Many days later.
At the headquarters of the West Blue mafia, Sicily Island.
The appearance of the flying battleship, the Xebec' Sword, completely shattered the peace of this mafia stronghold.
Mafia boss Marlon never imagined that before he had even managed to charge into the Grand Line and New World, the world's strongest pirate crew would already arrive at his doorstep.
Thinking of the terror of the Rocks Pirates, cold sweat streamed down Marlon's forehead.
He felt like a rookie warrior who had not even left the beginner village, only to have a max-level boss block the village gate.
Although Marlon was extremely confident in himself, he knew the current mafia had absolutely no qualification to stand against the Rocks Pirates.
If he had fully unified the West Blue underworld first, then entered the Grand Line and slowly fought his way into the New World while growing stronger, perhaps in the future he might have a chance to challenge the Rocks Pirates.
But now, they simply were not on the same level.
They had not truly grown yet.
"Boss, I heard Rocks likes recruiting powerful officers. Maybe the world's strongest pirate has taken a liking to your strength and influence…"
One mafia strategist was equally nervous.
The Rocks Pirates were infamous throughout the entire world now.
Even the Navy Grand Fleet could not defeat them, much less underworld forces like theirs causing trouble in the West Blue.
"But Pirate Guru Wang Zhi from the New World died at the hands of the Rocks Pirates."
"Boss, maybe we should evacuate instead!"
"Once they leave Sicily Island, we can come back."
Another mafia adviser hurriedly urged Marlon to secretly leave and avoid meeting the Rocks Pirates altogether.
They could not gamble on whether the Rocks Pirates had come to recruit Marlon, or kill him.
"I'm the great mafia boss who has practically unified the West Blue underworld. How could I be scared away from my own headquarters by someone else!"
Marlon clenched his cigar tightly.
His shovel-like face became extremely serious.
After taking several deep breaths, he finally decided to face the Rocks Pirates directly.
.....
Aboard the Xebec's Sword.
"Looks like Rocks still hasn't arrived. Then let's take down Marlon first!"
Kyo crossed his arms and spoke coldly, though he showed no intention of personally making a move.
A mere West Blue mafia boss should be handled by the weaker members like Sunbell and Streussen, or the newly joined Stussy, Gill Bastar, and Polo Gram.
At the very least, he was still a veteran officer.
His bounty was also higher than theirs.
Even if it came to Barbell taking action, it still should not be his turn.
"A mafia boss whose bounty hasn't even exceeded 100 million? That's hardly enough to make me move."
Wearing sunglasses and a cowboy hat, Gill spun pistols in all four hands while grinning arrogantly.
Though he was a newcomer, his bounty was already higher than Streussen's, and also higher than Stussy and Polo Gram's.
According to the ship's rules, his status ranked above those three.
"If none of you are going to fight, then I'll go first."
Polo Gram shrugged.
Streusen was the ship's cook, while Stussy constantly clung to Vice Captain Ignis and carried the title of scientist.
Neither was truly a combatant.
So as the newcomer, he naturally became the first to step forward.
Still, he had already traveled through the Grand Line and New World before, so he was not afraid of a mere mafia boss like Marlon.
Even if Marlon had nearly unified the West Blue underworld.
Most pirates and criminals from the Four Seas were weaker than those who survived in the New World.
Except for certain pirate kingdoms that had endured for centuries.
Countries like the Kingdom of Kano and the Kingdom of Chinjao in the West Blue possessed powerful pirates whose strength rivaled the great pirates of the New World.
Normally speaking, New World pirates looked down on Grand Line pirates, while Grand Line pirates looked down on Four Seas pirates.
Among them, pirates from the North Blue and West Blue, being closer to the New World, looked down on those from the South Blue and East Blue.
Beyond that, there existed another chain of disdain.
Pirates looked down on mountain bandits and mafia groups.
.....
"Jihahahaha! I want to see just how strong this guy Ignis values really is!"
Shiki watched as though enjoying a show.
He did not believe a mafia boss who had never even entered the Grand Line could possibly be that strong.
Perhaps Ignis's prophecies were not entirely accurate after all.
Ignis remained somewhat silent.
He had never really valued Marlon that highly.
This guy was originally the very first Rocks officer to die, killed right inside their headquarters at Hachinosu.
That practically made him a born unlucky bastard and a prime candidate for weakest officer.
Furthermore, during the eight years after Rocks caused chaos at Mary Geoise, Rocks had recruited six original officers:
Newgate, Shiki, Stussy, Wang Zhi, Ganzui, and Marlon.
Who knew whether Marlon had already left West Blue and entered the Grand Line and New World by the time Rocks recruited him in the original timeline?
Coming here so many years earlier meant Marlon clearly had not yet reached his peak.
At the very least, this mafia boss still hanging around West Blue did not even have a bounty over 100 million.
He was weaker than even Streusen and Stussy.
Meanwhile, Gill and Polo Gram already had bounties exceeding 200 million.
Ganzui, the newest officer, had spent many years in the New World, and his current bounty was even higher than Shiki and Charlotte Linlin's.
After the incident at Elysium Island and the killing of "Pirate Guru" Wang Zhi, their bounties still had not been updated.
Shiki was already planning to raid several more member nations just to raise his bounty.
Linlin even wanted to attack Marine branches to see if the World Government or Marines had any additional information about Mother Carmel, while conveniently raising her bounty too.
After all, both Shiki and Linlin had sparred and fought with Ganzui already.
They believed they were stronger than him, so their bounties should not be lower.
"Maybe this guy simply hasn't matured yet. Perhaps we should wait until he enters the Grand Line and New World before deciding whether to recruit him."
Ignis felt that traveling all the way to West Blue specifically to recruit Marlon was honestly giving him too much importance.
Did this mafia boss truly deserve the Rocks Pirates crossing such vast distances for him?
Of course, the main reason was because Rocks wanted to return to his West Blue hometown, so recruiting strong people there was only a side task.
If Marlon's current strength failed to qualify, then they could always search for Redfield instead.
He wondered whether the future Red Count had already met Brook, or whether he had decided to go out to sea.
"Since we're already here, and since this Marlon appeared in the future you foresaw, recruiting him earlier isn't a bad idea."
"Didn't you say Kyo originally boarded the ship ten years later? Yet now he joined early too."
Newgate spoke slowly.
He liked this kind of altered future.
Only by changing the future Ignis described could fate and destiny become truly unpredictable.
He believed in Ignis's prophetic powers, but he preferred changing the future even more.
Wasn't Polo Gram himself an officer outside Ignis's original prophecy?
Back on Elysium Island, when Newgate chatted with Polo Gram, he had intentionally delayed him there, specifically to alter the future where the pineapple-head never boarded the ship.
To Newgate, changing the future Ignis foresaw was itself a form of entertainment.