Rats in the Shadows, the Mighty Nyx

"Who is it?" Nyx asked through gritted teeth. A chill radiated from her, as if frost had formed in the air.

Nyx knew Hades's ability: his naturally awakened Observation Haki let him sense emotions. After honing it, he could tell whether someone harbored malice toward him.

Even without malice, certain emotions could betray hidden intentions.

To some extent, Hades could guess what people were thinking.

However deeply they hid it, he could still pick up clues.

As it happened, Hades had studied psychology for a time in his previous life.

Combined with his years of practicing Observation Haki, it had given him a keen grasp of emotions.

His Observation Haki swept across the entire pirate ship, bringing every face aboard vividly to mind.

No matter how well they kept up appearances, their minds were riddled with holes before Hades.

That meant another faction had planted spies aboard her ship.

Pirates hated traitors more than anything, yet traitors were the one thing they could never avoid.

Ships changing hands several times was hardly unusual at sea.

But this had struck a nerve with Nyx. Hades was aboard her ship right now.

If word got out and the World Government and the Marines set their sights on him, they would be in trouble.

That was the last thing she wanted.

How could she allow it?

Before the agents could make a move, dense shadows engulfed the entire ship, forming a shadow domain that sealed off every escape route.

"Kill him!"

Unable to hide any longer, the lead Agent gritted his teeth and roared the order without hesitation.

That needle-sharp gaze had told him the truth.

He did not know how his identity had been exposed, but now his only choice was to fight for his life.

As intelligence operatives, they were instinctively sensitive to auras and gazes. They were certain Hades had spotted them.

They were merely Agents trained by the World Government. They were capable fighters, but nothing more.

They could never compare to a Great Pirate like Nyx.

Nyx was not enough of a threat for the World Government to assign one of its few CP0 agents to her.

Even killing Nyx would do little to change the balance of power at sea.

Besides, Nyx was extremely wary. She only wanted Cannon Fodder; anyone stronger would arouse suspicion.

To them, Nyx was an opponent they could not hope to defeat.

And now that she had sealed off the ship, they had no chance of escaping. Their infiltration had failed.

But if they could kill Nyx's son, it would all be worth it.

How could that possibly happen?

Things would not unfold as they imagined. It was nothing but a dying man's wishful thinking.

The entire ship had become Nyx's shadow domain. Tendrils rose from the darkness and bound them before they could resist.

Shhk!

In the next instant, shadow Spears pierced their bodies and took their lives.

Even if they had learned Armament Haki, they could not coat their entire bodies with it.

The whole thing took only seconds.

Nyx's display of power was astonishing. No one in the Rocks Pirates dared underestimate her.

The Night-Night Fruit let her control shadows at will, and at night its power reached its peak.

She could even become a shadow herself, darting through darkness so swiftly that she seemed to appear and vanish like a ghost.

It gave her quite a few advantages over other Logia users.

With the ability to hide in shadows at any moment, she was almost impossible to defeat.

Even against a stronger opponent, she could hold out for a long time, and she could leave the battlefield whenever she wished.

Thanks to the Night-Night Fruit, Nyx had escaped every attempt the Marines made to surround and capture her, leaving them with heavy losses instead.

In the shadows, she was known as the "Queen of the Night." Most people, though, knew her as the wife of Jaeger the "Grim Reaper."

Jaeger's legend was simply too imposing, and his influence remained immense.

It had been a minor incident, swiftly snuffed out by Nyx.

The sky turned blue again. The shadows blanketing the ship vanished as Nyx drew them back into herself.

The other Crew Members did not dare look at them. Unable to hide their fear, they kept their heads down and went about their work.

What had happened? What had Hades and the others said? They did not know, and they did not want to.

Nyx did not care either. None of these people was particularly strong; to her, they were Cannon Fodder.

That was how things worked in the Rocks Pirates.

Until you became an official member, you were nothing but an insect.

The vast numbers of ordinary members were Cannon Fodder. They were expendable, and more could always be recruited.

No one cared if they died. Even if another member killed them, no one would stand up for them.

Only official members counted as people in the Rocks Pirates.

The title of "officer" was merely something the Pirates below them had come up with.

After all, they had always considered themselves members of the Rocks Pirates.

But without the strength to earn recognition, they could only attach themselves to powerful Pirates.

So those who became officers were generally Great Pirates with Bounties in the hundreds of millions, powerful Lone Wanderers, leaders of small groups, or Captains of Affiliated Pirate Crews.

Death was commonplace in the Rocks Pirates, as was fighting among their own.

It all came down to strength. If you were strong enough to kill someone above you, you could take their place with ease.

Pirates fought tooth and nail for a chance to join the Rocks Pirates.

Whenever the crew suffered losses, its ranks were replenished in no time.

Competition was fierce, but with those powerful figures leading the way, everyone could claim a large share of treasure each time.

It was just as Rocks had promised when he founded the Rocks Pirates: follow him, and you would make a fortune.

Across the New World, vast stretches of land nominally belonged to the Rocks Pirates, and countless islands flew their flag.

Even the forces of the chaotic Underworld had to pay the Rocks Pirates for protection.

Some even maintained close ties with them.

Tribute from those islands and factions alone was enough to sustain the Rocks Pirates' growth.

The Rocks Pirates had come a long way from their wild early days. Now they had deep resources to draw upon.

In intelligence, at least, they could even surpass the World Government and the Marines.

There were talented people among them, too.