Deadly Dilemma

In the ruins of the western building district, Oak and Kaido were completely shrouded in smoke and dust, making it impossible to see what was happening inside. Yet the pirates in the plaza still craned their necks to look over, because everyone knew this was the final blow from both sides. After this strike, the two would finally determine the victor.

However, the members of the Rocks Pirates were not among them, because with their eyesight, they had already learned the outcome in advance.

"What a loss!"

The bookie, Ochoku, pulled out a large handful of gold coins with a gloomy expression and tossed them to Rocks, Shiki, Linlin, Miss Buckin, Marlon, Streusen, and the others who had bet on Oak for Ying—four coins each.

Excluding himself, there were eleven people in the crew. Six had backed Oak for Ying, while only five had backed Kaido for Ying. By that count, he had lost two gold coins.

But that was only a small sum. Ochoku soon brightened again. The big bets had come from the other pirates in the plaza, and far more of them had backed Kaido for Ying than Oak for Ying, so he could still make a hefty profit.

With a greedy, money-grubbing grin plastered across his face, Ochoku prepared a huge sack, waiting to collect his winnings once Oak and Kaido emerged from the ruins.

Oak did not keep him waiting long. Once the dust settled, Oak emerged, dragging the unconscious Kaido out by the collar with one hand.

"Wahahaha!"

"I knew I hadn't misjudged you. You actually comprehended Armament Haki during battle and put it to use in combat. Brat, you really are exceptionally talented. You'll become another powerful force to help me conquer the world!!"

Rocks was the first to laugh and step forward. He looked at Oak with satisfaction, unable to hide the admiration in his eyes.

"Since you think so highly of me, can I skip being an intern and become a full member directly?"

Oak smiled as he looked at Rocks, who radiated masculine charm, and jokingly applied for immediate promotion.

Just hearing the word intern made it clear there was no status to speak of. If possible, Oak would rather become a full member right away. Kaido could be the little errand boy everyone ordered around all by himself!

The moment he finished speaking, a thunderous laugh rang out.

"Gurararara, what an impatient brat!"

Following the laughter, Oak immediately spotted the man who, in the future, would be hailed alongside Roger and Shiki as one of the three legendary pirates. After Roger's death, he would be known as the "Strongest Man in the World," one of the old Four Emperors who ruled the seas for decades—Whitebeard, Edward Newgate.

At this time, Newgate was absurdly young, utterly unlike the aged, battered Whitebeard from the future Summit War.

"Brat, you made me lose two gold coins, so remember to buy me a drink to make up for that loss. Also, welcome to this lousy crew!"

Newgate's goodwill toward Oak drew Rocks's dissatisfaction.

"Hey, hey, Newgate, what do you mean you lost two gold coins? Your bet was clearly put on my tab, wasn't it? The two coins I'd just secured through Ying hadn't even warmed up in my hand before Ochoku took them back!"

Rocks pointed at Ochoku, who was collecting the bets, and rolled his eyes at Newgate.

"And even if our crew really is lousy, don't say it out loud. You'll scare off the newcomers."

Rocks then turned to Oak and spread his arms in response to his question.

"Want to become a full member?

Sure, but only if you can defeat any one person here."

Oak first gave Whitebeard a faint smile upon hearing that.

"Buying you a drink is no problem at all."

After responding to Whitebeard's goodwill, his gaze swept one by one over Golden Lion Shiki, Charlotte Linlin, Captain John, pirate patriarch Ochoku, leader Marlon, smuggler pirate Ganzui, the catfish Fish-Man Barbel, the Four-Armed Gun King Gill Bastar, the Gourmet Knight Streusen, and the others. Finally, it settled on the "Science Bandit," Miss Buckin, who was draped over Whitebeard's shoulder.

He was not considering whom to challenge. He was wondering whether this lineup could take on the Navy Headquarters of this era.

The answer was obvious. An Admiral, considered the World Government's strongest fighting force in this era, had already been solo-killed by Rocks. At most, the Navy only had one or two Admirals left who were worth mentioning, along with a Fleet Admiral whose strength was unknown but certainly inferior to Garp's, plus Sengoku and Garp, that pair of close buddies.

With such strength, there was no way they could withstand the Rocks Pirates unless the World Government itself stepped in. Only then would they have a chance to fight.

No wonder the Navy and the World Government of this era were so tense about the Rocks Pirates. Cipher Pol Aigis Zero practically trembled at the mere mention of Rocks's name, while Sengoku and the other Navy officers would turn solemn whenever they heard it.

Compared to the Rocks Pirates, the Roger Pirates led by the man who would later be called the Pirate King were downright pathetic. At the very least, the Navy and World Government never treated the Roger Pirates with anything close to the same importance they gave the Rocks Pirates—importance so great that after Rocks died, they erased his name from history completely, leaving later generations unaware that before Roger's era, there had once been such an overwhelmingly powerful pirate crew.

As he pondered this, Oak's gaze remained on Miss Buckin. She mistook it for Oak wanting to challenge her, so she put on an affectedly coquettish tone and said,

"Little brother, you aren't thinking of challenging your big sister just because you think I'm an easy target, are you? If you do, I'll be very sad. I can't withstand you tossing me around!"

The instant she spoke, Oak snapped back to his senses. Seeing Miss Buckin's pitiful expression and those seductively alluring eyes, his entire body shuddered. He nearly embarrassed himself on the spot, but managed to restrain himself and hurriedly said,

"Hehe, you misunderstand, big sister. I've always cherished women, especially beautiful ones. How could I challenge you? You're so beautiful, big sister. I'd never bear to hurt you."

Whenever Oak saw a woman, especially a beautiful one, he habitually flirted a little. This drew an even sweeter coquettish laugh from Miss Buckin. After all, no woman disliked being praised for her beauty, especially in front of the man she liked. Miss Buckin glanced at Newgate, but Newgate was utterly unromantic and only kept pouring the fine liquor he had just snatched from Rocks down his throat. Bored, she once again threw Oak a question that could prove fatal.

"So, little brother Oak, between Linlin and me, who is prettier?"

As the only two women in the crew, both with looks tempting enough to invite sin, Miss Buckin and Charlotte Linlin naturally compared themselves to each other often. Yet they could never settle on a definite result, so she deliberately tossed this difficult question to Oak.

Linlin, who had been lazily leaning nearby and watching the show, instantly perked up at the question. She rose to her feet and looked at Oak with an ambiguous smile, waiting for the little fellow's answer.