**Chapter 64: Contradiction**
"That kid really didn't disappoint this old man!"
"Then hurry up and come!"
Rocks was in a somewhat pleasant mood, receiving such news in such a setting.
What did this mean?
The Rocks Pirates would gain another Admiral.
Rocks D.
Xebec possessed incredibly vast ambition; merely being a Sea Overlord was no longer enough to satisfy his demands.
What he truly wanted to become was the King of the World!
His target was always the World Government.
But he knew the World Government's strength.
Even if the Rocks Pirates reached a level where they could suppress the Marines, they still needed to accumulate more strength.
Therefore, he was very happy to see young Pirates rise from within the Rocks Pirates.
On the entire ship, strength was paramount; naive fellows found it difficult to survive.
It was common for crewmates to kill each other to resolve conflicts.
This massive platform was like a breeding ground for monsters, raising one Gu King after another.
Shiki and Edward Newgate were the most perfect masterpieces of the Rocks Pirates in recent years.
Shiki's cruel style embodied what it meant to be a true Pirate.
Edward Newgate had beautiful ideals, but that didn't mean he was naive.
Their terrifying potential and strength allowed them to stand out from the multitude of Pirates.
As for Charlotte Linlin, she was a born monster, establishing a firm foothold in the Rocks Pirates the moment she arrived.
Meanwhile, the number of failures was countless, including Pirates who had potential or were second only to Shiki and Newgate.
But failure was failure, and too many young Pirates sacrificed themselves because of it.
Potential didn't mean you could truly reach that level, nor did it mean you could truly convert potential into strength.
But it was precisely under such severe internal friction that true monsters could be tempered.
Using treasure as bait, a cruel style forged the Rocks Pirates into this gathering place for monsters.
And the outbreak of this storm had just begun.
The Rocks Pirates' first action after years of silence was the destruction of the Croydia Kingdom, one of the Powerhouse Nations in the New World.
This news was naturally the well-deserved Front Page News.
Newspapers spread throughout the entire World.
Waves of fear continuously spread across the World, and some poorly informed Member Nation felt immense shock and horror.
They continuously pressured the World Government and the Marines.
As Marine Headquarters transferred away the elites of the Four Seas Marines, the strength of the entire Four Seas Marines severely weakened.
This situation directly led to the Four Seas becoming more chaotic, and the strength of the Pirates expanded.
The continuous plundering process caused who knows how many tragedies.
In this process, who knows how many people were forced to go to sea and become Pirates.
However, once they stepped onto this path, it was very difficult to return to peace.
And this result led to more families being destroyed, the Great Sea becoming more chaotic, and the number of Pirates increasing.
Underworld Force continuously strengthened and expanded.
This was a cycle, a trend.
Unless someone could step forward to maintain the order of the Great Sea.
The Four Seas Marines alone were unable to do it, and the Marines' current focus was entirely on the New World, making it impossible to deploy military strength to rectify the order of the Four Seas.
Member Nation purchasing munitions to arm their Kingdom's strength was also to deal with such a situation.
Under the Marines' incompetent performance, they could only rely on themselves.
At the same time, the Member Nation's resistance against the World Government and the Marines became increasingly intense, wanting to force the World Government to take a stance by reducing the Heavenly Tribute.
They wanted the Rocks Pirates dealt with as quickly as possible, allowing the Great Sea to return to its original order.
Meanwhile, the World Government, during this period, further demanded an increase in the share of the Heavenly Tribute.
The reason was naturally to oppose the powerful Rocks Pirates; the Marines had fallen into a disadvantageous position, and they hoped the Member Nation would provide more support.
The World Government's attitude made the Member Nation very dissatisfied.
The expansion and growth of the Rocks Pirates were essentially the World Government's responsibility and the Marines' incompetence.
In this situation, they actually dared to push their luck, using the Rocks Pirates to threaten them.
They would not accept threats, but nor would they give up support for the World Government.
After all, the only ones who could deal with the Rocks Pirates were the World Government and the Marines.
Without the World Government and the Marines standing in the way, then truly no one could stop the Rocks Pirates.
Unless they were willing to surrender to the Pirates.
The lesson of the Croydia Kingdom was vivid in memory.
In the past, quite a few Kingdoms were destroyed by the Rocks Pirates.
Although they were all restored afterwards with the help of the World Government, was the Kingdom after reconstruction still the original Kingdom?
It was common for national strength to be several times weaker compared to before.
Some even directly re-established their Kingdom on another Island; the entire Kingdom was essentially starting over.
No one wanted to face such a situation.
Abandoning one's own Kingdom and fleeing – how shameful a thing this was.
Even if the Kingdom was restored afterwards, there was no stable ruling foundation, and riots frequently occurred.
This was a tense negotiation that would discuss matters concerning the Rocks Pirates and the Heavenly Tribute at the World Summit.
But the Member Nation would not give up the demand for their own interests, easily compromising with the World Government.
The strength of their unity was immense.
Behind them, they even had the secret support of Powerhouse Nations and Superpower Nations that were opponents of the World Government, like the Kronos Kingdom.
They were also using this opportunity to expand their own influence.
These countries completely had the strength to resist Pirates, and could even dispatch military strength to help other Kingdoms.
In terms of confidence, they were still very sufficient.
Moreover, the Heavenly Tribute was in their hands, representing that the initiative was in their hands.
The one who needed to be anxious was the World Government, because they directly faced the pressure of the Rocks Pirates.
This World needed order, and the World Government's existence indeed had important significance.
(end of chapter)