Under the threat in Rocks' eyes, Charlotte had no choice but to agree. After all, he had no intention of dying.
"Hahahaha! Welcome aboard, Charlotte!" Rocks said with a satisfied grin.
Charlotte gave a quiet nod.
Edward Newgate simply watched in silence. Golden Lion Shiki smoked a cigar with a smirk, enjoying the show. Charlotte Linlin continued devouring her cake. Behind her, Kaido stood still, expressionless and lacking any presence.
Charlotte observed the surroundings, then calmly stepped to the side.
Rocks nodded approvingly, then leaped ashore with the rest of the crew.
"What a beautiful, prosperous little port," Rocks D. Xebec remarked, gazing at the town.
Charlotte's heart tightened.
"Captain Rocks," he said hesitantly, "since I've agreed to join, can you please promise not to harm this island? It's my hometown."
Rocks turned to him. The towering man, nearly three meters tall, stared down before breaking into a wide grin.
"Of course. It's your hometown, after all," Rocks replied, patting Charlotte on the shoulder. "However," he added with a sly tone, "while I can hold back, my subordinates might not. You'll have to show them how strong you are."
He turned and looked toward the crew pouring off the ten ships behind him. They stared hungrily at the vibrant port and peaceful town.
Charlotte glanced at them with calm disdain. "If they want to pillage, they can get through me first."
Rocks raised an eyebrow. "Then it's up to you, my dear crew," he said nonchalantly.
Charlotte drew the long sword from his waist and strode toward the pirates disembarking one by one.
"If you're here to plunder, survive my blade first," he said coldly.
Rocks and his senior officers stood aside, watching.
"Jiehahaha! Newgate, I bet this kid finishes them all in under thirty minutes," Golden Lion Shiki laughed, cigar clenched between his teeth.
Newgate merely gave him a glance and said nothing. Shiki didn't press.
Except for Rocks, Newgate was the only one Shiki had any real respect for. Anyone else would've been cut down for such a look.
Charlotte's words stunned the pirates briefly, then they erupted in laughter.
"Who do you think you are, brat? Get him, boys! Take the gold and the women!" yelled a bulky pirate wielding a club.
His shout rallied the others. They drew weapons and charged.
A flintlock fired first.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Bullets ripped through the air toward Charlotte.
He tilted his head slightly and shifted his body just enough to avoid every shot. With Observation Haki, these bullets were meaningless.
But those bullets, deflected, sailed directly toward the Rocks crew behind Charlotte.
"That little bastard did it on purpose," Shiki muttered, smirking.
Newgate crushed the oncoming bullets with a single punch.
Charlotte Linlin and Kaido didn't even flinch. The bullets bounced harmlessly off their bodies with metallic thuds.
"Monsters," Shiki muttered, glancing enviously.
The ship was filled with them. Edward Newgate, part-giant; Kaido of the Oni tribe; Charlotte Linlin, the iron-bellied glutton. Charlotte himself might just be the next.
Shiki turned back toward the battle.
Charlotte's sword danced wildly, unleashing waves of slashes without pause. His face showed no emotion, his breathing steady.
"Limitless stamina," Shiki muttered, biting down on his cigar. "He's a monster too."
Many of the smarter pirates had held back, sensing Charlotte's overwhelming aura during the earlier Conqueror's Haki clash. Those who attacked now were the reckless ones.
Charlotte's blade moved faster, infused with Armament Haki. Each slash sent limbs flying, keeping enemies ten meters away at all times.
The blood, screams, and chaos only fueled him further.
"No! I don't want the treasure! Or the women!" cried one desperate pirate, tossing down his weapon and fleeing.
Charlotte gave him no quarter. A massive thirty-meter slash cleaved across the docks, swallowing the fleeing pirates.
"That kid's ruthless," Newgate frowned. "Even killing the ones who surrendered."
No one replied.
Rocks watched with an amused smile.
Shiki puffed on his cigar, indifferent.
Linlin continued eating cake, unfazed by the carnage.
Kaido remained stone-faced.
Newgate sighed. Doubts lingered. Was joining this crew really the right choice? All he'd ever wanted was a place to call home.
Within minutes, Charlotte had cleared the port.
Bodies were stacked like mountains. At least 400 pirates lay dead.
Those who remained aboard their ships stared, terrified into silence.
Charlotte's control was impeccable. Not one slash struck a ship—he'd stopped all of them a meter short.
He sheathed his sword and walked back to Rocks.
Rocks grinned widely, then grabbed Charlotte's right hand and raised it.
"I hereby declare that Rockefeller Charlotte is the captain of the Eighth Division of the Rocks Pirates—and a core officer of our crew!"