Several days later, the Rocks Pirates returned to their base, Hachinosu.
Interestingly, that very afternoon, a new name was quietly added to the crew list of the Rocks Pirates: Gloriosa.
For some unknown reason, the former captain of the Kuja Pirates formally left the Kuja Pirates and joined the Rocks Pirates.
Ron was also promoted from apprentice crewman to full crewman.
Originally, Ron had thought that after he killed Ochoku, Rocks would at least say a few words about it. After all, that guy had been a veteran collaborator.
Unexpectedly, from Rocks to everyone else, they all acted as if nothing had happened.
Someone even passed by Ron and muttered casually, "You moved fast. I already found that guy annoying. Didn't expect you to beat me to it."
His tone carried the regret of someone saying, "Why didn't you call me along?"
Ron could not help laughing.
On Hachinosu, atop the rocky mountain.
Two caves blasted open by Rocks looked like a pair of deep eyes embedded in the mountain.
On a flat rock surface above the cave entrances, Rocks sat alone, gazing at the distant horizon.
A light breeze blew past, lifting the corner of his robe.
"Hey, Rocks!"
A shout suddenly came from below.
Rocks lowered his gaze slightly and saw Kaido standing on a rock beneath him. A faint smile appeared on his face. "It's you, Kaido. Need something?"
"I want to become a full crewman," Kaido said seriously, raising his head.
Originally, he had not cared at all whether he was an apprentice or a full member. He only wanted to find a powerful Devil Fruit.
But ever since Ron went from apprentice to full member, Kaido's mentality had changed subtly.
He could not explain why, but he felt that since that guy had been promoted, he had to be promoted too.
"Since Ron joined us, Kaido, you've changed quite a lot," Rocks said slowly as he looked at Kaido.
"What the hell? I don't understand." Kaido muttered, "I want to be a full crewman."
"Wahahahaha!" Rocks laughed. This brat Kaido was getting more and more interesting. "Fine. But there is a condition. You have to defeat me."
Kaido paused, and his expression instantly became wonderful. "Do you hear what you're saying? Defeat you? If I could defeat you, the captain of the Rocks Pirates would be me. How would there still be a turn for you?"
"Wahahahaha!"
Rocks laughed again. In truth, he did not care whether Kaido became a full member or not. Becoming a full crewman meant a deeper cooperative relationship, which was no bad thing for him.
He had only raised that condition because he was bored and wanted to tease Kaido.
"How about this." Rocks restrained his smile and raised three fingers. "If you can survive three of my moves, I'll agree."
"Why didn't Ron need to?" Kaido immediately asked back.
"Because he was stronger than I expected."
"Screw you, Rocks! Who are you looking down on? Take this!"
Kaido roared and leapt upward with his kanabo, his body like a beast pouncing on prey.
"Heh. Quite the temper." Rocks stood and calmly placed his right hand on the hilt of the long blade at his waist.
As Haki wrapped around it, the blade let out a low hum the instant it left its sheath. Then he suddenly drew and slashed.
Buzz!
A clear sword cry tore through the air. The blade traced a cold arc and precisely met Kaido's descending kanabo.
Boom!
The next second, Kaido's body seemed to be hit by a mountain. Blood sprayed from his mouth, and his whole body fell like a cannonball into the ground below.
Boom!
In an instant, rolling smoke surged upward, and shattered stones and earth flew everywhere.
A shallow pit appeared in the ground, with cracks spreading outward like spiderwebs.
Swish!
Rocks' figure descended from the sky and landed on the ground as well. He carried his long blade on his shoulder and smiled toward the center of the smoke. "What is it? Can't stand up?"
"Bastard Rocks, don't look down on me!"
From the center of the dust, Kaido roared furiously. A surge of air suddenly erupted from his body, blowing away all the smoke.
"Tsk, tsk. If you want to prove yourself, talking won't work," Rocks said with the same smile. "You have to prove it with the fists in your hands."
"Ultimate..." Kaido hung the kanabo behind him and was just about to shout that slogan when he suddenly paused.
No.
Ron had told him that this was not called "ultimate taijutsu." It was called the Eight Gates.
"Fine. Since I learned it from you, I'll call it the Eight Gates." Kaido muttered softly, then drew in a deep breath and clenched both fists. "Eight Gates! Gate of Opening, open!"
Rocks did not rush to attack. He even took half a step back and watched with interest as Kaido's aura rose layer by layer.
Gate of Opening, Gate of Rest, Gate of Life, Gate of Pain, all the way to the fifth gate, the Gate of Limit.
This was also Kaido's current limit.
Green energy overflowed from Kaido's body, jumping across his skin like a thin flame.
Rocks rubbed his chin and nodded with some appreciation. "A bit like Ron's state last time... You learned it from him? But the aura coming from you is rather different from his."
"Take this!"
Kaido did not waste words. His figure flashed, so fast that he left an afterimage in place. In the blink of an eye, he rushed to Rocks.
Under the amplification of the Eight Gates, both his speed and power had increased by a large margin.
Bang!
Kaido's fist struck heavily against the long blade Rocks held horizontally before him. The force of the impact traveled through the blade and sent Rocks' robes whipping backward.
"Interesting." Rocks' brows lifted slightly, and a trace of genuine surprise flashed through his eyes.
He had not expected this taijutsu to amplify Kaido's strength to such a degree.
If he used it himself? Just imagining that scene was enough to make him excited.
Seeing that the first strike had not worked, Kaido did not pause at all. His second punch and third punch followed immediately.
Swish, swish, swish!
Bang, bang, bang!
Fists fell like rain on Rocks' blade. Every strike carried heavy force, exploding rings of air across the ground.
But no matter how he punched or kicked, every attack was steadily blocked by Rocks.
At the same time, in a tavern on the other side of the island.
The air was filled with the smell of ale and tobacco. The wooden tables were covered with water rings left by cup bottoms.
If anyone was happiest about Gloriosa joining the Rocks Pirates, it was undoubtedly Annika.
"Hearing you say that, I can finally relax." Annika sat across from Gloriosa, both hands holding a cup of warm milk. The heart she had been holding up finally settled. "I thought something had happened to the Kuja Pirates."
Gloriosa waved her hand, picked up a bottle of wine, and gulped down several mouthfuls.
Only after a while did she speak. "When I heard from Roger that you wanted to stay with the Rocks Pirates, Shakky and I were both shocked. Is this truly your own wish? If you don't want to stay here, Rocks will give me face and let you leave."
Annika shook her head, a shallow smile on her face. "I like it here."
Gloriosa frowned. "The Rocks Pirates are too dangerous. Every one of them is a madman. As a weak woman, it will be very difficult for you to survive here. There will always be times when I'm not around. I can't protect you anytime and anywhere."
Annika did not show the worry Gloriosa had expected.
She only smiled calmly. "Don't worry about me. The life I have now is exactly what I hoped for. Even if one day I lose my life because of it, I will accept it calmly."
Gloriosa looked at her in disbelief and was silent for several seconds. "Uh... Don't tell me you've fallen for Ron?"
Annika nodded generously, her smile becoming a little deeper. "I like staying with Ron-sama. He is a bad person."
"What kind of logic is that?" Gloriosa nearly choked on her wine. "What about him fascinates you? And his reputation is terrible. Compared with Roger, who I like, he is far worse."
Annika smiled faintly and did not refute Gloriosa's claim that Roger was better than Ron. She knew Gloriosa was only worried about her.
"He is a bad person."
"???" Gloriosa froze. "Forget it. As long as you think it's worth it."
"Achoo."
At the casino entrance, Ron and Whitebeard walked out one after the other.
Ron rubbed his nose, his steps pausing slightly.
"I have a bad feeling," he said as they walked.
"How so?" Whitebeard asked from behind.
"We ran up twenty million berries of debt under Rocks' name in just a few hours. Do you think he'll beat us to death?" Ron turned his head and asked seriously.
"I won't," Whitebeard shrugged, then teased, "As for whether you will, I don't know."
"Tch. If you're not worried, then I'm not worried either." Ron waved a hand, the corner of his mouth lifting into a sly smile. "Because I used Madara Uchiha's name."
"Madara Uchiha?" Whitebeard sneered. "Stop dragging other people into trouble. Rocks isn't stupid. When we kept tabs, we all reported our own names. Only you... reported someone else's. He'll guess it was you immediately."
"...Why didn't you say that earlier?"
"You didn't ask."
Boom!
At that moment, a violent explosion came from another direction.
Ron and Whitebeard looked over at the same time.
"What's going on? Enemy attack?" Ron asked Whitebeard in surprise.
"Enemy attack? Compared with that, I think the chance of those idiots fighting among themselves is higher," Whitebeard said slowly.
"Heh-heh. I'll go take a look." Ron smiled, then ran toward the direction of the explosion. He planned to see whether anyone had been beaten to death so he could smoothly inherit their property.
Whitebeard did not follow. He only watched Ron's back and complained, "Are you a fly? You have to run over and join in anything that happens."
On Rocks' side, Kaido lay sprawled in the center of a large pit, staring at the sky above. Several wisps of cloud hung lazily there like casual smears of pale color.
But he could not take any of it in.
He had lost.
He had lost completely and utterly.
Facing Rocks, he had not even managed a few proper counterattacks.
Step, step, step.
Footsteps came from the edge of the pit.
Rocks stood there with his long blade on his shoulder, tilted his head, looked at Kaido in the pit, and smiled. "Do you admit defeat, Kaido?"
Kaido ignored him. Right now, he was in the middle of emotional damage.
"Wahahahaha!" Seeing him like that, Rocks laughed even louder. "What, angry because you got beaten?"
"Don't slander me, Rocks," Kaido finally spoke. "I just think lying here is comfortable. The sky is beautiful today."
Rocks looked down at him and did not expose Kaido's little thoughts. He only said slowly, "Your request to become a full member. I agree."
Kaido's body paused slightly. He did not answer right away. After two seconds of silence, he squeezed out through his teeth, "At least you have some conscience, Rocks."
"Let's go." Rocks turned and walked back with his blade on his shoulder. "I'll treat you to drinks."
Swish.
Kaido immediately sat up from the pit like a spring.
At that moment, a man in a black suit and sunglasses walked to Rocks' side and lowered his voice. "Rocks-sama, we intercepted major Marine intelligence."
Rocks stopped and turned his gaze to the suited man. "Major intelligence?"
"Yes." The suited man slowly said, "It is said that the World Government found a 'legendary' Devil Fruit on Saint Sebastian Island. The World Government values it extremely highly and even sent a mysterious team to escort it."
"A legendary... Devil Fruit?"
Kaido's steps nailed themselves to the ground. When those words entered his ears, it was as if a needle had pierced one of his nerves with perfect accuracy.
Then the curve of Kaido's mouth slowly rose, wider and wider, harder and harder to suppress.
"Isn't this... prepared for me?"