others.
Today was no exception.
Rocks led the crew ashore to resupply.
Remaining on board with Chu Qiye were Whitebeard, Streusen, and Charlotte Linlin.
Whitebeard had once been one of the crew's most proactive fighters.
But under Chu Qiye's influence, he had started "coasting" too—entering early retirement mode.
As for Streusen and Linlin?
They were long-time slackers.
Chu Qiye had never once seen Streusen actually fight.
At the moment, Chu Qiye and Whitebeard were playing cards with a few other crew members.
Linlin sat behind them, eating as usual.
"Waaah~ Fireworks! So pretty! Linlin likes them!"
Streusen didn't even turn around.
"Linlin, it's broad daylight. How could there be— …Eh? There really are fireworks."
Chu Qiye kicked him.
"Cut the crap. Pay up. You owe me two million Berries."
Whitebeard added calmly,
"And my one million. Don't pay, and I'll throw you overboard."
"Qiye, there really are fireworks. And they look… familiar."
Hearing that, Chu Qiye and Whitebeard both looked toward the direction being pointed out.
Sure enough—
There were fireworks.
Black fireworks.
Chu Qiye narrowed his eyes.
"They do look familiar… Wait."
His expression changed.
"That's the crew's emergency flare!"
"!!!"
Every pirate crew had an emergency signal for crisis situations.
The Rocks Pirates had one too—
But it had never been used.
Whitebeard frowned slightly.
"Looks like Rocks and the others walked into an ambush."
"Qiye! Let's go reinforce them immediately!"
With Rocks absent, Chu Qiye naturally became the anchor of authority on the ship.
He thought for a moment.
"This could be a diversion by the Marines. So only Edward, Linlin, and I will go. The rest of you stay and guard the ship."
"No problem!"
"Don't worry, Qiye! We'll hold the ship!"
Chu Qiye nodded.
"Cloud-Walking Talisman."
He applied the flying talisman to both himself and Whitebeard. Linlin, with her thundercloud Zeus, could fly on her own.
The three of them headed toward the signal.
But shortly after entering the island—
Boom!
Several cannon shells shot upward from the ground.
Chu Qiye smirked coldly.
"Prepared, huh…"
The Cloud-Walking Talisman destabilized under heavy interference.
The trio had no choice but to land.
The moment they touched down—
A large group of Marines rushed out, surrounding them.
At the front stood three colonels.
Garp. Sengoku. Tsuru.
Garp crossed his arms, looking disappointed.
"Only three pirates? What a letdown."
Beside him, Sengoku and Tsuru had already broken into cold sweat.
They looked like they were facing natural disasters.
"Garp! Haven't you seen the wanted posters? These three are absolute heavyweights!"
"So the three of them were the ones left guarding the ship… This just got complicated."
Chu Qiye, Whitebeard, and Linlin exchanged glances.
And simultaneously—
Smiled.
Very kindly.
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