"Linlin, aren't we your new partners and family?"
Fang Huo said without hesitation, hoping to replace Mother Carmel's hypocritical bonds.
Only if Linlin's feelings and ties to Carmel changed could she one day absorb Carmel, rather than being influenced and replaced by her.
Of course, Fang Huo admitted he was no better than Carmel when it came to being a decent person.
"That's wonderful, Fang Huo! You've gone from being my good friend to my new family!"
Charlotte Linlin beamed at him, trading her longing for Mother Carmel for the joy of having new kin.
Newgate listened nearby, watching how Fang Huo gradually "talked" Charlotte Linlin around.
Still, new partners and family—those were things worth yearning for.
Fang Huo, your thoughts run so deep; I hope we can truly become family.
Newgate knew Fang Huo's intentions weren't entirely pure, yet he held onto a sliver of hope.
At the very least, Fang Huo was far better than those bastards: Rocks, Shiki, and Kyo.
The trio soon stormed a bar on Paradise Island.
Newgate threw a single punch; the violent shockwave reduced the entire bar to rubble.
As the pirates and CP0 agents inside panicked, an anti-gravity field blanketed the area.
All the debris and people floated helplessly into the air, fully exposed to the trio's sight.
"Worororo! Fang Huo and Newgate make a great combo!"
Rocks, who had seized the Wang Zhi Pirates' stronghold, laughed at the debris blotting out the sky.
The scene was downright exaggerated!
"I see them!"
"Heavenly Fire!"
Charlotte Linlin spotted the two masked CP agents in white suits and blasted them with a wave of flame.
"Damn it, we're exposed!"
"Plan failed! Wang Zhi is dead! Black is dead!"
The two CP0 agents panicked, broke free of Fang Huo's gravity, and used Moonwalk to flee.
But Linlin's lightning-fire and Newgate's shockwaves forced them back.
"Omni Gravity: Planetary Devastation!!"
Clapping his hands, Fang Huo applied gravity from every direction, crushing the two CP0 agents, a horde of pirates, and countless rubble into a giant stone sphere.
"Jihahaha! Fang Huo's gravity tricks are flashier than my Float-Float powers!"
"Golden Lion" Shiki slammed the ground; the Float-Float Fruit sent up two colossal earth lions to trample the pirates.
"Monsters! They're all monsters!!"
Pirates on Paradise Island were scared witless by Fang Huo and Shiki's control over their surroundings.
"So it can be used as a seal!"
Seeing Fang Huo's gravity seal, Shiki copied the idea.
His earth lions swept across the ground, entombing hordes of pirates inside a towering stone pillar, their screaming faces embedded in its surface.
"Bastards!!"
"Silver Axe" Kyo glared at the sphere in the sky and the pillar, seething with envy.
All the glory was being stolen by Fang Huo and Shiki!
He craved a mighty Devil Fruit more than ever.
"Terrifying! 'Great Demon Venerable' Fang Huo and 'Golden Lion' Shiki are monsters!"
"These are the strongest Executives of the Rocks Pirates!"
"Is that a meteor?!"
Countless pirates were scared out of their wits; even those who had fled the island stared at the floating meteor and towering pillar.
How awe-inspiring!
If Rocks accepted the weak, they would have joined the Rocks Pirates on the spot.
They'd gladly become his lackeys the moment he asked.
Fang Huo's trio quickly dealt with the two CP0 agents.
With Newgate and Linlin's help, Fang Huo devoured the two elite agents, adding their strength to his own.
"A power that tempts you to lose yourself!"
Feeling the endless influx of strength, Fang Huo didn't spare the Wang Zhi Pirates or their subordinates, stockpiling blood abilities.
He wanted ample power ready for his next blood servant—better safe than sorry.
By now, Fang Huo looked more and more like a blood-sucking demon.
At Rocks's shout, the Planetary Devastation meteor was hurled onto the Wang Zhi Pirates' stronghold, becoming a new landmark.
It was something akin to the Skull Castle on Hachinosu, together with Shiki's pillar, forming a new "Number 10" attraction on Paradise Island.
Boom! Boom!
Rocks carved two "eyes" into the meteor with cannon-like sword strikes and planted his giant flag on top.
The entire Rocks Pirates crew stood within those eyes, overlooking Paradise Island.
"Worororo! This island is our first base!"
"What 'Pirate Patriarch'? All trash!"
Rocks spread his arms as though embracing the whole world.
"Jihahaha! That ball looks ugly—watch my artistic makeover!"
"Golden Lion" Shiki reshaped Fang Huo's meteor into a skull using his Float-Float powers.
Shiki's fruit clearly offered more versatility than the Island-Island Fruit.
"Hey, Rocks, what's the use of territory? Let's finish the West Blue and head to the North Blue!"
"Silver Axe" Kyo only wanted a powerful Devil Fruit.
"Worororo! With territory, strong recruits will keep coming!"
"Fang Huo, what do you say?"
Rocks laughed; wiping out "Pirate Patriarch" Wang Zhi would make the Rocks Pirates infamous.
Perhaps it was time to start recruiting subordinate crews on their path to hegemony.
Of course, not just any riffraff could become a subordinate—only true elites could join the Rocks Pirates.
Only the strongest of the strong could become true, top Executives.
"How do I see it? With my eyes."
"You're the Captain; you decide!"
Fang Huo shrugged; he needed to digest this haul—one pirate patriarch, three elite CP0 agents, and countless top pirates.
It was almost enough for his true metamorphosis; awakening Haki was just around the corner.
"Then let's stay on Paradise Island for a month to recruit before heading to the West Blue!"
Rocks's eyes blazed with ambition; he wanted to see if any Great Pirates of the New World would come willingly.
If no one came, he'd simply go conquer them one by one later.