"Hammer of the Wind King!"
A spiraling storm hammer slammed directly into Kaido's chest.
"Urgh!!"
Blood sprayed from his mouth as Kaido was hurled backward.
Crashing to the ground, he barely managed to brace himself with his kanabō and drop to one knee, narrowly avoiding a complete collapse.
"Ugh."
Arthur grunted softly, suppressing his ragged breathing.
A faint smile curved his lips as he calmly declared:
"Kaido… This victory is mine."
"Damn it…!"
Kaido struggled to rise—but his expression froze. His body had reached its limit.
He collapsed.
Even though his will was unbroken, his body could no longer keep up.
"Kaido of the Beasts… That physique is monstrous."
Arthur noted silently, eyes narrowing with thought.
Then—
He exhaled slowly, smiling once again.
"Well then, I suppose next is—"
"MAMAMAMAMA~~~!"
A high-pitched, unsettling laugh interrupted him.
Charlotte Linlin—Big Mom—stepped forward with a cheerful grin, placing herself between Arthur and the fallen Kaido.
"Alright, little one. That's far enough."
Seeing this, Arthur understood.
Linlin wasn't going to let Kaido die.
And so—
He didn't press the issue.
After all—
Arthur knew perfectly well: even if he tried, he couldn't kill Kaido.
With such absurd talent and potential, there was no way someone like Rocks would allow him to die.
Their battle had lasted the entire night. Now, dawn was breaking.
By this point, only four people remained standing on Hachinosu Island.
Besides Arthur and Kaido, the third was a short-haired woman in a black shirt with a spider emblem. She lit a cigarette calmly, observing from the side.
And the fourth—
A heavily injured man still kneeling, barely conscious. One misstep, and he might drop dead.
—
"That's enough."
The booming voice of Rocks D. Xebec echoed across the island.
And with that—
The five-year trainee recruitment tournament of the Rocks Pirates had officially ended.
Only four survived.
Technically, five were supposed to be selected…
But this wasn't unusual.
The tournament's "rule" had always been "five survivors," but in reality, Rocks rarely accepted more than one or two per round.
This time? Four survivors.
That was a remarkable result.
"Arthur!"
"Next time!"
"Next time—I'll crush you!!"
Kaido roared from the ground, unable to move, but still defiant.
Arthur stood quietly, looking at him for a long moment before replying with a smile:
"I look forward to it. But no matter when…
Victory will be my bare minimum."
Turning his back, Arthur walked away.
---
"Gurararara~~~!"
Edward Newgate—Whitebeard—laughed heartily.
"Kid! That was some performance! You've got real strength."
Arthur nodded politely but didn't say much in return.
Even standing before the man who would one day be known as The Strongest in the World, Arthur wasn't particularly moved.
He had inherited King Arthur's template—there was no need for awe.
"Alright."
Rocks finally spoke again.
"No need for more chatter."
"Arthur, was it? Brat—you're this year's victor. According to Rocks Pirates tradition, the winner gets to choose a reward."
Despite the Rocks Pirates' infamously chaotic nature—where betrayal and infighting were commonplace—
Rocks himself was a man of clear rewards and punishments.
If you had power—
Then you could have anything: wealth, women, weapons, Devil Fruits, status.
That structure, along with Rocks' terrifying strength, was the only reason such a mad crew hadn't collapsed.
And perhaps more importantly—
No one dared leave him.
Because trying to leave could get you killed.
That was the real reason the Rocks Pirates remained intact.
"Well then…"
Arthur met Rocks' gaze directly.
"What are the available rewards, Captain Rocks?"
"Ohahahahaha!!"
"You've got guts, brat!"
Rocks didn't get angry at the question. Instead, he laughed with genuine satisfaction.
"Not bad! Keep that fire burning."
Rocks didn't care about pride or attitude.
In his crew, if you were a dragon—you'd crawl. If you were a tiger—you'd kneel.
His strength gave him absolute confidence.
Arthur spoke frankly:
"I joined the Rocks Pirates to gain power.
If I wanted to play it safe, I would've joined the Navy and climbed the ranks."
"Hah! Greedy little brat!"
"I like it!"
Rocks grinned.
"Alright—how about this?"
"Ten billion berries, three Devil Fruits—whatever you want, I'll give it to you!"
Whitebeard, Shiki, and the others didn't react much. They had all received similar rewards when they joined.
Honestly, the reason so many future pirate crews rose quickly…
Was because Rocks gave out treasure like a walking gold mine.
He was never stingy with resources.
—
Arthur nodded slightly, then replied decisively:
"Then, Captain Rocks—just the three Devil Fruits will do."
"Done."
"Wang Zhi—once we're back on the ship, give this brat his fruits."
"Yes, Captain Rocks."
Wang Zhi nodded respectfully at the order.
With the reward settled, Rocks turned to the four survivors.
"Arthur. Kaido. Shakky. Duru—
From this moment forward, you four are trainee crew members of the Rocks Pirates."
---
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