Pirate: I have a Hollow living inside me!

It perfectly embodies the word "mystery"...

The death of a rear admiral in the East China Sea is a momentous event.

At least in my memory, such a major event rarely happens in Loguetown... no, in the East Blue!

If there is one, it's the execution of Gol D. Roger, the Pirate King...

Naturally, everyone in Rogge Town couldn't help but pay attention to and care about this.

Discussions could be heard everywhere, revolving around the major battle at the port yesterday.

The discussion focused more on the person who killed the Rear Admiral of the Navy Headquarters...

Some speculate that the other party is a powerful pirate returning from the Grand Line, but without a bounty.

Some say the other party is a powerful newcomer to the sea.

Some say the other party is a powerful figure hidden behind the scenes, and that the Buggy Pirates are under his command.

There are many different opinions, and the more they are said, the more outrageous they become.

But one thing is certain: the other party is very mysterious. All we know is their general appearance, and nothing else...

Where is Rocks, the protagonist of everyone's discussion?

Just came out of a hotel...

"These people have really wild imaginations..."

As he walked towards the Loguetown naval branch base, Rocks, wearing sunglasses to disguise himself, listened to the discussions about him and couldn't help but shake his head.

The most outrageous speculation is that he is a disguised emperor of the sea, who came to the East China Sea simply to take revenge on the navy...

The fact that such a statement could be uttered with such conviction made Locke think that this person definitely had something wrong with their head.

In any case, a normal person wouldn't make such a nonsensical guess...

Passing through the market.

Lockes inquired about the supplies he had purchased, and after receiving a detailed reply, he left.

Although the wholesaler at the market knew what had happened yesterday, he did not recognize that Rocks was the one who had killed the Rear Admiral of the Navy Headquarters.

Perhaps because they didn't know what he looked like, or perhaps because Rocks was wearing sunglasses, no disturbance occurred.

Meanwhile, Lockes went to the weapons shop again, but it was still closed.

Rocks could only lament that he was destined to be separated from Sandai Kitetsu and Yubashiri...

They hadn't been gone long.

Rocks then arrived at the naval branch base in Loguetown.

The naval branch base is located in an area next to the town hall of Loguetown, not far from the execution platform square, and covers a considerable area...

Rocks came to the Marine branch base for no other reason than the bounty on the Krieg Pirates' head...

This was what he deserved, and it was something Smoker had promised him.

With over 20 million Berries, Rocks didn't think he had too much money.

Money is something you can never have too much of.

As for what Smoker might think, that's not something Rocks should worry about.

Anyway, the other party has no choice but to pay the reward, whether they want to or not!

The atmosphere at the naval branch base was extremely oppressive. All the naval soldiers wore solemn expressions and walked in a hurry.

Yesterday's events clearly dealt them a significant blow...

"A visit to Colonel Smoker?"

The person who received Rocks was an acquaintance, Tashigi, who looked nine-tenths like Kuina.

She was surprised that someone was looking for Colonel Smoker at this time.

Looking up at Rocks, Tashigi only saw a blurry face and realized she had forgotten to wear her glasses.

After putting on her glasses, she froze abruptly when she saw Rocks' face through the sunglasses...

Even though he's wearing sunglasses, that face...

Isn't he the one who unleashed that slash yesterday and wiped out the Krieg Pirates?

No, destroying the Krieg Pirates is no longer the point. The point is... this person powerfully killed a Marine Rear Admiral yesterday!

Upon realizing Rocks' identity, Tashigi's face turned deathly pale.

His voice trembled with fear: "You...you...you..."

"Don't make a fuss, or it will cause a lot of trouble."

Rocks smiled at Tashigi: "Smoker should be here, right? Take me to him."

As he spoke, Lox thought to himself, 'It's so similar...'

Yesterday, Rocks naturally noticed Tashigi, but fortunately, she was a time traveler, so he wasn't too surprised.

But upon closer inspection, he realized that the two looked even more alike.

They're practically identical, like twins.

Rocks couldn't help but think to himself, 'Could Koushirou-sensei be having an affair?'

Having the same name can be a coincidence, having the same appearance... well... it could be a coincidence too?

Rocks remembered Duval from the original story, who looked exactly like Sanji's wanted poster photo, and felt relieved.

One of Oda's twisted sense of symmetry...

"..."

Tashigi quickly covered her mouth to prevent herself from screaming, but her eyes still held fear and helplessness as she looked at Rocks...

How did this monster end up at the naval branch base?

They even specifically requested to see Colonel Smoker by name.

Fear, helplessness, and a flood of thoughts overwhelmed Tashigi, leaving her frozen in place as if she had lost the ability to think...

Locus: "..."

Lox felt very uncomfortable with the look of terror and loss of thought that appeared on Kuina's face.

Rocks gave a friendly smile: "If you don't take me to see Smoker, I might kill someone if I'm not happy..."

"..."

Tashigi shuddered and suddenly came to her senses.

Despite her immense fear, Tashigi still remembered her identity as a member of the Marines.

Her right hand rested on the hilt of her sword, Shigure, her voice trembling but now filled with determination: "You... what do you want with Colonel Smoker?"

In the blink of an eye, Tashigi's voice had stopped trembling, replaced by determination and resolve: "No matter what your purpose is, I will not let you succeed!"

"Oh? You're no longer afraid?"

Rocks nodded in surprise at Tashigi's quick recovery of her willpower, saying, "Your willpower is quite good. If you had this kind of willpower yesterday, you probably wouldn't have been knocked unconscious by Conqueror's Haki."

Then, Locke looked in one direction and smiled, "You have a good subordinate."

Chapter 56 Lox: I'm here for money!

Smoker, wearing a Navy Justice cloak on his back and bandages wrapped around his body, walked over.

His gaze fell on Lockes, his wariness evident in his eyes, and he asked in a deep voice, "Why are you here?"

"What do you mean, 'Why am I here'?"

Lox raised an eyebrow: "Am I strange here? You haven't forgotten something, have you?"

"The man who killed a Rear Admiral at Marine Headquarters has come to the naval branch base. Is this a provocation against our navy?"

Smoker frowned slightly, unable to understand the other party's intentions.

Although he didn't think he would be a match for the other party, given his personality, he would never back down in front of a criminal. He said in a deep voice, "Or do you want to eliminate the root of the problem?"

"Provoking your navy?"

Rocks counted on his fingers, his tone indifferent: "It was clearly your navy that provoked me first, wasn't it? You labeled me a criminal for no reason, so am I not allowed to kill someone?"

Smoker fell silent: "..."

You really can't blame the other party for this.

It was Rear Admiral Daritz's unauthorized actions that inevitably put the other side on the opposite side of the Navy.

What's done is done, and there's nothing he can do to change it...

"Relax, I'm not here to cause trouble for your navy, otherwise I wouldn't be here talking to you so politely."

Ignoring the other person's expression and not wanting to waste time, Locke cut straight to the point: "I'm here to ask for money!"

"Ok?"

Smoker paused for a moment, then asked, "What money?"

He pondered to himself, wondering what the other person meant by those words.

They've come to rob a naval branch base?

"You won't go back on your word, will you?"

Rocks narrowed his eyes and reminded them, "The Krieg Pirates!"

Smoker's mouth twitched: "..."

I remembered.

Yesterday, the other party defeated the Krieg Pirates as a bounty hunter and is now demanding the bounty from him.

According to the rules, the bounty on the Krieg Pirates' head did indeed go to the other party.

He never expected that the other party would come to collect the reward.