The Navy's Top Brass Were Shocked!

Kong's brow furrowed as his fingers tapped absently on the desk.

The threat posed by the Rocks Pirates was like a dark cloud, swelling endlessly over the New World and weighing so heavily on Marine Headquarters that they could barely breathe.

Finding a breakthrough, obtaining crucial intelligence, and devising effective strategies to contain or even strike at them had become an urgent matter.

Buru-buru... Buru-buru...

Just then, a Den Den Mushi on the corner of the desk suddenly rang out, interrupting Kong's heavy thoughts.

He glanced at the Den Den Mushi, then at Sengoku, Garp, and Zephyr, who were present.

He had no need to hide anything from these colleagues, who were absolutely loyal and held important positions.

So he picked up the receiver.

"Click."

The call connected.

"This is Beehive Island..."

The voice coming through the Den Den Mushi was barely above a whisper, but the words "Beehive Island" made Sengoku, Garp, and Zephyr instantly turn grave.

Beehive Island—the Navy's nightmare, and the impenetrable stronghold of the Rocks Pirates!

"Fleet Admiral Kong! The Rocks Pirates... have another monster-level rookie. He appeared just today!"

"You mean Kaido, the one we received intelligence about some time ago? The one with suspected Oni Race blood who fought three branch Vice Admirals to a standstill.

G-3 branch has already submitted a detailed report on the matter. I'm up to speed." Kong nodded.

He had assumed the urgent contact from his undercover agent was to report on Kaido's latest movements or a large-scale gathering of the Rocks Pirates.

"No... It's not Kaido!"

"It's someone else... A rookie who just appeared today. He's even more terrifying than Kaido, and his Devil Fruit ability is even stranger!"

"What?!" Kong's heart sank.

The agent he had personally selected and planted among the Rocks Pirates' upper ranks was resolute and experienced. There was no way he would make false or exaggerated claims about the intelligence.

"A rookie stronger than Kaido? What exactly happened? Give me a full report! Don't leave out a single detail!"

"Yes! This afternoon, a young man forced his way onto Beehive Island and charged alone straight into its inner stronghold!

He has an unprecedented and bizarre Devil Fruit ability, seemingly related to 'space.'

He defeated three squadron commanders in an instant!"

Kong's gaze sharpened at the news.

Every commander in the Rocks Pirates was a ruthless fighter who had battled through the blood-soaked New World.

They were at least as strong as elite Rear Admirals at Marine Headquarters, and the very best among them were even comparable to some Vice Admirals.

Defeating three of them in an instant? What did that even mean?

"Then, in front of everyone, he displayed impressive swordsmanship. Wielding a Supreme Grade Blade, he drove back Ochoku head-on.

Ochoku's weapon was left cracked, and he himself was badly injured. It was a complete rout!"

"In the end... Rocks showed up in person. Not only did he let the young man get away with killing commanders and defeating a senior officer, he promoted him to a senior officer on the spot!"

When the report ended, the air in the office seemed to freeze.

Every senior officer in the Rocks Pirates was powerful enough to whip up a storm across the seas and roam the New World virtually unchallenged.

They knew full well the strength of people like Golden Lion Shiki, Edward Newgate, and Charlotte Linlin.

Ochoku might not have been recognized as one of the strongest among the senior officers, but he was unquestionably one of them—a true powerhouse at the pinnacle of the New World.

If that young man could overpower Ochoku head-on, didn't that mean...

"What's this rookie's name?!"

Kong demanded urgently. It would be another name that needed to be marked in bold on the Navy's highest-risk list.

"His name is Luo Tian! I think someone's coming this way. I can't say any more—"

Beep, beep—

After hurriedly giving his name, the agent's transmission cut off.

Kong slowly lowered the receiver. The four men fell silent.

After a long while—

"Tch!" Garp casually picked his nose, breaking the silence. A trace of annoyance and confusion crossed his face.

"Why do all these freak rookies with extraordinary talent end up joining that bastard Rocks's crew?

Why can't they come serve justice at Marine Headquarters? Do young people these days have no sense at all?"

"Ahem!" Sengoku glared sharply at Garp. How could he say something like that at a time like this?

Still, he couldn't help feeling the same confusion and frustration deep down.

Zephyr, who had always been stern and held the Navy's justice as his lifelong creed, could only shake his head helplessly.

Garp could be impossible to deal with sometimes.

But his words had hit on the Navy's weakness in attracting talent—and the awkward position they now found themselves in.

Kong slowly sat back down and looked from Sengoku to Zephyr and Garp.

Sengoku began his analysis. "The Rocks Pirates have been turning out rookies lately, especially Kaido, whose physical strength is beyond belief, and now Luo Tian, who seems even stranger according to this report.

I don't think the Navy can afford to sit back any longer. We must adjust our strategy and take more active measures to contain them!

If those two monsters fully mature under Rocks, the destruction they could cause and the threat they'd pose to the world order would be impossible to gauge!"

"Agreed," Zephyr said gravely.

"Rocks already has the ambition and power to overturn the world, and now he's gaining terrifying new recruits one after another...

If those rookies fully integrate into his organization, the overall strength of the Rocks Pirates could swell in a short time to a level we might struggle to handle!

By then, containing or even exterminating them would come at an unimaginable cost!"

Sengoku and Zephyr turned to the Fleet Admiral in the seat of honor, waiting for his final decision.

Kong spoke with firm resolve. "Immediately classify the intelligence on Luo Tian as top secret!

Add his name to Marine Headquarters' list of 'Highest-Risk Potential Targets.' For now, assign him the same threat level as Kaido.

Notify all branches in the New World to heighten their alert. At the same time, the Intelligence Department must use every available resource to gather as much information as possible about Luo Tian—including his background, the details of his abilities, and his personality and weaknesses!

If a suitable opportunity presents itself, or we confirm he's isolated, we must use every means and every available force to completely snuff out this rising star of the Rocks Pirates before he can mature!

We must never let him grow into another Golden Lion or Whitebeard!

At the same time, the focus of Marine Headquarters' work must shift toward the New World in the coming days!

Keep a close watch on every move the Rocks Pirates make, especially the movements of anyone ranked senior officer or above!"

Kong issued a string of orders. He agreed with Sengoku and Zephyr's assessment and understood how serious the problem was.

The Rocks Pirates, that festering tumor entrenched in the New World—

It seemed they weren't declining at all. Instead, they were becoming even more troublesome and dangerous by continually recruiting monster rookies.

Why did those exceptionally talented, arrogant monsters always end up under Rocks?