Chapter 68: Rocks' Thoughts! Farewell for Now
Lotte pushed open the door and entered.
Rocks sat calmly in his chair, wiping a katana of unknown origin.
Though he wasn't exactly a great swordsman, collecting blades was one of his usual hobbies. Flame King itself had been plundered by him back then.
Rocks narrowed his eyes and looked at Lotte.
"What's the matter?"
As an indispensable member of his plan, despite his wariness toward Lotte's talent, Rocks still placed great importance on this genius.
Lotte nodded slightly and said,
"Captain, I plan to leave the pirate crew for a while."
"There's something I need to handle in the West Blue."
As the words fell,
Rocks glanced at Lotte with some surprise.
In his view, Lotte should remain under the protection of the Rocks Pirates for the coming period. He never expected the kid to want to leave.
Moreover, to leave the New World
And head to the West Blue outside the Grand Line.
Though he had some understanding of Lotte's strength—as long as he wasn't discovered by the Marines and drew an Admiral—given that he could kill someone on Silver Axe's level,
Traversing the West Blue would be no problem at all.
"You're planning to go to the West Blue? That's quite a distance from the New World. How long do you intend to be gone?"
Rocks didn't refuse outright.
Instead, he first asked how long Lotte planned to be away. If it was only a short time, he could accept it for the sake of the plan.
He could even do him a favor.
Lotte nodded slightly.
"Probably around half a year to a year. I'll leave my Vivre Card on the ship—I'll definitely return within a year."
"I'm going to see some old acquaintances over there."
Speaking of this,
A cold smile appeared on Lotte's lips, as if he had enemies waiting for him in the West Blue.
Rocks grew curious about Lotte's background. Since he came from the West Blue, could he be part of some mafia family?
If it was to consolidate forces,
Spending that much time was understandable.
But if Lotte neglected his training because of this, it wouldn't be good for the plan.
Just as he was about to refuse,
Lotte gritted his teeth and continued.
"I want to turn those bastards into food for my demon blade. I have a feeling that if I go back this time, my strength will surge again!"
"Please allow it, Captain!"
These words immediately blocked Rocks' refusal.
Rocks raised an eyebrow slightly. He didn't suspect Lotte was lying to him—after all, he had always favored Lotte heavily.
There was no reason for the kid not to trust him.
Since returning to the West Blue wouldn't halt Lotte's growth, Rocks had nothing to worry about.
In any case, once the kid grew stronger,
Before the God Valley War began, a fully developed Lotte would make an extremely attractive bait!
Rocks looked up at Lotte.
"Since it's such an important matter, I'll reluctantly allow you to leave. But you must return before the plan begins."
"Otherwise, you know the consequences."
Rocks spoke calmly. Since Lotte hadn't even brought Newgate along and clearly had confidence in his own strength, Rocks had no real concerns.
As the words fell,
The corners of Lotte's mouth couldn't help but curl upward.
"Thank you, Captain. I will return."
He then took out his Vivre Card, tore off a piece, and handed it to Rocks in front of him.
Vivre Cards—unique to the New World in the original story—were unaffected by water or fire. They were made by mixing one's fingernail clippings into the material.
They represented the owner's life force.
Usually, people tore them and gave pieces to close friends or family about to separate. The torn pieces would attract each other, like a substitute.
When the owner weakened, the card shrank. When healthy, it returned to normal size. If the Vivre Card slowly turned to ash,
It meant the owner was close to death.
Likewise, if an enemy obtained the card,
They could track the owner's location. From any angle, it was extremely dangerous.
To Rocks,
This was also a sign of Lotte's trust.
Lotte turned and left the captain's office without hesitation. He came to the deck and saw Newgate and Shiki already waiting.
Newgate laughed upon seeing him.
"Gurararara! Looks like everything went fine. Now I can wish you smooth sailing!"
"Here—this is my sake. Ordinary people can't get this."
Newgate tossed over a jug of fine wine.
Lotte was somewhat surprised. He never expected Newgate to give gifts—truly rare.
The guy was usually so stingy.
But thinking back to when Oden was taken by Roger, Whitebeard had also given a ton of things, so he understood. Newgate was absolutely generous to his friends.
Lotte reached out, caught the jug, and smiled.
"Yeah, I'm about to head out."
"By the way, here's my Vivre Card. I'll be back when the time comes."
He tore off a piece of his Vivre Card and handed it over.
Newgate's expression turned serious. He accepted it carefully, stored it away, and patted Lotte on the shoulder.
No words were needed.
Golden Lion Shiki snorted awkwardly from the side and tossed a booklet directly to Lotte.
"This is some of my experience with dual-sword style. Make sure you get back before the deadline. Don't forget what you promised."
Shiki had long considered Lotte his vice-captain.
Even giving the kid some help was fine—he had absolute confidence in his own swordsmanship!
In the end, he would be the winner!
Lotte caught the booklet and narrowed his eyes.
"When you lose, Shiki, don't go back on your word. Being this confident can have serious consequences."
He said with a light laugh.
He tucked the booklet into his pocket.
This experience would be helpful for his swordsmanship. At worst, he'd owe Shiki a favor and repay it later.
Shiki's face immediately soured.
"Hmph! With a brat like you, it'll be twenty thousand years too early!"
"Get going already. Be careful not to get spotted by the Marines."
It was early morning now. Yesterday's banquet had left most of the pirates dead drunk, so only he and Whitebeard were here to see Lotte off.
Lotte nodded slightly.
He calmly boarded the small boat already prepared. Under the faint morning sunlight, while the others weren't paying attention,
He set sail alone.