Ur Island

By the time they reached Ur Island, the sky had already darkened.

Since the X Pirates' hidden sentries had long been cleared out by them, no one noticed when they landed on the island.

Rocks led them straight toward the X Pirates' lair, intending to catch them off guard.

"Cheers!"

"You collected quite a bit of money today, didn't you?"

"Haha, not at all, not at all, not much."

From the sounds drifting out of the island, they vaguely gathered that today was a big day for the X Pirates. The small islands within their sphere of influence had all paid their protection money, along with vast amounts of gold, silver, and jewels; it was also their annual grand banquet.

The main members of the X Pirates were all inside.

When Rocks sensed that the core members were all present, he immediately began assigning tasks.

"X is mine; divide the rest among yourselves."

"Hahahaha!"

"Slash Wave!"

Rocks didn't give them time to carefully choose; the moment he finished speaking, he swung his Haki-imbued long blade.

A massive, crescent-shaped sword aura slashed toward the center of the venue.

"Who goes there?"

"Oh no, enemies!"

"Where did these blind fools come from?"

The pirates at the scene instantly sobered up, grabbing their weapons and beginning a standoff against the Rocks Pirates.

"Rocks?"

X stood up from the head seat, shocked.

"What is the Rocks Pirates doing here?"

"How could they appear here?"

"Why wasn't there a report!"

Just as the members of the X Pirates were stunned by how Rocks and his crew had managed to land on the island, X had never imagined the Rocks Pirates would suddenly appear here.

After all, several years had passed since the last great war, and they had lived in peace ever since.

But since he had seen Rocks arrive, it couldn't possibly be to attend his banquet.

"Hahahaha!"

"Yorulu is already dead; you are next."

Rocks stood on high ground, pointing his long blade at X.

Just as X was still pondering why Yorulu would be dead—was it false news?—he looked up to see Rocks already flying toward him.

He knew this wasn't the time to think about such things; since Rocks had come to this island, there was nothing left to do but fight.

"Lads, prepare for battle!"

"Ooh!"

"Charge!"

"Let them see what we're made of!"

Soon, a large swarm of pirates rushed toward the Rocks Pirates.

"Jiehahaha."

"My old friend Durant."

"Lion Thousand-Cut Valley!"

Golden Lion took the lead, greeting his old rival Durant in a "friendly" manner.

Two golden sword auras emanated from his dual blades, the two currents intersecting in the air with a roar like a lion.

The terrifying cross-shaped sword aura swept forward with the momentum to destroy everything in its path.

Only a Great Swordsman could possess such sharpness; it was unstoppable.

"Meteor Slash!"

Durant hurriedly stepped forward, unleashing his signature move to counter Golden Lion, instantly splitting the battlefield in two.

At the same time, Newgate and Charlotte Linlin also sought out the opposing division commanders.

It was then that Carl discovered the Third Division Commander, Baroque, was not here, leaving her without an opponent of equal strength for the moment.

At the same time, he began to suspect that he must be moving the X Pirates' wealth.

He hurriedly unleashed his Observation Haki. Sure enough, he sensed an aura moving at high speed toward the back of the island.

He quickly unleashed a Slash Wave to clear the minions in his path, then gave chase.

"I didn't expect Yorulu to be such a weakling, getting taken out by Rocks without a sound."

"We have to run for our lives now."

The one speaking was the Third Division Commander, Baroque. The moment he saw Rocks appear, he had bolted toward the treasure storage in the back mountains.

In his view, since Rocks had already arrived, the situation was beyond saving, so fleeing was the only logical choice.

"BOOM!"

A massive shockwave instantly swept across the entire island.

"Hahahaha!"

"X, you've grown lax."

Rocks' voice echoed across the island, causing the weaker pirates to collapse to the ground. Clearly, he was unleashing his overwhelmingly tyrannical Conqueror's Haki.

"Clang!"

The thunderous sounds gradually faded into the distance.

Baroque had reached a cave entrance that appeared to have no way inside.

He reached out and gave a stone on the cave wall a gentle twist.

"Click, click, click, click!"

The gate suddenly emitted a harsh grinding sound, and a door swung open before him.

Carl followed closely behind, carefully masking her presence to avoid being detected by Baroque.

"No time to waste, I can only take the most important things."

As soon as the door opened, Baroque rushed inside. On a platform sat fifteen iron boxes; clearly, the most precious items were the Devil Fruits.

Baroque grabbed a bag and shoved five of the iron boxes into it, slinging it over his back. It seemed these five fruits held the highest value. After all, if he took all the Devil Fruits, the Rocks Pirates would certainly know someone had escaped, and he wouldn't be able to get away. He had to pick the ones with the most powerful abilities. Just as he was about to turn around, he suddenly froze.

"Come out!"

The cave fell into absolute silence.

"You're quite careful, but your aura gave you away."

For a top-tier powerhouse, determining if someone is nearby isn't just about using Observation Haki. The sound of breathing in the air, the faint rhythm of a heartbeat, or the sudden absence of insects and vermin—all could reveal someone hiding in the vicinity.

Baroque had sensed a faint heartbeat the moment he arrived; someone was hiding by the entrance, waiting for him to step out.

"Oh my, you actually found me."

Carl scratched her head and stepped out from behind the door.

"How did you find me?"

In Carl's mind, she had hidden herself perfectly, without a single flaw.

"It is impossible for a person to stop their own heart from beating."

"It just so happens that my hearing is extraordinary; I can clearly hear heartbeats within a hundred-meter radius."

To Baroque, the fact that Carl had followed him all this way before being discovered was already quite impressive.

"I see."

"I never expected you to be such a freak."

Carl thought to herself that she had never met anyone with such monstrous hearing before.

"Enough talk. Let's go."

Baroque placed the bag at his feet and assumed a combat stance.

"Fine, fine. I was hoping to chat a bit more."

"Poison Dragon!"

Baroque had no intention of making small talk with Carl. He swung his right hand, and instantly, a dragon composed of lethal poison surged toward her.

That looks like trouble.

Carl noticed immediately that the moment the Poison Dragon appeared, droplets of liquid fell to the ground, instantly corroding small pits into the stone.

She knew that if this dragon touched her body, she wouldn't last long.

"Shave!"

"Slash Wave!"

She first used the Six Powers technique, Shave, to dodge to the side, then swung her longsword, sending a golden blade of energy flying toward Baroque's legs.

Because she understood that the Venom-Venom Fruit was a Paramecia type, he couldn't turn his entire body into an element, especially since he had also infused his attacks with Armament Haki.

"Poison Slide!"

Baroque immediately used his potent poison to corrode the ground into a slick slide, using it to dodge the attack.