Splitting the Spoils! The Return of the Rocks Pirates!

Rocks spoke up at this moment: "In this raid to seize the Heavenly Tribute, the three of you contributed the most, with Luo Tian standing out above all."

"Shiki seized the Heavenly Tribute, Newgate held off Sengoku, and Luo Tian..."

"He went even further, severely wounding Tsuru, suppressing Zephyr, and fighting Garp to a standstill, causing the prestige of our Rocks Pirates to shake the world."

"Such achievements deserve to be rewarded."

"Therefore, Shiki and Newgate, you two may each choose one Devil Fruit and one weapon."

"As for Luo Tian... having the highest war merit, you may take two Devil Fruits."

"Whatever catches your eye, feel free to pick."

The Rocks Pirates were never a warm, affectionate family, but a pack of wolves where the strong were respected.

War merit was the source of authority.

"Jiehahaha! I have no complaints with the Captain's arrangement!" Shiki laughed and agreed.

"Gurararara! Luo Tian, these items will be quite helpful for you to recruit subordinates in the future."

Luo Tian nodded slightly, having no objections to the arrangement made by Rocks.

"Good."

Rocks stepped aside and gestured for them to proceed.

Luo Tian, Shiki, and Whitebeard walked over to the seven brocade boxes.

Opening the boxes, seven Devil Fruits of various shapes and sizes were displayed inside.

The lids of the boxes had descriptions from the Devil Fruit Encyclopedia attached to them.

Luo Tian scanned the descriptions, feeling slightly disappointed:

"Not even a single Logia?"

Among the seven fruits, three were Paramecia, and four were Zoan, all of which were Ancient Models.

As expected, the Devil Fruits offered as tribute to the Celestial Dragons by various nations were all top-tier items.

"You brat!"

Beside him, Shiki's mouth twitched as he glared at Luo Tian in annoyance:

"Do you think Logia fruits are wild berries on the side of the road, visible everywhere?"

"Gurararara! This Paramecia fruit is actually quite good."

Whitebeard laughed as he picked up one of the fruits, which shone like a diamond:

"Glint-Glint Fruit... it can make the body as hard as a diamond, with astonishing defensive power."

He weighed the fruit in his hand and nodded with satisfaction:

"I'll take this one."

Seeing that Whitebeard had made his choice, Shiki immediately reached out and snatched the Shark-Shark Fruit, Ancient Model: Megalodon:

"I want this one!"

Compared to Paramecia, Shiki preferred the intuitive enhancement of Zoan types—simple, brutal, and effective.

Luo Tian also chose two Devil Fruits.

Ape-Ape Fruit, Ancient Model: King Kong.

Cat-Cat Fruit, Ancient Model: Saber-Toothed Tiger.

Although these Ancient Zoan fruits were of little use to him personally, they were excellent choices for cultivating subordinates.

Especially since Ancient Models were stronger than ordinary Zoan types and only slightly inferior to Mythical Zoan types.

"Finished choosing?"

The voice of Rocks came from behind them.

The three turned around, each displaying the fruits they had selected.

"Not bad."

Rocks nodded, then turned toward the two weapon racks:

"The famous blades are here. Shiki, Newgate, you may each choose one.

Since Luo Tian has already taken two fruits, no additional weapons will be allocated."

On the weapon racks, nine swords were displayed.

Great Grade 21 Swords: three.

Skillful Grade 50 Swords: six.

Shiki's eyes lit up, and he couldn't wait to walk toward the weapon racks.

He was a Great Swordsman himself and had an almost obsessive love for famous blades.

Although he already possessed Oto and Kogarashi, who would ever complain about having too many fine blades?

In the end, Shiki chose a Great Grade sword.

Newgate simply waved his hand, indicating he had no need for one.

Consequently, the remaining famous blades and Devil Fruits naturally belonged to Rocks; as for how he would distribute them later, that was his own business.

A few days later, at the port of Beehive Island.

At this moment, the coastline was already packed with a dense crowd of people.

Nearly all the executives of the Rocks Pirates were present, along with countless crew members.

They were waiting here because today was the day the spoils of war would return.

John, who was notoriously obsessed with wealth, had a nearly manic glint in his eyes.

Even though their own expedition to plunder another shipment of Heavenly Tribute had returned empty-handed.

The captain's side was different; he had seized an entire massive ship fully loaded with Heavenly Tribute.

Even if he hadn't contributed a single ounce of effort, according to the rules of the Rocks Pirates, as an executive, he would still receive a share.

Although the portion would certainly not compare to those who had participated in the battle, this was the Heavenly Tribute meant for the Celestial Dragons—how could its value be compared to ordinary treasure?

Just thinking about those gold coins, jewels, Devil Fruits, and famous blades made John's throat go dry and his heart race.

In reality, the high-ranking officials of the Navy had already transferred the other shipment of Heavenly Tribute into the one being escorted by Sengoku and Zephyr.

That was why Charlotte Linlin and John had come up empty-handed.

But they never expected that the strength of the Rocks Pirates would be so overwhelming; not only did the Navy lose all the Heavenly Tribute, but they also suffered heavy casualties, a true case of losing both the battle and the prize.

However, in stark contrast to John's excitement were the expressions of Ochoku and Kaido.

The two stood at the front of the crowd, their faces dark.

The Navy had already released news and bounty posters regarding the Rocks Pirates' robbery of the Heavenly Tribute, and the news had spread across the four seas like a hurricane; they had already read the papers.

In particular, the battle record of Luo Tian and his 2.5 billion bounty struck their hearts like a heavy hammer.

Kaido clenched his fists tightly, his knuckles turning white.

He looked at the face on the bounty poster—a face that was excessively young yet carried a 2.5 billion bounty—and jealousy and resentment surged within his chest.

Why?

He, Kaido, had joined the Rocks Pirates earlier than Luo Tian, and his strength was not weak; why was it that Luo Tian could become famous in a single battle and earn a 2.5 billion bounty, while he was still just a "newcomer"?

It wasn't fair!

If not for Luo Tian, he would definitely be the best newcomer in the Rocks Pirates.

But even with all the resentment in his heart, Kaido had to face reality.

The World Government and the Navy would never treat their own reputation and dignity as a joke.

Being able to issue a 2.5 billion bounty meant that Luo Tian truly possessed the strength to match it.

Fighting Garp to a standstill...

Just thinking about it made Kaido feel a chill run down his spine.

Ochoku's mood was even more complicated, as he had previously had a conflict with Luo Tian.

Just then, a dozen pirate ships appeared on the distant sea surface.

Floating in the sky above was a massive transport ship.

"Is that the legendary Heavenly Tribute transport ship?!"

"As expected of a tribute for the Celestial Dragons, the hull alone is twice as big as our ships!"

"Such a massive transport ship... how much treasure must be inside? Are we really going to get rich?!"

The pirates gathered on the shore exclaimed in succession, their eyes filled with undisguised greed and fanaticism.

Not long after, the returning fleet docked steadily at the port.

Captain Rocks stepped off the bow, his black cloak flapping behind him.

Luo Tian, Shiki, and Newgate followed closely behind.

The four stood side by side at the front of the pier.

Rocks scanned his subordinates, who were as dense as an ant colony, and announced in a booming voice:

"Lads—"

The port fell silent instantly, and everyone's gaze focused on him.

"Move all the treasure from the ship into the castle!"

"All treasure is to be tallied and stored! Everyone gets a share!"

"Tonight, we hold a victory banquet!"

"Oh—!!"

"Long live the Captain!"

"The Captain is invincible!"

The cheers erupted like a landslide and a tsunami.