"Alright, Newgate, Linlin, it's your turn to choose."
"Two Devil Fruits each, plus two billion Belly."
"As for the rare materials, two hundred jin each. Pick them yourselves after the banquet."
"Gurararara, I got it, old man."
"Mamamama, Kid Kaido, go ahead and pick two."
Whitebeard personally stepped forward.
He randomly took two from the remaining eight Devil Fruits, not particularly concerned about their abilities.
Then he took the two billion Belly and returned to his seat.
He wasn't overly enthusiastic about the spoils this time, as he hadn't been the one leading the operation.
After hearing what Linlin said, Kaido stepped out from behind her.
Similarly, he took two Devil Fruits of unknown abilities and the two billion Belly.
As a trainee, Kaido wasn't technically qualified to share in the spoils.
He returned to his seat and began devouring large chunks of Sea King meat.
His recent losses had been substantial, and he needed to replenish his energy.
The voracious Linlin in front of him was like a soul-sucking beast, nearly draining his robust frame dry.
If he didn't replenish himself, he wouldn't last through the night.
"Silver Axe, Wang Zhi, John, each of you gets one billion Belly."
"Great!"
With a wave of their hands, their subordinates quickly stepped forward to collect the one billion Belly.
After this, Rocks scanned all the officers present.
Noticing that Stussy, Gloriosa, and Shakuyaku on the side had received nothing, he pondered for a moment before speaking.
"Stussy, Gloriosa, and Shakuyaku, each of you take five hundred million Belly. Consider it a bonus."
"Alright, thank you, Captain."
"Thank you, Captain."
"I get some too? Ah, thank you, Captain!"
The named women reacted with either surprise or delight.
They hadn't expected to receive a share of the spoils.
They had assumed that the distribution was reserved for officers only.
As ordinary members, they thought they would get nothing.
This unexpected windfall was a pleasant surprise.
After thanking Rocks, they stepped forward and collected their five hundred million Belly.
Though not a huge amount, they were genuinely satisfied!
This was part of Rocks' strategy for managing his crew.
As the three top female pirates on the ship, just below the officers:
Stussy was one of the few scientists on board and worth cultivating.
Gloriosa hailed from Amazon Lily, a nation where every citizen was a warrior, making her ideal for bolstering the mid to lower ranks of his forces.
To better handle future attacks from the World Government and the Navy,
Rocks saw no harm in giving Gloriosa a small benefit now,
letting her know who her true benefactor was.
As for Shakuyaku, being a top-tier intelligence operative in the New World, she was also worth nurturing.
Five hundred million Belly each was a trivial amount—just one and a half billion in total, a drop in the bucket.
With that, the spoils distribution concluded smoothly.
Rocks waved his hand, and several trusted aides quickly stepped forward.
They covered and carried away the remaining spoils.
These now belonged solely to Rocks.
In total, two ordinary Devil Fruits and 5.5 billion Belly remained.
Even after the warehouse had been picked over, there remained six hundred jin of rare materials.
His gains were second only to Brian and Shiki.
In fact, they even exceeded those of Whitebeard and Linlin.
After all, he was the captain, the leader of the pirate crew.
"Wahahaha! Let's end today's banquet here then."
"Everyone, have a few more drinks, and those who wish to leave can start preparing to do so."
Gulp, gulp, gulp~
With such a sudden increase in profits, Rocks was in high spirits.
It really was great to have so many capable subordinates.
Without needing to lift a finger himself, treasures just kept pouring into his lap.
Of course, achieving this was simple.
All you needed was combat prowess like Rocks, capable of dominating the entire era.
Yes, just reaching that level was enough.
"Report!!!"
Just as Rocks announced the end of the banquet and was about to leave,
a urgent report suddenly came, pulling Rocks' attention back.
The four senior officers, three regular officers, and the rest of the crew all turned to look.
"Captain, the Roger Pirates have attacked our black market in the Lyra Sea."
"The black market has been destroyed, and all the treasures have been plundered."
Bang!
"Damn Roger Pirates! That bastard, has he gone mad?"
Hearing this, before Rocks could react, Shiki was the first to lose his composure.
He slammed the table hard, standing up in astonishment.
The Roger Pirates launching an attack?
Were they insane?
It was well known that over the past few years, as the Roger Pirates rose to fame in the New World,
they quickly grew into the second largest pirate force, second only to the Rocks Pirates.
On the surface, the top two pirate crews had been relatively restrained.
Although there had been some conflicts, they were only at the level of minor underlings.
From all appearances, clashes between the higher-ups hadn't occurred for a long time.
This was closely related to both sides' priorities in recent years.
For Rocks, his next focus was targeting the Celestial Dragons and the World Government.
As a member of the D Clan, the extreme emotions accumulated by his ancestors were increasingly taking over Rocks' mind.
He sought revenge against the World Government and to expand his influence beyond the New World.
Because of this, over the past year or so, he had intentionally reined in his subordinates, avoiding major disturbances in the New World.
Naturally, he hadn't paid much attention to the Roger Pirates' activities.
After all, no matter how much they grew, they could never defeat him, Rocks.
This was the confidence of the world's top pirate.
As for the Roger Pirates, they were relatively more laid-back.
Also a member of the D Clan, after Roger rose to power,
he focused on the century of lost history from his ancestors' time.
The humiliation of his forebears made him deeply interested in this period.
Although gathering all the Poneglyphs seemed like a pipe dream, Roger was willing to be a pioneer and give it a try.
Fortunately, there were already some promising leads.
Thus, after becoming the second strongest in the New World,
Roger wasn't in a hurry to clash with the top crew.
He often led his crew roaming all over the New World.
Sometimes they'd disappear for months without a trace.
Both sides, whether intentionally or not, avoided conflict, almost as if it had become an unspoken rule.
Neither side troubled the other, and everyone was content.
With both parties deliberately avoiding a fight, conflict naturally didn't arise.
Everyone was gradually establishing routines, and for now, conflicts hadn't yet erupted.
As for what would happen next—everyone knew it in their hearts.
The top two powers were bound to clash sooner or later.
No one expected that, at this critical moment, the Roger Pirates would take the initiative to provoke a conflict.
The Black Market in the Lyra Sea—one of the few key black markets under the Rocks Pirates' control—was highly prosperous and generated enormous profits for them every year.
Yet, at this very moment, it was destroyed by the Roger Pirates.
What a profound humiliation! Did the Roger Pirates intend to fight the Rocks Pirates to the death?
This was precisely why Shiki was even more furious.
He had a stake in the Lyra Black Market too.
Damn it—the Roger Pirates, every last one of them, were bastards.