"Is that all you can do, kid?!"
Rocks sat on his throne, his eyes narrowing as he scrutinized the crew members writhing on the floor. His gaze was sharp, dissecting the potential of this new power.
"Of course not!"
York smiled. He separated his clasped hands and thrust one palm forward.
Buzz!
Sacred white light coalesced in his palm, solidifying into several shimmering tentacles of energy. They shot out instantly, coiling towards the four who had resisted him: Rocks, Whitebeard, Stussy, and Kaido.
The first two—monsters of the New World—didn't bother to dodge.
The latter two hesitated for a split second, and that was enough to seal their fate.
Rocks and Whitebeard reached out, grabbing the incoming light tentacles with their bare hands. Stussy and Kaido weren't as fast, ending up with one arm entangled by the glowing constructs.
The next second, the expressions of the four "pure" ones cracked.
A shy blush crept up their necks. Rocks and Whitebeard roared simultaneously, their Busoshoku Haki erupting like a volcano to crush the tentacles in their grip.
CRACK!
The light shattered into particles.
However, even after pulverizing the constructs, the aftershocks lingered. Both men stood there, faces flushed red, chests heaving, their backs slightly hunched to hide their reaction.
Stussy and Kaido fared worse. Unable to break free with brute force, they remained entangled, their breathing ragged. In the end, York had to snap his fingers and retract the tentacles himself.
Freed, Kaido hunched over, clutching his chest with a red face. He couldn't help but curse. "This ability... is truly twisted!"
Stussy didn't scold him. Instead, her usually composed face was flushed with a charming pink hue. She pressed her long, slender legs together, her sapphire eyes drifting towards Whitebeard with a look of terrifying, affectionate longing.
"Newgate~~" she purred.
Whitebeard took a deep, shuddering breath. He exhaled slowly, forcing the unnatural heat from his veins, and pointedly ignored her.
Seeing this, York's eyes flashed with surprise. His gaze lingered on the Queen of the Pleasure District, his tongue darting out to wet his lips.
"Wahahaha! Your ability is truly excellent!"
On the throne, Rocks threw his head back and laughed, his wild black-and-white hair shaking.
"I approve! From today on, you are the second apprentice of the Rocks Pirates!"
"Just an apprentice?"
York turned to glance at Kaido, who was still recovering.
'In a serious fight, Kaido couldn't even break free from the tentacles,' York analyzed silently. 'If I made direct contact...'
His Happy-Happy Fruit was modeled after Boa Hancock's Love-Love Fruit. It could unleash wide-range Holy Light, strike with precision tentacles, and even enhance martial arts. But the most terrifying aspect was direct contact—the effect was at least three times stronger than the tentacles.
"Well, it doesn't matter. I'm here to learn, after all."
Several minutes later.
The chaos in the hall subsided. The crew members who had been "serviced" by York's ability slowly picked themselves up.
Their gazes toward the new recruit were no longer dismissive. They looked at York with a mix of dread, bloodlust, curiosity, greed, and malice.
They didn't see a comrade. They saw a natural enemy, an amusing toy, or... an unparalleled treasure to be exploited.
York scanned the room. Among the sea of hostile faces, one stood out. A man with a triple chin and a forked tongue that flicked like a snake's. His gaze was the most fervent, and the most disgusting.
Wang Zhi.
'I didn't know much about him before transmigrating,' York thought, 'but his name is famous in the future.'
In the original timeline, after the God Valley Incident, Wang Zhi was the one who took over Hachinosu Island and ruled it for decades until Blackbeard usurped him.
'He's a schemer. I need to keep my guard up around him.'
"Hey! Kaido!"
Rocks's booming voice snapped York out of his thoughts.
"You're a senior now! Take the new guy, find him a hole to sleep in, and tell him the rules!"
"Yes!"
Kaido, fully recovered now, grunted and jerked his head for York to follow.
As they walked out of the hall, Kaido muttered, "Our rules are simple. There's only one."
"Acknowledge yourself as a member of the Rocks Pirates."
"That's it. No other restrictions. Kill who you want, steal what you want."
York nodded. 'Simple enough.'
The night passed without incident.
York slept with one eye open, expecting an assassination attempt from Wang Zhi or the others, but the shadows remained quiet.
The next day.
Another new member joined the crew.
His name was Kyo. He wore sunglasses with an "X" pattern on the lenses and had a large tattoo of his name on his chest. His title was the "Underworld Assassin," and rumors whispered he was a rival to the Golden Lion.
He didn't walk up the mountain; he fought his way up, leaving a trail of bodies. Being older, infamous, and powerful, Rocks skipped the apprenticeship and made him an Executive immediately.
For the next few weeks, York lived peacefully on the island, familiarizing himself with the chaotic ecosystem of the world's most dangerous crew.
Until one day, Rocks went crazy.
He summoned everyone to the plaza outside the skull dome. With two thunderous punches, he blasted two massive holes into the rock face.
BOOM! BOOM!
Dust settled, revealing two jagged "eyes" in the skull mountain.
"Look! This view! This scenery!!" Rocks shouted, spreading his arms. "I told you it needed eyes! Don't you agree?!"
York stood quietly beside Kaido, waiting for the madness to make sense.
Seeing the crew assembled, Rocks pivoted to his real topic.
"Listen up! There are two Devil Fruits I want to obtain!!"
"One of them is likely in Elbaf!"
"That one must be eaten by Harald to unleash its true power!!"
Before he could finish, Captain John, swigging from a wine bottle, interrupted. "Also, you're looking for that 'Great Hammer Battle Group' or whatever. I've heard the legends..."
Charlotte Linlin scoffed. "I've used my homies and my network. There is no frozen giant army. It's a fairy tale."
Whitebeard crossed his massive arms. "Even if they existed, they'd be corpses by now, wouldn't they? Who cares about dead giants?"
Streusen (Long Bread) chuckled. "Indeed, you can't exactly bake a cake with rotten ingredients."
"Shut up!! I'm talking about my DREAM!!"
Rocks roared, veins popping on his forehead. The crew completely ignored his outburst.
Fishman Babel shrugged. "What's more, even if they did come back to life, why would they follow you? They're giants."
Rocks: "That's why I need the power of Harald, the current King of Elbaf!!"
Kaido grinned, eager for violence. "Can't we just crush them? If we beat this Harald guy into the dirt, won't he listen?"
WHAM!
"Don't you dare think like that again! You uncultured swine!!"
Rocks, frustrated by the constant interruptions, spun around and kicked Kaido in the face, sending the apprentice flying into a wall.
"Stop it! Rocks!!" Charlotte Linlin shouted, her eyes narrowing.
Kaido exploded from the rubble, furious. He charged back, club raised. "You want to go, old man?!"
Instantly, the tension snapped. Everyone drew their weapons. Swords were half-unsheathed; guns were cocked. York silently released glowing tentacles from his palms, ready to defend himself.
"You..." Kaido growled, wiping blood from his lip. 'Why is it that everyone else interrupts and gets a pass, but I get kicked in the face?!'
Linlin stepped between them. "Kaido, stand down!"
Shiki the Golden Lion floated slightly off the ground, his hand on his sword hilt. "Oi, oi. It took a lot of effort to steal this island. Do you want to turn it into ruins? I know this team is barely holding together, but let's not destroy our base just yet."
John took a swig of rum. "How about we wait until we've secured a few more treasures before we kill each other? Eh, Horn-boy?"
Kaido glared but lowered his club. He knew he couldn't take on the entire crew at once.
"Loki is necessary for the plan!! If you dare spout nonsense again, I'll kill you myself, Kaido!!"
Rocks warned him sternly, then turned back to the crowd, his charisma flaring up again.
"All of you listen carefully!!"
"Elbaf is the key! It is the stepping stone to overthrowing the Celestial Dragons and the Holy Land!!"
"If you don't believe in the vision, get out right now!!"
"Whether you follow me on the Day of Destiny is up to you!!"
"But! If you've made up your mind, then let's turn this world upside down together!!"
"I will show you the King of the World!!!"
Silence followed the speech. Despite their unruly nature, the monsters of the Rocks Pirates looked at their captain. They were indifferent on the surface, but inwardly, the sheer scale of his ambition shook them.
Into that silence, a calm voice spoke.
"If you are looking for a frozen giant army... I might know where they are."
The collective gaze of the deadliest crew in history snapped to the back of the room.
It was Atlas D. York.
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