Shiki's Recruitment

Pirates usually gathered for only two things: drinking and fighting.

Obviously, the area before the Heaven-Piercing Tower was not a good place for drinking.

The pirates on the outskirts noticed Annus, Lilith, and Shiki approaching. They consciously made way for them, tugging at their companions to signal the trio's arrival.

"Move it! Idiots! Can't you see who's here?"

As soon as those words were spoken, the pirates turned around one after another, fear flashing through their eyes.

"Annus is back!"

Someone shouted, and the pirates in the inner circle who had not noticed the commotion outside also began clearing a path.

Annus strolled forward leisurely as the pirates parted on both sides like a receding tide. With no pirates blocking the way, the view ahead suddenly opened up.

"Lord Annus, you're back."

The one greeting Annus was a completely naked giant with a pair of wings on his back.

The giant was corded with muscle and looked to be around forty or fifty years old. His six-meter-tall body did not carry an ounce of excess fat.

"Yale, how many times have I told you... don't take your clothes off in public."

Seeing the giant's appearance, Annus sighed.

"Ah! Sorry, I got too excited during the fight..."

Although he was apologizing, the naked giant did not immediately pick up the monk's trousers from the ground. Instead, he flexed his muscles and struck several bodybuilding poses in succession to display his power.

"Even now, I still believe that clothing only sullies the purity of the flesh!" Yale declared with conviction.

Annus helplessly covered his face.

Like Lilith, the giant named Yale was a Birkian who had left the Sky Island with Annus back then.

Before Annus took him under his command, this guy had been a notorious pervert across the Sky Island, refusing to wear clothes under any circumstances.

"Uncle Yale! That's far too rude! How can you expose such an ugly sight before Lord Annus?!" Lilith pointed at the giant and angrily scolded him.

"Put your pants on already!"

"Jihahahaha! Yale, you're still as amusing as ever!"

Shiki clutched his stomach and laughed, taking quite a while to calm down.

Yet the surrounding pirates did not dare laugh.

They had seen just what terrifying power this monster who liked stripping during battle possessed!

Only after Lilith's furious scolding did Yale reluctantly put on his trousers and fasten his belt.

"Lilith said some fool challenged you just now?"

As he asked that, Annus's gaze fell upon the charred corpse before the Heaven-Piercing Tower.

"This guy?"

"Yes, Lord Annus." Yale hefted the long-handled warhammer beside him, revealing the fractured ground. "This guy challenged me just now. He wasn't weak, and I failed to hold back for a moment."

Annus nodded. To receive such an assessment from Yale, this unfortunate fool's strength should have surpassed the average level on Hachinosu.

But... in the end, his confidence in his own strength had made him a hapless ghost who did not even leave behind a name.

There were quite a few people like him.

Countless pirates came to Hachinosu because of the Rocks Pirates' notorious reputation, but not everyone was qualified to join the Rocks Pirates.

To join the Rocks Pirates, one had to demonstrate sufficient strength.

Only by defeating the pirates on Hachinosu's outskirts and entering the inner island could one earn an audience with Rocks.

That requirement alone stumped most pirates.

This fool had probably wanted to defeat Yale, make a name for himself in one stroke, and thus gain Rocks's favor.

But unfortunately... he had picked the wrong opponent.

On this island, there were not many who could defeat Yale.

"I was hoping to watch something entertaining, but I actually missed it. Jihahahaha, what rotten luck!" Shiki laughed.

"Since there's nothing to watch, get lost already. I have no intention of entertaining you," Annus said.

"How cold! What kind of person drives away a guest like that?" Shiki looked at him resentfully.

"Why didn't you say that when you dropped a bomb on me?"

"Uh... don't mind it. It was just a joke!"

"Hmph. It had better have been."

Whether it had been a joke or not, Annus did not care. He would settle this score sooner or later.

"Get out of my sight while I'm still in a decent mood. Or are you planning to have a long-overdue match with me?" Annus furrowed his brow slightly.

Shiki had been sticking to him like a leech today.

"I have no such plans..." Shiki scratched his head, then suddenly lowered his voice. "But I have a deal I want to discuss with you."

Annus was slightly taken aback.

He looked around and noticed that the surrounding pirates had yet to disperse.

"Lilith, deal with this."

Upon receiving the order, Lilith's ears immediately flushed crimson, as though she had been granted some kind of satisfaction.

"Yes! Lord Annus!"

"Let's talk inside, Shiki."

"Jihaha! I knew you'd be interested!"

Annus and Shiki entered the Heaven-Piercing Tower. Bare-chested, Yale dragged away the challenger's corpse, leaving only Lilith and the pirates who had come to watch the excitement.

As Annus's figure vanished into the Heaven-Piercing Tower's shadows, the red on Lilith's ears quickly faded as well.

When she turned to face the pirates, only arrogance and coldness remained.

"How long are you planning to linger before Lord Annus's door? Get lost already!"

Her harsh words struck the pirates head-on, yet no one grew angry. The pirates grinned foolishly, as though they were enjoying being treated roughly by Lilith.

"So happy! Lady Lilith spoke to me today!"

"She's as beautiful as ever! Even when she's angry!"

"She's practically an angel!"

For most pirates, after Shakky's disappearance, Lilith was Hachinosu's last treasure.

If Annus's strength had not been unshakable, disputes before the Heaven-Piercing Tower would likely have erupted every day. Countless people would have been willing to risk their lives to claim Lilith.

But unfortunately, Lilith belonged to Annus. Opposing Annus was no longer merely foolish—this was the consensus among the old hands who frequented Hachinosu.

When something had absolutely no chance of succeeding, no one but fools would cling to hope and do it.

The pirates still remembered the miserable ends suffered by those who had once tried to possess Lilith.

Inside the Heaven-Piercing Tower.

"Go on, Shiki. What kind of deal do you want to make with me? If it doesn't interest me, I won't let you off."

Inside a secret room, Annus and Shiki sat opposite each other across a golden table, their sofas covered in white sheepskin.

"I wouldn't have come to you if I wasn't confident!"

Shiki seemed utterly certain that Annus would be interested.

"Annus, you aren't planning to remain with the Rocks Pirates for the rest of your life, are you? That guy's plan has barely made any progress so far..."

Not long after Rocks occupied Hachinosu, he had probably already presented his plan to the officers.

To become the ruler of the world!

The key to that plan was obtaining two legendary Devil Fruits and finding the legendary "Frozen Giant Army."