Chapter 8: The Interrupted Battle
"Tell me, Nereus. Is it that you don't trust your own strength, or do you think I'm not strong enough? Although Harald's head is filled with thoughts of peace, his martial power is unquestionable.
If the three of us work together, we can take the first step toward dominating the entire world!"
On this sea, conviction was an extremely important thing. Those whose convictions wavered often faced endless setbacks on their path of growth.
Even for the same person, losing their ideals could drastically alter their future trajectory and even their physical appearance.
Those who eventually stood among the world's top powerhouses, without exception, held unshakeable faith in their own beliefs.
In Rocks's view, his own ideas were flawless; it was just that everyone else was unwilling to cooperate with him.
"I never said you were weak. But the World Government isn't weak either.
Think about the Celestial Dragon elites in the God's Knights, the Admirals of Marine Headquarters, and the covert agents of CP0. These are all powerful forces the World Government can directly mobilize.
More importantly, if needed, the World Government can replenish its lost forces and recover its strength in an extremely short time through the World Military Draft.
What about you, Rocks? What can you truly rely on?
Do you depend on those so-called 'loyal' crewmates you won through the Davy Back Fight?
Compared to fearsome pirates who make people tremble, the majority of people on this sea still choose, deep down, to trust the World Government.
They trust that entity which, despite being thoroughly corrupt, still maintains a semblance of order."
The World Military Draft was indeed the World Government's standard method for rapidly replenishing its ranks.
Moreover, it didn't just replenish ordinary foot soldiers; it could even discover and recruit civilian powerhouses with strength rivaling Marine Admirals.
Fujitora (Issho) and Ryokugyu (Aramaki) were civilian masters discovered exactly this way.
Even though Ryokugyu was later mockingly called a "Contract Admiral" due to his various performances, against ordinary forces, he still possessed overwhelming, crushing power.
And hidden powerhouses like them generally tended to trust the orthodox order represented by the World Government.
As for the "Davy Back Fight" Nereus mentioned, it was a special form of conflict circulated among pirate crews on the sea.
This game involved setting up various combat events to seize the opponent's crew members or the pirate flag that symbolized their honor.
Inside the Rocks Pirates, members were either a conglomerate of interests gathered for their own ambitions or subordinates forcibly recruited through these Davy Back Fights.
If a real crisis hit or major trouble arose, these people likely couldn't be counted on at all.
"The vast majority of people in the world still choose to believe in the World Government. Even if your philosophy manages to succeed in the first step by sheer luck, you will inevitably face endless trouble and resistance afterward."
"What does it matter how many of those weaklings there are? I'm going to be the King of the World who rules everything!
Whether they resist or not has nothing to do with me! Is that the kind of trivial nonsense you're worried about?!"
Their fierce battle never ceased. Yet, in the intervals between exchanging fists and crossing blades, this sharp debate continued uninterrupted.
"That's why I said our fundamental philosophies are vastly different."
"You bastard... In the eyes of those high-and-mighty World Nobles and ordinary people, aren't you still defined as a heinous pirate? Do you even have those things you're talking about?"
"It's not like we met yesterday. Do you really not know what I've been doing on this sea all these years?"
The seawater, which had been forced back by the energy shockwaves from their intense clash, began to surge back.
The scene resembled a terrifying tsunami, with massive waves roaring toward the center of their battle.
However, these monstrous waves that seemed capable of swallowing everything were now precisely grasped by an invisible giant hand under Nereus's masterful Fish-Man Jujutsu, transforming into a powerful weapon in his grasp.
Guided by his precise control, the sky-blotting waves crashed down toward Rocks's head with the force of a thousand tons.
"Hmph. Those slaves you liberated that you keep talking about? They can't even guarantee their own basic safety. They're just a bunch of weaklings! What use are they?!"
Rocks roared, swinging his blade. With a single slash, he split the crushing wave in two, then charged straight at Nereus again without hesitation.
In his ingrained worldview, weaklings of that level were worthless, no matter how many there were.
"I never expected them to charge into battle for me. Think about it: are there more nobles, or are there more commoners scattered everywhere?
Even citizens of World Government affiliated nations can't avoid the tragic fate of being targeted and abducted by lawless slave traders. Is that kind of thing rare?"
The number of islands on this vast sea was as numerous as stars, impossible to count. The number of non-affiliated nations far exceeded the affiliated ones.
From the official perspective of the World Government, these non-affiliated nations were lawless zones unprotected by law.
Here, whether it was mass slaughter or the evil act of slave hunting, under the rules set by the World Government, these were tacitly accepted as legal actions.
From a so-called legal standpoint, selling people from non-affiliated nations as slaves was a fairly common phenomenon on these seas.
But once someone fell into the hands of those unscrupulous slave traders, no one cared—and no one would check—whether the captured person was actually from an affiliated nation or not.
"All I need is for those I rescued to tell the people around them who gave them their freedom.
As this accumulates day after day, it will naturally change people's perception and opinion of us.
Isn't what Harald is doing the best proof? Aren't there already plenty of people starting to believe that the seemingly ferocious Giant is actually a kind-hearted person?"
"On some of the islands we sailed past, I did hear people discussing the deeds of your Sun Pirates liberating slaves everywhere. I even met a slave you personally freed."
"I hope you didn't lay a hand on those poor souls who just gained their freedom."
Nereus's tone carried a hint of teasing. He knew Rocks's habits well, and indeed, his assumption was correct.
"Bastard! What kind of person do you think I am? What is there to rob from guys so poor they don't have two coins to rub together?!"
"Then you've seen the results with your own eyes. Whether what I've done over these years has meaning or not—I'm sure you know the answer in your heart.
As for those two legendary Devil Fruits you're so obsessed with finding... up until now, I'm afraid you haven't managed to get your hands on even a single one, have you?"
"..."
Rocks fell into a brief silence. He could refute the earlier debates about philosophy. But now, faced with the accomplished fact Nereus pointed out...
His progress was indeed infinitely close to zero. Harald's mind was clearly leaning toward the World Government's side. Persuading him to join would likely be far more difficult than persuading Nereus here.
Since he couldn't win the argument, he decided to finish the fight first. But before Rocks could make his move, a figure with striking golden hair fought through the powerful shockwaves generated by their fierce battle and flew toward them.
"You two... stop! Stop fighting for a second! There's news... about the 'Treasure' of Hachinosu!"