Rocks lifted his gaze toward Ares and immediately noticed that the usually calm, iron-faced man was now filled with a cold, unshakable resolve.
He frowned slightly and asked with concern,
"Did you find the kidnapped kids?"
"We found some of them," Ares replied, "but Katakuri is still missing."
His eyes stayed locked on Rocks, unwavering.
Sensing the seriousness in that gaze, Rocks smiled faintly.
"So, you came here for something, I take it?"
Ares almost never came to him on his own. Since he was here now, Rocks naturally understood that something big was weighing on his mind, though he could not yet guess what.
"CP0 wants to trade Katakuri for the Celestial Dragons," Ares said, his voice steady as steel. "Captain Rocks, I want you to accept their terms."
He laid his purpose on the table in one breath.
Thump.
Rocks' heart gave a small jolt. The smile on his lips cooled, then vanished.
He let out a slow breath and tried to reason with him,
"Ares, that is exactly the sort of trap CP0 and the World Government would set. You cannot trust them."
"Katakuri is my crewmate," Ares shot back. "The Celestial Dragons are just scum. Why can't we use scum like that to trade for Katakuri?"
He insisted stubbornly, then added,
"Katakuri is also a member of my division. It was my failure to protect him that let CP0 take him. I share the blame."
Rocks' expression stayed outwardly calm.
"Ares, I know you value bonds," he said. "But CP0 and the World Government are not people you can trust. Everything they do is for one purpose only: to wipe out the Rocks Pirates."
"Can you guarantee CP0 will actually honor their promise and release Katakuri?"
He reached out and tugged lightly at Ares' arm.
"Ares, sit down. I know you are anxious, but the more anxious you are, the easier it is to make mistakes. Calm down first."
But his hand could not move Ares at all.
That massive, mountain-like body stood rooted to the floor like an ancient tree with roots sunk deep into the earth.
"Captain, I only care about one thing," Ares said. "That Katakuri comes back alive. He is my crewmate."
His voice was hard as iron, his eyes boring straight into Rocks' own.
Rocks' face darkened. His tone shifted, gaining an edge.
"Ares, I am the captain of the Rocks Pirates."
"The arrow has already been drawn. It cannot be put back in the bow. Do you understand what it would mean for our crew if we surrendered the Celestial Dragons now?"
His aura surged.
A domineering pressure erupted from his body, a "who-else-but-me" sort of presence, an overwhelming kingly will that allowed no argument.
The air around them rippled like disturbed water.
He did not direct his full Conqueror's Haki at Ares, yet Ares' body reacted instinctively. The musclebound "demon" frame of his own rose up with equal ferocity, his presence exploding outward and forming a field of its own to resist Rocks' oppressive aura.
"I do not care what it means," Ares growled. "I only know my crewmate is in danger. I am going to save him."
His brows drew together, battle intent flickering in his eyes. He showed not the slightest fear of Rocks.
"Zehahahaha…"
Rocks' eyes flared.
He was so furious he laughed.
"So you truly do not put me, your captain, in your eyes at all," he said. "You have grown quickly these past years, that much is true. Your talent is astonishing, even by my standards."
"But do not forget, it was me who taught you how to wrap your Conqueror's Haki around your blows."
The palpable darkness around him swelled, like an invisible mountain crushing down toward Ares.
At the same time, Ares' body was engulfed in a crimson, hellish aura. He stepped forward instead of back, letting his own presence crash head-on into Rocks'.
Black and red clashed, two opposing forces ramming against one another like a pair of enraged bulls, each refusing to give an inch.
"The Celestial Dragons are nothing but walking garbage," Ares said coldly. "Even if we release these ones, we can always grab more."
Rocks laughed to himself, and his aura suddenly swelled even further, beginning to faintly press Ares down.
His voice rang with wild ambition.
"Zehahahaha… Ares, do you really think I went through all this trouble, laid out all these plans and paid such a price, just to publicly execute a few Celestial Dragons?"
"No. I want to weaken the World Government, to drag their name through the mud. I want the member nations to see that the World Government cannot protect them. I want more pirates to rise up against them."
"A man like you, Ares, who only lives to become stronger, cannot possibly understand what I am carrying on my shoulders."
He grabbed a bottle from the table, tilted his head back, and gulped down several mouthfuls.
"Ha…"
Rocks looked at him and continued, his tone low and steady.
"These years, every step I take is cautious. One misstep and I fall into a pit I can never climb out of."
"You will not understand. But as for handing over the Celestial Dragons, that is impossible."
His eyes sharpened suddenly, cold light bursting out.
"I am the captain."
"I am the master of Beehive Island. And one day I will be the master of this entire sea."
The darkness around him changed, filling with a killing intent so dense it made the room icy cold.
Even his voice carried a chill that would make ordinary people feel as if they were naked in a blizzard, shivering uncontrollably.
Rocks' expression was wild and untamed, his killing intent rolling off him as he spoke each word through clenched teeth.
"Anyone who stands in my way…"
"I will tear them apart, one by one."
He stared at Ares, his sharp, oppressive gaze no different from that of a ravenous beast sizing up its prey.
Ares frowned slightly, his face still hard and fierce.
"Ask me to abandon my crewmate, and that is impossible," he said. "Whatever your dream and your goal are, Captain, I will not interfere."
"But I will get my crewmate back."
"Captain, hand the Celestial Dragons over to me."
Rocks looked at this stubborn man and let out a cold laugh.
"'Captain'? You do not respect me as your captain at all," he said. "Then again… it makes sense."
"You have not been with the Rocks Pirates for very long. You even vanished for a time."
"Looks like today, I will have to show you why I, Rocks, became captain instead of Whitebeard Newgate, instead of Golden Lion Shiki."
He knew he had gone too long without taking action personally.
Long enough that even newcomers in his own crew dared to defy his orders.
This time…
He would firmly reestablish his authority.
He did appreciate Ares, that much was true.
But appreciation was appreciation. A subordinate who disobeyed his orders still needed to be taught a lesson.
"Dark Pull."
He raised his hand.
A mass of thick, eerie black smoke began to pour out of his palm, rising like a column of black flame toward the ceiling.
At the same time, an overwhelming force of suction crashed onto Ares' body.
It felt like a black hole had latched onto him, trying to drag him in.
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