"Alright, how did we end up talking about the Pirate King? Let's get back to the Rocks Pirates."
Youki nodded. "Exactly! I was just about to remind you. Who wants to hear about Roger right now?"
"It's all Brook's fault for changing the subject!"
"My apologies," Brook replied politely. "I have been disconnected from the world for far too long. I will try not to interrupt again."
"Ah! I almost forgot, I'm a skeleton and I don't even have a mouth! Yohohoho... Pfft..."
Before he could finish, Youki punched him squarely in the skull. The unfortunate skeleton collapsed, another tooth clattering onto the deck.
Weakly, Brook turned to Kirk. "Mr. Chef, could I trouble you for a bottle of milk…"
Ignoring Brook's antics, Ash continued calmly, "Many of the sea overlords ruling the New World today, such as Charlotte Linlin of the Big Mom Pirates, Edward Newgate of the Whitebeard Pirates, Kaido of the Beasts Pirates, and Wang Zhi of Hachinosu, were once members of the Rocks Pirates."
"!!!"
"They were that powerful?"
"There's more," Ash said.
"The known core members of the Rocks Pirates totaled eleven. Golden Lion Shiki, one of the three legendary pirates who once rivaled Roger and Whitebeard in the New World, was also among them."
"Every single one of them was a monster," Youki muttered, then added, "And every single one of them was evil."
"Exactly. Not a single saint among them," Ash replied.
He continued, "Do you remember the biggest news story this year?"
"Are you talking about the incident where the former Marine Admiral was attacked?" Kirk asked.
"It seems that news traveled far."
"Not exactly. Because of my brother and sister, we pay close attention to anything involving pirates or the Marines."
"Good. Then you know that the pirates who attacked Admiral Zephyr were Edward Weevil and Miss Bakkin. That oversized fool Weevil is not the important part."
Youki frowned. "Hey, wasn't it Weevil who defeated the former Admiral? How can he be unimportant?"
Ash shot him a warning glance. "If you interrupt again, I'm done talking."
"Alright, alright. I'll shut up."
"Hmph. Weevil is nothing but a brute. Even at sixty five, Zephyr was more than capable of crushing him. Strength was never the issue."
Ash's tone grew serious. "When I met Vice Admiral Tsuru in Spring Queen City, I asked about it directly. Zephyr defeated Weevil with ease at first. But his no kill principle cost him dearly. Shortly after the fight, he suffered an asthma attack. Weevil seized that moment and ambushed him, severing his arm. That is how Zephyr was defeated."
Silence fell over the group.
"The real key figure is Miss Bakkin," Ash continued. "Her full name is Bakkin. She was once part of the Rocks Pirates, serving as both ship doctor and scientist. After the crew disbanded, she joined the research group MADS, which studied Lineage Factors. Based on that, I suspect Weevil is very likely a clone created using Whitebeard's genes."
Youki immediately raised his hand.
Ash sighed. "Go on."
"Bro Ash, why does that name sound familiar? I'm sure Sali and I saw it when we were browsing famous figures of the Grand Line."
Ash nodded. "You probably saw Stussy, the Queen of the Pleasure District. She is a clone of Bakkin, the first successful subject of that research team. Publicly, she is one of the Underworld Emperors, known as the Queen of the Pleasure District. In reality, she serves as a top agent of the World Government's intelligence agency, CP0."
Kirk stared at him. "You just said it's a secret organization. How do you know this much?"
Ash folded his arms confidently. "Let's just say I make it my business to understand the world. Information is power."
Tsuki suddenly leaned forward. "Bro Ash, what exactly is the Pleasure District? It sounds fun."
Ash replied casually, "You're not old enough to worry about it."
Tsuki blinked. "Huh?"
Youki quickly cut in, his face dark. "Kids shouldn't pry."
"Fine…"
Ash cleared his throat. "Back to the Rocks Pirates. Besides Charlotte Linlin and Bakkin, there was another woman among them, known as Flame Flower. She was the Empress of Amazon Lily three generations ago and Captain of the Kuja Pirates."
Saff tilted her head. "Kuja Pirates? The same crew that received an invitation to join the Seven Warlords of the Sea?"
"Yes. But the one invited was the current Empress, Boa Hancock. Flame Flower ruled three generations before her. After the Rocks crew disbanded, she returned to Amazon Lily and assisted the next Empresses."
Saff smiled. "Alright, Bro Ash, continue."
"Then there is Wang Zhi, who currently occupies Hachinosu, the Pirate Island in the New World. He was also a core member."
Ash continued steadily, "There was another great pirate named Silver Axe. His fate remains unclear."
"Longbread, one of the founders of the Big Mom Pirates, was also among them. He was a chef, just like Kirk."
Kirk frowned. "Don't compare me to pirates. I'm a Pirate Hunter."
Ash laughed. "Fair point. My mistake."
"These are the confirmed members. The rest were minor figures."
Tsuki counted on his fingers. "Captain Rocks. Charlotte Linlin. Whitebeard. Kaido. Golden Lion. Bakkin. Flame Flower. Wang Zhi. Silver Axe. Longbread… That's only ten. Didn't you say eleven?"
Everyone looked at him oddly.
"What?" Tsuki asked.
Saff chuckled. "Think carefully. Why did we start talking about the Rocks Pirates?"
Tsuki frowned, trying to recall. "It wasn't the Pirate King… wait…"
"It was Captain John," Saff said, laughing. "We mentioned the Rocks Pirates because he was one of them."
"…Oh. Right." Tsuki scratched his head awkwardly. "Compared to the others, Captain John doesn't seem that famous."
Ash smiled faintly. "Among the new generation, he is quite well known. Captain John's treasure is considered one of the three greatest legendary treasures."
"How great? Like Skypiea?" Tsuki asked eagerly.
"You're overestimating it," Ash replied, lightly tapping Tsuki on the forehead with a smile.
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