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Chapter 18: The Five Elders Gather! Pre-War Meeting
Mentioning the D clan,
The other Five Elders' expressions also turned somewhat grim.
They finally remembered that Rocks' full name was Rocks D. Xebec.
As a member of the legendary D clan passed down through history,
It wasn't impossible for him to know the secret hidden behind God Valley.
With this thought,
The bald elder with the scar couldn't hold back his impatience and spoke urgently.
"In that case, what are we still dawdling here for?"
"If that guy really knows God Valley's location, he must be eliminated without question!"
"If he gets his hands on that thing, this won't be a joke!"
As one of the Five Elders,
He was well aware of what was hidden on God Valley.
Even across the entire seas, existences comparable to it were exceedingly rare.
The long-bearded elder, however, waved his hand dismissively.
"Enough—no need to panic to this extent."
"What does it matter if the Rocks Pirates seek that thing from God Valley? If we prepare properly, it could instead become the perfect opportunity to annihilate them."
"Otherwise, even for us, destroying the Rocks Pirates wouldn't be easy."
"His strength has already reached the level of sea hegemon."
Sea hegemon.
Even throughout all of history, such figures were few and far between.
Relying solely on the current Marines to destroy a pirate crew led by a sea hegemon
Would come at an unimaginably painful cost.
Hearing this,
The curly-haired elder, who had been listening quietly, spoke calmly while holding his brown cane.
"Hm. If it really comes to it, let CP0 handle it."
"Speaking of which, I recall from Steel Bone Kong's report that a rather talented kid appeared on Rocks' ship."
CP0, as the strongest shield of the Celestial Dragons,
Naturally included top-tier experts comparable to Admirals.
If they joined forces with Marine Headquarters to set a trap,
Annihilating the Rocks Pirates wasn't an impossible dream.
The long-bearded elder raised an eyebrow slightly upon hearing this.
"Hm, as you said, there is indeed a kid with remarkable talent."
"In just a few exchanges with Garp, he successfully stole and mastered Soru from Rokushiki."
"His combat talent is truly astonishing."
"But if he wants to grow into a top powerhouse, it'll still take several years."
According to the intelligence provided by CP0 in the elder's hands,
Even with such terrifying talent, Tree Demon Lotte would need at least five to ten years to reach Rocks' current level.
By then, the Rocks Pirates would long have been destroyed by them.
There was nothing to worry about.
The other Five Elders exchanged glances and nodded in agreement.
"In that case,"
"No need to pay too much attention to Tree Demon Lotte for now. Focus on dealing with Rocks of the D clan first."
As the meeting gradually concluded,
A massive storm sweeping across the entire New World seas began to brew.
...
On the Rocks Pirates' ship,
Accompanied by the cries of News Coo seagulls, fresh newspapers and bounty posters rained down.
Many excited pirates scrambled to grab them, hoping to see if their own exploits had made the headlines.
Lotte hummed a little tune while lounging lazily in a chair, basking in the sun.
Even without deliberate training, his mastery of Hashirama Cells continued to rise steadily.
Moreover, having finally joined the Rocks Pirates, Lotte had no intention of torturing himself like an ascetic every day.
At this moment,
Whitebeard—one of the ship's cadres—approached with a bounty poster in hand.
Looking at the carefree Lotte, he burst into hearty laughter.
"Gurararara! Lotte, you're still as relaxed as ever."
"You know, Marine Headquarters just updated the new round of bounties. As Tree Demon, you're naturally on the list!"
"And the amount isn't small either."
Whitebeard walked up, patted Lotte on the shoulder, his tone full of amusement.
Lotte snapped back to attention,
Curiously glancing at the bounty poster in Whitebeard's hand.
"Really? Let me see the bounty."
The strength he displayed on the Rocks Pirates' ship this time should at least earn him tens of millions of berries, right?
If even Whitebeard called it "not small," it must be close to 100 million?
Lotte looked closely with curiosity.
When he saw the figure on his bounty,
His eyes widened in shock.
Seeing Lotte's stunned reaction,
Whitebeard couldn't help but laugh heartily again.
"Gurararara! I knew you'd make that face!"
"Your bounty now is a full 500 million berries! In terms of bounty amount alone, you're almost catching up to some of the cadres on this ship!"
Even Whitebeard
Had been astonished when he first saw Lotte's bounty.
Ordinary cadres' bounties were only around 1 billion.
Even powerhouses among the cadres like him and Golden Lion Shiki
Only reached the 1–2 billion range.
Lotte's 500 million bounty was already quite high within the Rocks Pirates.
Seeing the massive number on his bounty,
Lotte briefly had the absurd illusion of wanting to turn himself in.
He hadn't realized he was worth this much.
Snapping back to reality,
He sighed helplessly.
"Looks like Marine Headquarters really has me marked now."
"Otherwise, based on the strength I showed at the time, it definitely wouldn't reach this level."
Lotte had sufficient self-awareness.
Though his current strength wasn't weak, it was far from warranting this bounty.
The reason Marine Headquarters assigned him such a high amount was likely due to the astonishing talent he displayed.
But even so, Lotte felt no regret whatsoever.
If he had hidden his abilities,
It would only cause the people on this ship to look down on him.
He needed to make Captain Rocks recognize his value.
Only then could he thrive in the Rocks Pirates
And even converse on equal terms with cadre-level figures like Whitebeard.
Just exposing his talent had brought such benefits.
Even the cost of being targeted by Marine Headquarters was well worth it.
Just as Lotte was thinking this,
Rocks' calm, indifferent voice echoed from afar.
His loud tone spread across the entire ship, carrying an unquestionable authority.
"All cadre-level crew members—prepare for a pre-war meeting now."
"Lotte, you come along too."
As the words fell,
The once lively ship fell completely silent.
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