Under the watchful eyes of countless pirates, Roldy slowly stepped down from the deck.
His height—nearly on par with Whitebeard's—carried immense pressure. His name had already spread far and wide; no one dared to underestimate him.
"Gurararara! The brat looks spirited enough! The 'Marine Defector Vice Admiral ,' huh? Interesting kid!"
Whitebeard lifted the flask at his waist and took a swig of rum.
He was in his prime. Beneath a white captain's hat flowed long blond hair. His features were imposing, especially the crescent-shaped white mustache that defined him.
An aura of overwhelming strength radiated from him at all times.
As the strongest man in the Rocks Pirates second only to Rocks D. Xebec, and the First Division Commander, Whitebeard was the wielder of the Tremor-Tremor Fruit (Gura Gura no Mi)—a Paramecia-type Devil Fruit that granted him the power to create earthquakes capable of destroying the world itself.
Combined with his domineering mastery of the naginata, he already possessed the qualifications to be called the "Strongest Man in the World."
"Jihahahaha! Of course he's impressive—he's someone I had my eye on! Shame, though. The brat refused to join my Second Division!"
The Golden Lion and Whitebeard shared a relatively decent relationship—at least compared to the rest of the Rocks Pirates. Strength was the foundation of mutual respect, and since their power was evenly matched, their status stood on equal footing.
"Oh? He turned you down? So you made this trip for nothing?"
Whitebeard looked surprised.
Seven years ago, Shiki had mentioned encountering a prodigy with extraordinary talent, praising the boy endlessly. Yet now he hadn't gotten his wish.
"Hmph! The kid's got ambition. Trained by those two old monsters, Garp and Zephyr—it's only natural he wouldn't want to serve under me. Besides, with his strength, he's more than capable of competing for a Division Commander position!"
Shiki's words genuinely surprised Whitebeard.
He knew Shiki well. A ruthless and arrogant overlord like him rarely gave such praise. At present, the Rocks Pirates had only six divisions. The true core members numbered barely a thousand; the rest were pirates who had submitted to Rocks' overwhelming might but weren't qualified to be official members.
Among the six divisions:
First Division Commander — Edward Newgate (Whitebeard)
Second Division Commander — Golden Lion Shiki
Third Division Commander — Charlotte Linlin
Followed by Wang Zhi, Silver Axe, and
Sixth Division Commander — John
John was considered somewhat weaker compared to the others, but even he was a pirate with a bounty exceeding 1 billion Berries.
"Oh? So you're saying he's here aiming for a Division Commander seat?"
"His bounty's a bit low. With his strength, he's definitely not inferior to John."
As they chatted, Roldy officially set foot on Hachinosu.
He lifted his head and scanned his surroundings.
Shiki and Whitebeard were talking casually. The surrounding pirates stared at him with strange expressions.
Within the crowd, he sensed several powerful auras.
The strongest among them belonged to a towering woman over eight meters tall, dressed in pink. She held a grotesque-looking blade. Behind her floated a blazing fire and a cloud.
Strangely, both the blade and the fire and cloud bore human faces.
As a former Marine, Roldy recognized her instantly.
Charlotte Linlin, Third Division Commander of the Rocks Pirates.
A monster with a bounty of 2.2 billion Berries.
As he looked at her—
She was looking at him as well.
"Ma-ma-ma-ma! What a young brat! A 940 million bounty at that age? These rookies nowadays are something else!"
Charlotte Linlin—later known as Big Mom(Charlotte Linlin)—stared at Roldy with shining eyes.
Looking at his powerful physique, a certain desire stirred within her.
"Hey, Kaido! If I remember right, when we first met, you were about this age too, weren't you?"
Standing beside her was a slightly shorter man—still over seven meters tall—with a pair of massive horns on his head.
His build was even more robust than Roldy 's. In his hand he held a crude kanabo.
Noticing the heat in Linlin's gaze, a flicker of displeasure rose in his heart. The way he looked at Roldy subtly changed.
The pirate world had its own rules.
As a newcomer, if Roldy wanted to join the Rocks Pirates and obtain a position, he would need the captain's approval.
Shiki enthusiastically led the way. Whitebeard, curious, followed along.
The distance between the three was close enough that Roldy could finally observe the man his two mentors had regarded as a great enemy.
Whitebeard.
He was curious about this man whom his teachers claimed possessed the power to destroy the world.
Whitebeard's first impression of him wasn't bad—but he showed no warmth either. A simple nod was the extent of his goodwill.
It was understandable.
Even a defector had once been a Marine. The hatred between pirates and Marines ran deep. Roldy never assumed he had the charisma to erase that so easily.
Hachinosu was enormous.
Along the way, Roldy saw countless pirates. Whenever they spotted Shiki and Whitebeard, they quickly cleared a path, showing clear respect.
"See that, kid? The Rocks Pirates are pretty easy to get along with. Strength is hard currency here—and you happen to have it. Go meet the captain. If your strength earns his approval, you can establish a brand-new division. Then you can choose your own subordinates."
As they walked, Shiki explained the structure of the Rocks Pirates.
This crew was nothing like the pirate groups Roldy had crushed in the past.
In simple terms—
Power reigned supreme.
Treacherous methods were commonplace. Every day, pirates died at the hands of their own comrades—over grudges, treasure, or ambition.
Rocks held absolute authority. Ordinary pirates had no right to voice opinions. However, toward Division Commanders, Rocks was far more accommodating.
The entire crew was a massive, chaotic organization bound together by violence and profit.
"We're here! Rocks lives inside. Go on in."
Roldy looked at the luxurious door before him.
His beast-like instincts screamed in warning.
Behind that door stood a man of extreme danger—
The overlord of the seas.
Rocks D. Xebec.
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