Rocks Takes Notice; Kaido and Jinbe Admire Him

"Boss Fisher Tiger, Boss Fisher Tiger! Is this the [Hero] Rono you were talking about?"

Meanwhile, at Fish-Man Island, ten thousand meters beneath the sea.

Several young Fish-Men ran over quickly, holding a newspaper and handing it to Fisher Tiger, the boss of Fish-Man District.

One of the Fish-Men was about seven or eight years old, with blue skin. He was a Whale Shark Fish-Man.

Another was even younger, looking only two or three years old. He was an Octopus Fish-Man with six tentacles.

The other was a Sawshark Fish-Man, about five or six years old, with a mouth full of sharp teeth.

Without a doubt, these were the future members of the Sun Pirates: Knight of the Sea Jinbe, the Octopus Fish-Man Hachi, and Arlong!

"Mm, that's right. He was the one who rescued us from the Celestial Dragons."

After looking at the Bounty Poster in the newspaper, Fisher Tiger smiled and gently patted the heads of the little Fish-Men in front of him as he spoke.

"Wow~~ That's amazing! Lord Fisher Tiger, I want to become someone like [Hero] Rono when I grow up!"

"That's right! I want to be as strong as him, too! Then I'll save our people!"

Young Jinbe, Hachi, and Arlong gazed at him with admiration. They had already made Rono the idol they would always follow!

"That's the spirit. In that case, train hard!"

"Eh~ Are we starting again? Boss Fisher Tiger's devilish training!"

At that, the little Fish-Men looked terrified.

The same scene was playing out on many different islands at that moment.

Fish-Man Island, Zou, the Tainakaina Kingdom where the Longarm Tribe lived, and elsewhere.

All the Slaves Rono had freed, no matter their race, were now telling people in their homelands about the great deeds of [Hero] Rono!

Their stories inspired countless young hearts to admire him.

Many people regarded [Hero] Rono as their idol and vowed to work hard so they could become heroes like him one day!

Even Rono himself probably hadn't expected things to develop this way.

Rono's deeds had also spread throughout the Vodka Kingdom in the Grand Line.

"Rono—is he the one who saved so many of our Oni brothers?"

Young Kaido picked up a newspaper and was immediately drawn to its contents.

"Robbing the Heavenly Tribute...! So the Heavenly Tribute is why my country is always at war." Kaido muttered to himself, recalling what the adults had told him before.

They had to defeat their enemies and seize money to pay the Heavenly Tribute, so his homeland was constantly caught up in war.

"He's incredible. If I could rob the Heavenly Tribute from other places like Rono, my homeland wouldn't have to go to war anymore, would it?"

Kaido murmured, feeling a little envious of Rono.

Just then, a large net suddenly dropped from the shadows, covering Kaido.

"Hey, Kaido, you've been sold to the Navy! Our country can't keep you here anymore!"

More than ten members of the King's Guard appeared at once and seized Kaido together.

"Damn it, don't treat me like a Political Tool! I don't want to be a lackey of the World Government!"

Kaido roared and tried to break free, only to find that the specially made ropes completely restrained him.

"We have no choice! As long as you join the Navy, we'll be able to attend the Reverie!"

The dozen or so Guards ignored Kaido's objections and threw him straight onto a Warship.

New World, Pirate Island, Hachinosu.

This was the famous headquarters of the Rocks Pirates.

"This is terrible! Something huge has happened!"

"What happened?"

"Haven't you read the news? A rookie named Rono seized the Heavenly Tribute, and his first Bounty is as high as 500 million Beli!"

"What? 500 million Beli? You must be making that up! Golden Lion and Charlotte Linlin only have Bounties a little over 600 million. What makes this rookie worth 500 million?"

"I'm definitely not making it up. If you don't believe me, look at today's newspaper."

More than ten members of the Rocks Pirates crowded together, repeatedly stunned by the deeds reported in the paper.

"What's all the noise about?"

Just then, a tall, muscular man appeared. He had gorgeous golden hair that fell to his shoulders, and, most notably, a crescent-shaped mustache that curled upward.

That's right. He was none other than the future renowned [World's Strongest Pirate], Whitebeard, who would rule for nearly an entire era!

Although his mustache was still golden at the time, he preferred to be called [Whitebeard]!

"Captain Whitebeard!"

Seeing him, the Pirates greeted him respectfully.

The Rocks Pirates' First Division Commander, Edward Newgate!

He was also the crew's strongest man after Rocks himself, and the one most worthy of trust.

"Mm, what's going on? Has another rookie appeared?" Whitebeard asked the Pirates with interest.

His Observation Haki had already picked up some of what they were saying. It seemed to be about some rookie Pirate or other.

"Captain Whitebeard, take a look at the newspaper."

A Pirate underling handed the paper to Whitebeard. Whitebeard took it without ceremony and began to read.

The more he read, the more his expression changed.

When he finished reading, Whitebeard let out a long breath.

"Another incredible guy has appeared on the sea. Has anyone told Rocks about this?"

Whitebeard asked the Pirate underlings.

This rookie named Rono had awakened Advanced Three-Color Haki, making him powerful already. But his potential was even more terrifying, and he liked going after the Celestial Dragons.

Rocks would definitely be very interested in this rookie.

"Not yet... We haven't seen Captain Rocks." The Pirate underling answered honestly.

Just then, a Pirate underling suddenly ran up to Whitebeard, panting heavily. It was clear he had something urgent to report:

"Cap... Captain Whitebeard, Captain Rocks is looking for you. He wants you to see him right away. He said it's something very urgent!"

"I know. Take me to him." After reading the news about Rono, Whitebeard had already expected Rocks to summon him.

Sure enough, the first thing Rocks said when Whitebeard saw him was, "Whitebeard, a rookie has appeared on the sea recently. Have you heard about him?"

"I just found out." Whitebeard raised the newspaper in his hand.

"Good. What do you think of this rookie?" Rocks asked.

After pondering for a moment, Whitebeard said, "At seventeen, he awakened Three Types of Haki, and all three have reached the advanced level. His talent is rare even once in decades. Give him a little more time, and he'll definitely grow into a monster!"

Whitebeard paused. There was one more thing he considered saying, but didn't.

That was, given enough time, Rono might even grow into a monster who surpassed Rocks!