Standing beside Chu Qiye, Rocks faced the pirates gathered on deck and shouted loudly:
"Let me introduce someone you all should recognize. This is the great pirate with a bounty of 580 million Beli—the Black Devil, Chu Qiye!"
He paused briefly before continuing,
"From today onward, he is the ship's doctor of the Rocks Pirates—and one of our core officers!"
The moment Rocks finished speaking, the deck erupted in noise.
"Black Devil? He actually recruited him?!"
"They say he's the most skilled pirate doctor in the New World—able to regenerate severed limbs. Who knows if it's true…"
"Lord Qiye! Long time no see! Remember me?!"
…
In terms of bounty, Chu Qiye wasn't particularly outstanding—not on a ship like this. But nearly everyone present had heard of the Black Devil. Many had even received treatment from him.
Second only to Rocks in fame. The finest pirate doctor in the New World—bar none.
A figure like that was hard to forget.
Of course, Chu Qiye recognized them as well.
Silver Axe, Captain John, Wang Zhi, Stussy… some he had met before, others he had only seen on wanted posters.
The Rocks Pirates truly deserved their later reputation as the "Most Evil Pirate Crew." Not a single person present had a bounty under 100 million Beli.
Aside from Rocks himself, there were three pirates whose bounties exceeded one billion.
Whitebeard, Edward Newgate — 1.2 billion Beli.
The future legendary pirate, Golden Lion Shiki — 1.05 billion Beli.
And one of the future Four Emperors, Charlotte Linlin — 1 billion Beli.
It had to be said—young Charlotte Linlin was stunningly beautiful. But her personality was already much like it would be in the future: extremely self-centered, violent, and obsessed with sweets.
Beyond those three, Chu Qiye also spotted Kaido.
Judging by his physique and presence, he likely hadn't yet eaten the Mythical Zoan Devil Fruit that would one day allow him to transform into a dragon.
Kaido's bounty was only around 600 million Beli—not yet a core officer, more like a second-tier member.
Since he hadn't yet become "King of the Beasts," Chu Qiye couldn't help but wonder—
Should I intercept that fruit first?
He had no intention of eating it himself. But snatching it out from under Kaido's nose? That would feel incredibly satisfying.
After introducing Chu Qiye, Rocks continued:
"To celebrate the Black Devil joining us, tonight we feast!"
"Wooooo! Long live!"
The cheers shook the ship.
Whenever a major member joined, Rocks would throw a welcoming banquet. It had to be said—he understood morale and loyalty very well.
The feast lasted from dusk until deep into the night. Pirates collapsed drunk all over the deck. Even Edward and Rocks were visibly intoxicated.
Only Chu Qiye remained perfectly clear-headed.
To him, drinking was no different from drinking water.
Perched atop the mast, he held a roasted drumstick in one hand and a jug of liquor in the other.
Looking down at the drunken mass of monsters below, he couldn't help but wonder—
If I dropped a full-powered attack right now… would the Rocks Pirates be wiped out on the spot?
…
Days passed.
Chu Qiye formally integrated into the crew, having met every member aboard.
Only a few—including Edward—were worth befriending, worthy of being called comrades.
The rest?
Either monstrously vicious and greed-driven, or simply deranged.
On average, every single one was a villain or an ambitious schemer.
Chu Qiye could already foresee it—the internal conflicts would only grow worse. Infighting would become the norm.
At last, the day arrived for the Rocks Pirates to officially set sail.
All hands assembled on deck to hear Rocks' final address.
"Brothers!"
"The Rocks Pirates will become the nightmare of the seas! All will kneel beneath our feet! All wealth will belong to us!"
Rocks unsheathed the saber that symbolized his authority as captain and pointed it toward the open sea.
With a thunderous voice, he roared:
"Conquer the seas! Conquer the world! Long live the Rocks Pirates!"
"Conquer the seas! Conquer the world! Long live the Rocks Pirates!"
"Conquer the seas! Conquer the world! Long live the Rocks Pirates!"
…
Even Chu Qiye felt his blood boil.
Conquer the seas. Conquer the world.
It was an intoxicating slogan—the shared dream of every pirate.
For the first time, Chu Qiye felt a trace of admiration for Rocks.
Rocks had the ambition to become King of the World.
But how many others secretly harbored the same dream?
So far, only he had dared to take the first step—daring to challenge the World Government itself.
"The Rocks Pirates—set sail!"
The massive pirate ship slowly departed the harbor, Hachinosu fading into the distance.
Rocks unfolded a nautical chart and glanced at it before speaking to the Giant helmsman beside him:
"Change course. Let's pluck out that annoying eye first—send Marineford a little greeting."
The "eye" he referred to was a neighboring island west of Hachinosu—home to an extremely important Marine branch base.
Hachinosu was Pirate Island, crawling with monsters. The Marines dared not attack recklessly—but neither could they ignore it.
That branch base existed as a surveillance post—an eye watching pirate movements.
For years, both sides had maintained a silent understanding, pretending the other didn't exist.
The base was heavily fortified:
Eight Vice Admirals.
Twelve Rear Admirals.
Countless Marine soldiers.
Top-tier weaponry, ammunition, warships, and artillery.
After all, to monitor Hachinosu required serious strength—otherwise pirates would have destroyed it long ago.
…
The moment the Rocks Pirates entered territorial waters, they were spotted.
The Marines went on high alert. Reports were immediately sent to Headquarters via Den Den Mushi, while the entire fleet was dispatched to intercept.
Twenty-eight Marine warships surged toward them in formation.
Before Rocks even issued orders, the pirates aboard were already itching for battle.
"Heavenly Fire!"
Charlotte Linlin summoned her strongest Homie—Prometheus the Sun.
A massive fireball descended from the sky, obliterating several Marine warships in an instant.
Golden Lion Shiki used the power of the Float-Float Fruit to lift entire ships into the air—then slam them down onto others.
…
Attack after attack.
In mere minutes, over half of the twenty-eight warships had been destroyed.
Chu Qiye itched to join in—but ultimately restrained himself.
No point embarrassing himself.
They were all Devil Fruit powerhouses, casually wiping out fleets with overwhelming force.
Even with Five Thunder Talisman, he could at most destroy one ship at a time—and from this distance, the power would be weakened.
I really need to learn a few more high-impact talismans… and fast.