The Golden Lion's Defeat! Rocks D. Xebec Arrives!

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"Jihahahahaha!"

"Kid, you really are something."

"In that case, I will get serious."

"Lion Majesty: Imperial Earth Coil!"

Shiki unleashed his full power, controlling the seawater and shaping it into a massive mountain that tried to wrap around Caius.

"Kid, if you can take this move, I will acknowledge you."

"If you cannot, then die!"

"Jihahahahaha!"

Caius's expression turned solemn.

This was a clash of swordsmanship. Shiki was a Great Swordsman who had been famous for years. Even if Caius stood on the same level, carelessness would still get him hurt.

"Black Blade: Gentle Severance!"

Unlike Mountain Splitter, this flying slash looked almost ordinary.

Its killing power was more than ten times greater.

The two slashes collided again. After only a second, Caius's attack shattered Shiki's and flew straight toward the Golden Lion.

Shiki's eyes flickered as he faced the weakened slash.

'This kid really is strong. He truly stands at the peak of the sea.'

He swung Kogarashi and sent out an ordinary flying slash. It crashed into the weakened Gentle Severance, and both attacks vanished in the sky.

The thick cloud layer above them was split open by the aftershock, leaving a vast wound that refused to close for a long while.

"Jihahahaha!"

"Kid, I acknowledge your strength."

"Interested in joining my ship? I can make you vice captain. Do not worry. I will not treat you poorly."

Shiki spread his arms with overwhelming confidence. His golden hair whipped wildly in the wind.

"I refuse."

Caius did not hesitate, though he added something with a deeper meaning.

"But we will have the chance to become partners. There is no rush."

Shiki was no fool. In fact, he was extremely sharp. His mind immediately began filling in the gaps.

The brat must still have something he needs to finish. That is why he did not agree.

But that last sentence was interesting.

"Good! Since you refuse, I will not cling to you like a shameless fool."

"If you ever change your mind, tell me. With you in my crew, the Golden Lion Pirates will be one step closer to ruling the sea. I will look forward to that day."

With a loud laugh, Shiki tossed Caius a Den Den Mushi.

The Golden Lion Pirates waiting in the distance remained calm. They had clearly seen situations like this too many times to be surprised.

In their crew, this sort of thing happened constantly. Shiki wanted to dominate the sea, and every day there were people who wanted to join him or people he wanted to recruit.

There were too many to count.

Someone with Caius's strength was a first, but once they learned he was not joining, they quickly lost interest.

The reason Shiki had come today was simple: he had heard about Caius's strength and become interested. The reason he was so easy to talk to was just as simple.

He could feel that Caius's aura was not weaker than his own.

He could not force him.

Caius smiled, knowing the matter was over.

Shiki would leave soon, and Caius was happy to enjoy the quiet.

Strength really was the foundation of everything.

Without strength, there was no right to speak.

Today would never have ended this cleanly otherwise.

"Fine. I will take the Den Den Mushi. If I change my mind, I will let you know."

Then he started sending Shiki off.

"In that case, I will not see you out. Go handle your business, Shiki."

After watching Shiki leave, Caius lay leisurely on the deck of his small boat and whistled a ridiculous little tune.

His mood was excellent.

"Now I can finally be sure of my strength."

"Before this, I had never fought anyone on my level. I was a little worried."

"Good thing the system gave me sixty years of combat experience earlier. Otherwise, I definitely would not be able to use this much of my current power."

"I really do love you, my dear system."

[System]

Host, please stop acting insane and become the strongest in the world as soon as possible.

Caius laughed at the system's complaint and did not take it seriously.

"System, does me becoming the strongest in the world help you somehow?"

[System]

Yes, host.

Once the host becomes the strongest person in this world, this system can upgrade from its current basic version.

The upgrade will benefit both the system and the host.

After the upgrade, daily sign-in rewards will no longer be limited to items from the current world.

Host, please continue working hard.

Caius's heart stirred.

The system was still only in its most basic state?

And after upgrading, sign-in rewards would no longer be restricted to this world.

That was an enormous temptation.

"Do not worry, system. I will work even harder and stand at the top of the world as soon as possible."

[System]

Host's objective has been confirmed.

The host's resolve has stabilized.

Ultimate World Mission issued.

The path to becoming the world's strongest is filled with danger. The host must clash and communicate with all kinds of powerful figures. The difficulty is extremely high.

To become a true powerhouse, the host must endure many trials.

After the host becomes the strongest in this world, the system will reward one ultimate draw and unlock world-hopping functionality, allowing the host to experience the powerful beings of countless worlds.

Rewards will be issued after mission completion.

Host, please continue working hard.

The sudden mission made Caius pause. Then he shook his head and laughed.

Interesting.

The mission had arrived only now. He had thought he would be limited to this world, but apparently, that was not the case.

The real question was whether he should choose the Marines or the pirates.

The Marine camp was not impossible. The problem was that above them sat the Celestial Dragons, those disgusting maggots. That alone made it unpleasant.

Aside from that, there were not many issues.

At most, he would not be able to do whatever he wanted.

That did not matter...

Like hell it did.

Since he had come to the world of One Piece, of course he wanted to live freely. How could he let a bunch of pig-like parasites stand over his head?

Only the Rocks Pirates were his true destination.

'Rocks D. Xebec, you had better hurry.'

'Your crew will be founded in less than a year.'

'If you are late, you might not be able to beat me anymore.'

A cold smile spread across Caius's face. Killing intent churned stronger and stronger in his heart, dragging his Conqueror's Haki out with it.

In an instant, it covered several thousand meters of sea.

Even the sky was stained red.

More than ten nautical miles away, a pirate ship was sailing across the New World.

Of course, on these waters, pirates and pirate ships were never rare.

This ship, however, was different.

At its bow stood a ferocious man with wild red hair, staring in Caius's direction.

"Oh?"

"So I finally found you."

"Black Blade, Caius Redgrave."

"This time, you will not get away."

"After all, you are the vice captain I chose for the Rocks Pirates."

"Jiehehehehe!"

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