One Piece: I Weave the Pirate Codex with My Zanpakuto

"If the mission fails, the navy's budget for next year will suffer again."

"That's why the Fleet Admiral said your proposal was unrealistic. In the eyes of the Celestial Dragons, their happiness is even more important than the lives of the Marines."

"As for external threats, judging from their demonstrated intelligence, they probably haven't even considered such a thing."

Zhan Guo lightly pushed up his round-framed glasses and got up to refill his tea.

"Compared to these matters, the situation on Enies Lobby is equally serious."

"Ross's men attacked Enies Lobby, suffering heavy casualties. That brat who ate the Rumble-Rumble Fruit turned all the guards who tried to stop him into charred corpses."

"Marshal Kong, the fishman Tom was recently convicted and is now imprisoned on the fourth level of the Deep Sea Prison. I suggest raising the security level there."

"The other side has just experienced a major war not long ago, so it is unlikely that they will start a second war immediately."

"But we must be on guard."

The teapot was gently placed down, and the aroma of tea filled the room.

"After all, our enemy is Ross, and that man excels at surprise attacks."

Chapter 97 Rookie Underling Locke Reports for Duty

November, 1486 (Haiyuan Calendar).

[The Grand Line, south of Water Seven, in a certain sea area near the Calm Belt]

Blu-ray Blu-ray Blu-ray~~

Blu-ray Blu-ray Blu-ray~~

In the darkness, Hana Hanaza reached out and touched the headboard.

Kacha--

"Huh~~~ Who?"

"it's me."

Hana Hanafuda shuddered when she heard Ross's voice coming from the Den Den Mushi.

"Boss, have you arrived yet?"

"I'm on my way to the North Sea. Dragon, Brook, and the new recruits have gone to support you. They should be here soon."

North Sea?

Hana Hanafuda is searching for memories related to the North Sea.

Has something major happened in Beihai?

"It's not a big deal."

……

On the one-eyed manta ray climbing the red earth continent, Ross shields the Den Den Mushi from the oncoming gale.

I recalled Morgans's contact from a few days ago—

I found him, Ross, but that guy doesn't seem like anything special.

Borsalino, the future Admiral Kizaru.

However, according to Morgans, Borsalino doesn't seem to have joined the Navy yet.

They are struggling to make a living...

Initially, Ross questioned Morgans when he heard the news, wondering if the person Morgans had found was the same person he was looking for.

[Naturally curly hair, a carefree attitude, and despite being young, he has the face of an older man...]

Hearing Morgans' description, Ross dispelled his doubts and inquired about the other party's whereabouts.

"Your ability allows you to fly directly to the North Sea, right? The Kingdom of Rubnir, I'll be waiting for you there."

"I'm going there to pick someone up, if all goes well."

Ross was unsure of the current situation in Borusalino, despite Morgans' explanation during their communications.

But that Kizaru...

He simply couldn't imagine such a scene.

The Den Den Mushi replied thoughtfully, "I understand. I'll get the ship to surface right away."

Kacha--

The Den Den Mushi hung up, and Ross wore a strange smile.

He was really looking forward to seeing how Shakky and her group would react when they saw Rocks.

"They'll be absolutely shocked, hahaha~~"

"Minced meat, speed it up."

……

Meanwhile, at Hana Hanafuda—

As the new ship surfaced, the group didn't have to wait long. First, a strong wind came, followed by the eerie laughter of a skeleton.

"Yo ho ho ho~~ Sorry to keep you all waiting, wow~ We really went through a big battle recently."

Brooke jumped off the plank, his body riddled with cracks of all sizes.

Those were injuries sustained during the battle with the enemy in Water Seven some time ago.

"Do you have milk? Could you give me a few cans? High-calcium milk would be preferred."

"I'll go get it for you!"

After thanking him, Brooke suddenly felt an eerie silence around him and curiously turned to look around.

What's wrong with you?

"Brook, who's behind you?"

Hana pointed behind Brooke, her snotty face smeared with dementia.

"Him?"

Brooke turned around and put his arm around Rocks' shoulder.

"This is Ross's new partner."

"Hey everyone, I'm Rocks D. Xebec, a 'newbie' who just recently became a pirate."

Lox smiled sarcastically, equally curious about how these people would react when they saw him again.

"Eh!!!"

"Rocks?!"

"Hey!"

Shaki walked to the front with a shocked expression and grabbed Rocks by the collar.

"How could you still be alive, you bastard? Rayleigh clearly saw you being killed!"

"Well, I don't know the specifics either."

Rocks spread his hands, deliberately feigning helplessness.

"Two years ago, after I died, my soul was taken away by Ross."

"I've been staying with him all this time, and I've also been teaching him how to wield a sword."

"The reason you can see Lao Tzu's influence in Ross is because Lao Tzu taught you without reservation."

"It wasn't until back in Water Seven, when I was about to be killed, that Ross used his power to pull me out and scare away the Knights of God and that monster."

Xia Qi loosened her trembling hand, her movements clumsy as she lit a cigarette.

"This is really going to be chaotic. I never thought Ross could revive you."

"It's not a resurrection, I asked Professor Ross."

Dorag finally emerged from the wind and said in a deep voice:

"He said that Rocks' current body is a materialized soul, not a physical body, so he can't use Armament Haki or do some human things."

"This body can be touched and can fight, but it does not need to eat, at least not human food."

Seeing everyone's attention turn to him, Rocks found a place to lie down and stared blankly at the white clouds in the sky.

"More or less. My current body is indeed somewhat special. How special... tsk, that's too complicated to explain."

“Go ask Ross when he gets back. Right now I’m just a poor bastard working for him.”

Hana rubbed her temples.

The impact of those few moments was immense.

He never expected to witness another fallen legend in this place and in this era.

"Lox, how many people know you've returned?"

Brooke was drinking milk, with several empty milk cartons beside her.

"The Navy and the World Government know, and as for the others—Ross said the World News Economic News Agency will definitely be threatened again."

"News of Lox's return will likely only circulate within a small circle."

"Phew, at least it's not too bad."

The appearance of Lox had both good and bad aspects.

Hana Hanazha stroked her chin, leaning against the railing in thought.

The benefits are obvious; with this "newcomer" joining, there's at least no need to worry too much about combat strength.

But the downsides...

Once the news of Rocks joining Utopia begins to spread like wildfire across the seas, those great pirates probably won't dare to sleep too soundly.

Rocks's reputation was simply too great.

Especially for the Golden Lion, the old lady, and Roger.

Hana Hanafuda already gives me a glimpse of how lively things will be in the future.

"Boss Hanahana, what about the plan? Should we continue?"

Interrupted by a question from the pirate beside her, Hana Hanafuda nodded:

"Let's move out. With Rocks as a strong ally, we have nothing to worry about in our operation."

"Notify Neptune, Utopia is about to launch an attack."

"Yes, boss!"

Hana gave Dorrag a wink, then quickly walked to the stern of the ship.

Is he obedient?

Dorag knew who the other person was referring to and immediately nodded in agreement.

"In a sense, he was created by Professor Ross, who can reclaim that body at any time."

"That's only one aspect."

Recalling the various experiences before their separation, Dragon continued to explain:

"For some reason, Rocks seemed unable to disobey his teacher, and there seemed to be a telepathic connection between them."

Mind connection?

Hana Hanazha secretly remembered this, planning to ask Ross for details later.

"I asked the teacher privately,"

Dorag moved closer to Hana Hana, lowering his voice.

"He said there was no need to worry about Lox rebelling; that man was Lox, but he wasn't."

"Just treat him like a newcomer. The teacher said this is to temper Rocks's character and it's for his own good."