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Chapter 7
The familiar system notification rang out.
Lotte immediately thought "Sign in" without hesitation.
[Ding! Rocks Pirates sign-in complete!] [Reward obtained: Top-tier Three-Color Haki Talent + Swordsmanship Comprehension.]
A smile couldn't help but appear on Lotte's lips.
The Rocks Pirates truly lived up to their status as overlords of these seas—the sign-in reward was indeed excellent.
Whether it was the top-tier talent for all three types of Haki or the swordsmanship comprehension,
Both were extremely useful to Lotte.
After all, relying solely on the Wood Release granted by the Hashirama Cells to reach the top in the New World
Would likely require raising mastery to at least 80% or higher.
But judging from the current rate of improvement,
Reaching 80%+ would probably take at least two years.
Moreover, when facing Logia-type Devil Fruit users,
Not having Haki was a massive disadvantage.
With three-color Haki and swordsmanship to complement it,
Lotte could elevate his strength to a whole new level in a short time.
Realizing this, he took a deep breath and resolved to use his time in the Rocks Pirates to grow as quickly as possible.
After all, if he remembered correctly,
The God Valley Incident—the battle that shook the entire world and shattered the Rocks Pirates—
Would erupt in full force in no more than a year or two!
By then,
Lotte had to ensure his strength stood at the pinnacle of these seas!
He would make God Valley the battle that marked his rise!
With this thought,
Lotte silently made up his mind.
His next goal was to rapidly climb the ranks within the Rocks Pirates.
Right now, while he had already shown considerable potential,
His actual strength was still lacking.
Compared to those already famous cadre-level sea pirates,
Without Haki or swordsmanship, relying only on B-rank level Wood Release clearly couldn't threaten them.
So for now, he needed to demonstrate his value.
As the remaining few boarded the ship,
Lotte immediately drew the attention of the cadres the moment he stepped on deck.
After all, the strength he had displayed in the battle was undoubtedly the most terrifying among this batch of new recruits.
And also the one with the greatest potential.
Golden Lion walked over, laughing as he patted Lotte on the shoulder.
"Kid, interested in joining my unit? The benefits won't be lacking, I promise."
If he could recruit Lotte into his division,
When the time came to form his own pirate crew, the kid would definitely become a major asset.
In the eyes of an ambitious pirate like Golden Lion Shiki,
Lotte was undoubtedly a juicy prize.
"Gurararara! Shiki, don't go too far. I remember you already took in quite a few from the last batch."
Whitebeard walked over with his sake gourd, laughing heartily.
He glanced at the newly boarded Lotte.
"Kid, joining a division isn't something to take lightly. Think it over carefully."
He deliberately added this warning.
He had no real intention of competing with Shiki for the recruit.
After all, Whitebeard had never cared much about recruiting newbies.
But when the chance to mess with this old lion presented itself, he wouldn't let him have it so easily.
Hearing Whitebeard's words, Golden Lion Shiki's face darkened.
He turned to glare at Whitebeard.
His hands had already moved to his waist, gripping the hilts of his swords. An extremely terrifying aura surged forth like a tidal wave.
"Whitebeard, you bastard... are you looking for a fight?!"
Shiki's face was grim as he stared fixedly at Whitebeard.
He was just trying to recruit a new guy—why was this guy interfering? Did he really think Shiki was afraid?!
"Gurararara! Old lion, who are you trying to intimidate? I was just giving the kid a few words of advice."
"So he doesn't get screwed over by a guy like you."
"If you want to fight, I'm always ready!"
Whitebeard raised an eyebrow and tightened his grip on Murakumogiri.
He slammed the hilt twice against the deck.
Bang!
The resounding impact spread out.
An extremely terrifying wave of Conqueror's Haki suddenly erupted.
Crackle—!!
In that instant,
Golden Lion Shiki and Whitebeard Edward's Conqueror's Haki clashed.
Amidst piercing explosive sounds, everyone on the ship clearly saw black-red lightning-like bolts erupting from the point of collision between the two Conqueror's Haki!
Boom!!!
The massive, almost tangible clash of Conqueror's Haki auras
Exploded outward in all directions.
The newly joined recruits on the surrounding ships paled dramatically.
Even Kaido couldn't help but breathe heavily.
Splash—!!
The once calm sea suddenly churned with massive ripples!
But while everyone else felt overwhelming pressure,
Lotte's eyes suddenly lit up.
[Ding! Congratulations, Host has come into contact with top-tier Conqueror's Haki! Conqueror's Haki has officially awakened!] [Thanks to your talent boost, your Conqueror's Haki has reached beginner level.] [Current proficiency has been increased.]
Hearing the system notification, Lotte instinctively clenched his fist.
He could feel he had truly grasped Conqueror's Haki. As expected of top-tier talent—awakening it was this effortless.
Though he couldn't compare to Whitebeard and Shiki yet,
Given time,
Catching up to their level was only a matter of time.
He never imagined that just the clash of their Conqueror's Haki would awaken his own.
While Lotte was secretly delighted,
A calm, authoritative voice rang out indifferently.
"Newgate, Shiki."
"You two, stop messing around."
Along with the voice came an overwhelming, crushing aura.
In an instant, it completely shattered the Conqueror's Haki clash between Whitebeard and Shiki.
The new recruits finally breathed a sigh of relief.
They were already drenched in sweat.
The pressure from such terrifying Conqueror's Haki was simply beyond what they could endure!
As Rocks' calm voice fell,
Both Whitebeard and Shiki's expressions changed.
Shiki snorted coldly and begrudgingly retracted his Conqueror's Haki. He turned back to Lotte.
"Kid, what's your answer?"
Shiki's voice snapped Lotte out of his thoughts.
He looked up at the famous New World sea pirate standing before him.
Taking a deep breath, he replied calmly.
"I'm sorry, but I don't have any intention of joining a division for now."
"Though I might consider it in the future."
Shiki's face darkened as he glared at Lotte.
He never expected this new recruit to dare refuse an invitation from a cadre like him.
But with Rocks' earlier warning, he couldn't do anything more.
"Hmph!"
Shiki snorted unhappily and turned to leave.
Whitebeard also laughed heartily, gripped Murakumogiri, and walked off the deck.
For cadres like them,
The only one who could truly keep them in check was the captain, Rocks.
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