The Big News that the Rocks Pirates had wiped out the Ochoku Pirates spread quickly.
Ochoku, the great pirate known as the Pirate Patriarch, had actually been defeated and killed by an officer of the Rocks Pirates just like that—and Rocks hadn't even lifted a finger.
It gave the world another glimpse of just how powerful the Rocks Pirates were.
The island's signature landscape and structures on Elysium Island had been created by Houka, the Rocks Pirates' Great Demon Lord, and Golden Lion Shiki.
Whitebeard Newgate had split Elysium Island in two with a single punch, creating a strait through its center and forming a natural harbor.
That allowed more pirate ships to sail into the strait and harbor, making Elysium Island more prosperous than ever.
Rocks had publicly declared himself the Overlord of the New World on Elysium Island!
He had boldly welcomed the great pirates of the New World to come challenge him and test their mettle.
The new title of the World's Worst Pirate put immense pressure on many of the New World's great pirates once again.
The target behind the title "Overlord of the New World" was already crystal clear.
Rocks meant to become the absolute ruler of the New World!
Although some great pirates were deeply unhappy about it, they didn't dare set foot on Elysium Island to challenge the monster Rocks.
After all, a monster capable of killing a Marine Admiral was terrifying beyond belief!
After Rocks announced that the Rocks Pirates would recruit some subordinate pirate crews,
the news set the New World ablaze!
Was this Overlord of the New World finally going to expand his power on a massive scale?
Countless pirate crews eager to latch onto a powerful ally surged toward Elysium Island, determined to become part of the Rocks Pirates.
At the same time, many up-and-coming pirate crews wanted to see the Rocks Pirates' powerful fighters for themselves.
They didn't believe Rocks could kill all those who refused to join his crew.
Countless pirate crews flocked to Elysium Island, and in just ten days, it had become incredibly lively and prosperous.
The World Government and Marine Headquarters felt the enormous threat posed by the Rocks Pirates.
The fearsome reputations of the Rocks Pirates' officers spread just as quickly.
Even the bottom-ranking Tidal Sea Demon Sambel and Gourmet Knight Streusen had gained fans of their own.
Countless Fish-Men and chefs admired them.
The fact that the two had managed to join the Rocks Pirates and hold their own among a crew full of monsters was proof enough of their strength.
Deep-Sea Titan Babel and Silver Axe Xiong had even fought Ochoku to a standstill, proving themselves formidable as well.
Golden Lion Shiki and Steel Balloon Charlotte Linlin had even gained the upper hand against Ochoku for a time.
Whitebeard Newgate was even stronger. He had taken Ochoku down with a single move, displaying truly terrifying strength.
And then there was the Rocks Pirates' vice-captain, Great Demon Lord Houka, who had personally killed the Pirate Patriarch.
With his handsome looks, sinister charm, formidable strength, and spectacular abilities, he had become the Rocks Pirates' undisputed superstar.
His wanted poster had become a collectible pinup among countless female pirates and beautiful women across the Four Blues.
Houka had even received countless love letters from all over the world, much to Shiki and Xiong's displeasure.
They simply couldn't understand why beautiful women liked a pretty boy like Houka instead of strapping, imposing men like them.
Also, perhaps the World Government didn't want to keep building up the Rocks Pirates' reputation.
After the battle on Elysium Island, the World Government and Marine Headquarters had surprisingly delayed issuing updated bounties for the Rocks Pirates.
By rights, after taking down the Ochoku Pirates, everyone's bounty should have gone up by a considerable amount.
At the Holy Land of Mary Geoise,
Saint Saturn, one of the Five Elders, was furious over Cipher Pol Aigis Zero's failure.
After all, Kozuki Houka was a target Lord Imu had personally ordered them to capture.
And now, even Ochoku, an important pawn, had been killed.
The World Government knew how difficult it was to buy off a great pirate.
Those great pirates were famous for being arrogant and lawless. They couldn't care less about the World Government.
It was rare to find a great pirate like Ochoku, who was greedy and lecherous.
This failure meant Saturn had to come up with another plan to get his hands on Kozuki Houka.
Otherwise, if Lord Imu grew angry, Saturn would be in for a rough time.
The Holy Knights' search had also come up empty.
They hadn't even figured out which sea Rocks came from.
It was as if Rocks had appeared out of nowhere.
There wasn't a trace of him to be found.
Even the World Government's and Marine Headquarters' vast intelligence networks couldn't dig up a single scrap of information.
That could only mean Rocks came from a non-Affiliated Nation.
Or from a non-Affiliated island beyond the World Government's reach.
Even the Underground Dark World had absolutely no information on Rocks.
Before the Reverie, it seemed that not even the pirates and merchants who had encountered Rocks had heard of him.
That revealed another important fact.
Rocks's homeland might never have had any contact with the Underground Dark World.
Based on the clues and their deductions, the Holy Knights could only keep searching the obscure non-Affiliated Nations and islands.
As for Kozuki Village, where Houka had first appeared, the Holy Knights had combed through it several times.
But they hadn't found any other mutants like Houka.
Besides, Kozuki Village had already been destroyed by the Cang Kingdom, leaving the Holy Knights with very little information or evidence concerning Houka.
In a certain part of the New World,
Ganzi, a smuggler pirate dressed in golden armor, saw the news about the Rocks Pirates. His eyes immediately lit up as if he'd spotted boundless business opportunities.
He quickly loaded his smuggling fleet with all kinds of supplies and set course for bustling Elysium Island to do business.
He was determined to make a fortune on the rapidly growing island.
As for becoming a subordinate crew of the Rocks Pirates, he hadn't even considered it.
Wasn't it better to be his own boss?
Why become someone else's underling?
Besides, his passion and goal was making money. He loved glittering gold and had no interest in fighting.
But if he could establish a connection with Elysium Island, he'd have another steady source of income.
In another part of the sea,
The Bolo Pirates, the Buster Pirates, and other up-and-coming crews all headed for Elysium Island, eager to see the world.
As long as they kept a low profile, they shouldn't attract the attention of big shots like Rocks.
"This Whitebeard Newgate is so young, yet he's already this strong."
For some reason, Bolo Gram immediately felt that Whitebeard Newgate was just the sort of person he liked.
He felt certain Whitebeard would make a friend worth having.
Maybe even the kind of dependable friend he could entrust his children to.
"The Rocks Pirates seem to be missing a sniper..."
With four transparent ghosts floating around him, Four-Armed Gun King Gier Buster considered whether he should keep going it alone or become a subordinate of Rocks.
He could even try for a position as one of the Rocks Pirates' officers.
Maybe joining the Rocks Pirates wouldn't be a bad choice!
Of course, waiting for Rocks to "snatch him up" would show off his strength and make him more famous than joining of his own accord.
But if he suddenly got killed like Ochoku, that would be a real raw deal.