Meanwhile, as John and the others who had gone ahead were advancing rapidly, Bang! Bang! Bang! Three figures suddenly descended from the sky and blocked their path. X and his group had somehow accelerated, overtaken them through the air, and arrived first.
John and the others stopped. Golden Lion flew into the air, preparing to pass over them. Clang! A Slash Wave intercepted him. Bang! Golden Lion landed, his face full of fury.
"X, you bastards! Aren't we here for the Great Treasure? What is the meaning of this?"
Ignoring Golden Lion's anger, X and Koda pointed toward the palace in the distance behind them and said coldly, "Only Captain Rocks may enter first."
Taking advantage of this brief moment, all the original members of the Rocks Pirates arrived before John and the others.
Step! Step, step! Golden Lion, Charlotte Linlin, John, Ochoku, Silver Axe, and the rest—fifteen people in total, all with strength at least on par with Marine Admiral candidates. That did not even include Luo Han, Cole, and Whitebeard behind them. It was a terrifying force.
However, faced with X and the others blocking their way, everyone suddenly calmed down.
John and the others fell into thought. This was not Rocks's style. If it was merely the Great Treasure, there was no need to stop them. Since he had called them all here, wasn't it to claim the treasure together?
Unless... there was something inside even more precious than the Great Treasure! At that thought, everyone's eyes lit up. They exchanged glances and smiled knowingly.
A smile curled at John's lips as he could not help asking, "X, what else is in that palace besides the Great Treasure?"
X and the others frowned, secretly irritated. They had always looked down on these people who had joined the