"Give me back the money!"
Link was stomped underfoot, humiliated but refusing to yield, tears streaming yet still roaring, "That's the life-saving money I need to take back to the tribe to treat my dad! Give it back!"
"Life-saving money?"
The bandit leader sneered as he was about to say something when a dark shadow suddenly attacked.
Boom!
The bandit leader was kicked away, crashing heavily into the distant tavern wall.
"Who?!" The remaining bandits panicked and drew their knives.
As the dust cleared, a young man stood in front of Link, one hand in his pocket, casually tossing over a bag of money with the other: "Hey, uncle, here's your money."
Link, stunned, took it and looked up to see the young man's face, his pupils shrinking sharply.
"Ro… Rocks?!"
"Yo, cook, you still remember me." Rocks didn't even give the surrounding encroaching bandits a glance, just casually snapped his fingers.
Supreme King Haki exploded, the entire street's bricks instantly cracked, and without a chance to utter a cry, the bandits all uniformly rolled their eyes and fell to the ground.
Link watched the scene dumbfounded.
That kid who couldn't even afford a meal back then is now this strong?
"I've got a ship now, cook."
Rocks suddenly turned, reaching out his hand to him, laughing heartily:
"Look at you, still here after all these years, being bullied, how suffocating is that, why not come out to sea with me?"
Link hesitated as he held the money bag.
"Don't worry, I know what you're worried about." Rocks rolled his eyes, "If you get on the ship, as the captain, the first stop will definitely be to send you back home to deliver your dad's eulogy!"
"It's treatment, you idiot!" Link shouted angrily, "With this money, my dad can be cured, it's not about delivering eulogies!"
"Close enough!"
Rocks laughed nonchalantly with his hands on his hips, "Anyway, from today, I've got my own cook, right?"
He reached out his hand to Link again.
"Did you ask the name for nothing back then?"
Link glared at him but eventually took his hand:
"Link, call me Link."
————
The small boat sailed, breaking waves on the boundless sea.
"Rocks, a storm is coming! Can you stop eating and help me pack up the things on the deck!"
"No rush, Link, your stew smells so good, nom nom nom…"
Thud!
A punch came over.
"Stop talking nonsense, hurry up and clean up!"
"Ouch… It hurts! I get it, man, this bit of wind and rain making you panic, I'll get a super big ship soon, damn it! Ordering me around, who's the captain here anyway!"
————
"Another newcomer on board, Rocks?"
"Yeah, Link, come, meet him, he's someone I have high hopes for, uh, what was the name again?"
"Edward Newgate."
"Oh yeah, Newgate! Haha, look at my memory, there are almost a hundred people on the ship now, ah, more and more people under me, worse and worse memory…"
————
"Link, these are our new crew members, Streusen and Lingling! Hey, Newgate! Bring the newcomers over to meet the deputy captain."
"Hello, Deputy Captain!"
"Streusen is a very skilled cook, Link, with his addition, you won't have to slave away in the kitchen all the time!"
————
"Rocks, the crew members downstairs are fighting again, and they're hitting hard, they're less and less listening to me, can you go stop them?"
"Let them fight, the fiercer the better, the World Government guys are cowards lately, I'm bored, it's entertaining!"
"How can you say that, these people, although I don't approve of many, are your chosen comrades…"
"Puhahaha! So what, we're pirates, pirates should be like this, in this world the strong prey on the weak, only those who survive, the strong, qualify as my subordinates!"
————
"Rocks, Thunder God Town is gone."
"Hmm?… Oh, it's you, Link, what do you mean by gone?"
"Just gone… The magnetic field of that island seemed to go awry, the terrain changed dramatically, almost constant thunderstorms covered the entire island, the town was completely destroyed, that island probably won't be habitable anymore…"
"I thought it was something serious, waking me from a good nap, turns out it's just this? Gone is gone! You only worked there for a few years anyway, it wasn't your hometown!"
"... Oh? I thought maybe someday when passing by, you'd want to go with me to stroll around the town..."
"Snore~"
"Rocks? Rocks?"
————
"Link! Are you insane? I told you to bombard that sea area nonstop, why did you turn, letting the Navy ships escape!"
"I'm insane? That's the town's port over there! How many civilians are there! Didn't you see?"
"I know, but what of it! As long as we wipe out this batch of Navy, make the World Government tremble, nothing else matters, right!"
"..."
"Hey! Link, why aren't you talking! Gone mute?"
————
"Rocks, you've changed too much, or maybe this is the real you, we're really not on the same path, sorry, I can't be your partner anymore."
"Who cares! Get lost then, needing newbies for protection, let alone cooking, there's no place for an old cook like you on my ship!"
"Don't forget, your so-called billion Belly bounty was entirely based on the deputy captain's name, without this title, you're nothing!"
Rocks stood on the deck, his deep red long hair fluttering wildly in the wind, behind him were Whitebeard with his long knife, Kaido arms crossed expressionless, and the slender, curvaceous Lingling…
He stared at Link's departing back, a trace of complex emotion flashed in his eyes, but his face was filled with a violent and disdainful expression.
"Hmph, what the hell! Without you, I can still conquer this ocean!"
He turned and shouted angrily, "Move on, everyone! Next target—Roger Pirates!"
————
"That's pretty much it."
Old Link looked up at the Venus Flytrap which seemed to have regained its spirit at some point, speaking softly:
"After parting ways, I returned to my hometown and never ventured out again, but that guy… Over thirty years ago, when about to head to a place called Divine Valley, suddenly, as if he knew he was going to die in advance, he declared to the world that he left treasure, and said the Treasure Map, was left at the original old place."
The people in the cabin had long been enchanted by the tale, only now gradually coming to their senses, all sighing with sentiment.
"Old place?"
Nami, however, was puzzled, asking, "Why stop halfway through, what's this old place?"