Several days later.
Fully recovered, Golden Lion Shiki was already yelling about leaving Paradise Island to reclaim his famed swords, sakura jū and kogarashi.
The Chibaku Tensei Skull castle had been repaired by Shiki once more; the cracks were gone, and it looked even more skull-like, with extra keeps and chambers.
It resembled a skull fortress far more than the bony mountain on Hachinosu Island.
"Exactly! We've holed up on Paradise Island for nearly a month; I'm heading for the North Blue!"
Silver Axe also wanted off Paradise Island; he itched to hunt for a Devil Fruit.
Day by day, Shiki and the others kept growing stronger, widening the gap between them and him—he simply couldn't sit still any longer.
"No heavy hitters have joined these past few days, so we sail. West Blue, prepare to weigh anchor!"
"Fang Huo, go sort it out!"
Rocks surveyed the powerhouse crew before him, grinning; his grand blueprint was snapping together fast.
Once these monsters matured and he laid hands on those two legendary Devil Fruits…
…he'd have the capital to wage war on the king of the world.
"You're the Captain—why am I, the chief strategist, left holding the bag?"
Fang Huo spread his hands, yet still trotted off to assign missions to the allied pirate squads.
Guyue Club kept order on Paradise Island; Ganzi's smuggling flotilla handled supplies and trade; Bolo Pirates patrolled surrounding waters and kept adventuring on the side… Several other subordinate crews also opted to stay behind and guard the island, basking in the Rocks Pirates' deterrent clout.
"Barlow, live long and strong; I'll dig up a Devil Fruit for you someday."
Fang Huo offered a few words of encouragement to the head of Guyue Club. These former deckhands, coached by him and Newgate, had not only survived the chaotic New World but grown tougher by the day.
"first mate, we'll keep Paradise Island safe!"
Barlow answered, voice trembling with excitement. He and the other ex-soldiers from their ruined homeland, all compatriots of Fang Huo, had made him their idol.
They had no clue Fang Huo was a transmigrator from another world; they only knew he hailed from Guyue Village in the same country.
To them, he was their homeland's hope—one of their own.
"If an enemy's too strong, don't die on this hill—just run. It's only turf; we can take it back later."
"Stay alive and you'll grow stronger; we'll reclaim the ground when we return."
Fang Huo gave these hot-blooded lads a crash course in the art of survival.
Frankly, Paradise Island meant little to the Rocks Pirates.
To Fang Huo, the island was worth far less than these loyal little brothers of Guyue Club.
Meeting Barlow's admiring gaze, Fang Huo was reminded of Bartolomeo, the mohawked fanatic from Loguetown who worshipped Straw Hat Luffy.
Should he stumble across Devil Fruits he didn't fancy, he'd throw a bone to his die-hard fans.
"Roger that, first mate! While the flag flies, we stand!"
But Barlow seemed deaf to Fang Huo's survival creed, ready to die for the Rocks banner if need be.
Fang Huo sighed inwardly; he had underestimated these brutes' sense of loyalty and honor.
He could only wish them luck and hope they kept surviving in this perilous New World.
——After crushing Pirate Patriarch Wang Zhi, the Rocks Pirates had lingered on Paradise Island nearly a month before finally setting sail again on their talent-snatching crusade.
Yet even with the Rocks Pirates gone, Paradise Island—still flying the Rocks flag—remained a thriving pirate hub.
More and more underworld factions opened branches on the island.
After the Rocks Pirates launched their "expedition," numerous Great Pirate crews and rookie teams dropped by to sample the new pirate mecca's prosperity.
The World Government and Marine HQ likewise ramped up infiltration, planting spies and intel agents everywhere.
——Aboard the sky-sailing Gibeck's Sword.
"Zahahaha! If we built an aerial smuggling armada, we'd rake in fortunes!"
Ganzi the smuggler stood at the prow, relishing the high-altitude thrill.
Professional instinct kicked in: he pictured a flying fleet that would leave even the Underworld's shipping kings in the dust.
No maritime clan could compete with him for transport supremacy.
"first mate, first mate! Check out my Moon-Ghost Disc—call it Ghost Treasury!"
Kiel Bastard excitedly spread four arms; a silver-white ghost moon formed behind him, disgorging several Negation Ghosts.
It was a knock-off of Fang Huo's Ocean Rises, Bright Moon and Lunar Treasury—just shoddier.
The poor pancake-shaped ghost moon had tiny eyes and a pout, looking downright aggrieved.
It hated being molded into a big round biscuit!
"Ugly as sin! Outta my way—behold my Sun Disc!"
Charlotte Linlin spared Kiel no face; Sun Prometheus ballooned into a blazing solar disc behind her.
Prometheus strained, shaping flames into weapons, determined to mimic Fang Huo's Lunar Treasury for its mistress.
"I've got a Thunder Disc too!"
Charlotte Linlin crowed with pride, ordering Thunder Cloud Zeus to coil into a black, circular storm cloud that forged bolts of lightning weaponry.
She aimed to become a dual-element goddess, as dazzling and suave as Fang Huo.
Only problem: her still-plump kid's frame lacked the divine poise and majesty she envisioned.
"Gehahaha, why's everyone copying Fang Huo?"
Golden Lion Shiki mocked, yet a Rock Disc soon appeared behind him, spitting out earthen lions and weapons.
The stone simply lacked grandeur and splendor.
Shiki pondered what else to control—snow? seawater? or trickier still, metal…
"Bunch of bastards—having Devil Fruit powers makes you special?"
Silver Axe watched, green with envy, as the others cribbed Fang Huo's flashy moves for their own techniques.
"Gehahaha, having Devil Fruit powers IS special—you can do whatever the hell you want!"
Golden Lion Shiki guffawed, using the Float-Float Fruit to morph all his golden spoils into an ornate, glittering Gold Disc that hovered behind him.
Though useless for forging combat weapons, it looked spectacular!
"All flash, no substance!"
Even Newgate couldn't help but snipe: Fang Huo's Ocean Rises, Bright Moon packed real firepower, whereas Kiel's Ghost Disc and Shiki's Gold Disc were just flashy junk.
"So what? I like it!!"
Kiel and Shiki shot back in unison—if you couldn't show off, what was the point of living?
Besides, Fang Huo had conquered women across the globe with a single moonlit photo.
They wanted a slice of that pie!
Next time their divine forms appeared in all their glory, they'd rise to worldwide fame—let the jealous keep sulking!
——