Alliance of Great Pirates

Lin Nuo directly refused Rocks's invitation.

The crowd fell silent at once.

Kaido and Linlin both looked at Lin Nuo.

His words sounded somewhat ungrateful, but coming from Lin Nuo, who had just taken Rocks's slash head-on, they could not help taking him seriously.

The smile on Rocks's face did not fade. He merely raised an eyebrow, not particularly surprised.

"Oh? You don't want to be my crew? Then what do you want to be?"

"Don't tell me you want to be the vice-captain of my ship."

He glanced at Kaido and Linlin beside him.

"No, neither."

Lin Nuo shook his head. His gaze swept over Rocks, then Kaido and Linlin behind him, as well as Silver Axe, Babel, John, and the others at his own side.

Finally, his eyes settled on Rocks's face again as he voiced his idea.

"I want to form a Pirate Alliance with you, Rocks D. Zebek."

"A Pirate Alliance?" Rocks repeated the term.

"Interesting. Go on."

Lin Nuo spoke slowly. "I've looked into you, Rocks."

"Your pirate crew—rather than a team..."

"It's more like a group of associates pursuing their own goals, temporarily bound together by your strength and shared interests."

His gaze swept over those he had named. Some looked thoughtful, while others were noncommittal, but none refuted him.

"This method can gather immense power in a short time."

"But it can also easily loosen because of conflicting internal goals, or even... collapse under pressure."

Lin Nuo did not explicitly mention the state of the Rocks Pirates after God Valley, but the implication was obvious.

"My idea is similar, but different," Lin Nuo continued.

"I don't want to forcibly tie everyone to one ship and demand that they risk their lives for a single goal that may not even be what they desire