Reincarnated into the world of One Piece, in a land of giants with open eyes?!

31: Join me, Rocks!

"Auro! I can see that you and I are the same kind of people. Deep down, neither of us is content with mediocrity and neither of us is willing to submit to established rules."

"Join me! We don't need to follow any bullshit rules! We can take the highest authority in this world with our own hands!"

"We will make those parasites of Mary Geoise tremble!"

Locke's voice echoed through the stone hall, carrying an almost scorching, provocative quality.

He took a step forward, his muscles taut beneath his black leather armor, as if he were about to grasp the whole world in his palm.

These words starkly reveal Lox's ultimate goal: to ignite the flame in Auro's heart and lure him in with ambition.

"To overthrow the world? That's certainly a tempting suggestion."

Oro's tone was half joking and half serious:

"But Captain Rocks, I have a question—"

"Why can't I be the one to disrupt the world?"

"How about you all join my fleet?"

"Join me, Rocks! I can promise you the same future that will overturn the seas!"

The hall fell silent instantly.

Wang Zhi's eyes widened suddenly, and his hand gripping the scabbard tightened involuntarily, his knuckles turning white.

John, who was holding the wine jug, also stopped sipping his drink, his sharp gaze fixed on Oro.

The other cadres looked at Oro with disbelief in their eyes.

How dare this guy say such a thing in front of Captain Rocks?

Rocks was also visibly stunned; his short, black and white hair seemed to freeze for a moment in the windless hall.

But the next second, he suddenly burst into an even louder laugh, the sound of which shook the dust off the roof.

"Hahaha! Interesting! Really interesting! Good! Very good!"

Lox took two steps forward, his eyes gleaming with an inexplicable light, like a hunter who had finally found prey that interested him.

Lox reached out as if to pat Auro's shoulder, but stopped in mid-air—he saw a faint golden glimmer.

"Don't be nervous, kid."

Lockes withdrew his hand, grinned, and revealed two rows of neat white teeth.

"I admire your arrogance—no, I admire your confidence."

He turned and glanced at the restless cadres behind him, and the once noisy hall instantly quieted down again.

Lingling remained quiet throughout, simply standing firmly behind Auro.

"Captain Rocks truly deserves the title of 'hero'."

Oro continued speaking slowly and deliberately: "But even so, I still have no interest in calling anyone else 'boss'."

Lox stared at Oro for a long time, then slowly wiped the smile from his face, his tone becoming serious:

"How about this, let's not talk about 'joining,' let's just talk about 'cooperation.'"

"If you need intelligence, supplies, or even manpower, you can come to me. You can use the resources of my Rocks Pirates anytime."

"On the condition that you stand by me when I need you someday in the future."

Oro shook his head again, but his tone was sincere: "Thank you again for Captain Rocks' kindness. Future transactions can proceed as normal."

Looking at Oro's determined eyes, Locke smiled self-deprecatingly, turned and walked towards the hall entrance: "If you're not ambitious when you're young, you're not a young person. I was once like that too."

"Let's go, I'll take you to the port, lest my men can't help but 'spar' with you."

As the group stepped out of the Skull Head stronghold, the chaotic scene of Beehive Island immediately came into view.

On the streets, pirates gathered in twos and threes, drinking and fighting. From the distant tavern came the sound of bottles being smashed and women screaming. The air was filled with the mixed smell of alcohol, blood, and cheap tobacco.

But when Rocks walked by, all the pirates instinctively retreated to the side of the road, not daring to even breathe loudly—this was the majesty of Rocks D. Giebeck on this island.

Locus turned to look at Oro, a hint of regret in his eyes: "You should have been standing at a higher level, instead of wandering aimlessly on the high seas alone with your ship."

"Everyone has a different definition of 'higher'."

Auro responded with a smile, "Your pursuit is just as great as mine. Neither is superior to the other; we simply take different paths."

Lockes raised an eyebrow but did not refute further.

Beehive Island is not big, and we arrived at the pier in no time.

As the sun sets, its orange-red afterglow spills across the sea, turning the water a golden-red hue.

In the distance, the Golden Dawn rests quietly on the sea, its sun motif on its sails gleaming in the setting sun, resembling a golden palace floating on the ocean.

The sea breeze, carrying a salty, fishy smell, swept over everyone, ruffling their hair.

Rocks stopped and spoke again: "I, Rocks D. Gibbeck, rarely admire young people this much."

His gaze swept over Auro and Lingling. This time, he no longer mentioned interests or talked about ambitions to overthrow the world. Instead, he presented a more pragmatic and appealing concept—

"On my ship, you will find not only orders and obedience, but also strong men who can truly fight alongside you and whom you can entrust your back to. Together, we can go further."

"The Celestial Dragons are disgusting maggots, filthy rats in the sewers, but even in the sewers there are strong ones, and the king of the rats is no ordinary man."

Lockes was implying something.

Oro stopped and looked back at Lox.

This was the most sincere statement I've ever made, and it was a strong person's recognition of another strong person.

He paused for a moment, then met Lox's gaze: "Hero Lox, I am certain that the future of this sea will tremble because of you."

With unwavering resolve, Oro repeated the same sentence once more:

"But unfortunately, I'm not interested in One Piece games..."

Looking at Oro, Rox finally abandoned his attempt to recruit him and patted Oro's shoulder forcefully:

"Then I look forward to seeing you again at the top of the ocean! Let's hope you don't get swallowed up by those hyenas halfway there!"

Oro nodded slightly, said nothing more, and turned to lead Lingling onto the small boat.

Ripples spread across the water as the small boat sailed toward the golden giant ship bathed in the setting sun in the distance.

Standing on the dock, watching their figures gradually disappear into the distance, the smile on Locke's face slowly faded, turning into a deep contemplation.

"Captain! Are we really just going to let them go like that? That's the Gold-Gold Fruit! It's gold! If we get it, we'll never be short of money again!"

Wang Zhi couldn't help but step forward, his tone unwilling: "Besides, that kid is too arrogant!"

Lox glanced at him, then turned his gaze back to the distance. "Arrogant? Ha. Which of these two can you possibly beat?"

Wang Zhi choked and couldn't speak, while John, standing to the side, remained silent.

Lox withdrew his gaze, turned around, and his voice regained its usual domineering tone:

"Let's go! This is just an interlude; the era of the Rocks Pirates has only just begun!"

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

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