Rocks Pirates Established

But what happened next caught Patri Vic off guard.

His blade didn't fall—it slid back into its sheath.

"Gyahahaha... Sorry, Vic, just testing your strength." Golden Lion laughed, offering an apology.

After all, he hadn't come here today to kill Patri Vic; he had other business. The sudden attack was only to gauge his skill.

"..."

Hearing Golden Lion's excuse, Patri Vic was speechless.

Even though Golden Lion hadn't struck in the end, thinking back still sent a chill through him.

With Golden Lion's strength, killing him would be easy—there was a considerable gap between them.

The cheat ability he'd obtained was still fresh; given time to develop, he could beat Golden Lion, but right now, he couldn't.

"Let's talk, Vic." Golden Lion said, a cigar clamped between his teeth.

The two returned to the tavern, now in shambles—cracks spiderwebbed the floor, and a human-shaped hole gaped in the wall.

"No booze left?" Golden Lion scanned the room.

"None. You smashed it all." Patri Vic grumbled.

Their fight had nearly wrecked the place.

But the tavern's owner had already left to join the Rocks Pirates, abandoning it.

Even if he came back and saw it destroyed, he wouldn't dare complain.

After all, Golden Lion did it—how could he pick a fight with him?

"No stored liquor?" Golden Lion asked, sitting down and looking around.

The scent of spilled wine from the broken bottles made him crave a drink.

"There is some, if you don't mind." Patri Vic picked up a few unbroken bottles from the floor and set them on the table in front of Golden Lion.

"You're not mad about today, are you, Vic?" Golden Lion grabbed a bottle without hesitation, grinning.

"What do you think?" Patri Vic shot him a flat look.

He wasn't angry. In this dog-eat-dog Pirate World, the weak were meat for the strong.

He didn't resent Golden Lion for what he'd done.

He only resented his own weakness.

But revenge was still on the table—once he grew strong enough, he'd pay it back. He couldn't swallow that anger.

"You're welcome to challenge me anytime." Golden Lion flashed a grin.

"Alright, enough small talk. I don't believe you came all this way just to test me. There's got to be another reason." Patri Vic sat beside Golden Lion, opened a bottle, and asked.

"Captain Rocks heard you're Edward's friend, so he sent me to recruit you—asking if you want to join the Rocks Pirates." Golden Lion spat out his cigar and took a long gulp of wine.

Rocks valued Whitebeard highly, even though Whitebeard wasn't the strongest on the ship.

Everyone who joined his crew came for profit.

But Whitebeard was different—he didn't want profit; he wanted something else.

For that reason, Rocks knew Whitebeard would stay the longest and be the most loyal.

Out of admiration for Whitebeard, Rocks took an interest in his only friend, Patri Vic.

He even sent Golden Lion personally to invite him—proof of how much Rocks valued Patri Vic.

"Not interested." Patri Vic took a swig, wiping the foam from his lips.

"Huh? Every pirate on Hachinosu Island wants to join the Rocks Pirates, and you're not interested?" Golden Lion asked, mildly surprised.

"Everyone has different goals. I'm not ready to join the Rocks Pirates yet."

If he'd time-traveled to Luffy's era and ended up in the Four Seas, he'd have set sail long ago—there weren't many strong people then.

He'd have had a place.

But he'd landed in the Rocks era!

Rocks was monstrous. The future Emperors—Whitebeard, Charlotte Linlin, Kaido of the Beasts, the legendary pirate Golden Lion Shiki—

And countless other great pirates—all served on his ship.

And he ruled them with absolute strength.

The pirates on his crew obeyed him only because he was too strong.

In an era like this, joining the Rocks Pirates without absolute power—

Even if Whitebeard could protect him, if someone on the ship took a disliking to him, they could kill him just the same.

"Gyahahaha... You're right, Vic. Everyone has different goals. Since you won't join, I'll go report back." Golden Lion laughed, already starting to appreciate Patri Vic's individuality.

Patri Vic nodded slightly, eager for Golden Lion to leave.

Golden Lion lit a fresh cigar and was about to go, then turned back: "Your Body Technique is good, and you've got that weird ability. If you learn Armament Haki, you'll be even stronger."

"If you joined the Rocks Pirates, I'd take you as an apprentice and teach you Haki. But what a pity."

"Even if I joined the Rocks Pirates, I wouldn't want to be your apprentice." Patri Vic took a sip of fine wine and replied calmly.

As if—he had a system!

Why would he need to be Golden Lion's apprentice?

In the future, he'd definitely crush him.

"Looking forward to our next meeting, Vic. Hope you get stronger." Golden Lion grinned, then floated into the air and left.

Watching Golden Lion depart, Patri Vic cleaned up all the broken bottles on the floor.

A few intact bottles of fine wine remained; he placed them on the counter.

Time passed quickly, and soon it was evening. The Rocks Pirates' recruitment ceremony for new members had already ended.

In the tavern, Patri Vic was lying on a chair, ready to sleep.

"Vic!" A sudden shout jolted Patri Vic awake just as he was drifting off.

"Hm? What's wrong, Edward?" Patri Vic slowly opened his eyes and saw a familiar figure standing at the doorway.

"I thought something had happened." Seeing Patri Vic, Whitebeard's tense heart relaxed.

Today, joining the Rocks Pirates meant helping out with the newcomers' induction ceremony.

Plus, Rocks had kept him talking for a long time, so he hadn't had a chance to come over.

When he approached, he noticed the tavern's walls were broken and there were signs of a fight outside, which made him worry about Patri Vic's safety.

He thought someone had attacked Patri Vic, but when he confirmed the guy was fine, he felt relieved.

"What happened?" Whitebeard sat down beside Patri Vic and asked with some concern.

He'd said long ago that laying a hand on Patri Vic meant laying a hand on him.

Even though Patri Vic was unharmed now, he still didn't intend to let the culprit off.

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