Rocks Band: I have 48 Imperial Arms.

Wow~~~

Wow~~~

As the waves surged, a pirate ship gradually separated from the Rocks Pirates' fleet, speeding away into the distance. The ship's owner was none other than Rocks. As for Kaido? Snake?

These two people didn't follow.

after all!

This is not their mission.

"Um?!"

Kaido clicked his tongue and said, "Interesting! That Rocks guy actually managed to get his hands on a unique pirate ship. It's really intriguing. What kind of mission did Captain Rocks give him?"

That’s right!

Originally, Rocks, Kaido, and Snake shared a pirate ship! No joke, the Rocks Pirates had a total of 50 pirate ships besides their main ship, the Black Pearl. With so many people and officers, getting a pirate ship of their own was no easy feat.

just now!

Rocks actually gave Locke a ship directly, which is quite interesting. Why? Or rather, what was the reason? This is a very interesting matter!

Of course!

Within the Rocks Pirates, there's a very big unspoken rule: if you obtain a huge amount of treasure, then your mission will be extremely dangerous, especially if it's a pirate ship, which represents status and prestige. That means you're about to face a very dangerous situation.

"Although I don't know exactly what kind of mission it is, however!" Snake then changed the subject, saying with interest, "If nothing unexpected happens, it's the kind of mission where you're guaranteed to die. Given Locke's own strength, he's definitely no match for it. However! Since Locke accepted it, he must be confident."

"after all!"

"That's just how Locke is. Even though he's a madman, he wouldn't do something without any preparation."

"and……"

The snake squinted and continued, "Locke hasn't left in the past two years. The only reason is this newcomer, a little girl named Akame! Her abilities are very special; otherwise, Locke would never have done something like this."

The snake's analysis can only be described as roughly accurate, after all! The snake is a person who uses their brain, and their personality places great emphasis on this. They will analyze a lot of intelligence and information.

Therefore!

That's the snake's nature, and Kaido looked at the snake and laughed with amusement.

"Worororo~~~"

Kaido excitedly patted Snake on the shoulder and grinned menacingly, "Hey you! How about you become my subordinate? Join my ranks and become one of my men?"

"I'm not interested in that!" Snake shook his head, refusing Kaido's invitation; he too had his own pride.

and……

Some things are hard to say and hard to do; they're not easy to handle.

Let’s talk about what happens next.

at the same time!

The fact that Rocks left has also sparked great curiosity among many members of the Rocks Pirates.

and! ! !

Everyone knows what Rocks' mission is. In fact, almost everyone in the Rocks Pirates knows. The reason is very simple: how did every ship in the Rocks Pirates, except for the Black Pearl, come to be?

It's actually very simple! Each ship represents a captain who accomplished a task that was almost impossible for him to complete.

only!

As the Rocks Pirates grew stronger, such an event became increasingly rare. Over time, the number of pirate ships was fixed at 50. And now, Rock has become the new person to carry out this mission.

If Locke had returned alive, he would have had his 51st ship.

What if Locke doesn't come back alive? Then I'm sorry! Death is his only outcome, and Locke won't change much.

after all!

On Locke's ship, apart from recruiting some cooks, shipwrights, and navigators, no one else was recruited. These people were all recruited by Locke. I can't say about their loyalty, but they would definitely be very obedient.

Locke doesn't need their loyalty, nor their loyalty to pirates.

Hehehe~~~

be honest!

even though!

No matter how the original work portrays the kinship, friendship, and willingness to die for their captain among pirates, Rocks simply doesn't believe in any of that. His own experience with the Rocks Pirates was that it was a place rife with betrayal, so there's nothing more to say.

Locke distrusts pirates. The only people he trusts are the Imperial Arms users he summons. Apart from that, he has absolutely no trust in anyone else.

Wow~~~

Wow~~~

The pirate ship sailed on the sea, while Locke continued his daily training, which never stopped, no matter the time.

and!

With fewer people around, Leone continued to teach Akame dual-color Haki. Akame's talent was indeed astonishing; although she couldn't compare to a prodigy like Esdeath, she was far stronger than Leone.

If all goes well, I'll be able to master low-level dual-color Haki very soon.

Night falls.

After a day of training and dinner.

The three of them sat side by side on deck chairs, fishing. Leone stretched out her perfect figure and said comfortably, "This is so comfortable! It's definitely more comfortable on our own boat. No matter what, other people's boats are never as nice!"

"..."

Akame leaned against the wall silently, without saying a word; she didn't know what to say.

“Indeed!” Locke said casually; “However, don’t let your guard down! Even on ships like these, we are still not safe. This is just the beginning. The dangers to come will come sooner or later.”

"Your Highness!"

"Don't worry!"

Leone confidently declared, "My Observation Haki is no joke!"

Although Leone seemed carefree, Locke knew that she had definitely taken his advice to heart; that was just her personality, and since that was the case, there was nothing more to say.

not to mention!

Leone's Observation Haki is incredibly powerful. Most importantly, the path that Leone's Observation Haki seems to follow is not any of the paths recorded in the booklet that Captain Rocks gave her, but rather a path that Captain Rocks recorded and called a conjecture.

Although we don't know if it will succeed, as long as there's a possibility of success, that's always good.

"but……"

Leone sat up, crossed her legs, and asked curiously, "Your Highness, what exactly is this mission?"

"See for yourself."

Locke took out the documents from the side and handed them to Leone, then quietly looked at the dark sea in front of him, enjoying the peaceful pleasure of fishing.

"let me see……"

Leone pulled out the documents and began to peruse them.

"What the hell?!"

"what?!"

Leone's eyes widened instantly. Goodness, what is that?

The Phoenix Pirates!!!

Phoenix: Valk!

Devil Fruit: Bird-Bird Fruit, Mythical Zoan Type, Phoenix Fruit!

Bounty: 1.765 billion Berries!

Pirate crew officers...

Reading through the information line by line, Leone asked in astonishment, "Your Highness, is this something we can dispose of?"

Locke nodded calmly and said, "With our current strength, it's almost impossible. Even if we had the ability of Akame and a chance to get the Phoenix Fruit from Valk, given the number of their officers, we would still be doomed."

"What should we do?"

Leone blinked, seemingly a little bewildered. How should this be handled?

This is no joke!

The Phoenix Pirates.

Valk's bounty is 17 billion, making him a genuine strongman at the level of a vice-president or vice-general. In addition, he has a total of six top-level officers under his command with bounties between 8 million and 10 billion. With such strength, what more needs to be said?

not to mention!

They're a pirate crew with over 5,000 men. If it's just Locke, Leone, and Akame, they're doomed! There's absolutely no chance of them completing this mission.

Even!

Locke and Akame together could kill Valk, who possesses the Phoenix ability, instantly; the other officers could also tear the three of them apart.

This is a huge gap in strength; it's simply too enormous.