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

Harald did not answer immediately. He remained silent for a moment, then picked up the wine glass on the table and took a big gulp.

"Thump,"

With a dull thud as his glass slammed onto the table, Harald finally spoke: "Lox, do you think I would joke with you in this tone?"

"Harald," Rocks' voice deepened. He wasn't angry, but asked, "I don't understand. Why are you doing this? Just because he's called 'The Cold-Blooded Butcher'? People call me, Rocks, a vicious thug. Why won't you let me leave?"

"What I don't understand is, how can letting him leave save Elrubaf? Save the land of giants? Save you, Harald? Can you explain the logic behind this to me?"

Harald's face darkened completely. He didn't answer any of Lockes' questions, but instead retorted, "You can't even let go of a crew member who's only recently boarded the ship? Lockes, is our friendship just a joke to you?"

Harald's words were like a knife, directly bypassing the core of all the issues and turning the spearhead towards Lox's "position".

Lockes fell silent. For a moment, Harald before him felt like a complete stranger.

The white-bearded man sat on the other side, but his gaze had already shifted back and forth between the two men several times. He was completely baffled. What was wrong with Ron? Why did he always seem to get into trouble for no reason? First Roger, and now Harald was joining in the fun.

Stussy was utterly bewildered. While she was usually greedy, she possessed basic discernment. Ron was clearly a good person; he hadn't taken a single penny of the stolen Heavenly Gold, and unlike the other members of the Rocks Pirates, he wasn't ruthless or cunning. How had he suddenly become a target that "had to be driven away"?

Just then, Rocks's gaze suddenly changed. He seemed to have caught a clue in Harald's words, and his pupils contracted slightly. Then he abruptly spoke: "Even if you didn't say it, I guessed it. Harald! This is the World Government's doing, isn't it? You've been threatened by the World Government, haven't you?"

Harald's gaze sharpened slightly. He didn't deny it, but instead asked, "So, are you willing?"

He knew that deceiving Rocks with lies was shameful and selfish.

But for peace, for Elubaf, he felt that everything he did was worthwhile, even if it meant sacrificing himself, even if it meant betraying this friendship.

"Harald," Lockes' voice suddenly rose, as if to awaken Harald from some kind of slumber, "Compromise is a temporary painkiller, resistance is the scalpel for a complete cure! I can stay and help Erubaf, and even my comrades would be willing to lend a hand!"

Harald slowly shook his head: "Lox, I don't want Erubaf to become a hell. This is my country, the place where my people live."

Rocks froze, staring intently at Harald as if he were re-evaluating the man before him. Several seconds of silence followed before he spoke, his voice barely audible: "You...made a deal with the World Government?"

Harald knew Rocks wouldn't agree. He didn't bother to hide anything any longer and said coldly, "For the sake of our past relationship, Rocks, if you're willing to kick Ron out of the pirate crew, everything is fine. But if you're not... I'll have to kill him myself."

This time, Rocks didn't answer immediately. He looked at Harald, as if measuring a fractured distance with his gaze. Then he spoke: "Given our friendship, could you turn the tables and point your blade at the World Government?"

Harald avoided his gaze: "I'm sorry, I won't risk my people with you."

Lox was silent for two seconds, then slowly raised the huge wooden goblet and tilted his head back to gulp down several large mouthfuls.

The spilled wine even splashed onto himself.

The moment he put down his glass, all expression vanished from his face, leaving only a cold calm.

"Harald, I'm very disappointed in you. You're nothing but a puppet of the World Government now." Rocks said, his gaze meeting Harald's enormous face, and he said, word by word, "As for Ron, he's a brat on my ship. As his captain, I will always stand before him. Even if you are the enemy, Harald."

"Whoosh!"

Harald abruptly drew the greatsword beside him, its blade gleaming with a cold, sharp light. His voice, thick with suppressed rage, boomed through the empty palace: "Lox, I am also disappointed in you!"

Without the slightest hesitation, at the same instant Harald drew his sword, Rocks' hand was already gripping the longsword at his waist. The blade emitted a clear hum as it was drawn from its sheath.

"Harald," Lockes said coldly, "one day you will regret your decision today!"

The two swung their longswords almost simultaneously, and the two forces, both imbued with Conqueror's Haki, collided fiercely. The instant the greatsword and the longsword clashed, a terrifying shockwave exploded from the point of impact, sweeping away everything in its vicinity.

Dark red arcs of electricity leaped wildly across their respective weapons, emitting a piercing hissing sound.

Stussy had already flashed behind Whitebeard the instant the shockwave hit, muttering under his breath, "Seriously, I haven't eaten anything! I should have stayed on the ship!"

The white-bearded man didn't move; he stood firmly in place, glancing at Rocks out of the corner of his eye, and asked, "Do you need my help?"

Lox's blade remained pressed against Harald's greatsword: "No, this is between Harald and me. You and Stussy go back first and tell Ron the truth."

"Alright," the white-bearded man said without hesitation, turning around quickly. "You decide for yourself."

Stussy seized the opportunity and leaped onto the white-bearded man's back.

Without looking back, the white-bearded man strode off toward the palace gates.

"Boom!"

With a deafening roar, the massive palace collapsed instantly.

The billowing dust swept away like a torrent.

(How about giving away some free little gifts to everyone!)

(The numbers are declining day by day, and the requests for updates are decreasing. I guess many people have given up on the project.)

(There's still a lot of plot to be written in this book, so please feel free to share your thoughts!)