"Duru…"
"Who's that?"
Arthur silently pondered the name.
But after a moment, he chuckled and shook his head.
"Well… in a world this real, not everyone can be in the spotlight. That's just how it is."
He didn't dwell on it.
After all, within the Rocks Pirates, even among the 600 elite, every single one was a monster in their own right.
Arthur was certain—
Even with all his strength, if a chunk of these elites teamed up against him, he'd be dead for sure.
This was the crew of the man hailed as:
The Strongest in the World
The Strongest in History
And it wasn't just the officers that made it terrifying—
The sheer number of elite fighters was overwhelming.
---
"Hey, brat."
Wang Zhi dropped a chest in front of Arthur.
"These are the three Devil Fruits promised to you."
Arthur gave a polite nod, smiling.
"Hehehe..."
Wang Zhi's expression twisted into a cryptic grin.
"You'd better watch your back. Some things aren't so easily handed over."
With that, he turned and walked away.
Wang Zhi didn't care much—
The Rocks Pirates had tons of obscure Devil Fruits. Even the Devil Fruit Encyclopedia couldn't possibly record them all.
So for him, they weren't worth fussing over.
But just because he wasn't interested—
Didn't mean others wouldn't be.
—
"Oi!"
"Hey, kid!"
"You the tournament winner?"
"Be a good boy and hand over those Devil Fruits!"
The moment Wang Zhi turned away—no, the moment his back was to them—trouble arrived.
"I see now."
Arthur blinked in realization, then smiled knowingly.
"So… this crew really does live by survival of the fittest, huh?"
"Bwahaha!!"
A grinning pirate with a crazed look howled with laughter.
"That's right, kid!"
"You know the guy who won five years ago? He got ahead of himself too—until we hacked off all four of his limbs and hung him on the mast as fish bait!"
Arthur smiled politely.
"Thanks."
And then struck without hesitation.
Shing!
His invisible blade flashed three times.
"Guh?!"
Even though the pirate reacted quickly, a gaping wound had already opened across his chest.
---
"Thunder Bagua!"
Meanwhile—
Kaido moved faster.
Wielding his kanabō, he crushed another pirate's skull with a single, brutal swing.
The man collapsed, chest caved in, likely dead on the spot.
"Trash!"
"Messing with me huh?!"
Kaido roared like a beast, utterly unfazed.
In just half a day, it was as if all his injuries and exhaustion had vanished.
"Oh?"
"A fight broke out!"
"Come! Let's watch!"
Dozens of nearby pirates—drawn by the commotion—rushed over to spectate.
At least 200 pirates stood up, encircling the scene.
These weren't ordinary fighters.
These were the Rocks Pirates—and this was just a fraction of them.
Compared to the random riff-raff on Hachinosu during the tournament, these 200 were on a whole other level.
The Rocks Pirates had over 2,000 members.
Even outside the elite 600, the remaining 1,400 were still monsters in their own right
—
"Oi!"
Kaido grinned, mouth twisted with excitement.
"Arthur! Looks like you've been targeted too!"
Arthur casually picked up his treasure chest and tossed it toward Shakky, who was standing behind Kaido.
"Didn't you get targeted too?"
"Tch."
"Just a bunch of weaklings."
Kaido turned back confidently.
"Shakky! Keep an eye on those Devil Fruits for me!"
Huff...
Shakky exhaled a puff of smoke and said coolly:
"Long as I don't have to get my hands dirty, I've got it covered."
...
"Seriously, what a pain..."
Duru stood up too, tossing his chest over to Shakky and drawing the heavy greatsword that had been stuck in the deck beside him.
He was a swordsman who specialized in greatsword combat.
Like Arthur, the other three—Kaido, Shakky, and Duru—had all received their own rewards:
Devil Fruits, treasure, or bounty money.
—
"Oi, brats!"
"You planning to fight back?!"
"Bwahaha!!"
"This is great!"
"It's been five years since we've had fresh meat!"
"SHUT UP!!!"
Kaido's voice boomed across the deck.
His eyes burned with rage, and a violent burst of energy erupted around him as he launched forward in a flash of movement.
"Thunder Bagua!"
CRACK!
One laughing pirate had his skull smashed in instantly.
"Damn… so violent."
"Hammer of the Wind King."
Arthur smirked as he joined in, unleashing a massive blast of pale green wind.
A cyclonic hammer struck out, flinging several pirates into the air like rag dolls.
"Worororo~~~!"
Kaido hoisted his kanabō, sneering confidently.
"Arthur! If you get in my way—
I'll crush you too."
Arthur replied with a smile:
"I'll just have to kill you first."
"Oi… oi…"
Duru sighed in exasperation.
"Are ya two seriously just gonna ignore me like that?"
Too bad.
Arthur and Kaido had already charged ahead.
"Hammer of the Wind King!"
"Thunder Bagua!"
These two weren't the pushover type.
If the Rocks Pirates lived by survival of the fittest?
Fine.
Then they'd see who was the most fucking ruthless.
—
"You brats think you can overcome us oldies?!"
"I'll educate you some basic respect!"
"On this ship—"
"You'll learn to obey us—the older members!!"
Bwahaha!!
A dozen pirates attacked at once.
Honor? Morality?
They dont give a damn.
In this world—or ship...
Winning was all that mattered.
Once again.
Mad laughter and battle cries filled the air.