The Legendary Devil Fruit

Several days later, the Rocks Pirates returned to their main base, Hachinosu.

Interestingly, that very afternoon, a new name quietly appeared on the Rocks Pirates' roster: Gloriosa.

For reasons unknown, the former captain of the Kuja Pirates had chosen to officially leave the Kuja Pirates and join the Rocks Pirates.

Ron, meanwhile, had risen from apprentice crew member to full crew member.

Ron had originally thought that after killing Ochoku, Rocks would at least nag him a little. After all, that guy had been one of their old collaborators.

Unexpectedly, from Rocks to everyone else, they all acted as if nothing had happened.

Someone even muttered as they passed by him, "Guess you were quick to make a move. I've hated that guy for ages. Didn't expect you to beat me to it."

There was even a trace of regret in the voice, as if saying, "Why didn't you call me along?"

Ron could not help but laugh.

On Hachinosu, atop a rocky mountain.

Two caves blasted out by Rocks resembled two deep eyes embedded in the mountainside.

On a flat stretch of rock above the cave entrances, Rocks sat alone, gazing toward the distant horizon.

A light breeze swept past, lifting a corner of his robe.

"Hey, Rocks!"

Suddenly, a shout rose from below.

Rocks lowered his gaze slightly and saw Kaido standing on the rocks below. A faint smile appeared on his face. "It's you, Kaido. What is it?"

"I want to become a full crew member." Kaido raised his head and spoke seriously.

Originally, he had not cared at all whether he was an apprentice or a full member. All he wanted was to find a powerful Devil Fruit.

But ever since Ron had gone from apprentice to full member, Kaido's mindset had subtly changed.

He could not explain why, but he felt that if that guy had been promoted, then he had to be promoted too.

"Ever since Ron joined us, Kaido, you've changed a lot," Rocks said slowly as he looked at Kaido.

"What are you talking about? I don't get it." Kaido babbled. "I want to be a full crew member."

"Wororororo!" Rocks burst into laughter. This brat Kaido was getting more and more interesting. "Sure. But there's one condition. You have to defeat me."

Kaido paused, and his expression instantly became colorful. "Do you hear yourself? Defeat you? If I could defeat you, I'd be the captain of the Rocks Pirates. Why would it still be your turn?"

"Wororororo!"

Rocks laughed again. He did not really care whether Kaido became a full member. Becoming one simply meant their cooperation would deepen further, and that was not a bad thing for him.

He had only proposed that condition because he was bored and wanted to tease Kaido.

"How about this?" Rocks reined in his laughter and held up three fingers. "If you can withstand three of my moves, I'll agree."

"Why doesn't Ron need to?" Kaido immediately shot back.

"Because he's stronger than I expected."

"Screw you, Rocks! Who are you looking down on? Take this!"

Kaido roared in anger, swinging his spiked club as he leaped into the air, his body like a savage beast pouncing on its prey.

"Heh, quite the temper." Rocks rose to his feet, calmly resting his right hand on the hilt of the long blade at his waist.

As Haki wrapped around it, the blade let out a low hum the instant it left its sheath. Then he drew it in a fierce slash.

Buzz!

A sharp ring of steel tore through the air as the blade traced a frigid arc, precisely meeting Kaido's descending spiked club.

Boom!

The next second, Kaido's body seemed to have been struck by a mountain. He violently spat out blood and crashed into the ground below like a cannonball.

Boom!

In an instant, thick dust billowed upward as broken stones and dirt scattered in every direction.

A shallow crater appeared in the ground, with cracks spreading outward like a spiderweb.

Whoosh!

Rocks descended from the sky and landed on the ground as well. With his long blade resting on his shoulder, he grinned toward the center of the dust cloud. "What's wrong? Can't get up?"

"Damn you, Rocks! Stop looking down on me!"

From the center of the dust cloud, Kaido roared furiously. A burst of air erupted around him, blowing away all the lingering dust.

"Tsk, tsk. If you want to prove yourself, talking won't do," Rocks said, the smile at the corner of his lips unchanged. "You need to prove it with the fists in your hands."

"Ultimate..." Kaido slung his spiked club behind his back and was about to shout that slogan when he suddenly paused.

That was not right.

Ron had told him that this was not called Ultimate Taijutsu. It was called Eight Gates.

"Fine. Since I learned it from you, I'll call it Eight Gates." Kaido muttered under his breath, then took a deep breath and clenched both fists. "Eight Gates, Gate of Opening, open!"

Rocks did not rush to attack. He even took half a step back, watching with interest as Kaido's aura rose layer by layer.

The Gate of Opening, the Gate of Healing, the Gate of Life, the Gate of Pain, all the way to the fifth gate, the Gate of Limit.

That was Kaido's current limit.

Green energy seeped from Kaido's body, flickering over his skin like a thin layer of flame.

Rocks stroked his chin and nodded with a hint of appreciation. "It's a little like Ron's state last time... Did you learn it from him? Still, the aura coming off you is quite different from his."

"Take this!"

Kaido did not waste words. His body flashed, moving so fast that he left an afterimage behind. In the blink of an eye, he had rushed before Rocks.

Under the enhancement of the Eight Gates, both his speed and strength had risen by a huge margin.

Bang!

Kaido's fist smashed heavily into the long blade Rocks had held horizontally before him. The force traveled along the blade, sending Rocks's robe whipping backward.

"Interesting." Rocks's brows lifted slightly, and genuine surprise flashed in his eyes.

He had not expected this taijutsu to amplify Kaido's strength to such an extent.

What if he used it himself? Just imagining that scene was exciting.

Seeing that the first strike had failed, Kaido did not pause in the slightest. His second and third punches followed immediately.

Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh~~~

Bang, bang, bang~~~

His fists rained down upon Rocks's blade, every blow carrying crushing force and blasting rings of air across the ground.

But no matter how he punched or kicked, every attack was steadily blocked by Rocks.

Meanwhile, in a tavern on the other side of the island.

The air was filled with the smell of ale and tobacco, while the wooden tables were covered in water rings left by cups.

If anyone was happiest about Gloriosa joining the Rocks Pirates, it was undoubtedly Annika.

"Hearing you say that puts me at ease." Annika sat opposite Gloriosa, cradling a cup of warm milk in both hands. The worry hanging over her heart finally eased. "I thought something had happened to the Kuja Pirates."

Gloriosa waved a hand, then picked up a bottle of fine liquor and tipped it back, gulping down several mouthfuls.

Only after a moment did she speak. "When I heard from Roger that you were staying with the Rocks Pirates, Shakky and I were both shocked. Is this really what you want? If you don't want to stay here, Rocks will let you leave for my sake."

Annika shook her head, a faint smile on her face. "I like it here."

Gloriosa frowned. "The Rocks Pirates are too dangerous. Every one of them is a lunatic. As a weak woman, it'll be hard for you to survive here. There will always be times when I'm not around. I can't protect you at every moment."

Annika did not show the worried expression Gloriosa had expected.

She merely smiled calmly. "Don't worry about me. These days are exactly what I've been hoping for. Even if I lose my life because of this one day, I'll accept it calmly."

Gloriosa stared at her in disbelief and fell silent for several seconds. "Uh... Don't tell me you've fallen for Ron?"

Annika nodded openly, her smile deepening. "I like being with Lord Ron. He's a bad man."

"What kind of logic is that?" Gloriosa nearly choked on a mouthful of liquor. "What is it about him that fascinates you? Besides, this guy has a terrible reputation. Compared to the Roger I like, he's miles behind."

Annika smiled faintly and did not refute Gloriosa's claim that Roger was better than Ron. She knew Gloriosa was only worried about her.

"He's a bad man."

"???" Gloriosa froze for a moment. "Forget it. As long as you think it's worth it."

"Ah-choo."

Outside the casino, Ron and Whitebeard walked out one after the other.

Ron rubbed his nose and slowed slightly.

"I have a bad feeling about this," he said as he walked.

"How so?" Whitebeard asked from behind him.

"We got Rocks into twenty million Beli of debt in just a few hours. Do you think he'll beat the two of us to death?" Ron turned his head and asked with a straight face.

"I won't be." Whitebeard shrugged, then teased, "As for whether you will, I have no idea."

"Tsk. If you're not worried, neither am I." Ron waved a hand, a sly curve rising at the corner of his mouth. "Because I used Madara Uchiha's name."

"Madara Uchiha?" Whitebeard sneered. "Stop dragging other people into it. Rocks isn't an idiot. We all used our own names when keeping score. You were the only one... using someone else's name. He'll figure it out immediately."

"...Why didn't you say so earlier?"

"You didn't ask."

Rumble~

Just then, a violent explosion sounded from elsewhere.

Ron and Whitebeard both looked over at the same time.

"What's going on? Enemy attack?" Ron looked at Whitebeard in surprise.

"An enemy attack? Compared to that, I think it's more likely those idiots started fighting," Whitebeard said unhurriedly.

"Heh heh. I'll go take a look." Ron smiled and ran toward the explosion. He intended to see whether anyone had been beaten to death so he could smoothly inherit their property.

Whitebeard did not follow. He merely watched Ron's retreating back and remarked, "Are you a fly? You have to go stick your nose into everything."

Back on Rocks's side.

Kaido lay sprawled in the center of the crater, staring up at the sky. A few wisps of thin cloud hung lazily overhead, like faint brushstrokes casually painted across the heavens.

But he could not really take any of it in.

He had lost.

He had lost.

And he had lost completely.

Against Rocks, he had not even managed to land more than a few decent counterattacks.

Tap, tap, tap~~~~

Footsteps approached from the edge of the crater.

Rocks stood there with his long blade on his shoulder, tilting his head as he looked Kaido over in the pit. Then he smiled. "Admitting defeat, Kaido?"

Kaido ignored him. He was currently wallowing in misery.

"Wororororo~~~" Rocks laughed even louder at the sight. "What, did getting beaten make you mad?"

"Don't slander me, Rocks." Kaido finally spoke. "I just think lying down is pretty comfortable. The sky looks kind of beautiful today."

Rocks looked down at him without exposing his little thoughts. He merely said slowly, "I agree to your request to become a full member."

Kaido's body stiffened slightly. He did not answer at once. After two seconds of silence, he finally squeezed out through gritted teeth, "At least you've got a bit of conscience, Rocks."

"Let's go." Rocks turned around and walked back with his blade over his shoulder. "I'll buy you a drink."

Whoosh~~

Kaido immediately sprang upright from the crater in a sit-up.

Just then, a man in a black suit and sunglasses approached Rocks. Keeping his voice low, he said, "Lord Rocks, we intercepted major intelligence from the Navy."

Rocks stopped walking. He turned his head, his gaze landing on the suited man. "Major intelligence?"

"Yes." The man in the suit spoke slowly. "It is said that the World Government found a 'legendary' Devil Fruit on Saint Sebastian Island. The World Government places immense importance on it and has even dispatched a mysterious team to escort it."

"A legendary... Devil Fruit?"

Kaido froze in place. As those words entered his ears, it felt as though a needle had precisely pierced one of his nerves.

Then—

The curve of Kaido's lips slowly rose, widening and becoming harder and harder to suppress. "This... was made for me, wasn't it?"

Today's stats got cut in half. I'm so heartbroken.

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