"If you want me to submit, beat me first!" Raelmann shouted as he threw a punch toward Rosinante.
Rosinante tilted his head slightly, easily dodging Raelmann's punch. With a subtle sidestep, he evaded the next strike as well. Then—whoosh—his figure simply faded from Raelmann's view.
"You know... my ability really counters yours quite well," Rosinante's voice came from behind Raelmann.
Raelmann hadn't sensed the slightest trace of Rosinante's presence before he spoke. Alarmed, he immediately swung backward with all his might, but hit nothing but air again—Rosinante was gone.
"Has Raelmann gotten weaker? He can't even catch a glimpse of His Majesty's shadow! Hohahaha!" laughed Burs.
"Idiot. Raelmann hasn't weakened—it's just that he can't detect His Majesty's location or movements at all," Hemmie said with a serious look on her face.
"It's true. Even with Observation Haki, we can't sense His Majesty's position or movements," Bartley added, equally grim.
Burs's expression shifted at their words.
Once one reaches a certain level of combat, the human eye alone is no longer enough to follow the speed of expert fighters. If you rely solely on sight, by the time you see the attack, it's already hitting you. That's why Observation Haki is so critical in high-level battles.
If an expert can't sense his opponent with Observation Haki, it's essentially like fighting blind.
Realizing this, Burs and the others couldn't help but put themselves in Raelmann's shoes—and quickly came to a terrifying conclusion: if they were in his place, they'd be utterly helpless.
"Has his power increased again?" Jack muttered with a serious expression.
Hearing Jack's words, Burs and the others looked toward him. Among them, only Jack truly understood Rosinante's strength—though he showed no intention of explaining.
"If you've got the guts, fight me head-on! Aren't you trying to make me submit? How can you do that just by dodging all over the place?!" Raelmann shouted provocatively, clearly frustrated.
"I told you—my ability counters yours," Rosinante said as he calmly stepped out from beside Raelmann. Even then, Raelmann hadn't realized he'd been standing next to him the entire time.
"Hrah—Three Thousand Divine Bomb!" Startled by Rosinante's sudden appearance, Raelmann lashed out in panic with a full-force punch.
Rosinante simply raised a hand and caught the punch, twisting Raelmann's arm and locking him down in a grappling hold.
"How is this possible?!" Raelmann cried in shock.
"You're surprised I didn't explode, right?" Rosinante asked with a smirk.
Raelmann didn't answer, but his eyes were filled with confusion.
"I ate the Silent-Silent Fruit. I'm a Silent Human. I can silence anything I touch—including Devil Fruits and their powers. Your Bomb-Bomb abilities? All I have to do is touch you, and your explosions are silenced," Rosinante explained.
Boom! "Shattering Fist: Critical Blow!"
With that, Rosinante launched a soft punch at Raelmann's abdomen. It didn't look like much—but Raelmann coughed up blood on the spot.
It felt like a terrifying force had slammed into him from within, shaking his organs violently and leaving him reeling in pain. But before the pain could even fully register, the silent seal activated and suppressed his injuries.
"That was just a warning. So what'll it be—submission or death?" Rosinante asked coldly.
"The Silent-Silent Fruit can even suppress Devil Fruit powers ? That's insane..." Raelmann was more stunned by the nature of Rosinante's ability than anything else.
"There's a saying—'nothing's impossible, only unimaginable.' With Paramecia-type Devil Fruits, there are infinite possibilities, as long as you dare to imagine them. Silence just puts powers into a sleep-like suspension," Rosinante said calmly.
"You've developed your power to this degree... You're a monster. In the New World, I've learned one truth—there's no shame in bowing to a monster," Raelmann admitted.
"Then welcome aboard," Rosinante said as he released him.
Rosinante then turned to the rest of the pirates Jack had brought in. "Aside from Raelmann, how strong are the others?" he asked.
"They're mostly captains with bounties between 100 and 300 million, plus some promising young talents," Jack replied.
"Then it's time for a choice: submit or die. If you submit, I'll brand you with a Silent Seal—and from that point on, we're allies. If you choose death, I'll make it quick and painless," Rosinante declared.
"It's an honor to serve under you!"
"If you tell me to go east, I won't head west! If you want a chicken killed, I won't slaughter a cow!"
The pirates all shouted over one another in a rush to pledge loyalty.
Unlike dream-chasers like Roger or Luffy, these pirates didn't care about ideals. They weren't chasing freedom across the seas—they were real pirates who lived by plunder and pillage. Submitting to a stronger force was second nature to them.
They knew full well they were no match for the monsters of the New World. The only way to survive was to serve under a monster of their own.
Besides, after being beaten into submission by Jack and the others along the way, they had already been half-convinced. Now that Rosinante made his offer, they accepted without hesitation.
"In that case, I'll bestow upon you near-immortality. In return, your first duty is to obey my commands. Your second duty is to obey my commands. Your third? Obey my commands," Rosinante said with satisfaction.
"Yes, sir!" the pirates responded.
Rosinante took his time branding each of them with the Silent Seal, then instructed Bins to take them away. They would now serve as part of Bins' Oathblood Guard.
Once they left, only Jack, Hemmie, Burs, Bartley, and Raelmann remained in the room. Rosinante had chosen to keep Raelmann close—his power would be useful for what came next.
"So... does that mean this matter with the Big Mom Pirates is over?" Bartley asked, a bit puzzled after hearing Rosinante's summary of events.
"As if," Rosinante rolled his eyes at him.
"Maybe others would hesitate out of concern for their crew, but if it were Whitebeard, he might overlook it—for the sake of his sons' lives. But Big Mom? We should be ready to go to war at any moment," Burs sneered.
"But he was her second-in-command! And her biological son! You're telling me Big Mom doesn't care about his life?" Bartley said in disbelief.
"That's exactly why she's called Big Mom. Everything in Totto Land goes according to her will. Whether there's war or peace—it all depends on her mood," Rosinante said coldly.
At his words, everyone except Jack fell silent, their expressions darkening.
After all, they were about to face the Big Mom Pirates—one of the strongest crews in the New World. Even during the golden age of piracy when the Roger Pirates, Flying Pirates, and Whitebeard Pirates ruled the seas, Big Mom had still been one of the few undisputed emperors.
Now, with Roger executed and Golden Lion captured, she stood alone beneath Whitebeard as the strongest pirate left.
"What are you scared of? Just one Big Mom Pirate crew and you're all trembling like kids? We'll crush them. With the Silent Seal, we can outlast them if nothing else," Jack said coldly.
Hearing this, Burs and the others thought back to what happened with Raelmann and couldn't help but smile.
The Silent Seal had given them a massive confidence boost over the past few days. With it, even Big Mom didn't seem so terrifying anymore.
Seeing their relieved smiles, Rosinante didn't have the heart to burst their bubble—not yet.
They didn't know the Silent Seal's final consequence was death. They didn't know that the more injuries it suppressed, the greater the burden it placed on their bodies. One day, the weight of it would crush them completely.
If he told them now, it would devastate their morale—and this wasn't the time for that.
Maybe after this whole Big Mom situation was over, he'd find a quiet place for them to rest and grow stronger.
But all that would have to wait—until after Big Mom made her move.
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Advance Chapters: .com / ElvenKing20