"Bastard!" Aether could no longer hold it back and slammed his fist hard onto the already nearly broken office desk. "Those damn Five..."
Aether paused here, forcing himself to swallow the words that followed:
"Those stupid World Government officials! Don't they know how dangerous the Rocks Pirates are?! And Zephyr! I thought he was an obedient one, but I didn't expect that after getting familiar with Garp, he would be even worse than Garp! He's not a worry-free master either!"
He panted heavily, almost shouting his command: "I don't care what method you use! Right now! Immediately! Gather the funds for the bounty on Charlotte Linlin's weapon! If the regular account is not enough... deduct it from Zephyr's salary and activity funds first!"
Crack—Crash!
Along with Aether's roar, the battered office desk in front of him finally disintegrated completely, crumbling into a pile of raw materials like firewood.
Just then, the female officer who had remained calm spoke again, her tone still as steady as if there were no waves, yet it seemed to deliver a heavy blow to Aether:
"By the way, Fleet Admiral Aether, I need to remind you that this is the fourth standard general-grade mahogany office desk you have damaged this month. The procurement and disposal cost for each desk is calculated at 50 million Berries."
Steel Bone Aether's face instantly turned as black as the bottom of a pot. He gritted his molars and squeezed the words out from between his teeth: "...Put this on my tab too! Deduct the previous shortfall from my salary as well!"
"Understood, Fleet Admiral Aether. I'll arrange it right away." The female officer saluted expressionlessly, turned calmly, and left the Fleet Admiral's office, which was filled with low pressure and the smell of wood chips.
This is the confidence of the person in charge of the financial power; even when facing a furious superior, she can calmly state the facts, while the superior's anger can ultimately only be borne by his own salary and office furniture... Rocks Pirates' base, Hachinosu Island.
The island itself was like a giant and twisted pirate paradise, with the air mixed with low-quality alcohol, the saltiness of the sea, and a faint, indiscernible scent of blood.
The noisy port and chaotic streets were crowded with all kinds of desperadoes from all over the world.
In this chaos, one figure was particularly striking.
Appearing quite small among the constantly chaotic pirates, he wore a large hooded cloak that covered his entire body, but a giant battle axe that far exceeded his current height was conspicuously slung across his back.
He walked silently along the road leading to the center of the island, his steps steady and out of place with the surrounding noise.
Several drunken pirates noticed this uninvited guest and wobbled to block the middle of the road.
"Hey! You sneaky fellow! Where are you from?" a pirate with a mouth full of yellow teeth asked, breathing out alcohol fumes.
A low and calm voice came from under the hood: "I'm here to join the Rocks Pirates."
After a brief silence, a burst of loud laughter erupted.
"Hahaha! What did he say? Join the Rocks Pirates?" another pirate laughed so hard he doubled over.
"What kind of daydream are you having! With your behavior, you probably won't even see the shadows of those big shots! The Rocks Pirates? That's the 'Evil All-Stars' where the most vicious monsters on the sea gather!"
The third pirate, with a bit of playfulness, pointed to the iconic mountain in the depths of the island that looked like a giant swimming fish:
"Look, see that fish-shaped rock? Legend has it that Captain Rocks and his cadres are inside."
The fourth pirate approached with ill intent, his face full of mockery:
"If you insist on seeking death, then go ahead and try. But let me remind you, the further in you go, the scarier the lunatics you'll encounter. Good luck, go to your death with your wish! Take this!"
As he spoke, he suddenly raised his foot and kicked the mysterious person's back hard, intending to see him fall flat on his face.
"Hahaha!" The surrounding pirates burst into expectant laughter.
However, the expected scene of the mysterious person falling pathetically did not occur.
That seemingly frail figure, just over a meter tall, seemed to trigger some kind of switch the moment he was kicked!
"Buzz—" A heart-palpitating aura suddenly erupted!
The originally loose hooded cloak was nearly torn apart by the suddenly expanding muscles!
Under everyone's horrified gaze, the figure rapidly expanded like an inflatable, transforming in an instant into a terrifying powerhouse over five meters tall with muscles as gnarled as granite!
The hood was pushed open, revealing a fierce face wearing glasses with 'X' markings.
The smile on the pirate who had kicked him froze, replaced by extreme terror.
His head was currently being held by that now-gigantic palm as easily as if it were a walnut; with just a little force, it would burst like a watermelon.
"It's... it's 'The Extreme Vicious'!"
"Why is this guy here?!"
"Is he here to find trouble with 'Golden Lion' Shiki?"
"Get out of the way! He really will kill!"
The surrounding pirates scattered as if they had seen a ghost, shouting this terrifying name in panic.
The powerhouse named Vasco snorted coldly, casually throwing the terrified pirate aside like trash, crashing through a nearby tavern stall.
Without looking at the result, he continued walking toward the fish-shaped stone mountain with earth-shaking steps... Meanwhile, inside the fish-shaped giant rock at the center of Hachinosu Island.
Boom! Boom!
Two violent explosions suddenly came from inside the stone mountain, and two symmetrical giant holes were blasted out of the solid rock wall, with rubble flying like rain.
The giant rock, which originally only looked like a swimming fish, now looked like a grinning skull from a distance because of these two holes, adding a bit more gloom and terror.
"Ma-hahaha! Look at this scenery! It's much more pleasing to the eye! Blasting a few holes here is simply a stroke of genius, right?"
A man in ornate golden armor, with a peculiar mustache and gunpowder smoke still rising from his fingertips—the Great Pirate Byrnndi World, admired his 'masterpiece' triumphantly, as if appreciating a work of art.
Sitting on the stone throne at the highest point, his figure shrouded in shadows, Rocks let out his signature wild laugh:
"Wu-hahahaha! Well done, Byrnndi World! This fits our Pirate Crew's temperament perfectly!"
His laughter stopped, and his gaze swept over the various cadres below as he continued the topic that had been interrupted:
"As I said just now, I am looking for two crucial Devil Fruits. One of them is likely in the home of the Giant Race—Elbaf!"
"Only by letting Harald eat it can the true power of that fruit be unleashed! And the clue to the other one is the goal of our trip: the International Charity Alliance Temple!"
------------------------
I've posted 70+ chapters in advance on Patreon.
Webnovel updates will still be daily, as usual.
It might not seem tempting right now but who knows what the future holds?
[email protected]/SolyuraMT
"And If you're enjoying it, drop a Power Stone for me!"