Linlin turned her head and gave Silver Axe an undisguised look of disgust.
Then she summoned the thundercloud Zeus, sat on him, and leisurely said, "Forget it, Silver Axe. I know exactly what scheme you're playing in that head of yours."
Silver Axe had his thoughts exposed in front of so many people, and the muscles on his face twitched slightly. He angrily retorted, "Linlin, you bastard, don't think so poorly of me! Isn't my credibility enough for you to trust me?"
"Mama-mama."
Linlin only laughed twice without refuting him, but the meaning contained in that laughter was richer than any words.
To be honest, among the Rocks Pirates, aside from Rocks himself, who had credibility?
The "credibility" between these people, if described in terms from Blue Star, was the kind that would not even let you rent a power bank.
"Hey, Rocks," Silver Axe was laughed into embarrassment and turned toward Rocks. "You come testify for me."
Rocks was leaning against the ship rail, holding a bottle of fine wine. Hearing this, he readily responded, "Fine, I'll testify, Linlin."
"Uh."
Linlin rolled her eyes, her gaze falling on Rocks' smiling face. "Cut it out, Rocks. Do you even know how much debt you're carrying?"
Rocks spread both hands, his smile still calm. "Don't be like that, Linlin. Don't we all just not have money right now? If I had it, I'd definitely pay it back."
Linlin no longer paid him any attention. She turned toward the thundercloud and said, "Zeus, let's go!"
"Yes, Mama!"
"Wahahahaha!" Rocks laughed loudly, shaking his head in the direction Linlin had gone. "That Linlin, honestly. She doesn't value human feelings at all."
Boom.
Below, several speedboats had already ignited and started at the same time. Engine roars echoed all around.
Captain John stood at the bow of one of the speedboats, holding a bottle of fine wine. He waved farewell to Silver Axe, who was still standing blankly on the deck, his tone full of smugness. "Rather than relying on others, it's better to rely on yourself!"
Silver Axe watched the speedboats leave one after another, then looked up at Linlin and Golden Lion already flying away. After a moment of silence, he clicked his tongue and did not move.
The sea wind blew past, scattering those distant boat shadows and laughter together.
Holy Land, Mary Geoise.
The majestic castle cast a huge shadow beneath the afternoon sun. The white building complex stood at the highest point of the Red Line like silent mountains.
Sengoku walked out of the castle, his face dark. His coat of justice fluttered behind him.
Because of the failure regarding the Heavenly Tribute, he had just endured the Five Elders taking turns pressuring him. If Steel Bone Kong had not mediated a few words in between, Sengoku really would have wanted to quit on the spot.
Steel Bone Kong caught up and walked beside Sengoku unhurriedly, his expression calm.
"Still sulking, Sengoku?" Kong asked.
Sengoku did not respond and continued walking on his own.
"Heh." Kong chuckled twice, his tone carrying the tolerance of an elder looking at a junior. "You are still too inexperienced. Just one mission failure, and you put this much pressure on yourself. You still aren't steady enough."
Sengoku finally could not endure it. He turned his head and glanced at him. "Of course you're steady. You weren't the one getting scolded."
Kong was choked by that for a moment, then burst into laughter. "Hahahaha. Scold away, scold away. You'll feel better once you vent it out."
After laughing for a while and catching his breath, he changed to a slightly more serious tone. "Listening to what you said inside earlier, that young man called Ron was able to prevent both you and Garp from gaining much advantage. He does have some skill."
Sengoku's steps paused slightly, but quickly returned to normal. He did not follow Kong's words. Instead, he asked, "I remember you've seen the Devil Fruit Encyclopedia. Based on my description inside, can you tell what Devil Fruit his ability is?"
"Hmm." Kong thought carefully for a long while, his brows furrowing slightly. "We previously guessed it was a Mythical Zoan, Nine-Tailed Fox Model. But the abilities you described inside... when I spoke with the Five Elders, I found that the two are very different."
Sengoku suddenly stopped and looked at Kong. "What does that mean? Similar, but not?"
Kong nodded. "More accurately, the form matches, but the abilities don't. Didn't you turn that guy called Ochoku? You can continue to use him to gather more information on Ron."
Sengoku lightly shook his head, his gaze sinking slightly. "Forget it. Calling frequently for this sort of information will only increase the risk of exposure. That chess piece... is very valuable."
Yes. Compared with figuring out Ron's Devil Fruit ability, he preferred to spend his energy monitoring the overall movements of the Rocks Pirates.
The piece named Ochoku had to be used on the edge of the blade.
"That works too."
Kong nodded lightly and did not continue asking. He reached out and patted Sengoku's shoulder twice. "Work hard. Don't slack off because of one failure. I have high hopes for you, Sengoku. That position of Fleet Admiral will eventually be yours one day."
Sengoku walked forward and spread his hands lightly. "Fleet Admiral or whatever, don't pin your hopes on me. I can't handle that position."
After a pause, Sengoku asked, "What did the Five Elders mean when they said, 'It's time to let them act'?"
The smile on Kong's face receded slightly, and his voice lowered. "'They' are a mysterious organization under the World Government. In the end, the Rocks Pirates have stolen the Heavenly Tribute so many times. If the World Government doesn't recover some face, every stray cat and dog will start jumping out."
"And this time, they don't just need to win. They need to win beautifully."