The island nation was too weak. The capture of Basback resulted in almost no casualties for the Rocks Pirates.
The two most seriously injured were Golden Lion and Kaido. One had been beaten by Chu Qiye. The other had been beaten by Chu Qiye leading a group.
Captain Rocks didn't care why they were injured, nor did he want to know.
In his view, if you got beaten, you were weak. And if you were weak, you deserved it. End of discussion.
That was the nature of the Rocks Pirates—no right or wrong. If your fists were big enough, you were always right.
…
Two months later, the name of the Rocks Pirates had shaken the entire world. Everyone knew them. Everyone feared them.
Destroying Marine branches. Conquering World Government member nations. The Rocks Pirates had become synonymous with "ultimate evil."
Openly declaring war on the World Government was no small matter. Naturally, the pirates aboard saw their "value" skyrocket.
Bounties increased according to position: the captain the most, then the cadres, then the combatants.
"Captain Rocks D. Xebec — 3.18 billion Berries."
"Cadre Chu Qiye — 1.02 billion Berries."
"Cadre Edward Newgate — 1.6 billion Berries."
…
As a cadre and the ship's doctor, Chu Qiye's bounty rose significantly, breaking past the one-billion mark.
Now, any random member of the Rocks Pirates had a bounty equivalent to an entire crew from other pirate groups.
…
At the same time, in the first half of the Grand Line—Paradise—a modest pirate ship drifted alone.
It belonged to the rapidly rising Roger Pirates.
Their captain was none other than the future Pirate King—Gol D. Roger.
"Roger, seen the papers? The Rocks Pirates are impressive. The guts to openly oppose the World Government—I kind of admire them."
Rayleigh paused meaningfully.
"And their captain shares the same 'D' as you…"
Roger was studying the wanted posters, not even lifting his head.
"I'm not interested in an ambitious man like Rocks D. Xebec. Even if he opposes the World Government, he's no different from them at heart."
Rayleigh smiled. "Rocks D. Xebec rules the New World. He's the man closest to becoming Pirate King. If you're not interested in him, then who are you interested in?"
Roger tossed two wanted posters at Rayleigh—Edward's and Chu Qiye's.
"These two. In the Rocks Pirates, they're the only ones I'm interested in. If there's a chance, I'd like to be friends with them—drink and laugh together."
"Edward… Black Devil… You know them?" Rayleigh asked, puzzled.
Roger replied seriously, "Nope. Only seen them on wanted posters."
"…"
Rayleigh truly couldn't understand Roger's way of thinking.
"Even so, I've got a feeling. They're interesting people. Different from the other ambition-driven types on that ship."
Roger's lips curved upward unconsciously.
"We'll meet someday. I'm looking forward to it."
…
"Ah-choo!"
Sitting atop the mast, Chu Qiye sneezed loudly.
"Someone thinking about me?"
"Hey, Qiye! Food's ready! Your favorite—roasted chicken legs!" Edward called from below.
"OK."
With a light leap, Chu Qiye landed perfectly beside him.
The Rocks Pirates had settled into rhythm now. The crew had grown familiar with one another, forming small cliques.
Naturally, Chu Qiye and Edward were one group.
Kaido and Charlotte Linlin, along with the head chef Streusen, formed another—and Kaido also grew close to the Golden Lion.
Why? They shared a common enemy: Chu Qiye.
Thus, the two formed the Anti-Chu Alliance, currently consisting of just the two of them, with one goal—to defeat Chu Qiye.
They agreed that once they had their revenge, the alliance would dissolve.
What neither of them imagined was that decades later, the Anti-Chu Alliance would still exist—and would become the largest non-governmental organization on the seas.
…
"Captain Rocks! Come take a look!"
As the pirates were eating and drinking, lookout John suddenly shouted.
Thinking something serious had happened, everyone rushed over.
A large ship was sailing toward them in the distance.
It was too far to see clearly, but one thing was certain—it wasn't a Marine vessel.
"Interesting… What pirate crew is that? They see us and still don't change course?"
"Yoshi! Been a while since we stretched our muscles. Time for some fun!"
A new rule had emerged at sea: any fleet that crossed paths with the Rocks Pirates would not survive.
Other pirate crews changed course at top speed the moment they saw the Rocks flag.
Aside from the Marines, this was the first time anyone had dared sail straight toward them.
Grease still glistening on his mouth, Chu Qiye complained while chewing on a chicken leg,
"What a pain. It's lunchtime. Couldn't they wait until we finished eating?"
The two ships sailed directly toward each other and soon neared.
When they finally saw it clearly, the pirates were stunned.
Calling it a "ship" wasn't accurate—it was a massive luxury liner, even larger than the Rocks Pirates' vessel.
The entire hull was pure white, adorned with gold trim—luxury taken to the extreme.
At the bow stood a giant statue of an ugly, fat man wearing a glass bubble helmet.
"Celestial Dragon!"
The words surfaced simultaneously in everyone's minds. Only a Celestial Dragon would use such an extravagant ship.
After a brief silence, the pirates erupted into wild cheers, as if celebrating a festival.
A middle-aged man stood on the liner and shouted toward them:
"You lowborn scum! Change course at once! This is the grand treasure ship of the great Saint Rosward!"
Ignoring his shouting, the pirates all turned to look at him—smiles on their faces that were anything but kind.
A bad premonition gripped the man's heart. Panic set in.
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