There was a subtle hint hidden within Rocks' tone. Whitebeard was no fool, naturally understanding what he meant.
"I'll go, Captain Rocks."
Hearing that, the gloom on Rocks' face instantly vanished, replaced by a smile.
"Then, Edward, I'll leave this matter to you. That person is extremely important. If we can successfully recruit him, the Rocks Pirates will return to sailing these seas much faster."
Whitebeard nodded lightly.
"I'll do everything in my power to accomplish it."
Compared to the Rocks Pirates, Roger's side had it much easier.
Although they had also suffered heavy losses during the battle against Rocks,
fortunately none of their key fighters had fallen.
As for the Rocks Pirates? Some had died, some had fled, and others had been captured. Trying to regroup the crew again would be easier said than done.
New World, on a certain island.
While preparing to set sail once more, Roger was also keeping a close eye on every major development happening throughout the New World.
Inside a forest.
Roger and his crew sat around a bonfire. Meat roasted over the flames, wine rested nearby, and after a period of recovery, they had gradually regained their strength.
"Gulp gulp gulp…"
Roger drank down wine in huge mouthfuls. After emptying the bottle, he casually tossed it into the distance and let out a long belch before speaking.
"I thought our journey would end after the battle against Rocks. Didn't expect the Marines to show up and save us instead… Hahahahaha!"
Hearing that, Rayleigh laughed as well.
"The Rocks Pirates had it even worse than we did. The Marines practically dismantled them completely. Several officers were thrown into Marine prisons. As for Rocks himself… aside from him, probably nobody knows whether he's still alive."
"Well, they brought it upon themselves." Gaban grinned, holding roasted meat in one hand and wine in the other.
That was true.
If they hadn't fought Roger in the first place, everything that followed would never have happened, nor would things have escalated into the current situation.
Strictly speaking, although both the Roger Pirates and the Rocks Pirates were pirate crews, only the Rocks Pirates truly embodied what pirates were.
Roger flew the pirate flag, but they had never committed atrocities. They simply sailed the seas in pursuit of their dreams.
Rocks, however, was the very definition of a pirate.
Plunder.
Violence.
Ambition!!!
"Whether he's alive or not doesn't really matter to us anyway." Roger grabbed a piece of roasted meat from over the fire, blew on it a few times, then stuffed it into his mouth.
"But the World Government has produced a truly terrifying monster." Rayleigh spoke again.
"You mean… Aurelius D. Virel Is?"
"Yeah. The Marines fought the Rocks Pirates countless times before and never gained any advantage. But this time, that guy coordinated with the Marines and dealt the Rocks Pirates a fatal blow. From now on, unless absolutely necessary, we should avoid him as much as possible," Rayleigh said calmly.
"Mhm! I was thinking the same thing."
Roger nodded in agreement.
After all, anyone capable of driving the Rocks Pirates into collapse was obviously not someone easy to deal with.
What Is didn't know was that throughout the second half of the Grand Line, across the entire New World, the name Aurelius D. Virel Is had already been deeply engraved into the hearts of countless pirates.
Holy Land, Mary Geoise.
"Well now, Madara, Hashirama, the headlines have been completely taken over by you two." Sitting on the sofa while reading the latest newspaper, Is teased them casually.
"These damn people really are everywhere. No matter where we go, someone's secretly taking pictures," Madara complained irritably.
"That's normal." Is placed the newspaper onto the table before explaining, "The commotion from your sparring was way too huge. Being noticed was only natural."
"Oh right, I heard from Tatsumaki that we're moving somewhere else? Some place called God Valley?" Madara suddenly changed the topic and asked.
Is nodded.
"That's right."
"So sudden… Did something happen?"
"Don't overthink it. It's just a simple relocation."
As he spoke, Is stood up from the sofa.
"Come to think of it, why haven't I seen everyone else today?" Hashirama asked curiously.
"Tatsumaki, Retsu, and Minian went down to Sabaody Archipelago to have some fun. Acnologia and Yoriichi went to handle something."
While speaking, Is draped his short cape over his shoulders.
"You're heading out?" Madara asked after seeing his movements.
"Yeah. Nothing else to do, so I'm going to continue training my Haki."
When it came to training, Is never allowed himself to slack off.
"Haki, huh? I want to learn it too. I'll come with you." Hashirama hurriedly grabbed his coat as well, but after noticing Madara hadn't moved at all, he asked again, "You're not coming, Madara?"
"I'll pass. I'm going out to look around instead. Is teaching you is enough," Madara explained.
"Then let's go."
After leaving behind those words, Is stepped outside.
…
With Hashirama's talent, learning Haki was incredibly simple. He basically grasped the basics almost immediately. However, mastering it still required time and adaptation.
Hashirama's situation was the same as Acnologia, Madara, and Yoriichi. After mastering Armament Haki and Observation Haki, he naturally awakened Conqueror's Haki as well.
Still, Is wasn't surprised by that in the slightest.
After all, in their original world, they already possessed the qualities of kings.
In a sense, awakening Conqueror's Haki could also be seen as this world's acknowledgment of them.
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