"Hahahaha!"
Rocks stood in front of the command platform, holding a sea chart in his hand, excitement written across his face.
His commanding voice rang out across the ship. "Our next target is the X Pirates! They're no longer a threat!"
The pirates aboard the ship were roused at once. They knew that after taking care of the X Pirates, the latter half of the Grand Line would be ruled by the Rocks Pirates alone.
Golden Lion stood beside Rocks and silently nodded in agreement.
Rocks was so tall he nearly towered over the ship's railing. His long black hair fluttered in the wind, reflecting the strength of his conviction.
After a moment's thought, Edward Newgate said, "We should strike before they hear the news and wipe them out in one go! Then we can unite the latter half of the Grand Line."
Rocks nodded and spread the sea chart across the command platform. He pointed to a red mark. "This is Ur Island, the X Pirates' stronghold. We'll launch our attack here."
Golden Lion, Newgate, and the others studied the chart intently, committing the target to memory.
They knew this battle would end in victory for the Rocks Pirates.
"Prepare to set out!"
Rocks's voice rang across the entire harbor, and the pirates immediately sprang into action.
They checked their weapons and adjusted the sails, readying themselves for the battle ahead.
The fleet of pirate ships slowly left the harbor and set course for Ur Island.
Rocks had waited a long time for this day.
He stood high above the deck of the Xebec, gazing down at the vast ocean.
In the past, top pirate crews had emerged one after another across the seas, with powerful rivals fiercely battling over territory and wealth.
But as time passed, only three groups remained, standing in a three-way balance of power.
Now, Rocks was finally about to carry out the first step of his plan.
If his crew could unite the latter half of the Grand Line, it would attract even more pirates to join him and give him the strength he needed to realize his grand ambition.
Rocks turned to face the others, his eyes brimming with arrogance and resolve.
He ordered John, Ochoku, and Kaido to head to the Giant Warrior Pirates' stronghold, Kuro Island, and clean up the remnants there, gathering the island's wealth for themselves.
Meanwhile, the rest would accompany Rocks to Ur Island.
This was a pivotal moment. Rocks knew that once he accomplished his plan, his crew would gain even more support and resources to help him achieve his grand goal.
A searing desire burned in his heart. He had waited far too long for this day.
"Fortune really is on my side."
"I never expected the plan to go this smoothly."
Even Rocks hadn't expected that a little scheme would help him unite the latter half of the Grand Line.
Ur Island was still six or seven hours away, so Rocks returned to his cabin ahead of the others.
"Mamamama!"
"Shiki, do me a favor."
Charlotte Linlin spoke softly, a sly glint in her eyes.
"I want to have a child with Carl."
"You can name any terms you want."
Charlotte Linlin pressed her lips together and fixed her gaze on Shiki.
When the others split up, Charlotte Linlin sought out Golden Lion Shiki alone.
After all, in her view, Carl's strength was still growing rapidly. Once he surpassed them, it would be even harder to force him into anything.
It would be better to get Carl drunk while he was still short of his peak. That might give her a better chance of success.
She had noticed long ago that Carl couldn't hold his liquor.
The two silently stared at each other, and for a moment, time seemed to stand still.
"Gyahahahaha!"
Golden Lion hadn't expected Charlotte Linlin to try to scheme against Carl. But it also showed just how determined she was to have a child with him.
Truthfully, Shiki was a little envious. He had learned that Carl possessed the Titan Bloodline, and he had seen Carl's physical strength continue to grow lately, as if it had no limit.
"Never thought I'd see the day you came asking me for help, you old hag."
"Fine. I'll help you this once."
After thinking it over, Golden Lion decided to agree to help Charlotte Linlin. After all, if he wanted to leave the Rocks Pirates, he'd need powerful allies. Little did he know, though, that before he could call in this favor, the Rocks Pirates would already have fallen apart.
"Remember, you owe me one."
That was what Golden Lion had in mind. He believed this favor would be a powerful asset when he eventually left the Rocks Pirates.
But Charlotte Linlin didn't care about owing him a favor. In her view, only one's own bloodline could be trusted among pirates. The stronger the bloodline, the greater her power would be, so Carl's Titan Bloodline was an opportunity she couldn't miss.
And later on, Charlotte Linlin really would rely on her bloodline to build the Charlotte Pirates, having a remarkable number of children along the way.
Clay accompanied Carl to Newgate's room because Carl wanted to know whether there were any Devil Fruit Users in the X Pirates he needed to watch out for.
After all, there were many Devil Fruit powers in Pirate World that could break the usual rules, and he didn't want to be caught off guard.
"Newgate, is there anyone in the X Pirates we should be especially wary of?"
Carl hadn't been with the Rocks Pirates for long and only knew the general outline of the various forces on the sea. He'd also been fighting nonstop lately, with no time to sit down and learn about them properly.
"There is one," Newgate said after a moment's thought.
"Baroque, the X Pirates' third division commander."
"He's a Venom-Venom Fruit User."
"He's a troublesome opponent."
Newgate's brow furrowed slightly as he spoke. It seemed he'd had more than a few close calls against him.
After he finished speaking, Newgate picked up his jug and took a long drink. Only then did his brow relax.
The Venom-Venom Fruit... If he remembered correctly, wasn't that the power of the warden of Impel Down at the start of the story?
He hadn't paid much attention to the character and had forgotten his name, but he still remembered the Venom-Venom Fruit's techniques.
"Other than that, there's no one else."
Newgate thought it over carefully. Baroque was probably the only member of the X Pirates with a special ability.
He wasn't afraid of the others. His Tremor-Tremor Fruit was enough to sweep them all aside.
From what he'd heard, there didn't seem to be anything else they needed to watch out for. Carl stayed and had a drink with Newgate for a while, then returned to his cabin.
"Clay! How's their training going?"
Carl was asking about Long Yi and Long Er.
"Reporting to Lord Carl: Long Yi and Long Er have already mastered the Golden Light Incantation. As for the Lightning Method, I haven't trained in it myself, so I don't know how far they've progressed. They've also made excellent progress with the Five Elements Fist."
"Good. You keep practicing too. Once you've fully mastered the Golden Light Incantation, I'll teach you the Lightning Method as well."
"Thank you, Lord Carl."
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