Pirates: A Family Slaughtered, Every Celestial Dragon Must Die!

When someone was about as good as you, you might feel bitter. You might even envy them.

But when someone had left you far behind, all you could do was look up to them in admiration!

So when Rocks made the announcement, none of the Division Commanders objected. They immediately congratulated Rono.

"Huh? That's not quite how I imagined this would go."

Even Rocks was a little stunned.

He had expected Golden Lion, Silver Axe, John, and the others to resent the announcement.

After all, every one of those monsters was exceptionally gifted.

They had all awakened Conqueror's Haki and possessed the qualities of a king.

Rocks had considered appointing a vice captain before, but none of them would accept another in the role.

The Division Commanders had come to blows several times, nearly splitting the crew apart.

In the end, Rocks had stepped in to put a stop to it.

That was why he had simply done away with the position of vice captain.

But now, every one of those monsters seemed to respect Rono.

All the better. It saved Rocks a headache.

"Whitebeard, you don't have any objections, do you?"

Still uneasy, Rocks asked Whitebeard directly.

After all, Whitebeard had been the Rocks Pirates' number two.

"Gurararara! Are you kidding? I already consider Rono my own brother!"

"My brother's becoming vice captain! I couldn't be happier. Why would I object?"

Whitebeard took a huge swig of wine and laughed.

"Good. Then as of today, Rono is the vice captain of the Rocks Pirates!"

Rocks announced it to the crew.

From that day forward, Rono was officially the vice captain of the Rocks Pirates!

"Hahaha! Lord Rono's the vice captain now!"

"Doesn't that mean we get to share in his glory?"

"Hahaha! We really picked the right man to follow!"

At the news, the Seventh Division members, with Kaido at their head, beamed with pride.

The rest of the crew could only look on with envy.

Vice captain outranked the Division Commanders by a wide margin!

The Seventh Division's future looked bright!

"As vice captain, you answer only to me, and you can give orders to the other Division Commanders."

Rocks soon began explaining the powers of the position to Rono.

In short, aboard the Rocks Pirates' ship, Rono was second only to Rocks.

Even the other Division Commanders had to follow the vice captain's orders.

His share of the profits from each voyage was also second only to the captain's.

But Rono didn't care about any of that!

He had joined the Rocks Pirates only to kill every Celestial Dragon!

Still, if Rocks wanted him as vice captain, Rono had no reason to refuse.

"And here's your reward."

At that moment, Rocks produced an exquisite box from somewhere.

It instantly drew everyone's attention.

Even with the lid closed, they could sense the deep aura of the sea emanating from within.

It had to contain a Devil Fruit!

Even the usually composed Whitebeard grew curious and craned his neck.

Golden Lion moved in for a closer look too.

Though both already had Devil Fruit powers, the powerful aura from this fruit drew them in.

Rocks's Reward: A Mythical Zoan! Kaido Was Stunned!

"It's a Mythical Zoan: the Fish-Fish Fruit, Model: Azure Dragon."

Rocks wasted no time. He opened the box and showed everyone its contents.

A ruler of the seas like Rocks had naturally read the Devil Fruit Encyclopedia long ago.

He knew this Mythical Zoan was rarer even than a Logia.

Rono had performed an extraordinary feat, so Rocks was willing to part with the fruit he had treasured for so long.

"It's really a Mythical Zoan!"

"The Azure Dragon Form! If someone mastered it, wouldn't it be stronger than even the best Logia?"

"Exactly! Captain Rocks sure knows how to reward someone!"

Envy filled the crew's eyes.

Mythical Zoans were rarer than Logias.

And the Fish-Fish Fruit, Model: Azure Dragon ranked among the very best Mythical Zoans!

Anyone who ate such a powerful fruit and trained hard could become a Division Commander at the very least!

At their peak, they might even rival Admiral-level Division Commanders like Whitebeard and Golden Lion!

Vice Captain Rono was already more than strong enough.

If he gained the Azure Dragon Fruit on top of that...

Good heavens!

The crew couldn't even imagine it!

"I'm jealous! I can't believe Captain Rocks is giving away a treasure like that."

"No kidding. The Mythical Zoan Fish-Fish Fruit, Model: Azure Dragon is an exceptionally rare, top-tier fruit!"

"If he mastered it, his strength would climb even higher!"

Even Silver Axe, Ochoku, and John stared wide-eyed at the fruit.

None of the three had a Devil Fruit. They fought mainly through their Haki.

They had also been unable to break through to Admiral-level strength.

If they could get their hands on a top-tier Mythical Zoan Fruit,

then with the foundation each of those Division Commanders had built, they could leap to Admiral level!

"Vice Captain Rono, I'll pay you 1.5 billion Beli for that fruit. How about it?"

John made the offer in front of everyone.

To curry favor with Rono, he had even made a point of addressing him as vice captain.

After all, John's strength had stagnated for years. He still couldn't cross the threshold to Admiral level.

He wanted a good Devil Fruit desperately.

"Hmph. John, you're a cheapskate."

"You think 1.5 billion will buy a top-tier Mythical Zoan rarer than a Logia? Dream on!"

"I'll pay 2.5 billion! Vice Captain Rono, sell it to me!"

Silver Axe snorted at John and raised the offer to 2.5 billion!

"2.5 billion Beli!"

The pirates watching grew excited. The commanders had started a bidding war.

Two and a half billion was already an astronomical sum!

An ordinary Devil Fruit sold for only 100 million Beli on the black market!

But it looked like the final price might go well beyond 2.5 billion!

Sure enough!

"Three billion! I'll pay three billion! Let me have it, Vice Captain Rono!"

Ochoku entered the bidding too!

Charlotte Linlin stayed out of it. She already had Devil Fruit powers.

Golden Lion and Whitebeard watched the bidding with keen interest, eager to see how it would play out.

They already had powers of their own, and neither had any complaints about them.

"Three billion Beli! Commander Ochoku is loaded!"

The pirates watching marveled. Every Division Commander seemed richer than the last.

No wonder everyone wanted the job.

"Four billion! I'll pay four billion!"

John gritted his teeth and pushed the offer to four billion!

He had won a bet against Golden Lion, Ochoku, and Silver Axe not long ago.

Each of them had paid him one billion.

He had made three billion Beli from that bet alone.

"Four billion Beli!"

The pirates' eyes nearly popped out of their heads!

Four billion Beli was a staggering amount of money!

How many years would they have to work to earn that much?

Everyone turned envious eyes on Rono!

All Vice Captain Rono had to do was nod, and four billion Beli would be his.

"Four billion Beli? Not interested!"

Rono answered calmly under everyone's gaze.

He spoke as though four billion Beli were pocket change!

Everyone was stunned!

He wouldn't sell even for four billion. That was Vice Captain Rono for you. Nothing swayed him.

"You won't sell for four billion Beli? Vice Captain Rono, are you holding out for five billion?"

"Even the Op-Op Fruit, the most expensive one, only costs five billion Beli!"

"A Mythical Zoan can't compare with the Op-Op Fruit, no matter how strong it is!"

John stared at him, assuming Rono wanted a higher price, and tried to persuade him.

In terms of combat power, the Fish-Fish Fruit, Model: Azure Dragon was certainly stronger than the Op-Op Fruit.

But the Op-Op Fruit had a special ability.

Its user could perform a special surgery on someone and grant them immortality!

That rarity was more than three Azure Dragon Fruits put together could match!