CHAPTER 51

"Shiki, don't just argue with Edward. I'd also advise you to stay away from Roger—you might regret it," Ayr said with a faint smile.

Of course, this wasn't something he said lightly. As a traveler, he was merely giving Golden Lion a warning.

After all, in the original timeline, Golden Lion had tried to recruit Roger during the Battle of Edd War, only for an accident to occur—leaving a rudder permanently lodged in his head.

"Ayr, are you looking down on me too, brat?" Golden Lion shot him a sharp glare, clearly annoyed.

Ayr chuckled, unconcerned. "No, no… Shiki, sometimes, you just have to trust in fate."

"Tch… My fate has always been mine to control," Golden Lion scoffed.

Whitebeard glanced at Ayr with a strange expression. He had a feeling there was more to his words than he was letting on.

Time passed.

Ayr and the others were still gathered at the center of the deck, chatting idly when the sound of heavy footsteps echoed through the ship.

Thud. Thud. Thud.

They turned to see Rocks approaching.

"You're all here? Good. I have a mission for you," Rocks said with a grin.

"A mission?" Ayr raised an eyebrow before quickly responding, "Sorry, Captain Rocks, but I was just about to inform you—I need to leave for a while."

Ayr had already planned to head to Hive Island's auction, hoping to acquire a Devil Fruit. He had no intention of taking on any tasks.

Golden Lion and the others momentarily paused, surprised by Ayr's sudden declaration.

"You bastard… Where exactly are you going?" Golden Lion asked curiously.

"Just handling some personal matters," Ayr replied.

Golden Lion narrowed his eyes. "What kind of personal matters?"

Ayr shot him an exasperated look. "Does it matter? It's got nothing to do with you."

At that moment, Rocks raised an eyebrow, glancing at Ayr before saying, "You want to leave? I was planning to entrust this mission to you."

He didn't ask Ayr for an explanation. After all, Ayr had already sworn loyalty and promised he wouldn't betray him. Rocks trusted him enough not to pry.

"A mission can be handled by anyone, Captain. There are plenty of capable officers aboard—like Mr. Shiki here." Ayr smirked, subtly pushing the responsibility onto Golden Lion.

"You bastard!"

Golden Lion's expression darkened at once.

He hadn't forgotten how Ayr and Charlotte Linlin had volunteered to recruit Roger's crew and received a billion Berries as a reward from Rocks.

That moment had sparked his own enthusiasm.

Every time Rocks assigned a task after that, Golden Lion was the first to accept, hoping for a similar reward.

But—not once.

Not even a single time had he been rewarded!

After completing numerous missions, he hadn't even received a hundred million Berries—not even a single Berry!

That was when Golden Lion began growing suspicious. He seriously believed that Ayr was in cahoots with Rocks, setting him up to complete tasks for nothing.

Since then, every time Rocks assigned a mission, Golden Lion remained silent. Even if he was called upon, he would try to find a way out of it.

He wasn't falling for that trap again.

"Forget it. If you have something important to handle, I'll assign the mission to someone else," Rocks said, nodding.

Rocks wasn't the type to force an assignment onto someone unnecessarily. As Ayr had pointed out, there were plenty of others who could handle the job.

"Thanks, Captain Rocks." Ayr nodded before turning away, heading off to pack and prepare to set sail.

Once Ayr left, Rocks turned back to the others.

"There's an interesting pirate in the New World. I need you to bring him back."

"An interesting pirate? Who?" Charlotte Linlin asked.

Golden Lion stroked his chin thoughtfully. "For Captain Rocks to personally take interest… This must be someone special."

After all, the Rocks Pirates were the strongest crew in the world right now. Rocks himself had a bounty so absurdly high that it dwarfed most others.

He had already reached the peak of his power—strong enough to dominate the seas.

For him to single out one pirate meant this individual was truly exceptional.

"A pirate named Kaido," Rocks grinned.

According to his sources, Kaido was once the strongest warrior in the Vodka Kingdom.

However, his kingdom had betrayed him, attempting to sell him to the Marines. But Kaido had escaped.

Now, he had become a pirate, and his strength was rapidly increasing. In a short period, he had already made a name for himself in the New World.

But—if Kaido was just another upstart, Rocks wouldn't care.

What made Rocks take notice was that Kaido was still just a teenager.

Even at such a young age, he had exceptional combat ability and was already feared in the New World.

That potential intrigued Rocks.

Back when Ayr had joined the Rocks Pirates, he too had been just a young man, already making a name for himself.

Rocks believed that if one monster like Ayr could emerge from the New World… there had to be another.

And Kaido might be that second monster.

Originally, Rocks had planned to entrust this mission to Ayr, but since he refused, he was now giving it to others.

"Kaido? You mean that teenage pirate with a bounty of seventy million Berries?" Charlotte Linlin asked.

Although Charlotte Linlin was a top officer within the Rocks Pirates—one of the strongest aboard—she still kept up with world events.

She had definitely heard Kaido's name before.

"That's right," Rocks confirmed.

"Edward, Linlin, I'm leaving this mission to you. Bring Kaido back to this ship."

Right now, Kaido wasn't part of any pirate crew yet.

Which meant that recruiting him would be easy.

Somehow, Rocks had a gut feeling—Kaido's presence on their crew would be crucial for his future goal of world domination.

"Bring Kaido back? Where is he now?" Whitebeard asked.

"According to my sources, Kaido is still on Hive Island."

"I see. Understood, Captain Rocks. We'll bring him back," Charlotte Linlin nodded.

"Good." Rocks crossed his arms. "For now, get some rest. I'll have everything prepared for your departure."

"Alright." Whitebeard nodded at Charlotte Linlin.

At that moment, Golden Lion suddenly stepped forward.

"Captain Rocks, let me go too."

Everyone turned to him, slightly surprised.

Golden Lion grinned. "Since everyone else is heading out, staying here would just be boring."

Charlotte Linlin sneered. "Since when did you become so eager for work again, Shiki?"

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