Rocks Band: I have 48 Imperial Arms.

"Shouldn't we... say goodbye?"

"bid farewell?"

“No need.”

Locke paused for a moment, but quickly shook his head firmly.

"They are all men of the sea..."

"Those who have the chance will meet again; those who don't, will simply disappear on the path of pursuing their dreams. What's the point of saying goodbye? Let nature take its course and let time witness everything!"

"The sea beneath my feet! It's the best farewell."

-

With Kaido's departure.

It was as if a curtain had been drawn back.

One after another, figures, some furtive, some ostentatiously, and some in small groups, all arrived at the shoreline of the floating island, tacitly agreeing to the arrangement.

No one showed any surprise as they looked at the rows of ships along the coast.

A group of people arrived one after another.

Without prior arrangement, they each chose a ship that caught their eye, boarded it, opened the engine room, and headed out to sea.

As one by one, the figures faded away.

The once lively and bustling banquet center has become inexplicably deserted.

The melodious laughter had diminished considerably, leaving only the sounds of continuous drinking. Amidst the crackling of the campfire, the remaining people reminisced about the past, speaking of missing friendships, or rather, missing their youth.

"A soufflé macchiato? Not bad, not bad, one more!"

Lingling's eyes lit up. She picked up a perfectly shaped dessert and gulped it down. In the increasingly strange atmosphere of the banquet, she didn't mingle with the other 'drunkards' but instead ate her dessert by herself.

The art style can be described as quite novel.

However, her terrifying strength also gave her the right to be unconventional.

Wang Zhi's gaze paused for a moment.

In the end, he managed to suppress his gloomy expression.

They then turned their attention to the white-bearded man in front of them, who had a hostile attitude towards them.

drink wine……

-

"Eh?"

"Your Highness, aren't we going back to the North Sea?"

"Why does this route feel... a little off?"

Leone tilted her head, and with her fluffy ears, she looked both arrogant and adorably naive.

Outside the cabin.

The blue sea surged past rapidly. Although the scenery looked similar, the Lion King's instinct made Leone realize that this direction seemed to be quite different from the North Sea.

Could it be that we've taken the wrong route?

"That's right!"

"This is not the direction to Beihai."

Locke nodded.

"Ah?"

"Didn't we agree that after God Valley ends, we'll go back to the North Sea together and develop Noxus?"

"Does Your Highness have a new plan?"

Leone looked completely bewildered.

When it comes to fighting, she's absolutely a queen. Having fought her way up from the slums, she's arguably the most skilled in close combat among the Teigu users. However, when it comes to the overall strategy, she's completely outmatched.

This is something completely beyond her intellectual capacity!

Chapter 169: Severing the Future of the World Government!?

Hum! Hum!

He hummed to himself as he looked at Najenda; she certainly knew more about these things.

Don't overthink it!

"Noxus, of course we have to go back!"

Locke's tone was absolutely resolute.

He wouldn't change his policies so easily, altering development strategies at will.

but!

Before returning to Noxus...

"We must clean things up from beginning to end first!"

A fierce glint flashed in Locke's eyes.

In order to prevent future troubles.

To avoid being pursued by the World Government and implicate Noxus.

Moans!

Must die!

Moans, who was chasing after them and knew they had gone through the underground passage, had to die! Only by silencing him could they ensure that the World Government wouldn't discover their presence and bring about a terrible disaster.

If the World Government, which even Rocks couldn't resist, were to turn its attention to Noxus, even Rocks would have no chance of resisting. He could extricate himself, but he couldn't guarantee that Noxus wouldn't be 'extinguished'!

And the dead!

That is the only thing that can keep the secret.

"he!"

"Must die!"

Thinking about what he had done in the underground space, a fierce glint flashed in Locke's eyes.

But before we go after him.

Swah——

Locke flicked his wrist.

He took all the treasures he had looted out of his spatial storage.

"pity……"

"Captain Rocks is dead. Otherwise, those Celestial Dragons could have been used as hostages to exchange for quite a few Devil Fruits."

shook his head.

Locke looked somewhat regretful.

Although he didn't deliberately search for Celestial Dragons after initially putting on a show, he still encountered quite a few. If he were to exchange bounties, he could easily get five or six.

pity……

Rocks is dead!

However, if Locke were to choose, he probably would have preferred Locke to die.

after all.

We can collect more Devil Fruits.

However, the chance to escape the Black Pearl and regain freedom is truly a matter of luck.

The ambition to devour the world would not tolerate him remaining under Rocks' command. If Rocks succeeded in one step, the plot would slide into an unknown trajectory, which was not what Rocks wanted to see.

Right now! His strength is far from enough to support him overturning the table and causing chaos. Maintaining the established trajectory, extracting resources from it, and making a fortune in silence is the most suitable way for him to develop.

"Your Highness, even without those Celestial Dragons, our gains have been quite substantial!"

Najendan reached out to comfort Locke, as if she was worried that he was in pain.

but.

She was absolutely right.

They gained a lot from this trip.

One...two...three...seven...eight...

A total of twelve Devil Fruits!

It was laid out in front of Locke, filling the space to the brim, like a small mountain.