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Chapter 180: The Treasure of Rocks
🕑 Added 2025-09-09 12:44:57 +0000 UTCChapter 180: The Treasure of Rocks
Katakuri stayed behind.
Since it was breakfast time, the two groups ate together and introduced themselves.
When the crew found out that this guy had been specifically asked by Shane to stay behind as a sparring partner, they all exchanged a look, their gazes on Katakuri growing a little strange.
There was a hint of pity in their eyes, some schadenfreude, and Jack even let out a soft sigh and, with a knowing look, patted him on the shoulder…
What's with this atmosphere?
Katakuri was at a loss. He thought that maybe his scarf had slipped during breakfast, revealing his true face.
So he reached up with his right hand and subconsciously pulled his scarf up.
Only then did his pupils constrict, and he suddenly realized—
Huh, that's not right!
Where's my scarf?!
…
Meanwhile, because he had already filled up on dessert before, Shane had no appetite for breakfast.
After casually eating a dozen or so bowls of ramen, he took his coffee and went up to the second-floor open-air dojo, where he lay on a wicker chair, leisurely taking stock of his recent gains.
A pale blue system panel unfolded before him, and a long stream of text information immediately refreshed.
A trip to the Queen Mama Chanter couldn't have been for nothing—
[You have sacrificed Charlotte Katakuri's scarf and received 3200 points.]
[You have sacrificed Charlotte Smoothie's hat and received 2500 points.]
[You have sacrificed Charlotte Oven's cloak and received 1100 points.]
These were the three most valuable items.
He had also stolen from the other Charlotte children on the ship, and they had contributed a total of 1000 points.
These were all just minor characters. To be honest, even now, Shane still couldn't remember their names.
A total of 7800 points, a very fruitful haul. Shane was in a good mood and glanced down at Katakuri.
The strongest Observation Haki that can see the future.
He may be able to defend against my attacks, but against my god-like thievery skills, he's helpless, isn't he?
And besides that…
The Holy Knights had come to him on their own, so of course he couldn't pass up the opportunity to shear their wool.
But at the time, they were in a standoff, and their attention was very focused, so it wasn't easy to go after them one by one.
So, as they were teleporting away, he had quietly used the "Sleight of Hand" card on the leader, Shamrock.
Last time, he had gotten Kaido's and Kizaru's pants. But this time, his luck was much better. He had directly gotten Shamrock's sword.
Shane looked at the top line.
[You have sacrificed Saint Figarland Shamrock's rapier and received 8000 points.]
Huh?
Why is it so valuable?
Shane was surprised. 8000 points? That's far beyond his expectations.
Even Rayleigh's severed arm wasn't worth that much. What made Shamrock so special?
He quickly opened the details to take a look.
[Saint Figarland Shamrock's Rapier]
[Quality: Epic]
[Value: 8000 Points]
[Appraisal: One of the 12 Supreme Grade Swords. Possesses the "awakened" ability of a Mythical Zoan-type Devil Fruit, and can summon the three-headed hound of hell, Cerberus. Its combat strength is not to be underestimated.]
No wonder!
Shane suddenly realized.
This sword was both one of the 12 Supreme Grade Swords and also a user of an awakened Mythical Zoan-type ability. Both of these were extremely rare in the pirate world.
Combined, it was no wonder the price was so high. And it was a good thing the price was high, otherwise it would have been a shame to have just sacrificed it.
"I wonder how much Shanks's sword is worth…"
he said, stroking his chin thoughtfully.
He really wanted to meet his old friend soon. Both he and his Skill Steal were looking forward to it.
Before closing the system panel, Shane took one last look at his points.
His previous balance was 36,800. This time, it had surged by 14,800, and his remaining points had now reached 51,600, almost making up for his last shopping spree.
He couldn't help but grin and stretch.
The New World is a great place.
…
After more than ten hours of sailing, just before nightfall, The Curtain Call finally arrived at its first island in the New World.
Raijin Island.
The name of this island said it all.
—From a distance, the sky above the island seemed to have been torn apart, and blinding flashes of lightning constantly flickered in the dark clouds.
Countless massive bolts of lightning rained down, and from time to time, a terrifying explosion of fire would erupt.
The island's terrain was also rugged and dangerous, with almost no vegetation, only scorched, dead trees and exposed rock. The air was filled with a thick, acrid smell.
And in the very center was a towering black rock peak.
Like a giant sword that had been split by lightning, it pierced the clouds, a very eye-catching sight.
"So this is Raijin Island. It's my first time here too. I hear that for most of the year, this island is covered in thunderstorms. It's one of the most dangerous islands in the New World,"
Katakuri said, standing at the ship's railing and looking at the island. "Ordinary people don't dare to set foot on it. Even a pirate who has mastered Haki can be instantly struck by lightning and turned to charcoal if they're not careful."
His savage fangs and terrifying scars were now fully exposed, a stark contrast to his usual demeanor.
The mysterious disappearance of his scarf had puzzled Katakuri all afternoon. He had finally given up looking for it.
He would just buy a new one when he was on his way back to Whole Cake Island.
Anyway, he only had an idol persona to maintain in front of his younger siblings.
In front of outsiders, he didn't care at all.
"I can see that,"
Shane's gaze swept over the bay, and he paused for a moment.
There, the wreckage of at least a dozen ships, all of them scorched black by lightning, were scattered about.
And that was just on the surface. There were probably even more at the bottom of the sea. Clearly, many pirates had tried to risk landing, only to end up here.
"Deserted, with constant natural disasters. The perfect place to train Observation Haki,"
Shane laughed heartily. "Let's stop here for a few days. But don't dock the ship. Just drop anchor. It's too risky to get any closer. You can stay on the ship if you want, or if you're bored, you can go and explore the island. It's up to you."
"Yes, Captain!"
The crew immediately went into action, furling the sails and dropping the anchor.
"Then I don't understand, Brother Katakuri,"
Jack was the one who had dropped the anchor. He turned and asked, "Since this island is so dangerous, and there's not even a small town on it, why are so many pirates still trying to land here?"
Katakuri shot a sidelong glance at Jack.
After spending a day with him, he had found that this young man, though straightforward, was actually quite likable. They had even sparred a little in the afternoon, and the terrifying strength he had displayed had even made him a little surprised.
Although, if they were to really fight, it was basically impossible for him to win.
But of the other three of his Sweet Commander siblings, it was hard to say. Maybe only Smoothie would be a match for him.
Cracker and Snack would have a hard time.
And then there was that talented female swordsman, who, for some reason, was very cold to him…
Katakuri narrowed his eyes.
Tsk, it seems this Lord Shane, not only is his own strength infinitely close to that of an Emperor, but his officers are also all very talented.
The only problem was that this little brother, Jack, seemed to have a misunderstanding about him and thought he was also a Fish-Man.
The two of them had hit it off quite well.
And now, it was too late to tell him that his appearance was the result of eating too many donuts as a child.
"That's a good question. Although most pirates are naturally adventurous, when faced with a place as dangerous as Raijin Island, if there wasn't a sufficient reward, they wouldn't be so determined to land,"
Katakuri said, his gaze returning to the wreckage of the ships. "The reason for this is mainly because of a rumor that has been circulating on the seas for over thirty years."
"It is said that before the Rocks Pirates were completely wiped out, he buried his most precious treasure here. Raijin Island, which was already famous, suddenly became even more so."
"The treasure of Rocks?!"
The surrounding crew members were all shocked.
Only Nami raised her hand, bewildered. "Who's Rocks?"
"You haven't even heard of that name, Nami? That guy was known as the ruler of the seas before Roger became famous!"
Smoker said, blowing a smoke ring. "You may not understand the weight of those words, but you just need to know one thing."
"Of the current Four Emperors, aside from the youngest, Red-Hair, the other three, Whitebeard, Kaido, and this guy's mother, were all his crew members!"
Three of the Four Emperors were his subordinates?
Nami finally understood, and she gasped. That's even more impressive than my brother's title of 'World's Greatest Swordsman'!
"The treasure that Roger left behind is the so-called ONE PIECE, and it's buried in Laugh Tale. No one has found it yet,"
Robin said, stroking her chin with a smile. "But this Raijin Island is near the entrance to the New World, and countless pirate ships pass by it every year. In this situation, for the treasure to not have been found after so many years, this rumor is probably not credible, is it?"
"Who knows? In any case, in recent years, fewer and fewer pirates have been believing this rumor,"
Katakuri said, shaking his head. "Dozens of years ago, Mama also sent people here to search. After many days of searching, they found nothing and gave up. I'm also more inclined to believe that this rumor is a fabrication, or that someone has already secretly dug it up… in any case, I have no interest in it, Lord Shane."
He turned to look at Shane. "You probably don't believe such a rumor either, do you? Shall we just start training?"
"Of course,"
Shane grinned. "Even if the rumor is true, I'm not interested in treasure. What's more interesting than training?"
With that, he was the first to use Moonwalk and leave the ship, heading for Raijin Island with Katakuri.
Jack, impatient, was the first to follow.
It wasn't that he believed the rumor. He was just looking forward to the show.
Back when they were training in seclusion on Kuraigana Island, Boss Shane had been merciless, using him as a punching bag, as a soccer ball, and beating him to a pulp every day, making him question his own existence.
And now, there was finally a second unlucky soul to share this honor. How could he miss this good show?
Smoker, on the other hand, a cigar between his teeth, took Vergo to the other side of the island. He was a man of his word. He was determined to settle the score with this guy today.
Kuina also went with them. She was in charge of supervising, to prevent Vergo from trying to escape.
Robin, Zeff, Gin… they all went to the island one by one. Such a geographical wonder, a rare sight. It would have been a shame not to experience it for themselves.
Only Nami was clinging to the railing, refusing to let go, no matter how hard Nojiko pulled her, not wanting to get any closer to the island.
"Waaah! I'm not going!" Nami was in tears. "You know I'm scared of thunder! When I was a kid, every time it thundered, I had to crawl into my brother's bed to be able to sleep."
"You idiot!"
Nojiko tugged her ear. "That was when you were a kid! This is now! You're all grown up! And you're a Logia user! The lightning can't hurt you! What are you afraid of?"
"I know, but it's still scary!"
Nami shook her head like a rattle, refusing to budge.
, Nojiko had to give up. She left the little mochi-like creature with her and left The Curtain Call on her own.
Speaking of which, the little mochi-like creature was usually very curious. Normally, it would have wanted to go to the island.
But for some reason, since this morning, the little mochi-like creature had been listless, its eyes barely open.
Nami and Nojiko had no idea what was wrong, but seeing the little guy sleeping so soundly in Nami's arms, it didn't seem to be sick, so they just let it be.
…
Two hours passed in the blink of an eye.
The sky was gradually getting dark.
In the center of Raijin Island, beside the black rock peak, Katakuri, with his awakened ability, had turned the surrounding rocks into mochi and had built a sturdy, round house.
This relatively enclosed space blocked out the sound of the thunder, and it was quite quiet.
"In terms of how to improve your Observation Haki, these are the main points,"
Katakuri said, sitting in the center, his voice low. "With your talent, my lord, you should be able to easily grasp the principles. But to truly master it, you will need to slowly learn it in real combat."
"You can arrange how to do it specifically,"
Shane said, still savoring the information he had just heard, and he grinned. "Don't be so formal. You're my teacher now. You can do whatever you want with me."
"I wouldn't dare, my lord,"
Katakuri quickly waved his hand. Shane's words were just a polite formality. He couldn't take them seriously.
With a thought, the surrounding mochi round house instantly dissolved, revealing the terrifying thunderstorm outside.
The lightning in the center of the island was clearly much denser than on the outskirts, and it was constantly striking down, almost without a pause.
"As you said before, my lord, the thunderstorm on Raijin Island is the best tool for training Observation Haki,"
Even though they were sitting right next to each other, Katakuri had to shout at the top of his lungs just to be heard over the deafening thunder.
"In the center of a thunderstorm of this scale, even the most acute senses are mostly useless. But for training Observation Haki, it's twice as effective!"
"Next, I will mark an area in the most intense part of the thunderstorm. Please stay within this area and do your best to dodge all the lightning."
"You can't actively block the lightning, you can't use Haki, and you can't use a Devil Fruit ability… oh, you're not a fruit user, so you can ignore that last part."
"In any case, you have to cast aside all external aids and rely solely on your body. Only then, under this dangerous thunderstorm, will you feel the threat and completely unleash the potential of your Observation Haki…"
Katakuri's voice was cut short as a massive bolt of lightning, as thick as a wagon wheel, struck the ground right on top of Shane.
CRACK!
After a loud crash, a massive crater appeared on the ground, but Shane was still sitting there, as if nothing had happened, listening intently.
Seeing him stop, he even looked at him with a puzzled expression. "What's wrong?"
"Nothing…"
Katakuri's eye twitched. If he could use his fruit's ability or his Armament Haki, he was confident that he could also take a lightning strike of that level.
But Shane had done it with just his physical body…
This guy, does he also have a natural talent like Mama's 'Iron Balloon'?
"My lord, it seems we'll have to modify the training plan a little."
Katakuri said with a dry laugh.
