Facing the roaring wave of dust, Stussy covered her mouth and nose, almost burying her entire face against Whitebeard's back.
With an unhappy tone, she said, "Is there anything more unbearable than a trip this awful? Right, Newgate?"
Whitebeard kept running at high speed without looking back and complained, "You're upset because you spent the whole time thinking that since Elbaf's giants are this huge, their treasure must be huge too. Then the conflict happened, and you didn't get anything, right?"
"Tch." Stussy clicked her tongue, lowered the hand covering her face, and knocked twice on Whitebeard's back, neither hard nor light. "Hey, Newgate, when will my image in your heart change? Yes, I like treasure, but I am not that ridiculous, am I?"
She paused, and her voice suddenly softened a little. "Besides, in my heart, I see you as someone great and reliable."
The corner of Whitebeard's mouth twitched. He retorted, "Tch. That's because I'm the only one who bothers with you, and the only one who doesn't fight you over things."
Of course, Whitebeard was telling the truth.
In the entire Rocks Pirates, aside from Whitebeard, no one would give way to Stussy. If they did not rob you, that was already giving you face. You should be burning incense in thanks. As for "letting" you have something? Don't even dream about it.
"Hmph!" Stussy snorted unhappily. "Who said it's only you? Now Ron and Kaido give way to me too. And the two of them are very cute!"
"Gurarara." Whitebeard laughed at her words. "Who was it that told me Kaido almost swung his kanabo at her forehead a few days ago? Hm, now that I think about it, that is pretty cute."
"Newgate, hmph!" Stussy puffed up her cheeks, her breathing visibly quickening. She was clearly angry.
On Rocks's side, a single clash of Conqueror's Haki with Harald had already reduced the surroundings to ruins.
Harald swept his gaze around, and his brows unconsciously tightened. The pain in his eyes was undisguised.
"Rocks, my thoughts will not change. Today, either Ron leaves your crew, or I kill him, or you kill me," Harald said in a deep voice.
Rocks's expression was completely different from before. The anger on his face had long faded away, replaced by a calmness.
"Then go to the Underworld," Rocks said slowly, his voice neither loud nor soft. "If you can step over my body and kill Ron, I will hold no resentment and feel no anger. Because this is our fate."
In the end, he was someone who valued bonds.
Even after breaking with Harald, he had never thought of making the entire giant kingdom pay for this conflict.
"I will not change my mind just because you say that," Harald replied, his voice still hard.
"And I will not hate all of Elbaf just because we have become enemies." After saying that, Rocks turned and left. His principle was simple: one matter was one matter.
A long while later, in the Underworld, the cold wind howled, whipping up snow until the sky and earth were swallowed by endless white.
Ron and the others had wandered around and returned to the area where they had first met Loki.
This lousy Underworld was truly barren. Everywhere they looked, there was only snow and frozen earth. The only thing that could be considered valuable was the legendary Treasure Tree Adam. Bad news: he had no need for it.
What made Ron even more uncomfortable was that Loki was practically a shadow. From the moment they started wandering, the brat had followed behind them, saying nothing as he stepped into their footprints.
When Ron turned back and asked why he was following them, Loki said he was afraid Rocks would run away.
Ron suggested that he wait on the Saber of Xebec. Loki said that would be boring.
"Hey, big guy," Silver Axe suddenly teased Loki as they walked. "Does your giant kingdom have any treasure?"
Loki ignored Silver Axe. He was young, not stupid. Besides, this man looked like his stomach was full of bad water.
Silver Axe was not angry. He coldly laughed twice, then lazily added, "I remember your name is Loki, right? Don't worry. If Rocks decides whether to take you in by vote, I'll definitely be the first to oppose you joining the ship. Hahahaha!"
Loki's expression changed slightly. All right, he took back what he had thought earlier. This man did not just look full of bad water. He was rotten to the core.
"What treasure could the giant kingdom have?" Loki replied angrily. "It's no more than what you see before your eyes."
"Hahahaha!" Silver Axe laughed even harder. "I still prefer that arrogant look you had earlier!"
Suddenly, a commotion came from not far away.
Immediately after, a thick storm of snow was lifted into the air.
White snow surged up like a moving curtain. Then a familiar figure burst out of the snowstorm at high speed.
"Newgate?" Ron and the others spoke almost at the same time.
Silver Axe also frowned. "Didn't that guy go with Rocks to meet Harald?"
Before his words fell, Whitebeard's voice had already carried over from ahead.
"Ron, retreat! Something unexpected happened!"
Ron specialized in listening to advice. Without another word, he turned and ran toward the Saber of Xebec.
Kaido, who was stunned for less than a second, did not ask why either. If Ron was running, then following was correct.
Silver Axe did not run. He stood where he was, his face tightening slightly as he asked in Whitebeard's direction, "Newgate, what happened?"
"Go ask yourself and you'll know." Whitebeard's figure swept past Silver Axe without even turning his head.
Silver Axe cursed as he followed his pace. "Newgate, you bastard! Would it kill you to tell me?!"
Ask myself?
Ask who?
In the Rocks Pirates, whoever ran slow was always the front line. He was not doing that stupid thing.
Stussy, who had been lying on Whitebeard's back the entire time, let her voice drift down. "Rocks and Harald failed to reach an agreement. Harald wants to kill Ron."
Silver Axe glanced at Stussy in surprise. Since when was this woman so nice? Uh... forget it. Run first.
But after taking two steps, he suddenly reacted and slammed on the brakes. "Wait. He's killing Ron. Why am I running? That has nothing to do with me!"
Ron, who had been running at the front, also stopped and looked back in confusion. "The talk broke down? He wants to kill me? No, what the hell does that have to do with me?!"
Screech.
Kaido slammed on the brakes, snow exploding beneath his feet and spraying high into the air.
He turned his head and cursed toward Whitebeard and Stussy. "I knew those bastards were no good!"
Indeed, when he had come to Elbaf long ago, he had suggested taking Harald down by force and been kicked by Rocks for it.
Back then, he had already had no good feelings toward these giants.
As he was fuming, Kaido caught sight of a huge figure slowly rising not far away.
It was the giant who had blocked the road earlier and been knocked down by Ron's punch.
Without the slightest hesitation, Kaido swung his kanabo and charged madly toward him. When the distance closed, he leaped up and smashed down with an angry shout.
"I've been unhappy with you for a long time!"