In the blink of an eye, a year had passed.
The Rocks Pirates had become the most dangerous pirate crew in the entire New World.
A year ago, Patri Vic had unlocked four abilities: Nintaijutsu, Fire Release, Wood Release, and Earth Release.
For every 1% increase in unlocked abilities, his character completion increased by 0.1%.
Over the course of the year, Patri Vic had made considerable progress in unlocking his abilities.
By now, his Hashirama Senju completion had exceeded �%, unlocking the power of Lightning Release.
Over the past year, the Rocks Pirates had developed extremely smoothly, recruiting countless powerful crew members.
One example was the apprentice Kaido. Although he was still an apprentice, his terrifying strength was already on par with that of the full-fledged crew members.
At that moment, in the Holy Land Mary Geoise,
the leaders of the World Government and numerous high-ranking officers of Navy Headquarters had gathered for another meeting.
This time, the meeting was once again focused on the Rocks Pirates.
The Rocks Pirates had grown at a pace beyond their expectations and had now become the dominant power in the New World.
In the oppressive meeting room, they stared grimly at the wanted posters laid out on the table.
Rocks Jibeck: Bounty of � billion Berries!
Edward Newgate: Bounty of � billion Berries!
Charlotte Linlin: Bounty of � billion Berries!
Shiki's bounty: 1.9 billion Berries!
Patri Vic: Bounty of � billion Berries!
The wanted posters of the Rocks Pirates' powerful members lay before them. Every one of them was an extremely dangerous figure.
With so many terrifying powerhouses gathered together, the Rocks Pirates had become a truly dangerous force.
"Over the past year, the Rocks Pirates have attacked a large number of Affiliated Nations in the New World. Too many countries have lost faith in the World Government," one of the World Government's leaders said hoarsely, his face clouded with worry.
The Affiliated Nations were under the protection of the World Government. Even the great pirates who roamed the seas wouldn't casually plunder them.
They would be pursued by the World Government if they did.
But the Rocks Pirates were different. Those vicious pirates had set their sights on the World Government's Affiliated Nations.
Back then, the pirates of the Rocks Pirates had been little-known figures on Hachinosu Island.
Now, however, they had grown into a terrifying force capable of ruling the New World.
"They've grown far too quickly. We must wipe them out as soon as possible," Fleet Admiral Kong said gravely, folding his arms across his chest.
Over the past year, Kong had risen from Navy Vice Admiral to Navy Admiral.
Garp, Tsuru, and Sengoku had also spent the year relentlessly pursuing other pirates. They were now Rear Admirals.
Garp and the others had been eligible to attend this meeting, but the three of them were still out at sea, hunting down great pirates, and had yet to return.
"It's not just the Rocks Pirates. The Grand Line has been restless lately, too. That bastard Roger has destroyed a number of our naval bases again," one of the Navy's high-ranking officers complained.
Gol D. Roger's bounty had now reached � billion!
Rayleigh and Gaban's bounties had also reached � billion.
They were an extremely dangerous group as well.
"Let's set the other pirates aside for now and focus on the Rocks Pirates. We suffered heavy losses in the battle at the Meras Kingdom two years ago, and even lost an Admiral. It's time to deal with them."
Two years ago, the Rocks Pirates had attacked a World Government Affiliated Nation.
Although the Navy had sent an Admiral there, he had still met a tragic end.
Over the past two years, they had focused on other great pirates and wiped out quite a few of them.
Meanwhile, the Rocks Pirates had taken advantage of the opportunity to rise to prominence and become the dominant force in the New World.
Now it was time to focus on the Rocks Pirates again.
"Launch a Buster Call," a World Government leader said solemnly.
A Buster Call was a merciless attack that burned everything to the ground. It was led by ten warships, five Vice Admirals, and the Navy's elite forces.
The warships were the Navy's sturdiest and most heavily armed vessels. They were all built by the World Government's official shipyard in Water Seven, and their quality was beyond question.
Each ship carried roughly � Navy soldiers, including several thousand elite Navy troops.
A Buster Call was a weapon of mass destruction capable of bombarding and annihilating an entire country!
"I agree. It's best to destroy the Rocks Pirates as soon as possible. If we let them continue to grow, the consequences will be unimaginable," a Navy high-ranking officer said gravely.
"This Buster Call will be led by the Fleet Admiral. Kong, you'll go as well," a World Government leader instructed him.
Ordinarily, a Buster Call was led by five Elite Vice Admirals. But this time, to wipe out Rocks, they were also sending the Fleet Admiral and Navy Admiral Kong.
This was proof enough of the World Government's determination to destroy the Rocks Pirates once and for all.
The Buster Call was underway, and the Navy officers assigned to the operation had begun making preparations.
Garp and the others weren't part of the operation because they were in the New World, pursuing great pirates alongside an Admiral.
Meanwhile,
on a stretch of sea in the New World, a colossal pirate ship sailed through the waves.
Just seeing the ship from afar was enough to fill the pirates of the New World with dread, for it was none other than the Rocks Pirates Ship.
Over the past few years, the Rocks Pirates had made a name for themselves and become the most terrifying and powerful pirate crew in the New World.
Even the World Government and the Navy could do nothing about them.
But despite their fearsome appearance, the Rocks Pirates were actually in a state of chaos internally.
The officers acted independently. None of them accepted anyone else's authority, and they often fought among themselves. The only person they obeyed, more or less, was Rocks.
That was because Rocks possessed overwhelming strength—enough to keep them all in check.
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