The World Government's Decision (Seeking Flowers)

Patri Vic's battle with Whitebeard lasted half an hour.

Of course, the only reason Patri Vic could match him was that Whitebeard was holding back.

If the other had fought at full strength, he wouldn't have lasted long.

Fighting Whitebeard was a huge help to Patri Vic. During the battle, his grasp and proficiency in Ninja Body Technique improved considerably.

Whitebeard also taught him the application of Armament Haki along the way. Though he hadn't mastered it yet, he was close to the threshold.

Night fell, the moon hung high, spilling silvery light, and their fight had already ended.

"You're improving fast, Vic. One day, you'll become a strong man who can stand shoulder to shoulder with me," Whitebeard said, sitting on the cracked ground, praising him.

"I hope so."

"I'm leaving for a while tomorrow, Vic. There are plenty of powerful pirates in the New World. Rocks sent me to invite them. If you run into trouble on Hachinosu Island, just drop my name."

"Hope your name carries weight." Patri Vic smiled and teased.

"Don't worry. I'm a cadre of the Rocks Pirates now. The number of people on this island who'd dare lay a hand on you is few. Feel free to use my name."

"Alright."

They talked for a long time. Whitebeard left, and Patri Vic went back to the tavern to sleep.

The next day, Whitebeard set out for a certain sea in the New World to recruit its strong fighters.

And Rocks' blatant recruitment of crew naturally caught the Navy's attention.

The Fleet Admiral urgently convened a meeting at Mary Geoise to discuss the matter.

"Rocks has a bounty of one billion—a vicious, ruthless pirate. He's formed a pirate crew, and every notorious pirate on Hachinosu has joined his ship."

"What's more, he's recruiting strong pirates from all over the world."

"Rocks poses a significant threat to the Navy. We need to eliminate him quickly."

The Fleet Admiral at Navy Headquarters stared at the stack of wanted posters on the table, his head aching.

They were all pirates with bounties over a hundred million: Edward Newgate, Shiki, Charlotte Linlin, John, Wang Zhi, Silver Axe.

Every last one was a famous pirate from Hachinosu Island.

Other well-known pirates from across the seas were also joining the Rocks Pirates one after another.

If he was allowed to keep growing and expanding, the consequences would be unthinkable.

"Getting rid of him won't be easy," a high-ranking Navy officer replied gravely.

"We never took the pirates on Hachinosu Island seriously before, but now they want to band together. That's a real problem for the Navy," a Navy Admiral said with a serious expression.

"To play it safe, we should send someone to Hachinosu Island to gather intel first, then decide."

"Then who should we send?"

"Hasn't Navy Headquarters recently trained three Navy Captains with solid skills and good teamwork? They've been operating in the first half of the Grand Line—almost no one in the New World knows them."

"Have them disguise themselves a bit and send them to Hachinosu Island as spies to gather intel on the Rocks Pirates. That's the best move."

"Then let them go." The Fleet Admiral approved the proposal.

The high-ranking officials of the World Government began contacting Navy Headquarters to notify the three trained Captains.

Marineford, Navy Headquarters.

The Vice Admiral there received orders from above and informed Garp and the others of the upcoming mission and its target.

"We're supposed to go to Hachinosu Island to gather intel? That place is crawling with terrifying pirates. The difficulty is enormous." Sengoku pushed up his glasses and replied hoarsely.

"Puhaha... Isn't it just Rocks? What's there to be afraid of?" Garp laughed loudly from the side, snacking as he spoke.

Garp was still very young, brimming with confidence in his own strength, because they'd always operated in the first half of the Grand Line.

Paradise didn't have many strong pirates—most had been wiped out by the three of them. That left him with no fear of pirates at all.

Even Rocks, with his one-billion bounty, Garp thought he could take on. That was what it meant to have never been beaten down by the world.

"Garp, stop eating snacks while you're talking. It's annoying!" Sengoku shouted, holding his forehead in exasperation.

Garp didn't understand the gravity of the situation or how strong Rocks really was.

But Sengoku knew all too well how terrifying a pirate with a one-billion bounty in the New World could be.

And what kind of dangers Hachinosu Island held.

"Rocks is a pirate with a one-billion bounty. His terror is beyond what we can handle right now. At least this time we're only gathering intel," Tsuru said calmly.

"Don't worry, Tsuru. If danger comes, I'll protect you. No pirate can stand up to my fists!" Garp laughed, flexing his muscles.

"Can't you hope for something good, Garp? And the pirates on Hachinosu Island aren't anything like the ones in Paradise."

If Garp weren't such a powerful asset, Sengoku would have kicked him off the team right then and there.

"Don't worry. No matter what kind of pirates I run into, I won't back down." Garp grinned, flashing his white teeth.

"Tch." Sengoku let out a helpless sigh at Garp's hot-bloodedness.

He silently prayed that this trip to Hachinosu Island to gather intel would go off without any trouble.

Hachinosu Island.

Patri Vic stood at the entrance of the tavern, a faint smirk curling at the corner of his mouth. The tavern's owner had been killed by pirates just yesterday.

This tavern was now his property. The owner had stashed away a fair bit of money, and Patri Vic had taken it all for himself.

He used the cash to give the tavern a full renovation and stocked up on plenty of fine liquor.

The tavern was back in business.

The Rocks Pirates had already formed, starting out as a notorious crew in the New World.

After all, the Rocks Pirates had recruited every famous pirate powerhouse on Hachinosu Island.

Plenty of pirates from across the seas had also come seeking to join.

But none of that concerned Patri Vic—he wasn't part of the Rocks Pirates anyway.

Patri Vic had hired a few waitstaff for the tavern. All he had to do was sit back and count the money. Sure, the tavern's profits weren't huge, but even a mosquito's leg counts as meat.

New book begging for flowers, begging for monthly tickets, begging for everything.

May Day reading fun, 500 VIP coupons gifted!

(Event period: April 29th to May 3rd)