The two sat off to the side, chatting for a while.
"Have you heard of Rocks, Vic?"
Whitebeard, who had been drinking, suddenly asked,
"Who doesn't know Rocks, the pirate with the highest bounty on the island?"
Across all of Hachinosu Island, Rocks was the man with the highest bounty. He was getting on in years, and his strength was terrifying.
"He's about to form the Rocks Pirates," Whitebeard reminded him, taking a sip of wine.
"Are you going to join?"
"Of course. I can't stay on Hachinosu Island forever. He invited me to join, and I've already agreed." Whitebeard had a dream he was pursuing.
He wanted to find out whether he could find what he was looking for among the Rocks Pirates, though he didn't have much hope.
"I see. Congratulations." Patri Vic nodded slightly in response.
The Rocks Pirates would be Whitebeard's first foothold in the world.
After Rocks died, he would form his own pirate crew, find what he truly wanted, and make his dream come true.
In the end, he would become the World's Strongest Man and the leader of the Four Emperors.
"Are you going to join, Vic?" Whitebeard asked.
"I... Heh, I think I'll pass. You know how weak I am." Patri Vic shook his head slightly.
The Rocks Pirates was a crew brought together for the sake of profit.
There were no such things as comrades aboard that ship. They were willing to go so far as to kill one another for profit.
Besides, he was still weak. Even if he joined the Rocks Pirates,
Whitebeard couldn't guarantee his safety completely. For his own sake, he wasn't willing to take that risk.
"You should be a lot stronger now, Vic. You won't make any progress if you stay here. The Rocks Pirates may not be a good place, but they're a great place to hone your skills."
Whitebeard had once known Patri Vic to be weak, but lately he'd noticed that Vic had grown much stronger. It wasn't his imagination.
They'd sparred once, and although Patri Vic was still weak compared to Whitebeard,
ten days had passed since their last fight.
They hadn't seen each other for a week, and now Whitebeard could feel that Patri Vic's presence had changed again. He seemed even stronger.
"I don't have the ambition to rule the world like he does. If I can, I'd rather stay here and live out the rest of my life in peace," Patri Vic replied calmly.
"If that's what you want, I won't try to talk you out of it."
"But Edward, since you've chosen to join the Rocks Pirates, you must understand what he's like. Be careful."
"I know what he's like, but I still want to search in the darkness for the dream I want to make come true."
Whitebeard's dream was to have a family. He wanted to find out whether he could find the family he longed for among the Rocks Pirates.
"Is that so? Then I wish you luck, Edward." Patri Vic smiled faintly.
......
The next day, Hachinosu Island.
Rocks, the pirate with the highest bounty, was recruiting crew members in droves on Hachinosu Island.
Anyone with a bounty of over five million could join.
Nearly every pirate on Hachinosu Island with any real strength had been recruited.
Inside a small tavern on Hachinosu Island, Patri Vic was doing push-ups, as he did every day.
"993..."
"994..."
Patri Vic was shirtless as he exercised, counting under his breath.
With most of the pirates recruited by Rocks, hardly any came to drink on the island anymore.
The place was deserted.
"Creak..."
Just as Patri Vic was working out, a slender blond man with a cigar in his mouth pushed open the door.
And he was none other than the Golden Lion, Shiki—the legendary pirate of the future, as the original story called him!
He looked around from on high, then fixed his gaze on Patri Vic.
"999..."
"1,000..."
Patri Vic had just finished his task for the day.
"Ding! Congratulations, host. Hashirama Senju completion has reached 5.1%. Hashirama Senju template ability unlocked: Nintaijutsu."
Patri Vic had been exhausted, but the system's reward instantly restored him, and he grew even stronger.
"I've finally unlocked one of the template's abilities."
Patri Vic muttered, the corners of his mouth lifting with excitement. His strength had multiplied several times over.
He was now about as strong as a pirate in this world with a bounty of several tens of millions of Berries. The system panel appeared.
God-Tier Template System Host: Patri Vic First Template: Hashirama Senju Completion: 5.1% Unlocked Ability: Nintaijutsu For every 1% increase in completion, one ability from the template will be unlocked. Character Template Abilities: 0%: Nintaijutsu (0/100%) 0%: Fire Release (0/100%) 0%: Wood Release (0/100%) 0%: Earth Release (0/100%) 0%: Lightning Release (0/100%) 0%: Water Release (0/100%) 0%: Wind Release (0/100%) 0%: Sage Mode (0/100%) When the template reaches 100% completion, the next character template will be unlocked. Hashirama's other abilities will also be unlocked. Tasks updated: Daily tasks canceled! New task unlocked: For every 1% increase in Nintaijutsu, the character template's completion increases by 0.1%.
"A new task?" Patri Vic murmured to himself.
After closing the panel, Patri Vic noticed a familiar yet unfamiliar face standing in the tavern doorway. He looked a little surprised. "Shiki?"
He paused, then continued,
"Would you like something to drink?"
Today was the day the Rocks Pirates were formed.
He didn't know why the Golden Lion had come here, so he asked whether Shiki wanted a drink.
After all, this was a tavern. People came here either to cause trouble or to drink. Of course, Patri Vic hoped Shiki had come for the latter.
"Are you Patri Vic?" The Golden Lion folded his arms across his chest and asked with a faint smile.
"I am." Patri Vic nodded slightly.
At that, the Golden Lion's lips curled upward. He stepped forward and, without another word, swung a fist at Patri Vic.
Faced with the Golden Lion's attack, Patri Vic was dumbfounded.
They hadn't even met in this world before, so there was no way they had any grudge between them.
As the Golden Lion's fist came within reach, Patri Vic hurriedly swung his own fist to meet it, for his own safety.
"Bang!"
Their fists collided with a deafening crash. The tavern shook, and the cabinet behind Patri Vic collapsed with a thunderous bang.
Even though he'd now unlocked Hashirama Senju's Nintaijutsu ability,
his strength still fell far short of a monster like the Golden Lion.
......
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