Saint Garling: Heh heh... the Rocks Pirates?

Well, Whitebeard had originally come purely to enjoy the show, even planning how he would laugh at Kaido for taking the bait later.

Yet at this moment, he himself had become the biggest clown.

"Newgate?"

Golden Lion glanced over Whitebeard, intending to ask what was going on. But seeing the shocked expression on his face, the smile at the corner of his mouth deepened. This guy probably had no idea what had happened either.

"What is it?" Whitebeard regained some composure and glanced sideways at Golden Lion beside him.

"Jiehahahaha." Golden Lion sneered twice, folding his arms across his chest. "Nothing. Judging from that dumbfounded look on your face, you probably don't know either. But... looking at Kaido, it seems he really learned something incredible from Ron."

Whitebeard said nothing. Even without Golden Lion telling him, he could sense the immense power now emanating from Kaido.

Whoosh!

At the same time, Kaido slightly lowered his body, and the deck beneath his feet instantly shattered.

Then he shot straight into the sky, adjusted his center of gravity slightly, and threw a fierce punch toward the sea.

Whoosh!

As the punch flew out, an invisible shockwave struck the surface of the sea directly.

In that instant, the seawater seemed to be pressed down by an invisible giant hand before violently rebounding, sending enormous waves soaring into the sky.

"Hahahahaha!!!"

"I did it!"

"I did it!!"

Kaido's voice exploded through the air, filled with joy that was practically overflowing.

He looked down at Ron on the deck and shouted excitedly, "Did you see that, Ron? I learned Ultimate Taijutsu! I'm a freaking genius!!!"

Ron frowned slightly, his gaze falling on the shattered deck as he spoke faintly. "Maybe. But... damaging the deck means that even a genius can't avoid getting beaten up by Rocks."

"Tch." Kaido curled his lips dismissively, but the smile on his face did not fade in the slightest.

He was happy just because he had learned Ultimate Taijutsu.

If Rocks wanted to beat him up, then let him!

Even if he had not damaged the deck, Rocks had never held back whenever it was time to beat him up.

"Hahahahaha, this is amazing! This feels incredible! This is the best! I feel like my whole body is filled with power!!"

In midair, Kaido was so fired up that he looked ready to explode on the spot.

He kept stepping on the air and leaping through the sky, throwing a punch with every step.

Boom~

Boom~

Thunderous explosions rang out one after another across the sea.

"Jiehahahaha~~~ Great, another crazy one on the ship." Golden Lion laughed as he mocked him, stretched lazily, and headed into the ship.

On the deck, Annika was still sitting where she was.

She quietly opened one eye and stole a glance in Ron's direction, only to discover that Ron was staring at her.

She simply stopped pretending and grinned as she explained, "Sorry, Lord Ron. I embarrassed you. When I closed my eyes, it was all dark, and I couldn't sense anything."

Ron waved his hand, signaling that it was nothing. For someone like her who had never trained before, it was perfectly normal not to sense her own strength, because there was simply no power in her body to sense.

"That idiot..." Whitebeard had somehow walked over to Ron's side. Looking at the figure in the distance bouncing and punching wildly everywhere, he shook his head with a curl of his lip. "It's my first time seeing him this happy."

"Heh." Ron wore a faint smile. "How could he not be happy? He learned a supreme technique."

"By the way," Whitebeard said, turning his head to look at Ron, "is that really Ultimate Taijutsu?"

Ron did not answer immediately. He watched Kaido, who was nearly out of control with excitement, fell silent for two seconds, then slowly said, "Once the Final Gate opens, one can slay gods."

"Tch." Whitebeard rolled his eyes without any restraint. "You can only fool an idiot like Kaido with that."

"You don't believe me?" Ron turned to meet Whitebeard's gaze, a barely perceptible smile at the corner of his mouth. "One day, I'll show you."

Whitebeard waved his hand and turned toward the ship. "Then I'll wait for you to open the Final Gate and slay a god for me to see."

The next morning, the sea fog had yet to fully disperse. Sunlight was blocked by heavy clouds, leaving the entire sky a stifling grayish white.

New World, a certain island.

The church at the center of the island had now become a living hell.

All the stained-glass windows had shattered, their fragments scattered across the floor and gleaming with colorful yet eerie light in the dimness.

The pews lay toppled in disarray. The candlesticks on the altar had fallen to the ground, wax flowing across the floor and hardening into patches of white amid dark-red pools of blood.

Corpses lay strewn everywhere. Blood wound across the floor, gathering into tiny streams that spread through the cracks between the tiles before slowly dripping onto the steps below.

At that moment, three mysterious figures in black cloaks slowly entered through the church doors.

The leading man was tall, with straight shoulders and back. A section of slender fingers extended from beneath his cloak.

He stopped before a crooked pew, reached out to straighten it, then sat down calmly.

He slowly raised the Den Den Mushi in his hand and spoke into the receiver. "Have you finished on your end?"

"Captain," a respectful voice came from the Den Den Mushi, "it has been completed."

Saint Garling nodded in satisfaction. "The surrounding area has been cleaned up, right?"

"Don't worry, Captain. All the bugs in the vicinity have been cleared out."

"Mm."

Saint Garling responded indifferently. Only after receiving that satisfactory answer did he hang up the Den Den Mushi and tuck it into his cloak. Then he tilted his head slightly, sweeping his gaze over the two people standing behind him.

"What about the Marines? Have they taken the bait?"

"Yes, Captain." One of the mysterious figures bowed slightly, his voice humble and respectful. "The Marines are ready and awaiting our orders at all times."

Saint Garling slowly rose to his feet. He took two steps forward, but the tip of his boot suddenly struck something: a corpse lying in front of him, blocking his path.

Saint Garling looked down, his gaze narrowing slightly. Then he raised his foot and stepped down.

Squish!

A dull cracking sound echoed through the church as the corpse's head was crushed apart beneath his foot.

"The Rocks Pirates..."

"Those Marine trash are so incompetent that they actually need us to deal with them personally."

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