Tap. Tap.
The chaotic battle had left all of Hachinosu in ruins. Even so, the three men sat together inside a small tavern.
As for whether Rocks' treasure might be stolen?
Don't be ridiculous.
With the three of them here—and their crews stationed outside—who would dare try? Anyone attempting to snatch the treasure would be asking for death.
—
"Arthur!"
Shiki spoke without hesitation.
"There's no way in hell I'm agreeing to give you all the Devil Fruits."
"I don't know what you plan to do with them, but there's no negotiation on this."
His refusal was absolute.
Arthur replied calmly,
"I'm willing to give up part of my treasure share. We split the treasure equally—one third each. I'll give up part of my share… in exchange for all the Devil Fruits."
Shiki stared at him, deep in thought.
Arthur was proposing a gamble.
All Devil Fruits would go to Arthur.
In exchange, Shiki and Whitebeard would receive more of the treasure.
But what if there weren't many Devil Fruits inside?
Shiki and Whitebeard wouldn't give the treasure back.
Arthur would suffer a massive loss.
It was a huge gamble.
Shiki understood clearly—Arthur had no way of knowing what was inside the treasure, even if he knew where it was buried.
Now the question was simple:
Agree… or refuse?
Devil Fruits were priceless.
But this gamble tempted them too.
What if the treasure contained mostly gold and valuables?
Then Arthur would be the one losing everything.
The silence stretched.
Arthur leaned back on the sofa, calmly sipping beer, confidence evident in his smile.
He knew the truth.
Compared to Devil Fruits, Shiki and Whitebeard needed money more.
Arthur had earned a fortune at the Red Line.
Whitebeard had earned some as well.
Shiki?
He had nearly died there.
Shiki desperately needed wealth.
Whitebeard wasn't much better.
To them, treasure was far more attractive than the uncertain value of Devil Fruits.
This was Rocks treasure—until opened, nobody knew what lay inside.
Arthur was betting they'd take the risk.
...
Whitebeard suddenly laughed.
"Gurarararara! Arthur brat, I'll admit it—this gamble of yours is interesting. I accept."
"Shiki, what about you?"
Shiki clicked his tongue before bursting into laughter.
"Jihahahaha! If Whitebeard's in, refusing would make me look like a coward. Let's see what you've got planned, brat!"
Arthur shrugged.
"There's no plan. It's Rocks' treasure—no one knows what's inside. I just happen to believe I'm lucky."
"Then let's test it."
All three exchanged smiles.
Fear?
These men didn't know the meaning of the word.
They were monsters. True madmen.
"Start digging."
At the command, crews began excavation beneath the giant skull.
They worked carefully—too quickly, and they might damage the treasure.
No one wanted that responsibility.
Gareth supervised the excavation.
"Be careful."
Even if the fighting had stopped, they were still enemies. One mistake could spark war.
Nearby, young Bohr complained,
"We didn't get to fight! The Flying Pirates and the Whitebeard Pirates—I wanted to test them!"
Max replied softly,
"It's better if we don't become enemies unless necessary."
"I know," Bohr nodded seriously. "I won't cause trouble for the King."
Max then spoke quietly,
"The treasure below… it's enormous."
Gareth stiffened.
"How enormous?"
"I can't measure it exactly," Max said. "But it's unimaginably vast."
That meant danger.
Wealth could drive anyone mad.
Gareth immediately ordered Galahad to prepare for any sudden conflict.
---
Inside the tavern, Lamorak stood silently behind Arthur.
Unlike Galahad's calm serenity, Lamorak seemed almost emotionless—like a doll. Silent. Still. Watching.
Hours passed.
Shiki grumbled,
"How deep did Rocks bury this thing? It's been three or four hours!"
Arthur teased,
"Maybe Rocks was playing a prank."
Shiki froze, then scoffed.
"Even if he was, what can we do? Still… Rocks wasn't the type to fake treasure."
Whitebeard laughed loudly.
"Even if there's nothing, it's fine. Think of this as old friends meeting for drinks."
"…After today," he added quietly, "we'll probably never gather like this again."
Shiki scoffed at the sentiment.
Arthur simply smiled.
The Rocks era was over.
This was a new era—their era.
Suddenly—
"TREASURE!!"
"So many treasure chests!!"
The three stood and rushed outside.
Before them—
Nearly three hundred massive treasure chests lay buried beneath the skull.
Arthur smiled.
"It feels like opening mystery boxes."
Whitebeard asked,
"Did you find anything else?"
Marco raised a letter.
"Pops! There's a letter here!"
Whitebeard looked at Arthur and Shiki.
"Rocks left this. Want to read it?"
"Of course."
They opened the letter.
[Wahahahaha!!
Let me guess—
The ones who made it here are Edward, Shiki… and Arthur.
This treasure suits the three of you best.
At God Valley, you brats actually tricked me.
That really pissed me off.
But compared to the others… this treasure belongs with you.]
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