The Island of Splendor suffered an unprecedented looting. Gatz was like a mouse in a rice granary in the golden treasury. He stuffed everything that glittered—gold bars, gems, ancient art—into several huge sacks he found there. When he returned to the square carrying several small mountains of treasure, the nobles' eyes nearly popped out of their sockets. They writhed in agony at the sight, but no one dared to make a sound.
The Rocks Pirates left under the watchful eyes of the entire island's elite. They didn't take the small boat they had arrived in, but directly commandeered the most luxurious and fastest gilded three-masted ship in the harbor. The moment Dolum boarded the new ship, his eyes lit up. He muttered about the quality of the keel and how trashy the sail design was. While complaining, he began to make modifications with nimble hands. In less than half an hour, this gaudy noble's yacht was transformed into a high-performance pirate ship.
As the ship sailed away from the harbor, the suppressed atmosphere on the Island of Splendor finally erupted. Saint Jalmack's hysterical roars echoed through the sky. He swore to make these audacious pirates pay the most painful price.
The news spread faster than the news of the Shokugeki, as if on wings.
[ROOKIE PIRATE CREW PROVOKES CELESTIAL DRAGON IN BROAD DAYLIGHT!]
[GOLDEN CHEF BACCARAT SUFFERS MENTAL BREAKDOWN!]
[TREASURY OF THE ISLAND OF SPLENDOR LOOTED, LOSSES INCALCULABLE!]
Explosive headlines were carried by the News Coo to the Four Seas. A pirate crew named "Rocks" had burst onto the world stage in the most flamboyant and domineering way possible. Marine Headquarters was shaken, the highest levels of the World Government were enraged, and countless powers began to pay attention to this rising, dangerous new star.
And at that moment, this new star was leisurely sunbathing on the deck of their new ship.
"Wahahaha! Awesome! That was so awesome!" Gatz lay on a pile of gold and jewels, grinning from ear to ear. "Captain, are we super rich now?"
Rocks had his legs crossed, playing with a pigeon-egg-sized ruby. He looked bored. "Money is just a tool. It's not interesting." His gaze shifted to Ren, who was in the kitchen studying new ingredients, and a playful smile appeared on his lips. "But, we can use this money to get our Head Chef a better kitchen."
At dinnertime, Ren used the top-tier ingredients from the Island of Splendor to prepare an incredibly sumptuous feast: flame-grilled steak made with A5-grade wagyu beef, a golden, rich soup made from the legs of deep-sea king crabs, and a colorful salad made with various rare fruits. The effect of the "Boon of the Feast" was maximized with these top-tier ingredients. Everyone could feel their bodies subtly transforming, their strength, speed, and perception slowly and steadily increasing.
After dinner, Rocks gathered everyone. He spread out the latest internal World Government sea chart, which he had "borrowed" from the king's study on the Island of Splendor, on a table.
"We're famous," Rocks stated flatly. "From now on, the Marines and CP will be swarming around us like sharks that have smelled blood. We can't go to places like the Island of Splendor anymore."
"So where are we going? Back to the East Blue?" Dolum asked.
"No," Rocks shook his head. His finger traced a path across the chart, finally landing heavily on an unknown sea region in the middle of the Grand Line, marked as extremely dangerous. There were no islands marked in that area, only a skull symbol and a line of small text written in an ancient script: The Land Where God Sleeps.
"Here?" Dolum leaned in to look, his face turning a little pale. "Captain, even the World Government only dares to mark this place as a restricted zone. Legend says that any ship that gets close mysteriously disappears, without even a single plank being found."
"Wahahaha! Disappears? That just means there's something good hidden in there!" Gatz's thinking was always simple and direct. He slammed the table in excitement, making the golden goblets jump. "Is there some legendary treasure hidden there?"
"Treasure?" Rocks scoffed, a near-fanatical light in his eyes. "There are things much more interesting than treasure. I heard some interesting rumors from those two CP agents' minds. It's said that in the center of this Land Where God Sleeps, a certain king lies dormant." He didn't say what kind of king, but the unspoken ambition made everyone's heart pound.
To find a sleeping king and... replace him? Or perhaps, to make him their own? The idea was even crazier than provoking a Celestial Dragon.
"Perfect. Our reputation isn't big enough yet. The Marines and the World Government's lapdogs must think we only pick on the weak," a cruel arc formed on Rocks's lips. "Let's go to this Land Where God Sleeps and dig up a surprise that will make the whole world tremble. It will be the opening ceremony for the official debut of the Rocks Pirates!"
His words were inflammatory, instantly igniting the adventurous spirit in the crew's bones.
"OOOH! Let's go beat up that king!" Gatz raised his fist, already fantasizing about smashing a crown-wearing figure with his anchor.
Silver didn't speak, just silently polished his spear, the glint on its tip sharper than ever before. Although Dolum was still worried about the ship's safety, he was infected by the fervent atmosphere and began to quietly calculate how to modify the ship to withstand the legendary forbidden sea.
"Head Chef," Rocks looked at the ever-silent Ren. "Are you interested in slaying a god?"
Ren was maintaining his kitchen knife with a silk cloth. Hearing this, he looked up, a hint of anticipation appearing on his calm face for the first time. "I'm only interested in unknown ingredients. If that king is edible and tastes good, I don't mind designing a suitable menu for it."
"Hahahaha! Good! Spoken like my Head Chef!" Rocks laughed heartily. He waved his hand, his voice booming like a bell. "Alright, boys! Hoist the sails! Set course! Our next target—the Land Where God Sleeps!"
And so, while the world's navies and intelligence agencies were frantically searching for them, the Rocks Pirates turned their bow and set sail once again, toward an unknown sea that even the World Government dared not tread. The voyage was tedious, especially on the ever-changing Grand Line. But for the members of the Rocks Pirates, these ten days of sailing were a trial of both pain and pleasure.
-------
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