Chapter 29: Dividing the Loot
"Lion's Might - Water Scroll!"
Golden Lion Shiki stretched out his hand, and his palm turned into a claw.
Under his control, the sea surged, forming a massive sea lion's head, roaring and towering over the warships in front.
"What the…?"
"Help!"
"Damn it!"
Both naval soldiers and Vice Admiral Quint Gunther stared in horror.
The massive water lion moved with terrifying speed, engulfing a fifty-meter warship in mere moments.
"Hahahahaha!"
Golden Lion Shiki beamed with satisfaction as he watched his handiwork.
"All done!"
Shiki returned to the ship, addressing the other three.
The trio nodded. These weren't monsters like Garp or Sengoku; just two vice admirals who, against them, were nothing more than fodder.
"Take the two ships loaded with Heavenly Gold and move! The Navy reinforcements will arrive soon," Whitebeard Edward Newgate advised.
Shiki puffed on his cigar, activating his Float-Float Fruit to lift the two treasure-filled ships into the air.
Three ships now floated high above the sea.
As Shiki entered one of the treasure ships with Sakura Tenkumu in hand, blood dripped from his blade.
"Unlucky. I didn't expect CP0 agents to be hiding inside," Shiki muttered, shaking the blood off his weapon.
The others exchanged glances but remained silent.
Shiki then smirked, lighting his cigar anew. "Aren't you curious what's inside?"
His cryptic tone caught everyone's attention.
Whitebeard, sipping from his flask, asked, "What's in there, Shiki? Something worth all this drama?"
Charlotte Linlin and Charlotte perked up, their curiosity piqued.
"These two ships of Heavenly Gold don't just carry Berries. They're loaded with some of the sea's greatest treasures," Shiki teased.
"What treasures?"
Shiki leaned forward, his voice dropping to a conspiratorial tone. "Devil Fruits!"
The revelation left the trio stunned.
"And not just one—there are multiple Devil Fruits aboard!" Shiki added, relishing the reactions.
"Multiple?" Charlotte's eyes widened.
Devil Fruits were rare treasures, and Charlotte hadn't encountered one until five years into his journey. Now, there were four in one haul.
"What's your plan, Shiki?" Whitebeard asked, noticing Shiki's calculating expression.
Charlotte Linglin and Charlotte watched intently, waiting for his response.
Shiki smirked. "Don't you think it's a waste to hand these over to Rocks?"
His words sent ripples through the group. Even Charlotte Linglin stopped eating her cake.
"Mmmmm! Shiki, are you suggesting we betray Captain Rocks?" Charlotte Linglin asked, her voice laced with suspicion.
"Hahaha! Betrayal? No, no, no. Betrayal implies loyalty, which I've never offered Rocks. Why did we join this crew anyway?" Shiki's voice took on an edge.
He turned to Whitebeard. "Newgate, weren't you searching for a family when you joined? Have you found them here?"
Whitebeard's expression darkened, silent as he pondered the question.
Shiki continued, addressing Linglin. "Linglin, you were looking for a nun when you joined, weren't you? Found her yet?"
"Sister! Sister!" Charlotte Linglin's demeanor shifted to childlike, unsettling everyone.
Shiki then turned to Charlotte. "And you, kid, I don't even need to ask why you joined, do I?"
Charlotte remained silent, his gaze unreadable.
"So, I ask again: are you truly loyal to Rocks?" Shiki's question lingered in the air.
The silence was deafening.
Shiki grinned, taking their silence as an answer. "Let's divide the Devil Fruits. Fair and square."
He waved his hand, and four wooden boxes floated forward, each revealing a Devil Fruit inside.
A white apple with a sparkling pattern.
A red banana with intricate designs.
A white pear with swirling patterns.
A red apple with crimson streaks.
"Pick first. I'll take what's left," Shiki offered, crossing his arms.
Whitebeard moved first, claiming the white apple. "Guhahaha! I'll take this one!"
Charlotte Linglin grabbed the white pear. "Mmmmm, this one looks tasty!"
Charlotte studied the remaining fruits carefully. His gaze lingered on the red apple.
"I'll take this one," Charlotte decided, picking up the red apple-shaped Devil Fruit.
His choice wasn't random. He vaguely remembered something from his past life about banana-shaped fruits often being of the Animal-type. While powerful, they weren't as versatile as others.
"Hahaha! Then this one's mine!" Shiki claimed the last fruit.
The group inspected their newfound treasures with mixed emotions.
"I seem to recall that Rocks has a Devil Fruit encyclopedia. Let's return to Hachinosu and identify these," Shiki suggested.
The others agreed, pocketing their Devil Fruits as Shiki steered the ships back to their headquarters.
---
The return to Hachinosu took just three days.
Upon arrival, they found the island unusually quiet.
"What's going on here?" Charlotte asked a nearby pirate.
"John and his crew took most of the pirates on the island to raid the two allied kingdoms," the pirate explained.
The group exchanged glances before heading toward Rocks' quarters, each clutching their Devil Fruits. The tension among them was palpable.
What lay ahead was uncertain, but one thing was clear: the balance of power within the Rocks Pirates was beginning to shift.
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