"Precious metals, huh? What do those idiots want to do? It's really giving me a headache. But let's start the banquet anyway!" Rocks exclaimed.
With that said, Rocks walked towards the castle's exterior while addressing Charlotte Linlin, who was enjoying dessert, "Linlin, let's get the long loaves ready. Today is going to be a wild celebration. We must keep the food and wine flowing!"
"Haha, of course, the long loaves are already in preparation!" Charlotte Linlin said, grabbing a piece of mousse cake and stuffing it into her mouth.
...
"Hey, kid, you seem pretty cocky," Kaido was approached as soon as he descended from the Big Mom Pirates' ship.
They eyed him with malicious intent, assessing the newcomer before them.
Facing their provocations, Kaido remained expressionless. He gripped his kanabo tightly with one hand, then suddenly exerted force with his feet, swiftly passing through the group of pirates. As he came to a halt, a violent explosion erupted behind him, leaving nothing but severed limbs on the ground.
"Weaklings," he remarked, lifting his kanabo and heading towards the island's interior. The woman had mentioned that the strongest gathered there, and that was his purpose for coming.
"Wow, such speed, such terrifying strength..."
"This kid is definitely not ordinary. I wonder where Charlotte Linlin found him."
"Another interesting character joins the fray. This year's Blood Feast seems particularly intriguing."
Surrounding pirates couldn't help but comment as Kaido departed.
"Captain Rocks and the others are coming out...!!"
At that moment, a thunderous cheer erupted from the central part of the island.
"The recruitment screening is about to begin. Everyone, revel to your heart's content!"
As the announcement reverberated throughout the island, the entire place erupted into excitement.
Soon, Rocks and his executives arrived at the platform for the selection process. Each one sat in their designated seat, looking down at the pirates below.
"Firstly... Welcome to Hachinosu!"
Rocks' voice drowned out the tens of thousands of voices in the arena. Then his gaze fell upon the pirates in the center of the field. A grin spread across his face, a crazed expression evident.
"Since you've made it here, it means you've passed the initial screening, recognized by the captains under me. But to truly join the Rocks family, mere acceptance isn't enough. So, from among you, only ten will emerge victorious in the end."
"No matter what means or methods you employ, as long as you're among the ten survivors, you've succeeded! A friendly reminder: aspiring members of the Rocks Pirates must be prepared. Failure or fleeing will be considered an act of enmity against the Rocks Pirates and will be met with immediate termination! Now, put on your show. Hahaha!"
With Rocks' maniacal laughter, except for a few uninformed souls, all the new recruits remained vigilant, eyeing those around them as enemies from this moment forth!
For those unaware, panic and fear filled their eyes.
In their minds, they screamed, "What the hell!"
Recruits hadn't been informed during recruitment that joining the Rocks Pirates would involve such a brutal assessment. Choosing ten from a thousand meant death for the rest!
To prevent anyone from fleeing due to fear and dulling the festivities, Golden Lion Shiki activated his Devil Fruit power, conjuring massive earthen walls around the arena, entrapping everyone within.
Uninformed pirates were even more horrified by this turn of events.
Among the crowd, many powerful and confident pirates remained unfazed.
To them, this was a rare opportunity. If they could catch the attention of Rocks and the others, their fame on the high seas would be assured.
To further incite the recruits and add color to the feast, Rocks explicitly stated that there were no restrictions on methods. Nicolas could already foresee the brutal battles to come.
"Hahaha, this is getting interesting. Let me kick off this wild party!" With a thunderous roar, Kaido began indiscriminately attacking those around him.
"Is this guy crazy!?"
"Damn, another lunatic! What rotten luck!"
The sudden onslaught sent unlucky souls flying like cannonballs into the crowd, sparking chaos.
But after the brief commotion, the air was filled with the sounds of combat: clashes of swords, shields, and axes, gunfire and cannon smoke, roars of Zoan users, frequent explosions, and colorful smoke rising, all evidence of the unrestrained methods employed by the 'actors' in this grand spectacle.
Bang!
Bang bang...!
Figures darted across the arena, clubs and blades swung, each strike claiming several lives.
Pirates who had been fighting a moment ago now lay as headless corpses on the ground.
Even amidst the melee, pirates seemed to notice the beastly figure. They instinctively kept their distance.
With a gunshot, a bullet struck Kaido's head, creating a burst of blood.
Just as everyone thought the monster would perish, Kaido turned to look at a sniper standing several hundred meters away, who still wore a smirk from their successful shot.
Then, he swung his kanabo towards the sniper. With a tremendous roar, the kanabo tore through everything in its path, piercing through all obstacles and finally skewering the sniper.
After dealing with the assailant, Kaido tilted his head, twirling his index and middle fingers on his right hand. A bullet appeared between them.
After dispatching a pirate nearby, Kaido's face lit up with a bloodthirsty grin, resembling a wild beast.
This scene stunned both the pirates on the field and caught the attention of Rocks and the others.
"Haha, such an interesting kid. Reminds me of the first time I saw Linlin," Rocks remarked, watching the performance below.
"Tch, another freaky brat?" Shiki sneered.
"Gulalalala, seems like the seas are getting filled with more monsters," Whitebeard said, raising a jug of alcohol to his lips.