Although he had unlocked the power of Wood Release, Patri Vic didn't dare slack off in the slightest. He continued training his strength.
His abilities were certainly impressive now, but compared with the many officers of the Rocks Pirates,
his strength still wasn't quite there.
He either had to train seriously on his own or spar with Whitebeard.
Even Whitebeard was amazed by Patri Vic's strength.
That was because he could use three completely different kinds of power.
This made it even harder for Whitebeard to guess which Devil Fruit Patri Vic had eaten.
Since Patri Vic had never intended to tell anyone his secret, Whitebeard was sensible enough not to ask.
The Rocks Pirates had spent a full 45 days on the island.
"We've gone over the time we budgeted, but... we pirates have all the time in the world." Rocks stood by the shore, gazing at the newly refurbished ship with a faint smile.
Rocks summoned all the officers on the island. The ship had finally been refitted.
Its cannons, supplies, equipment, storage space, and structure had all been completely renewed. Now it was time to leave.
The island was enormous, so Rocks couldn't keep all the officers under his control.
What would happen if a group of unruly strongmen came to a country with no military strength, one they could easily rule?
They would obviously do whatever they pleased! But there was only one country to rule, while the Rocks Pirates had plenty of officers.
They knew they could only stay in the country for a while before they had to leave.
But while they were there, they fought openly and covertly, each vying for control of the country.
To them, it was a symbol of honor.
After 45 days of fighting for status and glory, the officers of the Rocks Pirates had grown increasingly hostile toward one another. None of them would yield.
"Let's go. Captain Rocks has called for us."
In a forest on the island, Whitebeard hung up the Den Den Mushi and turned to Patri Vic beside him.
Over the past 45 days, Patri Vic's strength had improved by leaps and bounds. He had mastered Wood Release and had Whitebeard to spar with.
He now had the strength to take on pirates with bounties exceeding 100 million.
Patri Vic nodded, then went with Whitebeard to the shore.
The officers had gathered along the island's coast.
Rocks frowned as he looked over them. It was clear he was in a foul mood.
"What have you been doing?" Rocks demanded sternly, sweeping his gaze across the officers.
Most of them had at least a few injuries.
There was no doubt they had fought among themselves.
"I believe I told you that officers are forbidden to fight among themselves on the ship."
Rocks unleashed his Conqueror's Haki. A terrifying presence swept in every direction and instantly engulfed all the officers.
The Rocks Pirates' officers, who had been so high and mighty on the island these past few days, now looked like children who had been caught misbehaving in front of Rocks.
They stood silently where they were, cold sweat beading on their foreheads as they endured the crushing pressure of Rocks's Conqueror's Haki.
Rocks was still Rocks, with overwhelming strength enough to keep these officers in line.
"I don't want to see this happen again," Rocks warned coldly.
He didn't care about fights between trainee sailors and regular sailors.
But officers were different. These powerful men would be fighting alongside him to conquer the world.
He knew there were tensions between the officers.
But if they focused their fighting spirit on each other and kept squabbling, the crew would eventually fall apart.
Rocks would never allow that.
As his crew, they should use their strength to fight their enemies, not one another.
But it was already too late for Rocks to rein in the officers. Their grudges had taken root.
Though these unruly men still obeyed Rocks on the surface,
their feuds would flare up again as soon as they got the chance.
Whitebeard and Patri Vic hurried to the shore.
Rocks looked slightly relieved when he saw Whitebeard. Then he shouted, "Set sail!"
The trainee sailors and regular sailors had already boarded. Once the officers were on board, the ship began moving across the sea.
Patri Vic leaned against the railing. He didn't know what had happened, but he could sense the strange mood aboard the ship.
"Next, we're going to attack the Amondos Allied Nation! Give it your all, and don't disappoint me!" Rocks stood at the bow and roared.
The crew cheered, but the mood among the officers remained cold.
Rocks gave the officers a chilly look but said nothing more.
"Ugh, I'm so disappointed in the pirates on this ship," Whitebeard said, leaning against the railing with a look of dismay.
He had joined the Rocks Pirates with a tiny bit of hope, but now that hope had been crushed.
As one of Rocks's officers, how could he fail to understand the strange and uneasy atmosphere among them?
"Edward, you have to chase after your dreams," Patri Vic said with a smile, trying to comfort him.
"Let's hope so." Whitebeard took a big swig of wine and sighed.
The Rocks Pirates sailed onward until they reached the Amondos Allied Nation.
The country was extremely wealthy. Every year, it paid a Heavenly Tribute worth an astronomical sum.
They couldn't be bothered to steal the Heavenly Tribute. Instead, they planned to sack the entire country.
Rocks left part of the crew behind to guard the ship. Then Golden Lion used his power,
making the auxiliary ship float into the air and head for the Amendos Kingdom.
"Pirates are attacking! Pirates are attacking!!!"
The guards of the Amendos Kingdom saw the enormous pirate ship floating in midair and shouted in a panic.
"Bang! Bang! Bang!!!"
"Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!!!"
The auxiliary ship fired countless cannonballs down at the Amendos Kingdom.
They destroyed countless buildings and left large numbers of soldiers badly wounded.
Once every cannonball had been fired, the officers of the Rocks Pirates launched a fierce attack on the Amendos Kingdom.
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