A cook, vice-captain of the Rocks Pirates?

This man is indeed a top-notch catalyst.

Just then, Locke's deep voice resounded throughout the entire ship.

"Men! Come here!"

Everyone stopped what they were doing and gathered at the bow of the ship.

Lox spread out the nautical chart again, his gaze sweeping over everyone present before finally settling on Newgate.

"Whitebeard, your addition has raised our strength by more than one level."

A haughty smile crept onto Lox's lips.

"Therefore, we can put aside our previous target, the Land of Divine Rest, for now. That place is too ethereal and unsuitable as our first shot to shock the world."

He stretched out his finger and pressed it heavily on the nautical chart.

It was a fortress island marked by the World Government as the epicenter of absolute justice, and also one of the Navy's most important military bases in the first half of the Grand Line... G-8 Branch.

Branch G-8 is renowned for its impregnable defenses and the presence of a wise and courageous lieutenant general, earning it the reputation of an unyielding sea fortress.

"Our next destination is here."

Rocks' voice wasn't loud, but it was filled with an undeniable domineering presence.

"Aren't they looking for us all over the world? Then we'll just go to them."

"I'll show the whole world just how vulnerable the so-called invincible fortress really is in front of my Rocks Pirates!"

These words made Gatz and Dorlum gasp in shock.

Should we directly attack the largest branch guarded by a vice admiral at the Navy Headquarters?

This isn't just madness, it's suicide!

However, Newgate burst into laughter after hearing this.

"Gurarararar! Interesting! This sounds much more interesting than finding some sleeping king!"

He picked up the barrel of wine and took a big, hearty gulp.

"Let's go then! I'd also like to see how many of the current vice admirals are capable fighters!"

The decision of the two kings instantly overwhelmed all doubts and anxieties.

Gatz's passion was reignited. He raised the anchor high and roared excitedly, "Whoa! Let's take down the navy's lair!"

Silver's eyes also gleamed with fighting spirit.

Only Dorum, staring at the fortress on the nautical chart depicting countless cannons and warships, silently clutched his heart.

"It's over... This is really going to fall apart..."

Lox waved his hand and gave the order.

"Dorum, change course! Target: G-8 Branch!"

"Raine, prepare the menu for the victory celebration!"

The dilapidated sailboat, led by two future maritime overlords, turned its proud bow around and, like a drawn sword, boldly sailed toward the unyielding fortress that symbolized the majesty of the World Government.

A storm that is about to shock the world is already brewing.

……

On the fifteenth day of the voyage, as they drew closer to the waters of the G-8 branch, the air seemed to be filled with the smell of gunpowder and rust.

That afternoon, the sea was unusually calm.

Gatz lay on the deck, basking in the sun, patting his round belly and burping contentedly.

Lunch was a thick soup made by Raine from the spinal cord of a giant sea king and a kind of electric grass with a natural paralyzing effect. After drinking it, I felt warm all over and every cell in my body was trembling slightly, full of explosive power.

"Ah... if I could live like this every day, it would be worth it to be a pirate for the rest of my life."

Gatz sighed with satisfaction.

"Shut up, you idiot. If you press any harder, this deck will collapse."

Dorum stood by, banging on the ship's side with annoyance, carrying out his daily routine maintenance.

Just then, Silver on the lookout tower suddenly issued a warning, his voice as calm as ever, but with a hint of coldness.

"A fleet has been spotted to the right front, at the three o'clock position; it's the navy."

"navy?"

Gatz sat up with a jolt, grabbed the anchor beside him, and instead of being nervous, he showed an excited smile.

"Perfect timing! I'm so full and have no energy left, this is just in time!"

Rocks and Newgate were drinking at the stern of the ship when they heard this, and they merely raised their eyelids lazily.

"How many?"

"Lox asked."

"Six warships, judging by their flags, it's the patrol fleet of the G-8 branch."

Silver replied, "They've spotted us and are adjusting their formation to encircle us."

"Gulp gulp gulp, looks like the appetizer has been delivered to our door."

Newgate took a big gulp of wine, completely disregarding the six warships.

Lockes laughed and called out towards the kitchen, "Raine, it seems we've got the ingredients for dinner sorted. The rations on the warship should be better than what we have on this wrecked ship, right?"

From the kitchen came Ryan's calm voice: "That depends on whether they have a professional cold storage. If not, the freshness of the ingredients will be greatly reduced."

None of the people in this group took the upcoming battle seriously; instead, they started discussing the quality of the spoils.

On the flagship of the patrol fleet in the distance, a naval officer with the rank of colonel and a fierce appearance was observing the Rocks Pirates' dilapidated sailboat through binoculars.

"Reporting, Colonel! The enemy only has a small pirate ship, and there seem to be only five or six crew members. There are no flags flying on the sails, so they must be newcomers who have just set sail."

A naval soldier reported.

Upon hearing this, the colonel revealed a cruel sneer: "A newcomer? Perfect. That bastard Rocks has been causing quite a stir lately. The headquarters has issued a strict order to crack down on all new pirates as a warning to others."

"Pass on my order: all ships, open fire! Bomb them to pieces, men and ships alike!"

"Yes!"

The order was given, and the dark muzzles of the six warships were all aimed at the lone little boat.

Boom boom boom!

Dozens of cannons roared simultaneously, and a barrage of shells, trailing black smoke, rained down like a storm of steel.

Chapter 30 Thunderous Abyss

Faced with artillery fire powerful enough to level a small island, Lockes didn't even bother to stand up.

Newgate yawned again.

"Gats, Silver, Dorum, stretch your muscles."

Lox waved lazily.

"Remember, don't sink all the ships. We still need supplies. Also, ask Lieutenant General G-8 what his preferences are so that Rein can prepare the menu in advance."

"Oh, oh, oh! Leave it to me, Captain!"

Gatz was the first to respond. He let out an excited roar, and with a powerful push of his legs, his massive body shot into the sky like a cannonball, leaping dozens of meters into the air.

"Rotating Anchor Strike!"

Gatz swung the giant anchor in his hand in mid-air, creating an impenetrable black whirlwind.

boom!

The dense barrage of shells struck the black whirlwind as if hitting an invisible wall, bouncing off and exploding into bursts of brilliant fireworks in mid-air, none of them landing on the ship.

"what?!"

The naval captain's eyes nearly popped out of their sockets.

Before he could recover from his shock, a silver afterimage had already flashed past the pirate ship.

Silver's figure sped across the sea like a ghost, his feet seemingly treading on the waves stirred up by cannonballs as if walking on flat ground, rushing towards one of the warships at a speed too fast for the naked eye to perceive.

"Stop him!"

The sailors on the warship opened fire in a panic, but the bullets didn't even touch the hem of his clothes.

In the blink of an eye, Silver had already climbed onto the deck.

The spear moved like a dragon, each tremor leaving a trail of afterimages. The spearhead struck the wrists of each sailor with precision, disarming them without killing them.

In the blink of an eye, he single-handedly dismantled the deck combat capability of a warship.

Dorum stood at the bow of the ship, facing the incoming cannonballs without flinching, and swung his giant axe with all his might.

clang!

He precisely split a cannonball in two, and it grazed the sides of the ship before falling into the sea.

"Hmm, the forging process of this iron shell is not bad, but the gunpowder ratio is a bit off, and the explosive force is not concentrated enough."

Dorum, like a professional arms commentator, gave his serious critiques before splitting another shell in two with an axe.

The naval captain stared blankly at the surreal scene before him, cold sweat pouring down his forehead.

This isn't some rookie pirate crew, this is clearly a bunch of monsters!

Just as he was about to order a retreat, Lockes and Newgate appeared on the left and right sides of his flagship's deck without him noticing.

"Hello, Navy Captain."

Lox had a devilish grin on his face: "I heard you want to blast us to pieces?"

"Gulp gulp gulp, perfect timing! We've run out of wine on our ship, and we'd like to borrow some from you."

Newgate shook the empty barrel in his hand.

The colonel rolled his eyes and promptly fainted from fright.

This battle was less a battle and more a one-sided armed robbery.

Half an hour later, the six naval warships were looted, and all the naval soldiers were stripped naked, tied together with seaweed, and thrown onto the deck.

The Rocks Pirates' ship was piled high with all kinds of food, drinks and ammunition.

Ryan was taking a piece of high-quality chilled beef out of the cold storage of a warship, and nodded with satisfaction: "Hmm, it seems that this lieutenant general has good standards for ingredients."

Rocks sat with his legs crossed in the command chair of the naval flagship, interrogating the colonel he had slapped awake, leisurely inquiring about the deployment of the G-8 branch and the lieutenant general.

Newgate, on the other hand, found the liquor storehouse and happily drank a barrel of the finest rum.

Gatz and Dorum were excitedly counting their spoils.

"We're rich! We're rich! So many Pele!"

"The specifications of these shells are perfect for my new design..."

This farcical victory filled the crew with unprecedented confidence for the upcoming G-8 offensive.

Raine glanced at the rapidly increasing experience points on his system panel, then looked at the distant horizon where the sea met the sky, his expression calm.

He's just one step away from becoming a master.

From that unfortunate patrol fleet, Lockes pried everything out of the G-8 branch.

The naval vice admiral in charge of the G-8 branch is named Will. He is an admiral known for his wisdom and impeccable defensive tactics. Although his own strength is not top-notch, he is extremely difficult to deal with.

He had managed G-8 Fortress to be as impregnable as an iron barrel, with hundreds of heavy cannons, three defensive sea walls, and an elite marine corps.

"Sounds like a guy who's hiding in his shell."

After hearing the intelligence, Lockes commented dismissively.

"Gurgle gurgle gurgle, the harder the tortoise shell, the more interesting it is to break it."

Newgate was clearly also very interested in this challenge.

"Dorum, adjust our course based on intelligence. We'll bypass their main shipping lanes and break in from the Thunder Abyss on the west side."