One Piece: Building the Roxas Empire

After reviewing the bounties of the cadres, Darius couldn't help but sigh, his tone revealing a bit of helplessness and worry: "This setback is indeed costly and heartbreaking. Recruiting ordinary pirates may not be difficult, but finding those pirates who are truly capable is like finding a needle in a haystack, which is extremely difficult."

In Darius's eyes, recruiting ordinary crew members was a piece of cake, and they could easily gather a large group. However, powerful pirates were not only rare in number, but also needed to be identified with a more cautious attitude.

After all, as pirates, who can guarantee that those newly joined strong men are not undercover agents planted by the navy or the world government? Darius has suffered losses in this regard before.

Then, Darius's eyes fell on the Red Chain Snake beside him, and he said in a somewhat joking tone: "Speaking of which, your strength is now among the best in the Roxas Pirates, firmly in the third place."

Facing the master's praise, the red-chained snake raised a humble and warm smile. She shook her head gently and responded, "Master, you are too kind. I know that my strength is limited. Especially after the last battle with the navy warrior named Philip, I have a clearer understanding of my position and shortcomings. Over the years, thanks to the master's guidance and protection, I have been able to step out of my original narrow world and see a wider world. Otherwise, I might still be just a short-sighted, self-righteous gangster!"

The red-banded snake continued to ask with a more serious attitude at this moment: "Master, I wonder what your plans are next?"

Darius gently hugged the red-chained snake's waist and looked into the distance at the sea. His eyes were deep and his tone was firm and unquestionable: "I have already drawn up a blueprint. There is a treasure hidden in the New World. The terrain of that place is typical of being easy to defend and difficult to attack. It also produces a large amount of seastone mines. However, that country advocates the use of force, so it is not easy to seize it. Before that, our first task is to accumulate strength."

Upon hearing this, the red-banded snake nodded. Although she knew nothing about the specific situation of the treasure land that Darius mentioned, she knew that there was no need to ask more questions and she just had to follow her master's steps.

In the days that followed, the Roxas Pirates began to recruit pirate forces across the West Sea like an unstoppable torrent.

Now, with the release of a new round of bounty orders, the reputation of the Roxas Pirates has become even more invincible in the West Sea. No pirate group is a match for the Roxas Pirates, let alone Darius. Even Asami, the bounty of Red Chain Snake is second only to Darius in the West Sea.

During this period, naval warships were also dispatched. However, facing the provocation and pursuit of the navy, Darius would not choose to back down. He directly ordered to defeat the naval forces that dared to appear around him one by one.

As for Slit, the vice admiral who once defeated the Roxas Pirates in Kowloon Town, he seemed to have disappeared during this period of time and no trace of him could be found.

Darius was surprised, but he didn't care too much. After all, as his Demonic Sublimation skill cooled down again, he was ready for any challenge. Even if he faced Slit head-on again, Darius believed that he would not lose to him again.

In August of the Kaien calendar 1492, four months had passed since Darius set sail, and the tragic defeat that happened more than a month ago had receded like the tide. During this period, the Roxas Pirates had recruited many pirates and added a lot of fresh blood.

During this period of seemingly calm but actually turbulent days, although the Navy did not launch a direct attack on the Roxas Pirates, its surveillance network became increasingly tighter, not only did it not decrease, but it increased instead.

Every day, around the Roxas Pirates, one can always spot the ghostly figure of a navy reconnaissance ship cruising, in addition to which there are also underwater reconnaissance boats.

Whether it is a scout ship or a reconnaissance boat, they all maintain a delicate and safe distance from the pirate group. These reconnaissance forces are like invisible shackles, making the pirate group members feel unprecedented oppression and helplessness. Although they are full of anger and eager to catch these snoopers in one fell swoop, the high speed of the reconnaissance ship and the diving characteristics of the reconnaissance boat make such an idea unattainable. At most, they can barely drive them away without causing any substantial harm.

However, facing the increasingly close surveillance of the navy, A Shen, as the vice-captain and think tank of the Roxas Pirates, did not sit idly by.

He was well aware of the importance of intelligence, and he did not think that these naval reconnaissance ships would simply stand by and watch the show. The movements of the Roxas Pirates were being monitored by the navy, but it was a very dangerous matter, and only by taking the initiative could the deadlock be broken.

Therefore, he mobilized the pirate group's outer fleet to launch a large-scale sea patrol operation to expand his own sea area. In this way, he could effectively interfere with the reconnaissance plans of the navy reconnaissance ships and make it difficult for them to approach the core area of ​​the Roxas Pirates, thereby greatly weakening the navy's surveillance effect.

After all, the reconnaissance ships were too fast and there were too many of them. Even if the pirate ship wanted to sink them, it would not be able to catch up with them.

Today, the sun shines on the Marble Island in the West Sea, which was originally the base camp of the West Sea Iron Wall Pirates. But just yesterday, the island was occupied by the Roxas Pirates, and the so-called Iron Wall Pirates no longer exists.

Just as Darius was preparing to set sail today, he received an extraordinary visitor.

"Hahaha, Darius, it's been a long time! Back then, you were a little guy following behind me, and now you're a captain. It really makes me feel so much emotion!" Erkang's laughter was hearty and full of provocation. He strode closer, his eyes showing both nostalgia for his old friend and keen insight into the current situation.

Darius, a former unknown trainee in the Rocks Pirates, has now transformed into the undisputed overlord of the West Sea. He sits on the luxurious sofa in the pirates' headquarters, his eyes revealing a sharp edge.

At this moment, his eyes met with an uninvited guest - an old friend who was more than ten years older than him, Erkang, one of the ten captains of the Flying Pirates. The bounty on his head was a staggering 7 million Baileys. His strength was at its peak, and his smile hid a bit of unruliness and cunning.

A barely perceptible sneer appeared on Darius's lips. He knew very well that Erkang, his former predecessor, had a purpose in mind for this trip.

But recalling that when he was a trainee in the Rocks Pirates, the relationship between the two was still very good. Darius spoke slowly, his voice cold but somewhat playful, "Yes, time flies, and the senior seems to have aged. I heard that you are now the captain of the Hiku Pirates. I wonder why such a big shot like you suddenly visited the West Sea. I'm afraid it's not just to reminisce about the past, right?"

Erkang's smile became even brighter, as if everything was under control: "Haha, Darius, don't be so formal! We were companions after all!"

Seeing that Erkang didn't talk about business, Darius also chatted with him: "Indeed! Looking back on that time, it was really great!"

Erkang was also a little surprised that Darius would actually talk about the Rocks Pirates. You know, the Rocks Pirates are not a good place. There are no good memories there. Everyone on the ship is arrogant, so they eventually disintegrated. He grinned and said, "Haha, Darius, why are you suddenly so smooth? We are pirates, so we won't do this."

Darius also had a cold face: "Then just say it directly! I don't like beating around the bush. It's best to speak directly."

Erkang was also not slow. As a pirate, he did not like to be polite. However, after all, the two had not seen each other for eight years, so he pretended to be polite. Seeing Darius said so, he also smiled and said, "It's great. To be honest, I am here on the commission of our captain Shiji. He has high praise for you, a rising star. After all, we were on the same ship and partners in the same squad. So! He specifically asked me to recruit you. However, on the way here, I heard the news that your bounty has soared again. It seems that you have really made great achievements in the West Sea and done many earth-shaking things! The young are really formidable!"

After saying this, the atmosphere between the two of them instantly became subtle and tense, and there seemed to be a sense of tension in the air.

"Huh, are you mocking me?" Darius' words revealed obvious dissatisfaction. He looked at Erkang sharply and continued, "My experience in Jiulong Town was simply horrible. Most of my men unfortunately fell into the hands of the navy. For me, it was a disastrous defeat."

"That's because your opponent is Slit, a candidate for admiral of the navy. The fact that you were able to escape from him has already proved your strength." Erkang said in a serious tone.

Darius said calmly, "Proof? I don't need to prove my strength to anyone. I just know that next time I meet Slit, I will defeat him."

Erkang looked at Darius, his tone was firm, without any hesitation: "Darius, don't linger in this small world of the West Sea. Your ability and potential are far more than this. Join our Sky Pirates! Many partners of the former Second Division now hold important positions in the Sky Pirates. With your strength, as long as you join, I guarantee that you will at least be a captain. Moreover, you are younger than all of us. The New World is where you can show your talents. Of course, your subordinates can also join with you."

Darius heard this and sneered, his eyes full of contempt: "Stop dreaming about that unrealistic dream. I am the captain of the Roxas Pirates now, how could I easily join Shiki's army?"

Erkang's face darkened slightly, and he was obviously surprised and dissatisfied with Darius's answer: "Are you serious?"

Darius's eyes became deep and complicated. He spoke slowly, and every word hit people's hearts like a hammer: "How can such a thing be false? How can I change my original intention so easily? Over the years, I have been accumulating strength to return to the New World all the time. Now I have become the captain of a ship. If we meet in the New World in the future, we will be enemies by then."

As soon as these words came out, the atmosphere at the scene instantly dropped to freezing point. The members of the Hiku Pirates and the Roxas Pirates were all on edge, and the atmosphere was so tense that it seemed as if even the air was about to freeze. Both sides were fully prepared, and as long as the order was given, an inevitable fierce battle would begin.