In the Room of Authority.
Wearing a dark green suit, bald, with a thick walrus mustache, the Warrior God of Justice, Saint Topman Warcury, spoke grimly.
"Kong, we called you here to discuss the eradication of the Rocks Pirates.
"We have reviewed all the intelligence from this operation.
"Tengetsu Ares has turned into a complete monster. Even Garp is no match for him. He could become the next Rocks, perhaps even surpass him.
"He is not yet eighteen, yet he already outstrips Rocks in his prime."
At the mention of Ares, worry and wariness clouded Warcury's face. "We analyzed every detail of the report. Ares's potential and talent are at the very peak of this world.
"That alone would make him a top-tier fighter, but what is truly terrifying is his...
"Capacity to learn. We once assumed he merely picked up basic combat tricks from Zephyr and Garp.
"Only after this incident did we realize we utterly underestimated that ability.
"Garp's advanced Armament Haki techniques took him harsh training to master.
"Ares learned them in just a few hours.
"That proves his gift for learning is abnormal to the point of being unmatched."
Every word fell like a hammer, pounding on the hearts of all in the chamber.
Everyone listened in silence.
Warcury continued, "This is likely one of the key reasons Ares has grown so astonishingly in just over a year.
"Within the Rocks Pirates, his threat to the World Government and the Navy is second only to Rocks himself.
"He must be removed.
"His joining has made the Rocks Pirates stronger than ever. If we let them keep growing, the future will be unpredictable."
The Rocks Pirates were already a gathering of monsters.
Lately,
Ares and Kaido had both emerged and proved themselves inhuman, triggering another surge in the crew's strength in a short span.
Even when the Navy assembled several of its top combatants, they suffered a crushing defeat despite Rocks, Whitebeard, and the Golden Lion not even being present.
The Rocks Pirates now far outstripped the Navy in power.
If the World Government did not act, what awaited them might be a Rocks Pirates so strong they would threaten the Government's rule itself.
Steel Bone Kong's face was severe, his eyes tight with worry. "The Rocks Pirates are swarming with elites. With monsters like Ares, the Golden Lion, and Whitebeard, and tens of thousands of vicious, battle-hardened subordinates,
"Plus numerous affiliate crews,
"Wiping them out will cost more than we can imagine,
"And we still might fail."
Though the Navy is vast, its forces are scattered across the world and take time to mobilize.
If they could not catch the Rocks Pirates in one net,
The consequences...
Would be unthinkable.
"We already have a plan," said the Warrior God of Science and Defense, Saint Jaygarcia Saturn, in a black suit with a head of white curls.
"Rocks is searching for a Mythical Zoan Devil Fruit. He failed this time, so frustration will make him impatient.
"So,
"We intend to use a Devil Fruit to draw the snake from its hole.
"The Navy only needs to wait in place and prepare to eliminate Rocks."
Bright lights bathed the room as if it were daytime.
Kong frowned. "Isn't that too blatant? With bait that obvious, will Rocks bite?"
"That is why we will prepare two fruits, one genuine and one fake," Warcury said.
He laid out the preliminary plan. "Two parallel messages, both traps.
"The true will look false, the false will look true. Rocks will not be able to resist.
"At the same time, this will also stir conflict within the Rocks Pirates.
"Rocks knows Hachinosu is crawling with our agents from the Government and the Navy. He will send people as decoys, throwaways to draw fire.
"Those he sacrifices will hate him to the bone."
Kong's heart jolted. Surprise brightened his face. "In that case, the Rocks Pirates split into two camps, maybe three.
"That will inflame internal contradictions.
"They fracture, then collapse from within. I find this plan viable."
He strongly approved.
And he himself could think of nothing better.
By all appearances, the feasibility was high.
For the first time, Kong could see a concrete path to destroying the Rocks Pirates.
After that,
They began to discuss implementation, refining the deployment to make it airtight.
The next day.
Sunshine blazed.
Under its gentle glow, heat rolled off the earth in waves, drenching people in sweat.
Behind the mountains of Hachinosu.
As always, Tengetsu Ares stuck to his daily training. In his dragon-human form he opened his jaws and spewed surging scarlet flames.
Whoosh.
The fire licked his corded arms. The blue dragon scales there flushed red with heat.
In his other hand he raised a thick iron rod.
His biceps bulged like hills as he slammed the rod down onto the arm wrapped in fire.
Clang.
Metal struck scale. Sparks geysered, and a wave of blistering heat washed in every direction.
Sea Demon Slardar, drenched in sweat nearby, stared and muttered in a daze.
"So this...
"This is Ares's training method?
"Isn't this... a bit too much?"
Used to the chill of the deep sea, he could not stop the sweat pouring down as the furnace-blast hit him.
The heat was stifling.
Kaido clapped Slardar's shoulder, pride in his voice. "Well, you've seen how amazing big bro Ares is, right?
"He has kept this up for more than half a year."
A teasing smile crept across his face as he held out a thick iron rod to Slardar.
Slardar's eyelids twitched.
A bad feeling crawled up his spine.
"Rororo... Slardar, want to try this training yourself?" Kaido grinned.
"Trust me, tempering your body like this has too many benefits to count.
"You progress faster than usual, and you harden your ability to take hits, to endure pain, to recover. Your stamina, the density of your muscles...
"It even forges your will.
"Doesn't that sound like a lot of upside?"
His pitch was slick and endless.
Gullible at heart, Slardar found himself nodding. "If that's the case, then this kind of, well, self-punishing regimen really would pay off."
"I'll give it a try."
He reached out a finned, scaled arm and took the iron rod.
With Kaido's size, of course the rod was not small.
Even Yao Ming would not match it in height.
Fortunately, Slardar was a giant himself, so it fit his hands just fine.
Kaido swung his own rod and thumped it against his torso, bang bang, as a demonstration.
Expression blank, he kept working the sales pitch. "See? After a while, the pain dulls a lot."
Slardar imitated him, hefted the rod, and hammered it into his towering, sculpted chest.
Thud.
Pain flashed across his face and he bared his teeth. "Hiss...
"That hurts, that hurts..."
Kaido burst into laughter.
Hook, line, sinker.
When he finished laughing, Kaido said, "Everyone starts like this. When I trained under big bro Ares, I howled too.
"Later, you get used to it."
He lifted his head, eyes on Ares, who trained without a flicker of distraction. Respect softened his voice.
"Compared to what big bro Ares endures, our pain is nothing."
Stung by that, Slardar silently raised the rod and struck himself again.
Thud.
Gritting through the agony, he said, "Right. Compared to Ares, what we suffer is not even a tenth."
Thud.
Three hulking men began another day of training.
An hour later.
Wrapped head to toe in bandages, Charlotte Katakuri arrived.
He waved a newspaper and bounty posters overhead, face alight. "Hey, Kaido, your bounty went up.
"Slardar, you got your first bounty too."
He jogged to a stop before them.
"Hey, Katakuri, nobody bullied you today, right?" Kaido asked with a fearsome grin.
Katakuri shook his head. "No. After yesterday, no one on Hachinosu dares.
"They even stopped calling me Big Mouth Eel."
Kaido flashed a satisfied grin. "Rororo... those gutless losers only like picking on kids.
"If anyone bullies you again, tell me. I'll smash them into paste with one swing."
Katakuri's expression hardened. He met Kaido's gaze, voice firm. "No.
"I'll get stronger and beat them with my own strength."
"Rororo... now that's manly spirit." Kaido laughed, full of approval.
Slardar looked at the boy swaddled in bandages, only his resolute eyes visible, and smiled. "This kid will be a powerhouse one day."
Then he remembered yesterday. "By the way,
"Didn't we get an Animal-type Ancient Zoan fruit?
"Why not give it to Katakuri?"
"With it, he'll grow stronger much faster."
Kaido slapped his forehead. "How did I forget?
"It's the Ancient Zoan, Pteranodon model. It's strong."
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