Looking at the simple letter, Arthur could more or less picture Captain Rocks' expression as he wrote it.
For a man like Rocks, his life had already been "enough." And since things had ended the way they did, what did the future matter?
Rocks was gone.
He had already arranged for his family and the people he cared about. And based on what he knew of Arthur, Arthur wasn't the type to do anything troublesome in that regard.
As for the treasure that remained…
Honestly, Rocks didn't care.
That man's ambition had been to become King of the World. But his ambition had failed. And once that dream died, everything else became irrelevant.
With that mindset, Rocks wouldn't cling to anything. As time passed, and as years went by, he stopped fearing anything—so the treasure was simply left behind.
In the end, this last letter was nothing more than Rocks satisfying a final curiosity:
Would the people who obtained his treasure… really be those guys?
"Gurarararara!"
Whitebeard laughed boldly.
"As expected of Captain Rocks! His guess was dead-on!"
"Tch!"
Shiki spat, annoyed.
"An old bastard who still wants to control everything even after he's dead… seriously—how boring."
He said that, but whether it was Whitebeard or Shiki, both held deep respect for Rocks.
The Rocks Pirates had been riddled with issues. Everyone had their own thoughts, their own schemes.
And yet—
Every single one of them respected their captain. Respect for a powerhouse, respect for a man who stood above them all—there was no question about it.
Besides, Rocks was already dead.
The story had reached its end. That was what mattered most.
At this point, everything else was secondary.
"Open all the treasure chests."
"Yeah."
Creak… creak…
As the chests were opened, the atmosphere fell into total silence.
Eyes widened.
Mouths parted.
Everyone stared in disbelief.
It was horrifying.
No—terrifying.
If you didn't see it with your own eyes, no amount of description would make you believe it.
There were three hundred and fifty treasure chests in total.
And every single one was packed.
Gold and silver. Jewels and rare artifacts.
Famous blades, weapons, all kinds of valuables—everything you could imagine.
In pure monetary value alone…
It had to be at least seventy to eighty billion berries.
And that estimate didn't even include the weapons.
Famous blades weren't something you could just "price"—they were priceless. Their value was far more terrifying.
But beyond even that—
The most staggering portion was the Devil Fruits.
Seventy chests were filled to the brim with Devil Fruits.
A total of four hundred Devil Fruits.
"..."
The air went dead quiet again, everyone stunned by the sheer scale of it all.
Then—
"ROAR!"
Arthur opened his mouth, and a terrifying pressure burst outward. A savage aura swept through the area and engulfed every Devil Fruit in sight.
As for the other treasure?
Arthur didn't care.
With this haul, Arthur now possessed six hundred Devil Fruits in total.
An absurd, overwhelming number.
A foundation that would propel Britannia's future—and Arthur's next stage of expansion into something truly monstrous.
"Hehehe…"
Arthur smiled.
"Shiki. Edward. Looks like I won the gamble."
"Tch!"
Shiki clicked his tongue.
"I actually lost to a brat like you…?"
He was annoyed—but Shiki didn't go back on his word. If he reneged after agreeing, he wouldn't be Golden Lion.
Whitebeard glanced once and couldn't care less.
The two of them each obtained hundreds of billions worth of wealth, plus rare blades and treasures—that was more than enough.
"Hmm?"
Whitebeard browsed briefly, then quickly selected two blades that could rival Great Grade swords.
Worth mentioning—
On the seas, there were countless weapons.
If the Supreme Grade Blades represented the absolute pinnacle—twelve of the strongest weapons—
then the Great Grade Blades and Skillful Grade Blades—21 + 50, totaling 71—were the true "famous blades."
But did that mean only those 71 mattered?
Of course not.
There were many blades known as "comparable to Skillful Grade," "comparable to Great Grade," and even a few that were only slightly below Supreme Grade.
They were all part of the broader category of famous blades.
The two Whitebeard picked weren't among the official 21 Great Grade Blades, but their might was astonishing.
"Vista!"
"Sakura."
"Momoka."
Whitebeard laughed, looking at a young man.
"What do you think of these two?"
Vista's eyes nearly popped out of his head.
"Pops…! Are you really giving them to me?!"
"Gurarararara!"
Whitebeard laughed even louder.
"Of course! You're my son!"
"And you broke through to become a swordsman not long ago—this is only natural."
"You're good with two swords. Train hard and become a great swordsman."
"Yes!"
Vista answered with fierce conviction.
"Pops! Don't worry—I'll become a famous great swordsman known across the world!"
"Gurarararara!"
Whitebeard nodded with satisfaction.
"That's what I'm waiting to see!"
Vista nodded just as seriously.
Whitebeard didn't say more—those kids were worth looking forward to.
Just thinking about the future filled him with pride.
"Hmph."
Shiki clicked his tongue, too lazy to care.
He couldn't stand Whitebeard's way of thinking. That was why he invited Arthur and Roger to become his "left and right arms," but never once invited Whitebeard.
Their philosophies didn't align.
They were fundamentally different kinds of people.
So inviting him would've been pointless—better not to bother.
"Alright then."
"Goodbye."
Arthur was ready to head home.
He'd been out for nearly two months—it was time to return to Britannia.
Britannia was about to enter a phase of rapid development, and many plans needed time to truly launch.
"Hmm?"
Whitebeard asked,
"Arthur, want to have a drink before you go?"
"A drink?"
Arthur smiled.
"No problem. But this time you two are paying—I didn't get any money."
"Tsk!"
"Jihahahaha!"
"Gurarararara!"
The two burst out laughing.
Soon, after arranging everything and sending their crews back to their ships, the three went to the largest tavern on Hachinosu.
Even though the island had just been turned into a battlefield—
The locals didn't care.
Back when the Rocks Pirates were around, things were even crazier. They'd long since gotten used to it.
What shocked them was this:
Rocks' treasure had ended up in the hands of these three.
And that news spread across the seas at an alarming pace.
Everyone was eager to know—
With such an enormous treasure, what exactly had they obtained?
Everyone knew it was massive.
But what was it?
And as the rumors spread, schemes began to stir.
That was only natural.
Money drove people mad—especially money on this scale.
Countless people would go completely insane.
No doubt about it.
...
But inside the tavern, the three "winners" simply drank in silence.
Haa…
Shiki slammed his beer mug down and laughed.
"Ahh—THAT hit the spot!"
"Arthur brat! You really won't come with me to conquer the world?"
"With our combined power, we could absolutely become King of the World!"
"Jihahahaha!"
Shiki grinned wildly, clenching his fist with total confidence.
Arthur shook his head.
"No interest."
"I don't care about being King of the World."
"And becoming King through conquest and oppression is meaningless."
Arthur genuinely wasn't tempted.
King of the World?
So what?
That position meant nothing to him.
If Britannia were the one called "King of the World," that might interest him more.
Arthur's ambition was huge—
But he and Shiki were simply walking different roads.
"Tch!"
Shiki scowled.
"What a boring bastard."
"Arthur brat, your thinking is messed up. You want to build a nation—are you really planning to become like them?"
"A member state?"
Arthur poured himself another beer.
"People have different goals. What's so strange about that?"
"Why don't you invite Edward, then?"
Shiki shook his head without hesitation.
"No interest."
"Edward and I aren't the same kind of person."
"What a shame."
"He clearly has the ambition of a king… but he'll never be my right-hand man."
Arthur chuckled.
"Shiki… you want to become my right-hand man?"
"Huh?!"
Whitebeard exploded into laughter.
"Gurarararara!"
Shiki froze, his mouth twitching, clearly irritated.
"Anyway!"
Shiki slammed past that topic, baring his teeth.
"Arthur brat! If you won't be my right-hand man—then don't blame me for not being considerate in the future!"
A cruel glint flashed across his smile.
If Arthur wouldn't submit, Shiki wouldn't hold back.
Arthur smiled back.
"Then we'll find out in the future."
"It's about time."
"The party ends here."
Arthur stood, turning away without looking back.
"My ambition is steadily becoming reality."
"And anyone who dares stand in my way… I'll erase them without hesitation."
"I'm not the kind of man who can't kill."
A faint smile flickered.
Arthur left the tavern with Lamorak.
Shiki stood as well, grinning viciously.
"Arthur brat… kek. What a boring bastard."
"Edward! I'm leaving too!"
With that, the tavern was left with Whitebeard, Marco, Vista, and the others.
"Pops?"
"Pops?"
Whitebeard waved them down casually.
"Sit."
"Those two… hah."
"But that's what makes this sea interesting."
"It turns a dull ocean into something vast and turbulent."
"Gurarararara!"
Whitebeard laughed boldly.
"I'm getting more and more interested in this sea!"
"Sons, stay sharp. The future's going to be fun."
"Yes!"
They answered in unison, fully prepared.
---
On the other side—
Shiki's fleet rose into the sky.
Arthur's ship set sail as well, heading straight for Britannia.
It was time to return.
He'd been out for two months.
--------------------------------///
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