Chapter 165: "Devil" Roger
The troubling matters were far from over.
The Rocks Pirates descended into madness.
After recovering from three years of chaotic warfare, everyone's hearts were filled with desire, yearning for slaughter and plunder.
How could the Treasury opened by Rocks D.
Xebec alone satisfy the appetites of so many members of the Rocks Pirates?
Plunder, massacre, nothing was off-limits.
The New World, the First Half of the Grand Line, and even the Four Seas.
The entire World became the target of the Rocks Pirates.
In just two short months, nineteen Kingdoms that were not World Government Affiliated Nations were destroyed.
Eight World Government Affiliated Nations were destroyed.
Five Kingdoms bowed to the Rocks Pirates, pledging allegiance.
They would be required to pay tribute to the Rocks Pirates annually.
Among these were two Kingdoms that were previously World Government Affiliated Nations.
After submitting to the Rocks Pirates, they were no longer World Government Affiliated Nations.
The act of Member Nations leaving the World Government to submit to Pirates caused a stir within Kingdoms across the entire World.
No matter how much they had looked down on Pirates before.
After the World Government's defeat, everyone knew that the Rocks Pirates were not to be underestimated.
Kingdoms submitting to Pirates was not unprecedented, and there were also many Kingdoms that were destroyed by Pirates, their Thrones replaced by Pirates.
However, for a Kingdom that was originally a World Government Member Nation, this set a precedent.
It dealt a heavy blow to the World Government's Prestige, and more and more people were losing faith in the World Government.
Their Foundation was completely shaken, essentially being trampled upon by the Rocks Pirates in plain sight.
Even though the Marines promptly dispatched Strongmen, it couldn't change much.
Currently, the Marines were short on Military Strength, and even more critically, they lacked Warships to ensure mobility.
Replenishing Warships would take time.
Coupled with the Rocks Pirates' specific targeting strategy, the Marines were simply unable to stop the Rocks Pirates' actions.
With the victory in the War, the Influence of the Rocks Pirates was soaring like the midday sun.
The Recruitment Event in April 1477 was unexpectedly popular.
Even though the number of Pirates in the New World had been reduced during the War, the number of participating Pirates still reached thirty thousand.
The War had eliminated a large amount of dregs from the Rocks Pirates, the weak and useless members.
Those who remained, having been tempered by the flames of War, were basically true Elite.
Even Hades's Pluto Pirates still maintained a force of around two thousand people after the Three-Year War.
During the War, they had continuously recruited Elite.
To survive this brutal War, even some Pirates who were very confident in their own Strength had little certainty.
The formidable Strength and survival rate of the Pluto Pirates attracted the attention of many Pirates.
Members of the Kronos Kingdom Royal Military Academy were also being sent to the Pluto Pirates at a rate of two hundred per year.
After three years of Tempering, Hades had already sent the earliest batch of members back to the Kronos Kingdom.
The Rocks Pirates were not in urgent need of replenishing their Military Strength.
Although the Losses were relatively large, the vast majority of the members who died were merely Cannon Fodder.
To cope with the War, the Rocks Pirates had deliberately lowered their recruitment requirements.
Now, those who remained were the true members of the Rocks Pirates.
With no major Wars expected in the near future, the Rocks Pirates were not short on manpower and didn't need to support so many useless individuals, so the requirements naturally increased.
This year, there were only about five hundred slots available.
With a one-in-sixty chance, the competition was incredibly fierce.
Even so, countless Pirates were fighting tooth and nail to join the Rocks Pirates.
With the destruction of Kingdoms and Member Nations, and the "Protection Fees" and Treasure handed over by various Factions in the New World, the spoils were piled mountain high.
It could truly be said that by joining the Rocks Pirates, one could obtain most things they desired.
Devil Fruits, whether as Spoils of War or handed over by Affiliated Forces, were counted in the dozens, even hundreds.
Devil Fruits were incredibly rare on the Great Sea.
But within the Rocks Pirates, they were relatively common.
More importantly, many Devil Fruits were hoarded by various Factions, Nobles, and Kingdoms.
The frantic plunder by the Rocks Pirates caused more Devil Fruits to flow into the Great Sea.
The impact of this might not be immediately apparent but was very far-reaching.
In June, a major event occurred.
**"Devil" Roger, Gick Kingdom Destroyed!**
A piece of News spread throughout the entire World in a short time.
The Roger Pirates destroyed the Gick Kingdom, massacring the Kingdom's Military, Royal Family, and Nobles.
Having lost its Royal Family and Nobles, the Gick Kingdom was naturally destroyed.
Whether it would be rebuilt later was a matter for the future.
The cause of the incident was not detailed, but it was likely related to Roger's companions, who were apparently insulted.
The Roger Pirates, who had been roaming The Great Sea for many years, truly made a name for themselves on The Great Sea after this incident.
And with such a powerful achievement, they became a rising Great Pirate.
Due to the extensive massacre, Roger was given the title of "Devil".
Destroying a single Kingdom was nothing to the Rocks Pirates.
Even if it was a World Government Affiliated Nation.
The Rocks Pirates had destroyed more than just one or two World Government Affiliated Nations.
However, after the Roger Pirates destroyed the Gick Kingdom, they were pursued by the newly promoted Marine Vice Admiral, "Iron Fist" Garp.
Garp was a newly promoted Vice Admiral, but he was an indispensable Top Tier Combatant at the current Marine Headquarters.
During the War against the Rocks Pirates, he had exhibited astonishing and terrifying Strength, having clashed with many of the Rocks Pirates' Core Cadres.
No one dared to claim they could surely defeat Garp.
The Roger Pirates were able to repel "Iron Fist" Garp.
Whether this News was true or false, the fact that the Roger Pirates survived their encounter with Garp was undeniable.
This was enough to show that the Roger Pirates possessed at least the powerful Strength of a High-Ranking Cadre.
This also caught the eye of Rocks D.
Xebec.
"Dragon" Zak was also considered a rising star this year, but he was already a member of the Rocks Pirates before the Recruitment Event, so Rocks D.
Xebec didn't count him among the new recruits.
Even with a top-tier Ability, Zak was still relatively green and needed sufficient Tempering.
The Roger Pirates, on the other hand, were already an established fighting force.
"Devil" Roger possessed at least Quasi-Admiral combat power.
Once they joined the Rocks Pirates, it wouldn't take many years for the Rocks Pirates to gain another Top Tier Combatant.
Also entering the sights of the Rocks Pirates was the Byrnndi Pirates.
The Byrnndi Pirates were a Pirate Crew that had made a huge name for themselves and risen rapidly years ago.
Their Captain, "Destroyer" Byrnndi World, was proficient in Six Styles and Three-Color Haki.
He possessed the top-tier Paramecia Type Devil Fruit, the Moa Moa Fruit, whose Devil Fruit Ability allows him to multiply the speed, Strength, size, weight, etc.
, of objects he touches by a factor, up to 100 times.
This was a terrifying Ability, possessing immense Destructive Power, which earned Byrnndi World the title of "Destroyer".
(end of chapter)