"Jihahahaha! I wonder if he got killed or not!"
Shiki laughed cruelly. He knew that the "Great Pirate Smuggler" Ganzui was just as famous as the "Pirate Guru" Wang Zhi.
Far more famous than a newcomer like himself.
Even Ganzui's current bounty was higher than both his and Kyo's!
If Ganzui successfully joined, then another powerful monster would now stand above them!
Thinking of this, Shiki felt somewhat resentful toward the World Government and Marines.
Previously, they had killed the pirate patriarch Wang Zhi, whose bounty was 757 million Beli.
Shiki himself had fought Wang Zhi almost evenly, so even if his bounty didn't rise to 700 million, it should at least have increased to 600 million Beli, right?
Then his bounty would have surpassed Ganzui's 570 million Beli.
But right now, Shiki's bounty was still only 547 million Beli and hadn't been updated.
"Damn it! The Rocks Pirates are becoming stronger and stronger! I absolutely cannot become just background decoration!"
Kyo looked toward the skull castle and felt enormous pressure.
And Ganzui was also a powerful Devil Fruit user.
Every single one of these guys was an ability user, further reigniting Kyo's desire for a Devil Fruit!
When exactly were they finally going to the North Blue to search for Devil Fruits?
··
At Elysium Island's harbor.
Polo Gram, with his pineapple-shaped hairstyle, finally landed on the island with his crew.
From afar, he saw Kyo standing alone like a one-man gatekeeper.
But he felt this guy didn't seem all that impressive.
Yet Kyo's bounty was still one or two hundred million higher than his own.
Was this the invisible buff from joining the Rocks Pirates?
Kyo had participated alongside the Rocks Pirates in defeating the massive Marine fleet and had also shared the fame from killing the Pirate Guru, causing his bounty to skyrocket.
If Kyo had acted alone, would he have dared attack the Marines? Would he have dared challenge great pirates like Wang Zhi?
Polo Gram had cautiously led the Polo Pirates all this way, constantly avoiding powerful pirates and Marine elites, which was why his bounty had risen so slowly.
After observing several of Kyo's battles, Polo Gram finally established a clear understanding of his own strength.
Especially after seeing several pirates with bounties similar to his own who seemed weaker than him.
'Was he actually this strong?!'
Polo Gram gradually became more confident.
However, he had no intention of joining the Rocks Pirates as either an officer or a subordinate crew.
He preferred adventuring together with his own companions.
This trip to Elysium Island was simply to broaden his horizons.
Only by witnessing more powerful people could he clearly understand his own strength.
At that moment, "I really deserve to die! I should never have been born into this world! I'm useless!"
"I've disgraced my hometown! I'm a coward!"
One pirate after another suddenly dropped to their knees, crying and repenting, causing the surrounding pirates to hurriedly jump away and stare warily at the man wearing a cowboy hat.
This man actually had four arms.
He was a rare member of the Four-Armed Tribe, which, like the Three-Eyed Tribe, was already on the brink of extinction.
"Hey, if you don't dare move forward, then stop blocking the road!"
"Four-Armed Gun King" Gill Bastar flicked his cowboy hat and made a stylish entrance. Four pistols were holstered around his waist, while four white ghosts floated beside him.
It was those ghosts that had just passed through the pirates.
That was why those unlucky fellows had dropped to their knees in repentance.
"What a bizarre ability!"
"I wonder if Haki can defend against it!"
Polo Gram shielded his subordinates behind him while similarly staring at this eerie cowboy gunslinger with caution.
If someone got controlled by those ghosts and forced to kneel, then this gunslinger could easily slaughter them.
"Originally I only came to watch the excitement, but now joining the Rocks Pirates actually sounds pretty good!"
Gill Bastar glanced toward the skull castle, suddenly feeling that he belonged up there, looking down over everyone.
He walked directly toward Kyo.
'As long as I could fight evenly against this guy, or defeat him, then I should be able to meet Rocks, right?!'
At this moment, Kyo tossed a pirate captain flying.
"You're not even qualified to become a subordinate captain!"
Already in a bad mood, Kyo treated these pirates like punching bags for venting frustration.
That Ganzui hadn't died and had instead appeared atop the skull eye.
Which meant Ganzui had successfully joined the Rocks Pirates.
"Yo, I want to become an officer of the Rocks Pirates! So all I need to do is beat you, right?"
Gill Bastar pointed at Kyo with the two arms on his right side, a faint smile hanging on his face.
"You dare point at me?! Be careful or I'll chop off your hands!"
"Though I guess you've got plenty of extras!"
Kyo stared coldly beneath his sunglasses at this four-armed cowboy.
This guy actually wanted to become an officer of the Rocks Pirates!
"What a violent brute."
"Before joining the Rocks Pirates, your bounty was 300 million Beli. Now it's only risen to 400 million."
"Honestly, if I had participated in the Sea Battle and the Elysium Island War, my bounty would definitely be higher than yours!"
Gill Bastar clearly didn't think much of Kyo, believing he had merely ridden the fame of the Rocks Pirates.
"You're courting death!!"
Kyo instantly exploded in fury and charged forward violently.
His relatively low bounty had always been a sore point in his heart, especially after being surpassed by Shiki.
And now, seeing the ghosts floating around this four-armed cowboy, another Devil Fruit user made Kyo even angrier!
"Such a hotheaded brute!"
Gill Bastar grinned widely. All four arms simultaneously drew pistols and opened fire, with two bullets carrying Negative Ghosts.
At the same time, two more Negative Ghosts charged toward Kyo from both sides.
Kyo erupted with powerful Armament Haki, attempting to blast apart the soft-looking ghosts while also coating himself in defensive Haki.
"Kneel and repent, brute!!"
Gill Bastar laughed wickedly, already wearing the smile of victory.
Two bullets and two ghost bullets were shattered by Kyo, but one of the Negative Ghosts approaching from the side forcefully penetrated Kyo's scattered Armament Haki defense.
The charging Kyo instantly dropped to his knees.
"I'm just an unlucky bastard abandoned by Lady Luck. I can't even encounter a single Devil Fruit. I'll never catch up to those monsters in my entire life…"
Kyo's eyes filled with tears as he looked like an abandoned stray dog, utterly consumed by despair.
"Tsk tsk, this is troublesome. Better run first!"
Seeing Kyo make such a fool of himself, Gill Bastar immediately sprinted toward the skull castle.
He absolutely had to successfully join the Rocks Pirates, otherwise Kyo would probably hunt him down forever.
"Jihahahaha! You trash, Kyo! I'm dying of laughter!"
"But you're right about one thing, you'll never catch up to us in this lifetime!"
Seeing Kyo get hit, Shiki not only refused to help, but instead burst into wild laughter, mercilessly mocking his old rival.
Not long afterward, once the Negative Ghost's effects wore off, the recovered Kyo's entire face turned bright red!
For a burly man, blushing like this surpassed every possible humiliation!
"Bastard! I'm going to kill you!!"