Shiki Makes His Move

"Three Marine Vice Admirals and a Marine Admiral. The Marines really are taking him seriously."

Someone could not help remarking, "And they're just two brats."

"Well? Anyone want to go take a look? You only need to keep Day Tiger busy and buy the brat some time."

Rocks looked at the others aboard the ship. He had to admit that his friendship with Jaeger ran deep enough for him to help Hades now.

"And make sure the Marines don't interfere with our operation."

The Rocks Pirates' target this time was a World Government Member State. They intended to plunder the entire Kingdom.

This operation would herald their return to action, rouse them from their long quiet, and lay the groundwork for their next round of recruitment.

After all, rumors were spreading across the seas that the Rocks Pirates had grown content with the status quo and started living for pleasure.

No one wanted a war with the Marines for no reason. They had joined the Rocks Pirates for treasure.

After years of growth, the Rocks Pirates had reached a bottleneck.

Too much peace would only cause their ranks to drift apart.

That was why the Rocks Pirates had secretly assembled nearly all their forces for their first operation.

Otherwise, taking down a single Affiliated Nation would only require a few officers.

"Then let me go. I've been wanting to try out my new power." The young Shiki stepped forward, his brazen face alight with battle lust.

"If you find any good swords, remember to hold on to them for me."

With a sword in each hand, Shiki intended to use Marine Admiral Day Tiger Davis as a whetstone.

Shiki was a year older than Edward Newgate, making him twenty-four this year.

The swords he carried were only two ordinary Famous Swords. Sakura Tree and Withered Ten, the two blades that would one day become renowned alongside him as members of the Twenty-One Great Grade Swords, had yet to fall into his hands.

As a swordsman, Shiki longed for finer blades. As his strength grew, his two swords were gradually falling behind.

Shiki had grown rapidly within the Rocks Pirates and was already one of their strongest fighters.

Before long, he would stand alongside John, Silver Axe, Ochoku, and Kosa—the monsters in the Rocks Pirates' second tier, surpassed only by Rocks D. Zebek.

The others knew Shiki's domineering nature all too well. If anyone found a top-tier Famous Sword and tried to keep it for themselves, he would stop at nothing to take it.

Shiki already had the strength to back up that arrogance. Rocks had even given him the Float-Float Fruit, a top-tier Paramecia Devil Fruit.

"Then it's settled. You'll get a share of the treasure." Rocks never begrudged rewards to those who earned them.

They had absolute confidence in Shiki's strength.

Even if he could not match Davis, the Float-Float Fruit gave Shiki control of the skies. That alone made him almost impossible to defeat.

His swordsmanship alone would give Davis plenty of trouble.

This was also a test for Hades. Even facing only three Marine Vice Admirals would be no easy matter.

It would determine what standing Hades could earn after joining the Rocks Pirates.

Assuming he survived.

Without hesitation, Shiki took the Eternal Pose and flew straight into the sky beneath more than a few envious gazes.

They wanted the power to fly too!

But they did not measure up. Shiki was someone Captain Rocks had his eye on.

"Damn it! The entire Rocks Pirates have vanished? How could this happen?"

Black erupted in anger. He had thought everything was under control, only for this shocking news to come out of nowhere.

"How could the timing be this bad?"

"Find them, now! I want to know where the Rocks Pirates are and what they're targeting."

His fist hammered the desk with a series of thuds. Under the force of a blow he failed to control, it shattered.

The calm he had felt moments ago gave way to agitation.

He had expected the Marines to be the first to break the current deadlock. Instead, the Rocks Pirates had made the first move, leaving the Marines on the back foot.

Boom!

The office door flew open under a kick, cracks spreading across it.

A figure barged in. He had a burly frame and an exposed chest with muscles sharply defined as if carved by blade and axe. His bronze skin gave him a savage, powerful beauty.

It was Kong. He strode in so quickly that a gust of wind followed him.

"Fleet Admiral, what's going on?"

Kong had rushed over as soon as he heard some of the news.

Black was in no mood to reprimand him for kicking the door open.

He picked up two reports and handed them to Kong.

"See for yourself."

One concerned Hades; the other, the Rocks Pirates.

"How could this happen?"

No one knew better than Kong and Black how terrifying the Rocks Pirates were when their forces gathered together.

The two Marine Admirals currently in the New World could not possibly stop them.

The plan had been for Kong to lead the Marines against the Rocks Pirates, but they had been a step too slow.

"What is the Intelligence Department doing? They only send us something this important now, and they still have no idea what's happening?"

Even Kong was at a loss over how they could stop the Rocks Pirates.

What was their target? The Marines? The World Government? Or some Kingdom or Affiliated Nation?

With nothing confirmed, they were at a severe disadvantage.

"Put every Marine on alert! Launch a wide-ranging search. We must find the Rocks Pirates."

"And inform the World Government."

"Kong, ready the troops for battle. Get to the New World at once!"

Black did not hesitate. Against the Rocks Pirates, the Marines had to commit everything they had.

"What about that brat Hades?"

Kong nodded, then pointed to Hades's photograph.

The earlier decision had been the right one, but under these circumstances, they might have to abandon it. That would be a terrible waste.

"The plan stays the same," Black said steadily.

"Then what about the Rocks Pirates?" Kong frowned, unable to understand why Fleet Admiral Black had made that decision.

The Marines had only two Admirals in the New World. If they sent one after little Hades, only Puyol would remain to defend G-1 Fortress.

There were several Admiral Candidates as well, but only the Supreme Combatants had enough strength and presence to deter the enemy.

"We're already too late, Kong. You know that."

Black looked Kong in the eye and spoke earnestly.

"One step behind becomes two, then three. We shouldn't chase after the enemy. We need to get ourselves in order as quickly as possible. Only by gathering enough strength can we face such a terrifying foe."

"As things stand, we can't stop the Rocks Pirates. We may as well accomplish the one thing we're most confident we can do."

"Until we learn more about the Rocks Pirates, we need to make thorough preparations."