"The Navy has returned to the West Blue and will encounter the Rocks Pirates in a day or two."
Agriculture God Peter Saint said.
"Let's hope they make it in time. Even if we can't capture Rocks, we need to take down at least one or two of his officers, or else our World Government's reputation will be utterly tarnished."
Finance God Nasujuro Saint remarked.
On the tenth day, Li Yuan led his fleet to the final destination, the Kingdom of Ivorni.
His four pirate ships were now 40% lighter in terms of crew, with the freed-up space filled with treasure.
"Senior Brother, among the nobles we eliminated, we found a slave who claims to be a scientist and could be of use to us, so I brought him along."
Kano introduced a frail-looking man with black glasses.
"So you're a scientist? Now that those nobles are dead, you're free. Why choose to follow us?"
Li Yuan asked curiously. Under his orders, his men wouldn't waste effort on killing ordinary people who didn't obstruct their treasure hunt.
"Honorable sir, I have lost my home. My family was killed by those damned nobles."
"You saved me, and I should repay you!"
He had been a somewhat well-known scientist but had been targeted and enslaved by nobles to create profitable items for them.
"Oh? What's your name, and what field of science do you specialize in?"
Sensing the man's goodwill, Li Yuan became interested. He hadn't had a scientist under his command yet, and as his pirate crew grew, having a scientist would be essential for maximizing profits and earning more Berries.
"Honorable sir, my name is Yuma Berry. My research focuses on mineral materials, and I possess a Devil Fruit power that allows me to fuse two different minerals into a new one."
Yuma Berry explained.
"Oh? A Devil Fruit? Fusion of mineral materials?"
"Here are two ordinary short swords. Try fusing them and see if you can do it."
Li Yuan handed Yuma two short swords.
"I've never tried it, so I'm not sure if it'll work."
Yuma said, taking the swords.
He stacked them together and activated his Devil Fruit ability.
Under Li Yuan's watchful eye, one of the swords slowly liquefied and merged into the other.
"Bang!!!"
However, as the swords completed their fusion, Yuma collapsed immediately.
"It really can fuse; this should be the Paramecia-type Fusion Fruit."
"Kano, take him below deck, treat him well, and nurture him. He'll be an important figure for us in the future."
"Make sure to increase his stamina first; that's crucial."
Li Yuan said, looking at the collapsed Yuma Berry.
"Don't worry, Senior Brother, I understand!"
Kano had seen it all clearly. As a Devil Fruit user, Yuma was worth nurturing.
"This fused sword's quality is noticeably higher than the originals, likely a result of the fusion."
Li Yuan examined the fused sword with great interest.
"If ordinary swords can be fused, what about excellent-grade swords, great-grade swords, or even supreme-grade swords?"
With this thought, Li Yuan's eyes burned with anticipation.
He considered his Seven Star Sword and the Futsu-no-Mitama at his waist. If they could be fused, how powerful would the resulting sword be?
Could it surpass the supreme-grade swords and become the strongest sword in the world?
"This is something to experiment with later. Using the Fusion Fruit is extremely taxing."
"Even fusing two ordinary short swords left him exhausted."
"Fusing excellent-grade or great-grade swords might take a long time."
"But I have time, so I'll wait. It seems I'll need to closely oversee Yuma's training; otherwise, who knows how long it will take."
Li Yuan thought to himself.
On the eleventh day, the other officers of the Rocks Pirates began to arrive at the final destination.
No one was foolish enough to arrive at the last moment, as Rocks had suggested, within fifteen days.
They all understood the importance of exploiting the time difference to plunder the West Blue before the Navy and World Government could react and then leave the West Blue.
"Whitebeard, it looks like you had a good haul too!"
Li Yuan greeted Whitebeard as his fleet arrived.
Even though Whitebeard wasn't keen on plundering before, after finding "sons" to care for, he realized the difficulties of providing for a family.
So, he participated in this raid, wanting to amass wealth to live well with his sons.
"Gurararara, your ships are loaded with treasure, lowering their draft. You have more than I do."
Whitebeard laughed, seeing Li Yuan's four treasure-laden ships.
"Mamamama, Li Yuan, do you want to trade Devil Fruits again? I'll make you a Homies!"
Charlotte Linlin, also laden with treasure, approached cheerfully.
"No, one Homies is enough for me."
Li Yuan replied with a dark expression, not wanting to repeat a deal he found unfavorable.
"Ze hahaha, I thought I was the first to return, but you all got back so soon."
The Golden Lion arrived at the final destination.
Of all the officers, the Golden Lion had the most significant haul.
His Float-Float Fruit's mobility allowed him to plunder multiple locations quickly before moving to the next island at high speed.
On the twelfth day, the last officer, John, arrived at the final destination.
"Wa hahaha, now that everyone's back, let's head out!"
Seeing all his officers returned, Rocks immediately set off to leave the West Blue.
He had no desire to clash with the Navy, especially with their ships laden with treasure. Losing even one would be heartbreaking.
"Ze hahaha, since the captain has spoken, let's go, set sail!"
With Rocks' order, the Golden Lion used his Fruit ability to lift the pirate fleet into the air, leaving the West Blue.
Holy Land Mariejois:
"Damn it, too late!"
The Five Elders were furious upon receiving news of the Rocks Pirates' departure.
Even though they had anticipated the operation's failure, the reality still angered them.
They could already envision how the World Economic News Agency would headline their incompetence.
"Since things are as they are, let's focus on the next steps."
"Also, with the West Blue plundered, our losses are significant. We can't afford a repeat of last year's New World Heavenly Gold robbery by the Rocks Pirates."
Finance God Nasujuro Saint remarked.
"After last time, we've rooted out the traitors within the World Government. This time, the New World Heavenly Gold should be secure."
Legal God Vauquere Saint added.
"The Rocks Pirates crossed the Calm Belt from the New World to the West Blue, leaving the West Blue plundered!"
"With the natural barrier of the Calm Belt breached, will it become a free-for-all route?"
"After the West Blue, will the Rocks Pirates target the other three seas?"
"…"
As expected, the next day, newspapers from the World Economic News Agency spread this news worldwide.
The world was in an uproar.
"The Rocks Pirates came to the West Blue, lucky we didn't run into them."
Rayleigh said, holding a newspaper.
Since offending the Rocks Pirates, the Roger Pirates had been personally pursued by Rocks.
However, the Roger Pirates got wind of it and managed to evade Rocks' pursuit.
Since then, they hadn't dared stay in the New World and had secretly hidden in the West Blue.
"Hmph, if we meet Rocks, we'll show him the strength of the Roger Pirates!"
Roger declared angrily.
Having been driven to such a state by Rocks, the Roger Pirates were all determined to grow stronger while hiding in the West Blue.
They believed that soon, they would have the strength to return to the New World.
"Taking on the entire Rocks Pirates isn't realistic, but we might handle Rocks alone."
"After all, none of us are Devil Fruit users, so Rocks' Dark-Dark Fruit doesn't affect us much."
Rayleigh agreed with Roger's sentiment.
"The Rocks Pirates are a volatile bunch, held in check by Rocks' power. If we challenge Rocks, the other officers shouldn't interfere."
"At worst, we can deliberately reveal our position, let Rocks come alone, and ambush him."
Roger said confidently.
After rigorous training, Roger felt his strength had grown significantly. With his companions' support, he didn't fear Rocks anymore.
"Wa hahaha, hand over half of the take, and the rest is yours!"
Back on Hachinosu Island, Rocks convened a meeting with his officers.
"Also, don't forget to gather on Hachinosu Island in two months. Even though we've plundered the West Blue member nations, we can't miss out on the New World's Heavenly Gold."
Rocks continued.
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