What should I ask for? Eh, whatever, I'll just take anything—flowers, recommendation tickets, and whatever else you've got!
By the time Sakazuki arrived, Rosinante had already taken Jack and the Mammoth Fleet and left. All that remained were two navy warships on the verge of sinking.
"Damn it!" Sakazuki cursed in frustration at the sight, but he had no choice but to call for backup from Marine Headquarters. After all, he was still just a Vice Admiral and couldn't yet act as recklessly as he would in the future when he became one of the Navy's three top powers. He couldn't afford to abandon naval soldiers to their deaths just to chase pirates.
Moreover, Sakazuki realized that even if he gave chase under these conditions, he wouldn't hold an advantage in an aerial battle.
Upon receiving Sakazuki's report, Fleet Admiral Kong immediately dispatched Vice Admiral Kuzan to assist him.
"This Rocinante... we originally thought he was still somewhere in the Four Blues or maybe the first half of the Grand Line. Who would've guessed he'd head straight into the New World? If he hadn't run into Sakazuki, we'd still be in the dark," Kong said grimly.
"Haha! Sounds like this Rocinante's no pushover! Both Borsalino and Sakazuki got tripped up by him!" Garp chuckled.
"It seems... the worst-case scenario is unfolding," Tsuru said with a serious tone.
"Huh?" Garp looked at her, puzzled.
"From Sakazuki's report, Rocinante has already mastered the ability to silence gravity, offensive force, and even the searing heat of Sakazuki's magma. Coupled with his previous feats—nullifying Devil Fruit abilities—if we let him grow any further, we may be looking at an opponent on the same level as Whitebeard," Tsuru said with gravity.
"A Whitebeard-level opponent? That little brat? Tsuru, don't you think you're giving him a bit too much credit?" Garp replied, half skeptical.
"In any case, we cannot allow him to continue growing unchecked. The seas are already in chaos. If another pirate of Whitebeard's caliber emerges—even if he doesn't quite reach Whitebeard's level—it will make things even harder for the Navy. Sengoku is still busy dealing with the matter of the Pirate King's child. Garp, I'm assigning this to you. You must bring Rocinante down with overwhelming force," Kong ordered sternly.
"Me? Eh... I was just about to request some time off!" Garp complained.
"Do you think this is the time for a vacation? Request denied!" Kong barked.
"Well, alright then... but where exactly is this Rocinante right now? The New World is huge—you can't expect me to just randomly wander around looking for him!" Garp was clearly uneasy.
Although Roger had irresponsibly dumped the burden of his child on him, Garp couldn't just walk away from it. If this whole Rocinante matter delayed him, who knows what might happen?
"Sakazuki was following World Government orders to escort the royal family of the Joromia Kingdom. Not long ago, we also received word that Jack attacked that very kingdom. Now it seems Jack has joined Rocinante. That makes the Joromia Kingdom the most likely location," Tsuru deduced.
"Huh, that makes sense! Alright, I'm heading out now to capture that brat!" Garp sprang to his feet and marched out, eager for action.
...
New World – Aboard the Nobles' Ship in the Mammoth Fleet
"Wow, the royals and nobles of the Joromia Kingdom really are loaded—just the cash alone adds up to six billion Berries," Rosinante marveled.
"The Joromia Kingdom is a well-known iron-mining nation in the New World. It's not large, but it's rich in iron ore. If managed well, their annual revenue easily surpasses six billion Berries," Jack replied calmly.
"Huh? What's this?" While rifling through the nobles' treasures, Rosinante's eyes caught sight of two ornate treasure chests. He opened them—and inside were two bizarre-looking fruits.
Devil Fruits. Both chests contained one each.
"Looks like I underestimated these nobles—they even had Devil Fruits stashed away!" Jack was visibly surprised to see them among the Joromia Kingdom's loot.
"Is it really that shocking? I mean, they are a kingdom. Having one or two Devil Fruits doesn't seem so far-fetched," Rosinante said, puzzled at Jack's reaction.
"You think this is just anywhere? This is the New World. Here, power is everything. Devil Fruits are tools that can instantly elevate strength, making them highly coveted by all major forces. Only large nations or top-tier pirates with powerful forces can afford to stockpile Devil Fruits. For a small nation like Joromia to have them is extremely rare. If word got out, pirates would be swarming here by the next day. A minor kingdom like them has no ability to protect Devil Fruits," Jack explained.
"If they can't protect them, then why not just eat them? If the Joromia Kingdom had even one or two fruit users, maybe they wouldn't have been so helpless during the invasion," Rosinante questioned.
"Those royals and nobles wouldn't dirty their own hands in battle. They model themselves after the Celestial Dragons—too proud to even use Devil Fruits. Their selfish nature also means they wouldn't give the fruits to anyone else. They hoard them solely to one day use as gifts to curry favor with powerful figures. A single Devil Fruit could buy them their life if the time comes," Jack said coldly.
"That's just so typical of the noble mindset. Oh well, all the better for us," Rosinante grinned.
"Do you recognize what kinds these fruits are?" he asked.
"One's a Zoan-type, the other's a Paramecia," Jack replied.
"A Paramecia-type? I wonder what kind of power it holds!" Rosinante said curiously.
"There's a Devil Fruit Encyclopedia over there," Jack nodded.
Following Jack's suggestion, Rosinante found the book and began comparing the fruits.
Both were high-quality Devil Fruits. The Joromia royals had probably identified their value using this very encyclopedia before deciding to keep them.
One was a Zoan-type: the Neko Neko no Mi—Lynx Model. The other was a Paramecia-type: the Dō Dō no Mi, or Hole-Hole Fruit. While the Zoan was decent, the real gem was the Hole-Hole Fruit. It bore a striking resemblance to the Door-Door Fruit used by CP9's Blueno in the future—both space-type abilities—but this one was clearly superior. The Hole-Hole Fruit allowed the user to open wormholes in space, making it an advanced version of the Door-Door Fruit, with significantly greater power.
"This is one hell of a haul!" Rosinante's eyes gleamed with excitement.
"It is indeed," Jack agreed.
Unlike Rosinante, Jack had his eye on the Lynx Fruit. As a carnivorous Zoan, it granted not just the immense strength and combat ability of carnivorous beasts, but also the agility of a feline. Among Zoan types, it was a rare gem—just a tier below Ancient and Mythical types.
"Captain—Lord Rocinante! There's a huge number of pirate ships up ahead! We're surrounded!" A sudden, panicked voice from one of the Mammoth Fleet crewmen rang out.
Hearing the shout, Rosinante and Jack quickly set the Devil Fruits down and headed outside.
Once on deck, they saw they were indeed surrounded by over twenty pirate ships of all sizes. Judging by their diverse flags, these ships came from ten different pirate crews.