Ever since his falling-out with Harald, Rocks had become much gloomier.
Dimon learned from Golden Lion that Giant King Harald had been incited by the World Government to exchange Rocks' life for Elbaf's admission into the World Government.
He truly did not know how to comment on that.
Someone actually believed such a thing?
But from another perspective, Harald did not want to be associated with a notorious pirate either. This friendship had been more of Rocks' one-sided recognition.
Dimon did not get involved. It had nothing to do with him.
Time flew by, and in the blink of an eye, two years passed.
Hachinosu Island, inside a casino.
A figure flew out of the casino, vomiting blood before landing miserably on the ground.
The pedestrians on the street were all shocked at the sight.
"Isn't that 'Blade Demon' Manos, who only landed on this island a few days ago?"
"The captain of the Blade Pirates, a Swift Slash Fruit user with a bounty of 210 million."
"Has he gotten beaten up after just a few days?"
Mocking laughter rang out one after another as a crowd gathered to watch.
On Hachinosu Island, pirates fighting was an everyday occurrence. It happened every day, but seeing a pirate worth over a hundred million get brutally beaten was still rather rare.
"Cough, cough... Damn it! What grudge do I have against you?"
Manos coughed up blood and stared darkly at the casino entrance.
A young and handsome figure stepped out, stopping before the fallen Manos with a calm gaze.
"Do I need a reason to beat you up?"
Manos was furious. In a fit of rage, he got angry.
Cries of alarm rose from the crowd.
"It's Lord Dimon!"
"He actually dared to provoke someone from the Rocks Pirates on this island? He's courting death."
"Ahh~~ Lord Dimon, look over here~ Here~"
Hearing the shrieks, Dimon swept his gaze over—and his face immediately stiffened.
He thought he had run into a female fan, but it was a drag queen!
"You're the brewer of the Rocks Pirates?!" Manos' pupils shrank as he cried in horror, "I've kept to the rules ever since landing on this island! How have I offended you people?!"
"Nowhere. I just don't like the look of you."
Dimon raised his right foot, Armament Haki coating the sole of his shoe as he stomped down on Manos.
With a thunderous boom, Manos' entire head was driven into the ground, and he passed out immediately.
Dimon bent down, grabbed the man by the collar, and carried him away at an unhurried pace.
The onlookers exchanged looks.
"Did he offend Lord Dimon? He came out of the casino... Could he have refused to pay his debt?"
"Who knows? Over the past six months, Lord Dimon has often dealt with newly arrived pirates."
"Ah~ Lord Dimon is so handsome!"
"Shut up, drag queen, or I'll kill you!"
Elsewhere.
Dimon dragged Manos to the basement where he had first summoned him.
With practiced ease, he took out an immortality injection and injected the crimson liquid into the other man's body.
Then he pressed a large hand against Manos' forehead and silently activated Devour.
In an instant, Manos' body twisted and turned into dust, vanishing without a trace.
Dimon slowly closed his eyes and silently absorbed the new power.
"The improvements are getting smaller and smaller..."
Over the past two years, he had devoured one pirate every month, consuming more than twenty pirates worth over a hundred million who had mastered both types of Haki.
Now, his Observation Haki and Armament Haki were already enough to rival Kaido's.
If he wanted to continue strengthening himself, ordinary targets were gradually losing their value.
As for Conqueror's Haki...
Even on Hachinosu Island, there were not many pirates with Conqueror's Haki. In these two years, Dimon had not encountered a single one.
He could devour Kaido, but they were too close. Dimon had become friends with him, so he could hardly lay a hand on a friend.
He glanced at his balance.
Demon Points: 200
"Back to two hundred points again. Devil Fruits aren't easy to obtain either. I need to think of another way."
Over the past two years, the other members of the Rocks Pirates had each found a Devil Fruit and traded it with him.
He could devour one pirate worth over a hundred million each month thanks to those people's efforts.
Now, they had all obtained the power of ageless immortality, and no one was helping him search for Devil Fruits anymore.
As for the Roger Pirates, they had not returned to Hachinosu Island in the past two years.
The last news he saw about them had been last year, when the Roger Pirates landed on Mercury Island and caused quite a stir.
"Forget it. I'm already immortal, so there's nothing wrong with taking things easy. I'll go have a drink with Shakky first."
No more pointless grinding!
Dimon pulled himself together, left the basement, and headed for Shakky's bar.
Walking down the street, he was already thoroughly familiar with Hachinosu Island's scenery. After living here for two years, he was honestly getting a little tired of it.
The Rocks Pirates occasionally sailed out to raid other countries, but he could not even be bothered to join them.
"Dimon!"
Suddenly, Kaido called out to him from behind.
Dimon turned around. "What is it? I was just about to go drinking. Want to come?"
"I've been looking for you. Something big happened! Come with me, Rocks is gathering forces to head for God Valley!" Kaido looked serious.
God Valley...
Dimon froze for a moment. This year was Sea Calendar 1484. Had the God Valley Incident finally erupted?
"What happened?"
"I don't know. Linlin told me. Anyway, let's gather first."
The two immediately headed together for the Skull Grand Hotel, where they found the entire Rocks Pirates assembled in the top-floor banquet hall.
Rocks lounged on a comfortable single sofa, guzzling from a bottle of liquor.
"Dimon, Kaido, you finally made it." Stussy greeted them.
Kaido sat down and asked, "Everyone's here. Can you tell us now?"
Everyone turned their eyes toward their captain.
Rocks grinned. "Dimon, you'll definitely be interested in this!"
After a brief pause, he rose to his feet and raised both hands. "According to the intelligence I obtained, the Celestial Dragons have gathered at God Valley to hold their triennial killing competition. The prize will be six exceptionally powerful Devil Fruits!"
Dimon raised an eyebrow at that.
If he remembered correctly, one of the six fruits was the Azure Dragon Fruit, and another was the Paw-Paw Fruit.
As for the other four, they had not been revealed before he transmigrated, but they were likely of the same caliber.
How many Demon Points would one such fruit provide if he devoured it?
He did not necessarily have to devour them, either. If he could seize one that suited him, Dimon would not mind eating it himself.
At that moment, Charlotte Linlin suddenly said:
"Actually, I've always had a question. Haven't we gained immortal bodies? A person who eats a second Devil Fruit will explode and die, but we can't die. What would happen if we ate a second one?"
The question struck everyone like lightning, leaving them stunned.
Then, one pair of heated eyes after another turned toward Dimon, waiting for his answer.
Dimon was stunned as well. Was this what they called overlooking the obvious? He had never considered this question.
"Well? Can we eat one?" Charlotte Linlin eagerly pressed on. "I've already eaten the Soul-Soul Fruit. It would be great if I could eat a second one!"
"To be honest, I don't know either." Dimon spread his hands. "Why don't you try it? Don't blame me if you die."
John said sinisterly, "Why not capture someone and have a test subject try it?"
They were all immortal. Who would want to risk their own life?
Golden Lion crossed his legs and considered the feasibility of the suggestion. "But the cost is enormous. First, we'd have to make someone immortal, then feed them two fruits in a row."
One cup of Elixir of Immortality was roughly equivalent to one Devil Fruit. Altogether, that would amount to three fruits.
Rocks burst into laughter and clenched his fist.
"We'll discuss that later. Boys, set sail! We're heading for God Valley!"
"This time, Dimon, you'll be joining us too, right?"
Dimon knew very well that this God Valley Incident was the fuse that would cause the pirate crew to fall apart. But now that every member of the Rocks Pirates was immortal, they might not necessarily lose.
"Of course."
Not long afterward, at the harbor.
The entire Rocks Pirates set out, boarding the Jebec Sword and sailing toward God Valley.
"By the way, where is God Valley?" Ochoku asked drunkenly from the deck.
"West Blue!"
Before you continue