CHAPTER 39

Time flew by.

In the blink of an eye, a significant period had passed.

During this time, several major events had shaken the seas.

The Rocks Pirates, relentless in their conquests, had repeatedly attacked nations allied with the World Government, plundering vast amounts of wealth.

And as a cadre, Ayr naturally received a generous share of the spoils.

However, their assaults weren't without consequences.

The Marines had responded in force, leading to multiple clashes between the Rocks Pirates and the Navy's main forces.

The battles had been brutal. Both sides suffered considerable losses.

The Marines had undergone multiple reshufflings in their high ranks, struggling to keep up with the chaos.

But the Rocks Pirates had also paid a heavy price—several key cadres had fallen in battle.

And now, today, Rocks had summoned a high-level meeting aboard the ship.

This was a meeting reserved exclusively for cadres and top officers.

Inside the conference room, Rocks sat at the center of the large table, while his top fighters lined both sides.

Whitebeard, Golden Lion, Charlotte Linlin, Silver Axe, John, Ochoku, Ayr, and several others had taken their seats, waiting for Rocks to begin.

Rocks folded his arms across his chest, leaning back slightly in his chair. His gaze swept over the group as he spoke in a deep, serious tone:

"I'm sure you're all aware—ever since we started raiding the World Government's allied nations, the Marines have had their eyes on us. The bastards won't leave us alone, and we've taken too many losses because of it."

Even before the attacks on the allied nations, the Marines had always been a thorn in their side.

But ever since the Rocks Pirates declared open war on the World Government, the Navy's pursuit had become relentless.

They had dispatched powerful fleets to hunt them down. The New World was swarming with warships tracking their movements, waiting for an opportunity to strike.

The constant ambushes, large-scale battles, and direct clashes had left even Rocks himself frustrated.

Hearing this, Golden Lion smirked and asked, "So what exactly are you getting at, Captain?"

The room fell silent for a moment.

Many of the crew shot Golden Lion an incredulous look.

Man, are you really asking that?

Anyone with a brain knew that the Rocks Pirates had taken serious damage in recent battles.

Even the lowest-ranking recruits on board understood their current situation wasn't ideal.

There was only one logical next step—

Recruit more fighters.

And sure enough, Rocks smirked and continued.

"There are two interesting pirate crews in the sea right now, aren't there?"

Charlotte Linlin, resting her chin on her fist, narrowed her eyes. "You mean the Roger Pirates and the Ward Pirates?"

Indeed, these two crews had been rising fast in the New World.

Both were fearless, unpredictable, and aggressive, constantly clashing with the Marines in battle.

Within a short period, they had become well-known names, even gaining the label of "Supernovas" among the Marines.

"That's right." Rocks grinned. "After fighting off the Marines and the Government's dogs, we've lost a lot of capable men. If we want to keep our advantage, we need more powerful fighters to join us."

He paused before adding:

"Forget the Ward Pirates for now. The Roger Pirates are the ones I'm most interested in."

At that moment, Rocks tossed several bounty posters onto the table.

The bounties of the Roger Pirates' three main fighters lay in front of them.

Gol D. Roger – 1.8 Billion Berries

Silvers Rayleigh – 1.4 Billion Berries

Scopper Gaban – 1.1 Billion Berries

"I need two of you to handle this task. Any volunteers?" Rocks asked, glancing around.

But as his words hung in the air, the room fell into complete silence.

No one wanted to accept the mission.

Despite Rocks' command, no one was eager to approach the Roger Pirates.

They were a wild, unpredictable crew, and convincing them to join the Rocks Pirates was easier said than done.

Ayr, who had been listening quietly, finally sighed and spoke.

"If no one else is willing, then I'll go, Captain Rocks."

Rocks grinned. "I knew it. You never disappoint me, Ayr."

Ayr simply nodded. "Alright, Captain."

But truthfully, Ayr wasn't doing this to help Rocks or to strengthen the crew.

No.

He had a completely different reason.

The Rocks Pirates' environment was suffocating.

They were always fighting each other, killing Marines, killing rival pirates… hell, even killing their own comrades.

That kind of constant bloodshed was exhausting, even for someone like Ayr.

He needed to get away from this madness, even if only temporarily.

And this mission?

It was the perfect excuse.

Just as Ayr finished speaking, Charlotte Linlin suddenly chimed in.

"If that's the case, then I'll go as well, Captain Rocks."

Ayr raised an eyebrow, looking at her suspiciously.

This woman…

Something was up.

Charlotte Linlin never did anything without a motive.

But Ayr didn't care. As long as her plans didn't involve him, she could do whatever she wanted.

As Ayr looked at Linlin, she turned her gaze toward him as well—a slow, knowing smile creeping onto her lips.

Damn it…

Ayr instinctively tensed and looked away.

This woman was definitely plotting something.

At that moment, Rocks finally spoke up again.

"Alright, Linlin, you can go too. You and Ayr will handle this together."

Truthfully, Rocks had prepared a whole speech to convince people to take the mission.

But before he even had the chance to use it, Ayr and Charlotte Linlin volunteered, catching him off guard.

"Since the team is set, you'll leave immediately." Rocks smirked before adding, "Whether the mission is successful or not, when you return, both of you will receive a reward of… one billion berries each."

"…What? A billion berries?!"

The entire room erupted in shock.

Silver Axe shot to his feet. "Captain Rocks! Let me go instead! I'll get the job done!"

John, looking equally eager, stood up as well. "Yeah! I'll handle this! I promise I won't fail!"

Ochoku quickly added, "Captain, isn't two people too few? Let me join them!"

Even Golden Lion, normally calm, leaned forward with a grin.

"Captain, are you really gonna send just those two? With my Lion Fruit, I can track Roger's ship faster than anyone! If you let me handle this, I guarantee I'll bring them into our crew!"

A billion berries…

That was not a small amount of money.

It was enough to recruit powerful fighters, build influence, and even form their own secret forces.

Initially, no one had wanted to accept this task—seeing it as a thankless, impossible mission.

But the moment Rocks revealed the reward…

Everything changed.

Now, everyone wanted in.

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