A few days later, Beehive Island.
The meeting hall.
"You should have noticed the Navy's recent movements."
"Marine Headquarters has not only recalled the two Admirals, Zhu Yan and Qiong Qi, but has also sent most of its elite forces to bases across the New World, where they are drilling day and night."
"Clearly, before long, we're bound to face a massive Navy-wide campaign against us!"
The hall fell deathly silent.
"Waiting around to be slaughtered has never been my style."
Rocks rose to his feet and walked over to the enormous sea chart on the wall. He ran a finger across the vast waters of the New World.
"So, before the storm fully takes shape, we must strike first and seize the initiative."
He turned around, madness burning in his eyes.
"But before that, we need more weapons and ammunition, and we must take our overall strength to the next level!"
"I have important matters to deal with for a while."
As he spoke, his gaze swept over all the officers present.
"You won't be sitting around either."
"Take your fleets and plunder every force you can find in the New World—pirates, kingdoms, or whatever other small fry you come across."
"In short, finish the job as quickly as possible, then use the treasure you plunder to buy the weapons we need on the black market—arms, ammunition, ships, and... Devil Fruits."
"Of course, don't stop working to get stronger yourselves."
"If anything unexpected happens, contact me through a Den Den Mushi."
The officers listened in silence, and no one objected.
Everyone understood that Rocks was gathering enough resources to shake the world for the inevitable showdown with the Navy and even the World Government.
This wasn't ordinary plundering. It was the final preparation before war.
"Meeting adjourned."
Rocks waved his hand.
The officers gradually rose and left.
Soon, only Luo Tian and Rocks remained in the meeting hall.
No one was surprised that Luo Tian had been asked to stay behind.
With the strength and standing he had demonstrated, the captain was bound to have a more important task for him.
Luo Tian asked calmly, "You asked me to stay behind because you have a secret mission for me, right?"
Rocks laughed.
"Ha ha ha... You guessed right. There's indeed something only you can do."
"But this time, the mission isn't in the New World."
"To be safe, you're the best person for the job."
"With your strength and Devil Fruit ability, even a Marine Admiral might not be able to stop you. And besides..."
He paused.
"The place you're going is a little far away."
Luo Tian understood. He gave a slight nod to show that he accepted.
Suddenly, a place name came to mind.
The whole crew was heading out to sweep through the New World and plunder treasure, which meant his mission was also to "steal treasure"—and his destination was so far away that Rocks had felt the need to emphasize it...
Thinking of certain details from the original story, Luo Tian asked tentatively, "Is the target this time... the Ice Continent?"
The Ice Continent lay within the borders of Flower Country in West Blue. Legend had it that beneath its glaciers, which had never melted for countless ages, lay an astonishing treasure accumulated over more than ten generations, piled high as a mountain.
It was the legacy treasure guarded by the Happo Navy for generations, and its value far exceeded that of the Heavenly Tribute they had seized before.
Though the Rocks Pirates were infamous across the seas, their actual sphere of influence was mostly concentrated in the New World and had yet to reach the distant West Blue.
If the target had been in their territory in the New World, any core officer could have handled it.
But West Blue was another matter entirely.
If the Navy caught wind of the operation ahead of time, then even Whitebeard would struggle to escape unscathed if several of the Navy's top fighters surrounded him.
The power and spatial abilities Luo Tian commanded gave him tremendous mobility and the ability to break through enemy lines, making him the ideal choice for this kind of covert long-distance raid.
"Oh? So you've heard of that place too."
A flicker of surprise crossed Rocks' eyes, then he confirmed it.
"That's right. The treasure lies beneath the glaciers."
"Accumulated over eleven generations, its value..."
Rocks paused, a rare note of anticipation entering his voice.
"It's probably far greater than the Heavenly Tribute we took last time."
"If it weren't all the way out in West Blue, that treasure would already be ours."
He was somewhat surprised that Luo Tian knew about it, but since Luo Tian was already familiar with the matter, there was no need to explain much.
"Once the mission is complete, half the treasure will be yours, and the other half will go into the pirates' treasury."
It was an extraordinarily generous offer.
Half the treasure of the Ice Continent... That would be enough wealth to buy an entire country.
Luo Tian nodded calmly.
"Understood."
"I'll leave for West Blue tomorrow."
The following day, Luo Tian went to the harbor alone.
The island seemed much quieter than usual.
Whitebeard, Shiki, Linlin, the other officers, and their fleets had all left. On the vast Beehive Island, it seemed that only Rocks' own fleet remained behind.
Luo Tian walked to the docks. Most of the berths, once crowded with masts, now stood empty. Only a few ships remained moored along the shore, making the place seem especially quiet.
They'd moved fast. The officers had already set sail with their fleets, even though the order had only been given yesterday.
Luo Tian walked to the end of the pier, where a huge pirate ship was moored.
Its hull was painted dark red, its masts towered high, and its decks bristled with cannons. It wasn't as large as Rocks' flagship, but it was still a first-rate warship.
Rocks had assigned the ship and its crew to Luo Tian for this mission. They would also be responsible for bringing the treasure back.
Luo Tian's figure flickered, and in the next instant, he appeared in the middle of the deck.
"Look! It's Officer Luo Tian!"
"Greetings, Officer Luo Tian!"
The pirates waiting aboard immediately crowded around and bowed respectfully.
They were all elite pirates directly under Rocks, far more disciplined than ordinary crewmen.
"Is everyone here?" Luo Tian asked as he swept his gaze over them.
"Reporting, sir! Everyone's here, and our supplies are ready. We can set sail at any time!"
Luo Tian nodded slightly and said nothing more.
He walked to the bow and faced west, his thoughts stirring.
Humm—
The entire massive pirate ship shuddered slightly, then slowly rose from the sea and hovered in midair.
"It—it's flying!"
"As expected of Officer Luo Tian! His ability looks just like Officer Shiki's Float-Float Fruit!"
Excited gasps rang out across the ship. Although these pirates had all seen Shiki use his powers, they were still stunned to see Luo Tian make the ship take flight in a similar way.
Luo Tian ignored the commotion behind him. He held both hands out, palms facing down, and then—
Directed Void Flow!
[Directed Void Flow] drew on the energy of the void to create a surging current of air, propelling an object at high speed along a designated path!
BOOM!!!
An invisible current of air erupted behind the ship, driving the thousand-ton vessel westward like an arrow loosed from a bow!
As the ship sped through the air, friction with the atmosphere made its surface glow faintly red. A cone-shaped shock wave even formed at the bow.
Three days later.
West Blue, somewhere over a vast stretch of sea.
Luo Tian stood at the bow, gazing at the outline gradually coming into view where the sea met the sky.
The coastline ahead, still faint in the distance, should be part of Flower Country.
The country was famous for its flowers and spices, and its formidable Happo Navy also held the West Blue in awe.
"Raise the flag."
Luo Tian gave the order calmly.
Before long, the skull flag of the Rocks Pirates slowly rose to the top of the mast.
The flag, black with a crowned skull and crossed swords behind it, symbolized the might of the New World's ruler.
The hovering pirate ship flew into the territorial waters of Flower Country.
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