The pinnacle of pirates begins with deceiving fate!

But that's Rocks! Apart from Im, who could defeat him without taking any damage and without exhausting their Haki and stamina?

They could only collapse from exhaustion, just as their predetermined fate dictated, becoming lambs to the slaughter.

This path is blocked!

"Or perhaps, like Joe Beard?"

John frowned, thinking of Chopper.

After Chopper eats the "Rumble Ball" and transforms, he easily frees the controlled person from "Dark Domination" with just one slap.

But what is the underlying principle?

Is the awakening of the common people's mindset through the Human Fruit?

Do you have the ability to slap someone into becoming an ordinary person?

"This is just a joke, and there is no basis for it."

Thinking of this, John sighed helplessly.

The only basis for this claim is that "Rumble Ball".

The recipe is known only to Chopper himself, and it has even been improved and updated multiple times.

Chopper's initial version of "Rumble Ball" when he first set sail wasn't necessarily useful.

"There is no other way but to prevent Lox from meeting Satan!"

As the executive meeting concluded, newspapers delivered by Morgans, the "President of the World Economic News Agency," were distributed to the pirates of Beehive Island.

"Xia Qi... is still alive!"

"Is this real? Waaaaah, this is amazing!"

"Xia Qi!"

Pirates go completely mad, whether for the person they love, or for treasure and Devil Fruits.

A dense array of sails rose as the main ship sailed away from the port.

Main ship, deck.

John leaned against the ship's railing, a cigar dangling from his lips, his mind heavy with unspoken thoughts.

He was weighing whether or not to reveal his full strength after entering the Valley of the Gods.

As the infamous "Captain John," he possessed a vast treasure and held a prominent position among the pirates, which was backed by his strength.

At the very least, he possesses the awakening of three types of Haki and the mastery of Conqueror's Haki Entanglement!

These things were no secret to the pirates of Beehive Island, or even to the entire ocean.

The only thing that is unknown to others is his Devil Fruit ability.

Because of his appearance as a newcomer, the Paramecia-type Magnet-Magnet Fruit was transformed into the Logia-type Rumble-Rumble Fruit.

The boost to strength is immense!

but!

What kind of place is the Valley of the Gods? It's a place teeming with monsters, filled with bloodlines and destinies, and where Conqueror's Haki sprays everywhere like urine.

John is the pinnacle among ordinary people, but in God Valley, faced with various bloodline monsters and immortal contracts, he's just like Kaido in his growth phase...

It's just a roadside stall!

He's not even as tough as Kaido; he's not as resilient.

"It depends on the situation. We'll avoid revealing our Logia-type abilities if possible."

John exhaled smoke, deciding to keep a secret.

Even if Rocks still dies, at least he can keep "elementalization" to create an information gap, which might save his life when fate comes.

"John, are you scared?"

Amidst the strong aroma of cigars, a hand in a kimono rested on John's shoulder.

Among the Rocks Pirates' officers, only Shiki and Kyū were wearing kimonos. Based on their personalities, John knew who it was without even turning his head.

"Shiki, do you want my treasure?"

"Huh?" Shiki's eyes flickered, revealing his guilty conscience.

He hadn't expected John to be so blunt.

But isn't that obvious? Everyone knows that Captain John was a money-grubber who plundered a lot of treasure and hid it all over the world.

"I'm asking you, do you want my treasure or not!"

John turned his head and stared intently at Skeeter's face, which seemed somewhat dazed from his choice of words.

Shiki took a bite of his cigar and squinted as he met John's gaze.

"What, you've come to your senses? Decided to share those hidden treasures?"

He always thought John was a bit dim-witted, that he had amassed so much wealth but didn't enjoy it, instead secretly hiding it away.

Treasures can only be called treasures when they are spent and enjoyed.

Otherwise, what's the difference between that and a pile of broken stones?

The greatest tragedy in life is dying before you've spent all your money!

"Let's talk after the Valley of the Gods."

John shook off the hand on his shoulder and winked meaningfully at Skeeter.

If Rocks had survived the Battle of God Valley, then let's pretend he never said that.

If Rox still succumbed to fate and died...

Then we need to consider relying on external forces like Shiki, Kaido, and Linlin to protect ourselves.

John, in particular, highly values ​​the "SIQ" research project that this guy will be researching in the future.

"SIQ" was created by scientist Dr. Indigo after spending twenty years modifying the DNA of "IQ" plants that grow on Wilmejo Island.

The substance causes injected animals to grow to enormous sizes and become abnormally violent and aggressive.

At the same time, it will also allow the injected animals to quickly adapt to the environment and achieve super evolution in a short period of time!

Chapter 4 Taking a Shortcut

John had to admit...

Humans are born unequal!

People born fast, beautiful, from poor parents, suffering from illness...

Birth, growth, talents—every human being is different!

John, on the other hand, has now reached his limit and will not grow any further no matter how hard he trains.

Bloodline and destiny have already constrained the upper limit.

However, there is always a way out; there is something that can break the barriers of bloodline and destiny.

brain!

The ideas, cognitions, and ideologies derived from it are truly the sharp swords that can help mortals slay gods!

John wouldn't choose to train like Coby did, enduring grueling training on the warship's sandbags. With his ordinary bloodline and destiny, he wouldn't only fail to become stronger, but would likely only die prematurely.

The current Navy Vice Admiral Zephyr is a case in point. He put in unimaginable effort and reached the ceiling of ordinary people, but ended up having his arm cut off by the Seven Warlords of the Sea.

So John wanted to take a shortcut.

Humans are animals too. If "SIQ" can be used on wild beasts, it can naturally be used on humans as well.

Although there is a risk to one's life, as long as one survives and completes the evolution, one will be able to catch up with or even surpass one's bloodline!

If one does not agree with taking shortcuts, then it is a difference in understanding, and who is right and who is wrong will be judged by the results.

"That is……"

"It's a giant's warship!"

Suddenly a commotion broke out, drawing John and Shisky's attention.

A huge black shadow appeared in front of the Rocks Pirates' flagship, almost completely blocking out the sunlight and plunging the deck into shadow.

Compared to the other two, the pirate flagship looked as small as a child's toy.

However, the pirates don't care about its size; if it dares to stand in the way of rescuing Shakky, plundering treasure, and Devil Fruits, they will destroy it!

"Dare to block our route? Sink them!"

In an instant, the ship's guns adjusted their angles and loaded shells, ready to fire without a declaration of war.

"and many more!"

Rocks appeared at the bow of the ship in a flash, his feathered cloak fluttering in the wind, and raised his hand to stop the pirates who were displaying their ferocious expressions.

The pirates were all puzzled and turned their gazes toward it.

"Why? Don't stop here, Rocks!"

"..."

Lockes didn't explain, but simply looked up at the figure standing beside the massive warship ahead.

That was Harald, the king of the giant kingdom of Elbaf.

Prior to this, Rocks had repeatedly invited Harald to join his pirate crew and together they would overthrow the World Government.

However, Harald refused, saying, "I am the king of Elbaf and I am responsible for my people."

Prior to this, Rocks admired Harald in every way!

I also think this big guy is too inflexible and overly cautious.

But now, Lox understands Harald.

As long as you have family and weaknesses, you can't fully commit to your ambitions.