Chapter 4: Tiger Playing with Mice! And Little Friend!

"Wait!"

In the gladiatorial arena, someone shrieked in terror. "Is there some mistake? We came to join the Rocks Pirates!"

These two groups were pirates, and Hachinosu Island was never short of those who delivered themselves to seek protection.

They had simply been apprehended as soon as they arrived on Hachinosu Island and stated their intentions.

"This is the selection process now,"

Roa said with a smile. "The Rocks Pirates don't accept trash. Prove your worth to me with your swords."

The two groups of pirates were startled, then their gazes towards each other turned dangerous.

If it was the Rocks Pirates, such a selection process wouldn't be strange, would it?

The world's strongest pirate crew certainly wouldn't recruit trash.

On the throne, Roa calmly rested his head on his paws. Pirates are such an easy bunch to fool.

Just waiting for dinner.

The two groups of pirates in the gladiatorial arena had instinctively tightened their grip on their weapons, warily watching each other. They weren't in a hurry to strike, as even a wild beast first assesses the power difference with its prey before hunting.

Roa was not in a hurry either, not urging them on, just watching with interest. He loved watching a show.

"Charge!"

The peace treaty was torn apart in that instant. The two groups of pirates, led by their respective captains, launched an attack on their enemies.

It should be said that they were indeed pirates capable of sailing the New World; the two pirate captains were not weak in strength. They spearheaded the charge and clashed in the next instant. Sparks flew as broadswords and longswords met, and the shockwave kicked up dust from the ground.

Then, the two groups of pirates also charged into the fray, roaring and shouting.

In mere moments, blood splattered and severed limbs flew.

"Ugh!"

Roa took a deep breath. "Quite good."

The pain and despair felt by intelligent beings amidst disaster were, for Roa, the most delicious food.

"But, it's still missing something."

Roa looked at the frenzied pirates slaughtering each other below, muttering to himself.

The pirates' slaughter did not last too long; a winner was decided after about ten minutes.

There was a slight difference in strength between the two captains. After one captain painstakingly killed the opposing captain, the battle became one-sided. The victorious captain was like a tiger entering a flock of sheep, simply unstoppable.

This was the norm for battles in this world. Except for exceptions like the Rocks Pirates, in a normal pirate crew, the captain's individual strength would exceed half of the entire pirate crew's combined strength; all the other crew members put together couldn't defeat the captain alone.

However, although they won, this pirate crew also suffered many casualties. Only a dozen people remained standing, all covered in wounds.

But they won!

"Oh, oh! Truly amazing!"

Roa couldn't help but prop himself up. "You won so quickly, I haven't even had my fill yet."

The victorious pirate captain leaned his long blade on the ground, looked up, and eagerly gazed at Roa. "In that case, we can join the Rocks Pirates now, right?!"

"Hmm?"

Roa turned his head in surprise, asking Dylan, who stood beside him, "Dylan, did I say that if they won, they could join the Rocks Pirates?"

Dylan calmly shook his head. "You only told them to prove their worth."

The pirate captain's face slowly turned pale. "You... what do you mean?"

"It means, I'm sorry, you didn't pass the selection,"

Roa sighed. "I already said, the Rocks Pirates don't recruit trash. Even if you defeated a bunch of trash, it doesn't mean you're not trash yourselves."

The truth was, pirates sent to Roa had already been pre-screened. Truly valuable pirates had long been incorporated into the main fleet.

Roa wasn't picky, nor did stronger individuals necessarily release higher quality black mist in their suffering.

"You bastard! You're toying with me!!"

The pirate captain's eyes were bloodshot, and he pointed his long blade directly at Roa. "I'm going to kill you!"

"Nani?"

Roa looked incredulous. "You dare to resist me, an executive of the Rocks Pirates?"

Visibly, expressions of fear appeared on all the pirates' faces.

It was precisely because they yearned for the Rocks Pirates that they understood Rocks' terror.

"That's right! It's good to know fear,"

Roa put on a domineering act. "Now, quickly commit suicide, so I don't have to do it myself."

The pirate captain's pale face instantly flushed, and the muscles in his cheeks twitched continuously. "You brat! Go to hell!!"

Since he wasn't going to live anyway, why not give it his all! Let this domineering beast accompany him to his grave!

While roaring, the pirate captain dragged his heavy long blade and charged directly towards Roa.

At the edge of the gladiatorial arena, he leaped up, using the wall for leverage, and actually managed to jump onto the ten-meter high spectator stands.

"Oh, oh!"

Roa couldn't help but praise. "Good moves!"

"Die, brat!!"

The pirate captain leaped into the air, his heavy broadsword directly chopping down at Roa's head.

Roa's follower, Dylan, showed no reaction, completely ignoring it.

Then, with a loud clang, the broadsword struck Roa's forehead.

The pirate captain's hands were severely shaken, and his expression changed drastically.

It was as if he had chopped at a solid steel ingot; the broadsword in his hand shattered instantly, and the skin between his thumb and forefinger was torn open from the shock.

"How is this possible!!"

He was incredulous.

Is it Haki?

But such a young brat!!

Roa smiled. In the myths of his previous life, it was said that Qiongqi's body was covered in hard, hedgehog-like quills, so it was understandable that his fur possessed super strong defense, right?

"Now do you understand why you didn't pass the selection? You should always look for your own problems."

As he spoke, his large mouth, filled with ferocious teeth, opened.

"Roar!!"

An earth-shattering tiger roar!

The air immediately rippled in circles, and the ground of the gladiatorial arena instantly became dusty.

In the arena, the pirates painfully covered their ears, as if they were about to burst—this was no exaggeration. For those pirates who reacted a bit slower, blood even flowed from their ears.

The pirate captain charging at Roa was directly blown away, crashing heavily onto the gladiatorial arena floor.

"Arghhh!"

He rolled on the ground in agony, bleeding from all seven orifices, and even blood seeped from his skin.

There's an idiom called "tiger's roar and dragon's cry"; a tiger's roar is inherently a means of attack. In Roa's case, it manifested as a sound wave attack.

Lion's Roar, no, Tiger's Roar Skill!

Super strong defense, roaring sound waves, plus the authority to manipulate natural and man-made disasters—this was the extent of Roa's abilities at this time.

"Everyone,"

Roa slowly stood up, looking down at the terrified pirates. "Now, you can all feel free to be afraid."

Bronze patterns spread across the large horns on his forehead. The sky above the gladiatorial arena instantly became covered with dark clouds, and lightning flickered within the clouds.

Then, to the despair of the pirates, lightning struck.

Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!

The entire gladiatorial arena vibrated from the striking lightning.

Roa took a deep breath, inhaling the dense black mist into his nostrils. "Mmm, this is ten-tenths delicious now!"

Humans, this species, only feel the most extreme pain and despair when their hopes are shattered.

The black mist generated at such times is also the most delicious and nutritious.

Today was another day of eliminating scourges for the people. The bounties of these two pirate captains both exceeded 50 million.

He gained delicious food and eliminated two groups of lawless pirates. It was a win-win situation.

"Dylan, I'll leave it to you."

Roa lazily reclined on the throne again, full and content, wanting to sleep.

"Yes, Lord Roa."

Dylan nodded calmly. It was his turn to clean up the aftermath.

However, Roa's nap didn't last long.

"Roa! You're back, right?! Come out and play!"

A boisterous voice woke him up.

Yawning, Roa propped himself up from the throne and saw Dylan bringing someone over.

"How annoying, Katakuri. Disturbing someone's sleep is a death sentence."

Roa complained.

The boy who arrived was almost two times Roa's human height, with ferocious sharp teeth filling his mouth, stitch marks on both sides of his cheeks, and carrying a trident.

His name was Charlotte Katakuri, three years older than Roa, and his childhood friend.

Because he was ugly, besides his siblings, Roa was his only friend.

Katakuri laughed heartily. "I've never heard of such a law on Hachinosu Island! Less talk, let's go play!"

"You're impossible,"

Roa sighed. "What can I do, you're my good friend. But let's agree beforehand, if I ever need your help with anything in the future, even if it means risking your life, you're not allowed to refuse, okay?"

"One playtime for my life? You really don't want to lose out on anything, do you?"

Katakuri scratched his head. "Whatever! Let's go!"

Alright, some afternoon tea wouldn't be bad either.