Pirate: I have a Hollow living inside me

'Thud!'

Before he could finish speaking, Lockes hung up the phone, spitting out, "Enough with the nonsense!"

"..."

Nami stared in disbelief at Rocks' actions.

It took her a long time to come to her senses, her face full of astonishment and surprise: "That person was... Crocodile, one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea?"

Lox nodded: "It should be."

"The person Kuina defeated was one of Crocodile's men?"

"maybe."

"Have we offended Crocodile?"

"Seems to be."

"Waaaaah, how come you've already provoked a monster of this caliber the moment you arrived at the Grand Line? That...that's one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea, a legitimate sea lord appointed by the World Government!"

Nami was on the verge of tears.

They had just arrived at the Grand Line, how did they end up being targeted by Crocodile, one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea?

Everyone says the Great Sea Route is dangerous, but how could it be this dangerous?

Nami was completely numb!

Locus: "..."

He thought to himself, "Even if you didn't sleep with me, you're still the sun god's lover. You've already done it, haven't you?"

Rocks shrugged, looking completely nonchalant: "What's the panic? It's 'Black-haired' Stinky Rocks who's being targeted, what does that have to do with me, 'Black-haired Swordsman' Rocks?"

Nami: "..."

Does this sound reasonable?

However, upon further reflection, Rocks was still very cautious and did not reveal his true identity.

Is this a stroke of luck amidst misfortune?

That's all Nami could tell herself...

Of course, Nami had no idea that Rocks' next voyage would head straight for Crocodile's stronghold...

Otherwise, she would have to beg Rocks not to do something reckless!

Kuina walked over: "What are you two talking about again?"

"Kuina! Lox has caused trouble again!"

Nami pouted, looking utterly dejected: "He just offended Crocodile, one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea!"

"Crocodile, one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea?"

Kuina paused for a moment, then nodded: "I've heard of this person. He must be a powerful individual, and he might not be easy to deal with."

Nami: "..."

She was really about to cry.

Kuina's behavior alarmed her.

Aren't you afraid?

On the contrary, why are they even somewhat eager to try it out...?

Chapter 78 Isn't this blatant cheating?

He casually dispatched the bounty hunters with malicious intent, leaving the rest to flee in panic.

Such insignificant people are not worth his attention.

He was not bloodthirsty.

Those who showed no malice or made no threats were released without consequence, since they didn't know the identities of the individuals involved...

Lox walked straight up to Bonnies, looking down at him: "I'll give you two choices: either die here, or join me."

“You have been abandoned by Crocodile, and now your life and death are in my hands.”

"Cough cough..."

Bonis was seriously injured and coughing up blood repeatedly. Without treatment, he would bleed to death.

"Crocodile? One of the Seven Warlords of the Sea, the 'Sand Crocodile'? I never imagined that Baroque Works was founded by him..."

Bonnies, lying face up in a pool of blood, was stunned.

It was only then that I learned that the person behind their organization was Crocodile, one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea.

Lox raised an eyebrow and said, "You didn't know? Weren't you recruited by Crocodile?"

Bonis calmly said, "Although I was personally recruited by the BOSS, I have never seen his face. The person I had the most contact with was that woman."

"Really?"

Locke nodded slightly; the woman he was referring to was probably Miss Robin.

After a pause, Locke looked directly at the other person and extended an olive branch: "So...would you like to switch your allegiance?"

After a moment of hesitation, Bonnie exhaled: "As an assassin, there's only one outcome if you lose. I won't betray my employer; that's an assassin's bottom line..."

"Since that's the case, then I'll grant your wish."

Rocks smiled.

The other person's answer was exactly what he expected.

In the original story, the other party was imprisoned and brought into the city. Faced with Crocodile's renewed invitation, the other party still chose to side with Crocodile.

The other party clearly trusts Crocodile and may indeed have the bottom line of being a killer.

They are unlikely to have the idea of ​​relying on others.

Knowing this, Lox wanted to recruit the other party.

A capable and loyal person is worth recruiting.

Unfortunately, the other party refused.

Bonis showed no fear or panic, only a calm acceptance of life and death: "Even your comrades are so powerful, you couldn't possibly be some nobody who let me know who killed me..."

"can."

Rocks nodded and took off his sunglasses.

Upon seeing Rocks' true appearance, Bonis's eyes flashed, and he calmly said, "So it's you, the 'Black-Haired Swordsman' with a bounty of 130 million Berries. It's no wonder I was defeated by you..."

He came to Whiskey Peak to restrain the bounty hunters at their hideout, preventing them from targeting the three sea monsters that had recently become famous in the East China Sea.

He also came on behalf of the BOSS, wanting to recruit the other party to join Baroque Works.

I never expected it to end like this...

Lox corrected him: "You were defeated by my first mate."

Bonnie: "..."

"Aren't you afraid of offending my boss?"

Bonis stared at Rocks and said calmly, "Although your first bounty was 130 million Berries, your chances of winning against someone of that caliber aren't great..."

Rocks laughed: "We'll only know how good your chances are after the fight. Just like you were before, you thought the swordsman couldn't possibly be your match, but you ended up losing badly."

"..."

Bonis paused for a second, not wanting to say anything more: "It's my lack of experience. If you're not strong enough, you lose, and that's it."

"I admire you quite a bit, but I won't hold back those who deserve to die. Since I've chosen to face death, I'll keep my word."

"I once challenged the BOSS, and I was defeated after just one move. I hope you can withstand his wrath. Those big shots don't easily let provocations go unpunished."

Lox counted on his fingers: "I'll go to Alabasta to find him."

"..."

Upon hearing this, Bonnis's pupils contracted slightly.

How did they even know where their headquarters were located?

He had already gleaned a lot from those words, his gaze fixed on Lox: "It seems your arrival here is no coincidence. Have you been eyeing the BOSS all along?"

"You're even more terrifying than I imagined, Black-haired Swordsman..."

"It's not that I'm targeting them, it's just that they have someone I want to recruit."

Lox smirked: "I wouldn't mind going to have a talk with them about this..."

Daz Bones is dead, killed by Lox.

Lox was a man of his word; since the other party had chosen death, he would grant their wish...

"Hmm? This is..."

The instant after Daz Bones died, Lox clearly felt the abnormal emotions emanating from the Blackwing Archdeacon within him once again…

What does it want to devour?

'Om! '

With a kind of instinctive action, Rocks raised his right hand and made a grabbing motion in the air, trying to grasp something intangible.

However, they missed their target.

But Lox vaguely sensed that something was slipping through his fingers.

If I had acted just a few seconds faster, I would have been able to grab that thing firmly...

"Could it be a 'demon' within the body of a Devil Fruit user!?"

The sensation on his fingertips was so clear that Lockes didn't think it was an illusion.

Rocks pondered for a moment and guessed: "After the Devil Fruit user dies, the Devil Fruit power will disappear from the host and be reborn somewhere in the sea."

"Was that feeling just now the 'demon' or 'essence' of the Devil Fruit that had separated from the user's body?"

"I...no, I'm capable of capturing this special being?"

Rocks' eyes flashed: "If I could really do that, wouldn't I possess some of the abilities of the Dark-Dark Fruit?"

This discovery gave Lox a jolt.

If one can grasp the "essence, the devil" of the Devil Fruit, then there will be so much room for maneuver.

He could obtain the corresponding Devil Fruit by hunting down Devil Fruit users, just like Blackbeard in the original work.

If he later discovers that "devouring" the Devil Fruit would be beneficial to him...

Isn't this blatant cheating?

Lox felt he could now call himself "the god of the new age"...

This is what God is like.

Able to do things that others cannot...

Lox slowly exhaled and muttered to himself, "I do need to find some time to try it, but the Great White Pig Fruit doesn't belong to me after all, and I promised to return it to Joak."

"Never mind, we'll talk about it when we go to Alabasta later..."

Ultimately, Rocks suppressed his desire to try using the Great White Pig Fruit.

He will keep his word and never break his promise.

Daz Bones had his own bottom line, and so did Rocks.

At least in this matter, Rocks would not go back on his word; by nature, he was a man of honor!

Chapter 79 The Little Garden

The ship set sail again, heading in the direction indicated by the recorder's pointer.