Chapter 165: Heading to Mock Town
The Great Pirate Era was a time of pursuing freedom, money, desires, and power.
Money, beautiful women, authority...
It was well known that the freest person on the Grand Line was the Pirate King. Countless individuals aspired to reach the end of the Grand Line, to become the freest person in the world, just like that great man who had conquered the entire sea.
In his final words, Pirate King Roger had inspired countless people to venture into the vast ocean, driven by the pursuit of his treasure, his last secret, and a life of freedom. They eagerly joined the wave of this frenzied era.
Amidst the farewells, a straw hat symbolically joined this era, and the gears of fate in this world began to turn...
Rodney, accompanied by Robin, entered the first half of the Grand Line from the New World. This time, they didn't visit Fish-Man Island but used bubbles to cross over Mary Geoise, arriving at the Sabaody Archipelago.
Their first stop was at the Shakky's Rip-off Bar to visit Aunt Shakuyaku. They found her as lively as ever, with a group of people beneath the bar, who, when inquired about Rayleigh, made Shakuyaku ponder for a moment before replying, "Him? He hasn't been back for almost half a year. Probably off somewhere selling himself again, right? He spent the money you gave him in just a few days."
Rodney wiped the cold sweat from his forehead. He had given Rayleigh quite a bit of money for coating the ship and tuition fees. To think it was spent within a few days?
"Never mind, Aunt Shakuyaku. Can I ask you about someone named Monkey D. Luffy?"
Shakuyaku thought for a moment. "Monkey D. Luffy, right? I remember he's Garp's grandson. You should know him, right?"
As half of Garp's disciple, Rodney should indeed know his grandson.
"Yeah, I've beaten him before." Rodney smiled. "Have they entered the Grand Line yet?"
"Yeah, it seems they have. After defeating Morley's 500-man fleet in the East Blue, they, along with their companions, entered the Grand Line and are currently in Alabasta."
Shakuyaku wouldn't usually pay attention to a small-time pirate, but since Luffy was Garp's grandson, she allowed inquiries about him.
"Morley?" Rodney asked in confusion. "Who's that?"
Shakuyaku took a drag of her cigarette. "Just like the Crocodile Pirates you defeated in the East Blue, Morley's group seems to be a bunch of misfits who gathered together. They were defeated by Monkey D. Luffy and subsequently captured by the Marines."
Rodney hadn't expected that another group similar to the one led by that guy would emerge in the East Blue after he disbanded the Crocodile Pirates. But due to lack of time, he couldn't let his fleet flourish back then and ended up encountering Luffy at Baratie.
Was this the world's correction force at work?
After dealing with Crocodile and Moria, would someone stand in Luffy's way in the future and let him become famous?
It was quite likely.
"So where are they now?"
"They might have just crossed the Grand Line." Shakuyaku shrugged and smiled. "What's up, little Rodney? Interested in that Monkey D. Luffy?"
"No, I just find it more interesting as time goes on." He shook his head and put down the money for the information. Shakuyaku might not want it, but he couldn't pay; it was a matter of principle.
"Then we'll take our leave. I have some things to attend to." Rodney left with Robin.
This time, Robin didn't choose to go shopping, and she didn't have the company of Vivi and the others. Being alone with Rodney wasn't bad, but it was evident that Rodney had no intention of going shopping. He seemed lost in thought.
"Captain, what's on your mind?" Robin asked. "Thinking about Monkey D. Luffy?"
"No, something else, Robin. Our destination this time is Mock Town. We need to get there as quickly as possible."
"Why? Is it urgent?"
"Perhaps we can find an excellent sniper there ahead of time." They had passed by the town once without stopping, which had been a mistake. Rodney had completely forgotten about Van Augur.
"Well, then, let's set sail, Captain. How do you plan to travel?"
"I'll find a small boat, and then I'll capture a Sea King to pull the boat." It was that simple.
His method of travel was refreshing and unique. While Hawkeye rowed a boat through the Calm Belt, Aokiji rode a bicycle, and Rayleigh swam freely, Rodney's way was much more convenient. As long as he caught a Sea King, nothing could impede his progress in the deep sea.
Unless it was one of those massive Sea Kings with intelligence comparable to humans. Otherwise, other large or giant Sea Kings could be easily captured and controlled by him. In the deep sea, apart from the immense pressure, there was nothing to stop him.
So, without further ado, after buying an Eternal Pose to Mock Town, they found a boat. Rodney jumped into the sea and soon resurfaced, dragging a Sea King alongside the boat, propelling them toward Mock Town.
Mock Town was located on Jaya Island, which had originally been connected to Skypiea at 10,000 meters in the sky. However, the Sky Island had been torn from its position by upwelling currents and now existed as two separate parts.
What remained on the surface resembled the teeth and jawbone of a skull.
The majority of the head had ascended to the skies, 10,000 meters above.
With the passage of time, the town began to develop, catering to pirates seeking respite and entertainment. These pirates were more than willing to dock there, replenish their supplies, and indulge in their desires, spending their hard-earned money and reveling in their pleasures in this town.
Rodney had bypassed it during his previous visit since the supplies had been sufficient, and he had also avoided it because he disdained the low bounties of the pirates there. However, after recharging his magnetic power, he proceeded to the next island, the Sabaody Archipelago.
Another reason was that he couldn't challenge that chuuni back then. He had thought about coming back after undergoing some more development.
Now, he was fully prepared!
After half a month of travel, they arrived at their destination. The journey had been smooth and uneventful. They set foot on the land of Mock Town.
"Captain, we've arrived. Are you planning to eliminate all the pirates here?" Robin asked.
"Of course." Rodney split into multiple clones, each moving separately. Soon, the system's notification sound rang out as dozens, even hundreds, of mission points started accumulating.
Mission points quickly accumulated like this.
The air in Mock Town suddenly became tinged with the scent of blood. The corpses were gathered by Rodney's clones and then set ablaze in the town's central square. His ruthless actions sent shivers down the spines of the ordinary townsfolk, but Robin wasn't particularly disturbed. She had seen worse, not from Rodney, but from the Marines.
The cruelty of this man was always directed at his enemies. His tenderness was irresistibly endearing. She couldn't help but smile when she saw one of the clones bringing back a person. She asked inquisitively, "Captain, who is this?"
Surprisingly, there were pirates who hadn't been killed by the captain.
She knew that Rodney wouldn't harm civilians or children. He had his own principles when it came to his actions.
Those brought back by him should be pirates, but they weren't killed. This was an intriguing development.
"He's an interesting guy. He's a Devil Fruit user who caused some trouble for one of my clones by ambushing him and succeeding."
The clone dissipated, and Rodney approached, saying, "Unfortunately, that clone went all out, so I'm not sure if there's any chance he survived."
He shrugged and placed an apple on the man's chest. "Paramecia-type Devil Fruit, the Disruption Disruption Fruit. It allows perfect concealment of one's presence, similar to Absalom's ability."
The Disruption Fruit could erase one's presence, essentially making the user "invisible." They would only reveal themselves at the moment of attack. Unfortunately, this guy was not very skilled. After successfully ambushing one of his clones, he became cocky and was taken out by another.
This guy, not mentioned in the original story, probably didn't have much longer to live, did he?
Rodney didn't really care. When his Devil Fruit ability was awakened, he would attach it to the apple and take it with him.