NOVEL NEXT Chapter 145: 145 This Admiral is here to be a bandit today
"Silver Ax, you're still as sneaky as ever!"
Before Big Mom could react, Whitebeard stepped in.
He gathered his strength and threw a punch into the air.
The atmosphere shattered like glass, creating a cracking sound that echoed around them.
Feeling the terrifying fluctuations in the air, Silver Ax's heart tightened.
"Pfft~"
Although he was on guard, Silver Ax was still hit by the impact and flew away. The armor on his head was dented a lot, which looked a bit scary.
Silver Ax took off his helmet and threw it aside. A trace of blood spilled from the corner of his mouth. His face turned out to be that of a kind-hearted old man.
"Whitebeard, you have become more proficient in the use of Tremor-Tremor Fruit."
Silver Ax muttered as he wiped the blood from his mouth, unfazed.
He knew Whitebeard had always been stronger, even back when they sailed together.
On the Rocks ship, Whitebeard was six years older than both Big Mom and Kaido and the strongest among them.
Though Big Mom wasn't on their level of strength, she was still far from weak.
Kaido was the youngest, just an intern when he joined. Without Big Mom's protection, he would've been bullied constantly.
Back then, Rocks was the strongest, followed by Whitebeard, Golden Lion in third, John fourth, Ochoku fifth, Silver Ax sixth, and Big Mom seventh. This was the power lineup of the legendary Rocks Pirates.
Sadly, both Rocks and John are now dead.
Ochoku and Silver Ax are also getting older, and their strength has begun to decline.
With Big Mom and Kaido rising, Silver Ax is no longer on their level.
Though Captain John appeared the most kind-hearted, he was actually the most treacherous among the Rocks Pirates.
In the famous Battle of the Valley of the Gods, no one expected John—the one who seemed the most loyal—to secretly escape with the crew's treasure.
Big Mom and Kaido were more direct and did not participate in the Battle of the Valley of Gods at all.
Whitebeard and Golden Lion had already become "good friends" with Roger at that time, and they were hardly putting in any effort in the fight.
Poor Captain Rocks—defeated by internal strife. His crew abandoned him, leaving him to face Garp and Roger alone in their "one-on-one challenge."
Ochoku and Silver Ax were probably the only ones who gave it their all during the Battle of the Valley of the Gods.
If they hadn't held back the Celestial Dragons, Rocks' defeat could have been even worse.
In the end, Ochoku seemed to be the only honest one in the entire Rocks Pirate crew. Poor Rocks—he died so unexpectedly.
It's hard to believe that even with such a powerful lineup, they still lost.
It's like having a royal flush but still losing to a pair of twos and threes
"Silver Ax, you're getting old too. Out of respect for our past, you can leave, but the Devil Fruit stays." Whitebeard sighed.
"Well, well, well, I never said I'd let him leave," Big Mom chimed in with a wicked grin.
Big Mom leaped over Whitebeard and swung her Emperor's Sword straight at Silver Ax.
Even without using her Devil Fruit powers, her raw strength was overwhelming.
"Linlin, I may be old, but I can still fight!" Silver Ax gritted his teeth, gripping his axe in both hands.
His body was covered in dark armor as he braced himself and blocked Big Mom's powerful strike.
The ground suddenly sank, creating a five-meter-square crater beneath them.
Even a worn-out ship has its worth, so imagine the strength of the majestic Silver Ax!
"Woororor~ Linlin, I'm here to help you!" Kaido charged in, running with an exaggerated gait, and struck Big Mom and Silver Ax with a powerful Raime Hakke.
"Get out of the way!" Big Mom shouted angrily.
Realizing that the battle wouldn't end anytime soon, Lynch turned his gaze away.
"Since you're all after the Earth Fruit, I won't hesitate to claim the other treasures"
Lynch knew it might take a while for anyone to steal the Earth Fruit, but he had his sights set on the others treasure.
Unlike Kaido and the rest, he had storage space, so he didn't have to worry about carrying everything. He was ready to take whatever was valuable.
"This is... the Paramecia Enduring Fruit?"
Lynch struggled to identify it before finally recalling the name of the fruit in the pirate's hand.
Teleporting behind the pirate, he swiftly snapped the man's neck with a sharp "click" and grabbed the Devil Fruit.
"Admiral Sun Candle!"
As the nearby pirates saw Lynch retreating, they fled in panic one after another.
The people nearby doesn't think much of Lynch. They know they're no match for him and can only run away; otherwise they will die if they fight him
As the search for treasure continued, more valuable items were discovered.
"Grade Blades, Rune Blade!"
"Skillful Great Blades, Kadita!"
"Zoan·Bird Fruit·Ancient Species·Dodo Form?"
"Paramecia·Hairball Fruit?"
Lynch wasn't concerned about anything else. Whenever he found something valuable, he quickly silenced the owner and took their wealth.
Dealing with these small-time pirates was easy for him; he could slit their throats in one swift move, ensuring a painless death.
"You... you... you don't act like a Marine Admiral! You're just a bandit!" a pirate shouted, trembling with anger as he pointed at Lynch.
He wanted to curse loudly. If Lynch could find treasure on his own, why would he have to steal from others?
Not only did he rob them, but Lynch also killed them all, which felt completely unfair! These days, it seemed like the Marines were more like pirates than actual pirates.
"Congratulations, you're correct. This Admiral is here to be a bandit today," Lynch said, casting an appreciative glance at the pirate.
"You! I've never seen someone so shameless!"
The pirate was taken aback by Lynch's boldness. Is this really the Admiral?
"Hahahaha, a Devil Fruit! I found one!"
Amid the chaos of the Rocks Pirates, a young pirate discovered a Devil Fruit among tens of thousands of others and was trembling with excitement.
The Devil Fruit is a treasure of the sea. Eating it grants incredible power.
Even if he doesn't eat it and just sells it, he could make 100 million beli and live without worries for the rest of his life.
"Oh? A Devil Fruit? Let me see."
Lynch appeared behind the pirate like a ghostly cat sensing something amiss.
"Damn it, this is mine! Get out—" The pirate couldn't finish his sentence as the smile on his face froze.
"Admiral Sun Candle, this is a small tribute for you. Please spare my life," he stammered, trembling as he placed the Devil Fruit in Lynch's hand.
"Sensible choice," Lynch said, accepting the Devil Fruit with ease. In his mind, he was simply delivering justice to the pirates by taking their belongings.
"Look at what I'm doing. Why don't you keep searching? If you find anything, just leave it to me."
"Yes, yes, yes!"
The pirate continued to endure Lynch's exploitation without shedding a tear.
The commotion around Lynch caught the attention of Whitebeard and others nearby.
They weren't concerned about what Lynch was taking; the only thing that mattered to them was the Earth Fruit.
In the distance, Ochoku looked stunned. "These days, can a bandit really become a Marine just by acting like a good person?"
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TO BE CONTINUED
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