New World, Elysium Island.
"Impossible!!"
"Even a large fleet led by a Marine Admiral couldn't take down that crew of just a few people, the Rocks Pirates?!"
The Pirate Guru, Wang Zhi, stared at the latest news, shocked by the Rocks Pirates' terrifying achievements.
In the New World, no pirate crew could stand against a large fleet of that scale dispatched by Marine Headquarters.
Yet Rocks, this formidable man, had crushed them.
What's more, Rocks's subordinates were all incredibly strong.
"Great Demon Lord" Guyue Ignis, "Whitebeard" Newgate, "Golden Lion" Shiki...
It felt like these subordinates were already nearly as strong as him.
And they were all so young!
'Where had Rocks found so many powerful subordinates?'
"Damn! If the Rocks Pirates set their sights on me, how could I possibly fight them?"
Wang Zhi stuck out his tongue, feeling restless. He knew Rocks loved playing Davy Back Fight, and he had become famous for it in the Grand Line and the New World.
'Should I give up Elysium Island?'
'Or perhaps... join the Rocks Pirates?'
Wang Zhi's expression darkened. He was, after all, a major pirate in the New World. How could he bow down to someone else?
Just then, a mysterious team in suits infiltrated Elysium Island and secretly approached Wang Zhi...
...
Lamb Island, in the latter half of the New World.
The 'Iron Balloon' Charlotte Linlin and the Gourmet Knight Streusen had just returned from another expedition, plundering a town, and came back to this island.
Charlotte Linlin had come to think of Lamb Island as her home. She wished so much that Mother Carmel and those children would reappear.
But unfortunately, she had searched for Mother Carmel for years without finding a trace.
"The Rocks Pirates are that terrifying?!"
Streusen looked at the newspaper, his expression dark and uncertain. He had come to regard Charlotte Linlin as his cash cow.
And Rocks was known for using Davy Back Fights to poach powerful crew members.
If they ever encountered the Rocks Pirates, Rocks would surely force them onto his ship.
Perhaps hitching themselves to the world's worst pirate crew would be beneficial, but Streusen preferred his current freedom, keeping control over Charlotte Linlin.
'Once the gifted Linlin grew up, her strength might not be weaker than Rocks'.
'We must avoid the Rocks Pirates!'
Streusen resolved to keep Charlotte Linlin from being taken by Rocks.
However, Streusen didn't know that the Rocks Pirates were currently searching for them.
...
In some sea area of the New World, the smuggler pirate Ganzui, having just completed a big deal, widened his eyes at the newspaper.
The Rocks Pirates were that fierce?
They had actually defeated a large Marine fleet!
"The world really has seen the birth of a bunch of monsters!"
Ganzui sighed. This didn't affect him much, though.
Smugglers were different from other pirates; they preferred stable money-making.
Smuggling wasn't any less lucrative than robbery, and it was more stable, long-lasting, and safer.
Those pirates who only knew how to fight and kill would eventually sell their loot to them anyway.
Smugglers and fences in the underworld earned plenty.
"The Rocks Pirates plundered the Goan Kingdom, Black Hand Pirate Island, and the Land of Ying. They must have captured an enormous amount of treasure."
Ganzui licked his lips greedily, but then he thought about Rocks's habit of poaching crew members. It was probably best not to provoke the world's worst pirate!
...
In the East Blue, Gol D. Roger and Silvers Rayleigh, in the West Blue, Marcone, and in the New World, Gil Bastar and Captain John, all began paying attention to this world's worst pirate crew...
...
Aboard the Xebec's Sword,
Shiki and Kyo, those old rivals, fought each other daily.
Shiki had also applied to Rocks to prioritize finding his destined swords: Oto and Kogarashi.
While the Rocks Pirates were searching for Charlotte Linlin, Shiki was also gathering information on these two famous blades.
"Ignis!! Can you recommend any Devil Fruits?"
Kyo also wanted to get stronger. He wanted to snatch a powerful Devil Fruit to enhance himself.
It had to be at least as good as Shiki's Float-Float Fruit.
"Not at the moment."
Ignis spoke calmly. If he encountered a powerful Devil Fruit, he would eat it himself. He wouldn't give it to Kyo.
The most important thing was that Kyo was untamable; deep down, he wanted to leave the Rocks Pirates and strike out on his own, just like Shiki.
Unless he encountered a Devil Fruit Ignis didn't want, only then would Kyo have a chance.
"I'm not trying to take it from you, just asking for a recommendation. If I want something, I'll take it myself!"
Kyo now knew some of the secrets of Ignis's multi-abilities. He knew that even if Ignis knew of a better ability, he wouldn't give it up.
However, Ignis could directly steal abilities from users, while Kyo could only eat Devil Fruits.
So Kyo still had a chance to grab a decent Devil Fruit.
"Logia or Mythical Zoan would be fine."
Ignis spoke slowly, assuming Kyo could even find one.
"I know those abilities are strong! But can you be more specific? Like their approximate locations."
Kyo spoke irritably. It seemed he would have to pay a price to get information from Ignis.
"I'll trade you some information!"
"Back when I was an assassin, I encountered a colleague on Elysium Island, the Pirate Guru's island. He had a teleportation ability!"
"In the West Blue, there's also an assassin who can turn his body into a castle!"
"Maybe you'd be interested in those abilities."
After learning that Ignis's Gravity ability came from some Kingdom's general, Kyo had guessed even more secrets.
This prophet's mutated talent was truly terrifying!
"An assassin? No wonder there's so little information..."
Ignis narrowed his eyes. He was actively gathering intelligence on Devil Fruit users across the world.
This was no secret on the ship!
Even Shiki, while searching for information on Oto and Kogarashi, would also help Ignis look for ability users.
"The future Logia Magma-Magma Fruit and Glint-Glint Fruit are both from the North Blue!"
Ignis smiled faintly, offering a piece of nearly useless information.
"The Logia with the strongest offensive power and the Logia with the fastest speed?"
Kyo's eyes lit up, his heart filled with excitement. As long as those Devil Fruits hadn't been eaten, he still had a chance.
Most importantly, Ignis had indicated that these two Logia abilities were likely in the North Blue.
He could focus his efforts there.
As soon as Ignis spoke, even Shiki pricked up his ears.
If he had the chance, he wouldn't hesitate to snatch those powerful Logia Fruits from under Kyo's nose.
He couldn't use them, but he wouldn't let Kyo have them either.
Of course, finding two unknown Devil Fruits in the vast North Blue was nearly impossible.
If someone else ate them first, Kyo would lose his chance.
And then those ability users would become Ignis's prey anyway.