One Piece: We already have the Four Gods, so my Six Paths Sage is reasonable, right?

Several days later, the Rocks Pirates returned to their base, "Beehouse Island".

Interestingly, that afternoon, a new name was quietly added to the Rocks Pirates' roster: 'Gloriosa'.

The captain who originally belonged to the Kuja Pirates chose to officially leave the Kuja Pirates and join the Rocks Pirates for some unknown reason.

Ron was promoted from trainee to full crew member.

Ron originally thought that killing Wang Zhi would at least give Rocks a few complaints, after all, that guy was a veteran collaborator.

Unexpectedly, everyone from Lox to the others acted as if nothing had happened.

Some people even muttered as they passed by him, "You're quick on the uptake. I've had my eye on that guy for ages, but you beat me to it."

His tone carried a hint of regret, as if to say, "Why didn't you invite me to come along?"

Ron couldn't help but laugh.

-------------------------------------

Beehive Island, atop a rocky mountain.

The two caves blasted out by Locke resemble two deep eyes, embedded in the mountainside.

On a flat rock above the cave entrance, Lockes sat alone, gazing at the distant horizon.

A gentle breeze blew by, lifting a corner of his robe.

"Hey, Rocks!"

Suddenly, a shout rang out from below.

Rocks' gaze shifted slightly downwards, landing on Kaido standing on the rock below. A faint smile appeared on his face: "It's you, Kaido. Is there something you need?"

"I want to become a full-fledged crew member," Kaido said earnestly, tilting his head back.

He didn't care at all whether it was an internship or a full-time job; he just wanted to find a powerful Devil Fruit.

But ever since Ron went from being an intern to a full member, Kaido's mindset has subtly changed.

He couldn't explain why, but he always felt that if that guy got promoted, he should get promoted too.

"Kaido, you've changed a lot since Ron joined us," Rocks said slowly, looking at Kaido.

"What is that? I don't understand." Kaido mumbled incoherently, "I want to be a full-fledged crew member."

"Hahahaha," Rocks laughed loudly. Kaido is getting more and more interesting. "Sure. But there's a condition. You have to defeat me."

Kaido paused, his expression instantly becoming quite interesting: "Do you want to listen to what you're saying? Defeat you? If I could defeat you, I'd be the captain of the Rocks Pirates, not you!"

"Hahahaha."

Rocks laughed again. He didn't really care whether Kaido was a formal member or not. Becoming a formal crew member meant a deeper level of cooperation, which wouldn't do him any harm.

He made that request simply because he was bored and wanted to tease Kaido.

"Alright then," Locke said, his smile fading as he held up three fingers. "If you can withstand three of my moves, I'll agree."

"Why doesn't Ron need it?" Kaido immediately retorted.

"Because he is stronger than I expected."

"Screw you, Rocks! Who do you think you are? Take this!"

Kaido roared and leaped into the air, swinging his spiked club, his figure like a beast pouncing on its prey.

"Heh, quite the temper." Locke stood up, his right hand casually resting on the hilt of the longsword at his waist.

With an aura of dominance swirling around it, the blade emitted a deep hum the moment it was drawn from its sheath, and then he swiftly pulled it out and slashed.

"Buzz!"

A crisp sword cry tore through the air as the blade traced a cold arc, precisely meeting Kaido's slamming spiked club.

"boom,!"

The next second, Kaido's body seemed to be hit by a mountain, and he spat out a mouthful of blood, falling to the ground below like a cannonball.

"BOOM!!"

In an instant, billowing smoke and dust rose up, and gravel and dirt were smashed and scattered everywhere.

A shallow pit appeared on the ground, and cracks spread outwards like a spider web.

"Whoosh!"

Lox descended from the sky and landed on the ground, a long sword slung over his shoulder. He grinned and spoke towards the center of the smoke and dust, "What's wrong? Can't get up?"

"You damn Rocks, don't underestimate me!"

At the center of the smoke and dust, Kaido roared in fury, suddenly releasing a burst of air that dispersed all the billowing smoke and dust.

"Tsk tsk tsk, if you want to prove yourself, talking won't do," Lockes' smile didn't fade, "you'll have to prove it with your fists."

"Ultimate..." Kaido slung his spiked club behind him, about to shout the slogan, but suddenly paused.

wrong.

Ron had told him that this wasn't called "Ultimate Taijutsu," but "Eight Gates Formation."

"Alright. Since I learned it from you, let's call it the Eight Gates." Kaido muttered to himself, then took a deep breath, clenched his fists, and shouted, "Eight Gates, Open! Open!"

Rocks didn't rush to attack; he even took a half-step back, watching with great interest as Kaido's aura rose layer by layer.

Open Gate, Rest Gate, Life Gate, Injury Gate, until the fifth gate, Block Gate.

This is also Kaido's current limit.

Green energy emanated from Kaido's body, like a thin layer of flame dancing on his skin.

Lox stroked his chin, nodding with a hint of appreciation: "It's a bit like Ron's last state... Did you learn it from him? However, the aura you exude is quite different from his."

"Take this!"

Without a word, Kaido flashed forward, his speed so fast that he left an afterimage in his place, and in the blink of an eye he rushed in front of Rocks.

With the amplification of the Eight Gates, both speed and strength have been greatly enhanced.

A muffled "bang!"

Kaido's fist slammed heavily into the longsword that Rocks had been holding in front of him. The force of the impact traveled along the blade, causing Rocks' robes to fly backward violently.

"Interesting." Lox raised an eyebrow slightly, a genuine surprise flashing in his eyes.

He hadn't expected that this physical technique could amplify Kaido's strength to such an extent.

What if I were to use it myself? Just thinking about it makes me excited.

Seeing that his first move had failed, Kaido did not pause at all and immediately threw out his second and third punches.

"Shuashuashua~~~"

"Bang bang bang~~~"

Fists rained down on Rocks's blade, each strike carrying immense force and creating shockwaves on the ground.

But no matter how he threw punches or kicked, all of his attacks were steadily blocked by Rocks.

-------------------------------------

Meanwhile, in a tavern on the other side of the island.

The air was filled with the smell of ale and tobacco, and the wooden table was covered with water stains left at the bottom of the glasses.

If we're talking about who was happiest when Gloriosa joined the Rocks Pirates, it would undoubtedly be Annika.

"Hearing you say that puts my mind at ease." Annika sat opposite Gloria, holding a cup of warm milk in both hands, her heart finally at ease. "I thought something had happened to the Kuja Pirates."

Gloria waved her hand, then picked up a bottle of fine wine and gulped down several mouthfuls.

After a moment, she spoke, "When Roger told us you wanted to stay with the Rocks Pirates, Shakky and I were shocked. Is that really your wish? If you don't want to stay here, Rocks will give me face and let you leave."

Annika shook her head, a faint smile on her face: "I like it here."

Gloriosa frowned. "The Rocks Pirates are too dangerous. They're all lunatics. It'll be hard for a weak woman like you to survive here. There will always be times when I'm not around, and I can't protect you all the time."

Annika did not show the worried expression that Gloria had expected.

She simply smiled calmly: "Don't worry about me. This is the life I've been longing for. Even if one day I lose my life because of it, I will accept it with equanimity."

Gloria looked at her with disbelief, remaining silent for several seconds before saying, "Uh...you don't actually like Ron, do you?"

Annika nodded generously, her smile deepening. "I enjoy being with Lord Ron. He's a bad man."

"What kind of logic is that?" Gloria almost choked on her drink. "What about him fascinates you? Besides, this guy has a terrible reputation. Compared to Roger, whom I like, he's nowhere near as good."

Annika smiled faintly and did not refute Gloria's statement that Roger was better than Ron; she knew that Gloria was only concerned about her.

"He is a bad person."

"???" Gloria was stunned for a moment. "Never mind, as long as you think it's worth it."

-------------------------------------

"Ha Qiu".

At the casino entrance, Ron and Whitebeard walked out one after the other.

Ron rubbed his nose and paused slightly.

"I have a bad feeling," he said as he walked.

"How so?" the white-bearded man asked, following behind.

"We've saddled Rocks with a debt of 20 million Berries in just a few hours. Will he kill us both?" Ron turned his head and asked seriously.

"I don't know how," the white-bearded man shrugged, then joked, "I don't know if you do."

"Tsk, if you're not worried, then I'm not worried either." Ron waved his hand, a sly smile playing on his lips. "Because I gave the name Uchiha Madara."

"Uchiha Madara?" The white-bearded man sneered, "Don't go around causing trouble for others. Rocks isn't stupid. We all count by saying our own names, but you... you say someone else's name. He can guess it right away."

"...Why didn't you say so sooner?"

"You didn't ask."

Boom!

Just then, a violent explosion was heard from the other side.

Ron and Whitebeard both looked over at the same time.

"What's going on? Is there an enemy attack?" Ron looked at the white-bearded man with a surprised expression.

"An enemy attack? I think the chances of those idiots fighting each other are much higher," the white-bearded man said slowly.

"Hehe. I'll go take a look." Ron chuckled, then ran towards the direction of the explosion, intending to see if anyone had been killed so he could smoothly inherit his fortune.

The white-bearded man didn't catch up, but just watched Ron's retreating figure and muttered, "Are you a fly? You always have to get involved in everything."

-------------------------------------

On the Rocks side.

Kaido lay sprawled in the center of the crater, his eyes gazing at the sky above him, where a few wisps of thin clouds hung lazily, like a few strokes of light color casually painted on.

But he couldn't really focus on anything.

lost.

He lost.

Moreover, they were utterly defeated.

He couldn't even mount a decent counterattack against Rocks.

"Tap tap tap~~~~"

Footsteps came from the edge of the pit.

Rocks, carrying his long sword, stood at the edge of the pit, tilted his head to look at Kaido inside, and then laughed, "Have you given up, Kaido?"

Kaido ignored him; he was currently in a state of emo.

"Hahahaha~~~" Lox laughed even louder at his expression. "What's wrong, are you angry because you got beaten up?"

"Don't slander me, Rocks," Kaido finally spoke. "I just feel a bit comfortable lying down, and the sky is rather beautiful today."

Rocks looked down at him, not exposing Kaido's little scheme, and simply said slowly, "I agree to your request to become a full member."

Kaido paused slightly. He didn't respond immediately, remaining silent for two seconds before finally squeezing out through gritted teeth, "At least you still have some conscience, Rocks."

"I'm leaving." Rocks turned around, shouldered his knife, and walked back. "I'll buy you a drink."

"Whoosh~~"

Kaido immediately did a sit-up and sprang up from the pit.

Just then, a man in a black suit and sunglasses walked up to Rocks and said in a low voice, "Lord Rocks, we have intercepted some extremely important intelligence about the Navy."

Lox stopped in his tracks, turned his head, and stared at the man in the suit: "Major intelligence?"

"Yes." The man in the suit slowly said, "It is said that the World Government found a 'legendary' Devil Fruit on the island of San Sebastián. The World Government attaches great importance to it and has even sent a mysterious team to escort it."

"The legendary...Devil Fruit?"

Kaido froze in place. When those words reached his ears, it was as if a needle had precisely pierced a nerve.

then.

Kaido's lips slowly curved into a smile, growing wider and wider until it became impossible to suppress. "This... wasn't this prepared for me?"

.............

The data was halved today, I'm so heartbroken.

Here's a free little gift, thank you.