Each of these individuals possesses an immensely powerful and terrifying Devil Fruit ability. If he could bring them under his command, then within ten years, he would unify the New World without even lifting a finger!
That Supernova, Brook—how did he get so lucky? Not only has he recruited such formidable crew members, but his own Devil Fruit also seems incredibly powerful. A Soul-type Devil Fruit, perhaps?
With this realization, Rocks' attention began to shift away from Golden Lion Shiki and toward the Hell Pirates. They, too, had a flying pirate ship!
Their value had now completely surpassed Shiki's strategic worth!
But as the ruler of the seas, Rocks declared that he wanted both the Hell Pirates and Golden Lion Shiki! The one who would reign supreme over the New World could only be him—Rocks D. Xebec!
However, when it came to intelligence, the Rocks Pirates were undeniably inferior to the Vesper Pirates, who had dominated the New World for years. Even the underground newspaper, the World Dark News, belonged to Vesper now.
Rocks often relied on intelligence from the World Dark News, which was run by its president, Kandor. This was an unacceptable situation for him.
Rocks was a combat genius, but his ability to manage and expand his forces lagged far behind Vesper's. He had always believed in brute force, yet even he could now see how vital a strong intelligence network was.
He wanted to destroy Vesper and take over the World Dark News for himself!
Right now, it felt as if the Rocks Pirates were being closely monitored by Vesper. Many of their actions were observed by those damned news vultures.
From now on, every time he saw a news vulture, he'd order his crew to shoot it down! He'd rather let the Marines track his movements than allow Vesper to know his sailing routes!
"Speaking of which, the Economic News Paper is actually better than the Dark Press. Just two days ago, I even won a free Den Den Mushi from them!"
As Rocks gave the order to shoot down the vultures, a tall, lanky man with a monkey on his shoulder grinned smugly, taking the opportunity to praise the Economic News Paper.
"Kōchin, you scheming bastard, how the hell do you have such luck? The world really isn't fair!"
A giant with a skull-adorned belt grumbled, clearly displeased. He had long held a grudge against Kōchin for frequently stealing his credit, creating tension between them.
"Tch. You big-headed bone hoarder, I don't even want to waste my breath on you."
Kōchin had no interest in entertaining the brute. This fool only got away with his antics because he was loyal and had the captain's favor.
"What?! You damn scrawny monkey, if you've got the guts, let's fight one-on-one!"
The giant roared in fury, but Kōchin ignored him entirely. On this ship, ranking battles determined everything. If a higher-ranked fighter challenged a lower-ranked one, the lower-ranked fighter had the right to refuse. And right now, the giant was ranked just one place above Kōchin.
As long as Kōchin didn't accept the challenge, his position remained secure. That was the rule aboard the Rocks Pirates' ship. Battles for ranking determined treasure distribution, and while lower-ranked fighters could refuse challenges, higher-ranked ones could not. If they declined, they would immediately lose their place.
That being said, when lower-ranked crew members challenged stronger ones, their survival depended entirely on the mercy of their opponent.
Of course, those holding special roles or completing certain missions could still earn extra rewards.
Rocks watched the internal power struggles unfold but rarely intervened. He only stepped in when someone with exceptional potential needed his support.
This very system was what allowed the Rocks Pirates to continuously produce top-tier warriors, ensuring that his crew remained an unstoppable force. In terms of mid-to-high-tier combat strength, they were already on par with the Vesper Pirates.
The real gap lay in the lower ranks. They lacked manpower, firepower, and territory compared to Vesper's crew. If an all-out war erupted, Rocks knew he would survive.
But his officers and subordinates? Eight or nine out of ten would die.
And that would only open the door for the Ice Demon Pirates and the other emerging powers vying for dominance.
No—he needed to keep expanding until he had overwhelming power over the Vesper Pirates, to the point where he could take on two ruling pirate crews at once. Only then would he be ready to seize full control of the New World.
"Vesper has stopped selling us intelligence. If that's the case... kahahahaha!"
If he couldn't have an intelligence network, then Vesper wouldn't have one either! If he couldn't use it, no one could! They would all be blind together!
No matter what, the Vesper Pirates could not be allowed to monopolize the World Dark News and dominate intelligence gathering in the New World. If necessary, he would rather see it destroyed than let it remain in Vesper's hands!
...
With that decision made, the Rocks Pirates temporarily abandoned their search for Golden Lion Shiki and the Hell Pirates. Instead, they launched a full-scale attack on Vesper's territory, hunting down the headquarters of the World Dark News to wipe out Vesper's intelligence-gathering ability.
That day, even Kandor—the press president who had eaten the Zoan Devil Fruit—failed to escape the darkness that engulfed the entire island.
The World Dark News vanished into oblivion under an all-consuming shadow, and 'Hidden King' Kandor truly disappeared from the world.
When Vesper learned of this, he flew into a rage. He rushed to the scene, only to find the island completely leveled. Enraged, he immediately took off using his Wind-Wind Devil Fruit, pursuing the Rocks Pirates and igniting the first full-scale battle between two reigning New World rulers.
...
The battle was catastrophic. The Rocks Pirates' lower ranks suffered immense losses, their numbers decimated by the superior firepower and overwhelming numbers of Vesper's crew.
But in terms of high-level combat, Rocks managed to wound Vesper, and both sides suffered significant casualties among their officers. Just as the battle reached its climax, three ambitious rising pirate crews attempted to take advantage of the chaos.
This unexpected interference forced Rocks and Vesper to cease fighting, momentarily shifting their focus to these opportunists.
As a result, many lower-ranking pirate captains perished, leading to a sudden power vacuum in the New World. The territory left behind was up for grabs, allowing even the Supernovas to establish their own footholds.
The old three-ruler structure of the New World became less rigid, and under the Marines' orchestration, a new system emerged—expanding the dominant pirate factions from three to six.
The Rocks Pirates withdrew to Hachinosu near Beehive Island to regroup and rebuild their forces. After all, without enough men to defend his territories, Rocks knew that land alone was worthless.
Meanwhile, the three newly crowned pirate rulers formed an alliance to protect their fragile grasp on power, fearing retaliation from the original three dominant forces.
But would a conqueror like Rocks allow such an alliance to stand?
With ambitious Supernovas also eyeing the territory, and even Brook's Hell Pirates setting their sights on the upstart alliance, the instability in the New World continued to escalate.
Perhaps, in the end, a four-emperor system would prove to be the most stable balance of power—a foreshadowing of the future Yonko era.
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+122 chapters on p@treon/tambeerg