Seeing the determination in their eyes, Is didn't try to persuade them any further and continued his training.
The maids also remained silent, not disturbing him. They simply sat on the chairs in the backyard, quietly waiting for him to finish.
…
On Rocks' side—
the Fleet Admiral had pursued them for several hours, yet the situation still hadn't changed in the slightest.
In the end… they still lost him.
"Finally shook that bastard off."
Rocks stared at the now calm sea and let out a breath of relief.
He had never expected the Marines to be this relentless.
However, this raid had cost the Rocks Pirates quite a bit of strength. It would take some time before they fully recovered.
But… when he thought about the benefits this operation would bring—
Rocks' mood immediately improved.
"How's the situation on Shiki and Linlin's side?"
Back inside the ship, Rocks quickly gathered the officers for a meeting.
"I've already contacted them," Streusen reported. "Their operation seems to have gone fairly smoothly. They've successfully withdrawn from Mary Geoise."
"I've also sent them our current location. If nothing unexpected happens, they should be able to regroup with us in a few hours."
Rocks' current location wasn't in the latter half of the Grand Line—the New World.
So even just providing a rough area was enough for Shiki and the others to find them quickly.
Of course, if this were the New World, without a Log Pose or Eternal Pose, giving out a random location would make it nearly impossible to find.
The reason was simple—
the New World's magnetic fields, weather patterns, ocean currents, and airflows were all chaotic. Even determining one's own position was difficult, let alone locating an island.
"Good… very good."
A satisfied smile appeared on Rocks' face upon hearing the report.
A few seconds later, however, something seemed to occur to him.
"How many went… and how many came back?"
As soon as he asked that—
Streusen paused, choosing his words carefully.
After a moment, he spoke in a low voice.
"The losses… are quite severe. Three-fifths of the force were left behind in Mary Geoise. Linlin… also sustained some injuries."
With each word Streusen spoke, the smile on Rocks' face faded bit by bit.
By the time he finished—
Rocks' expression had turned completely cold.
"What did you just say, Streusen? This is what you call 'smooth'?"
His sharp gaze locked onto him.
To be honest, under that stare, Streusen felt a chill run down his back.
"Captain Rocks… I'm only stating the facts."
Clearly, what Streusen meant by "smooth" referred only to their successful retreat—
not the results of their operation in Mary Geoise.
"Linlin and Shiki shouldn't be giving me this kind of outcome."
Rocks' voice turned heavy.
Fortunately, he still didn't know that their miserable state had been caused by a single Celestial Dragon and his subordinates.
If he did—
he probably wouldn't be able to sit still right now.
Among those present, aside from Streusen trying to smooth things over for Charlotte Linlin—
the others simply watched with amusement.
Some even added fuel to the fire, clearly enjoying the spectacle.
…
A few hours later, when Shiki and the others returned—
Rocks immediately summoned Charlotte Linlin and Shiki for a private discussion.
Naturally, neither of them told the truth.
And neither dared to.
"I see… So it was like that. Kong's strength is indeed formidable. It's not impossible that you suffered losses after underestimating him."
After hearing their explanation, much of Rocks' anger dissipated.
"Our deepest apologies, Captain Rocks. We've disappointed you."
Shiki lowered his head, looking remorseful.
"Hahahahaha!"
Rocks laughed loudly, patting both Shiki and Charlotte Linlin on the shoulders.
"As long as you two made it back safely, the loss of those trainee crew members doesn't matter."
"Linlin, your injuries—nothing serious, I hope?"
"Don't worry, Captain Rocks. Just minor injuries. A few days of rest will be enough."
"Good."
Clearly, Charlotte Linlin had shifted all the blame onto Kong.
Not a single word was mentioned about Is or Madara Uchiha.
Of course, she didn't dare mention them.
How could she admit that she had been chased down by a Celestial Dragon's subordinate?
If she did—
she would become the laughingstock of the entire Rocks Pirates.
…
Time passed quickly.
Before long, daylight replaced the night.
Although Is had trained late into the night—
as soon as dawn broke, he was already back in the backyard, continuing his task.
As time went on, the sky grew brighter, sunlight spreading across the land.
Madara Uchiha and Tatsumaki, as usual, arrived in the backyard not long after sunrise.
They sat in reclining chairs, basking in the sun.
Soon after, Acnologia woke up.
Seeing them like that, he dragged over a recliner as well, lay down, and began enjoying the sunlight.
"So, how is it?" Tatsumaki glanced at him from the corner of her eye. "Living a life different from your old world… not bad, right?"
"Mm… it feels… pretty good."
Acnologia smiled faintly.
"Since I've come to this world, the only thing I can do is integrate into it as quickly as possible."
Just as he finished speaking—
Is, who had noticed everyone had gathered, called out from a distance:
"Madara, didn't you say you wanted to learn Armament Haki?"
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