04 Rocks Pirates Were Founded

But what happened next was somewhat beyond Patri Vic's expectations.

The blade didn't come down. Instead, Golden Lion Shiki sheathed his sword.

"Gyahahaha... Sorry, Vic. I was just testing your strength," Golden Lion Shiki said with a hearty laugh, apologizing.

After all, he hadn't come here today to kill Patri Vic. He had another mission. He'd attacked Patri Vic out of the blue only to see what he could do.

"..."

Hearing Golden Lion Shiki's explanation, Patri Vic could only stare at him in disbelief.

Even though Golden Lion Shiki hadn't brought his blade down in the end, Patri Vic still felt a rush of panic when he thought about it.

With Golden Lion Shiki's strength, killing him would have been easy. The gap between them was substantial.

He'd only had his system for a short time. Given enough time to grow, he could beat Golden Lion Shiki, but he couldn't do it yet.

"Now, let's talk, Vic," Golden Lion Shiki said, a cigar clenched between his teeth.

The two returned to the tavern, which was now in terrible shape. The floor was riddled with cracks, and a person-shaped hole gaped in one of the walls.

"Out of booze?" Golden Lion Shiki asked, surveying the room.

"Yeah. You smashed it all," Patri Vic replied dryly.

Their fight had nearly destroyed the tavern.

The owner had joined the Rocks Pirates, abandoning the tavern.

Even if he came back and saw the place smashed to pieces, he wouldn't dare complain.

Golden Lion Shiki had done all this. How could he possibly dare to pick a fight with him?

"Don't you have any stored away?" Golden Lion Shiki asked, sitting down and looking around.

The scent of the spilled wine had made him want a drink.

"I do, actually. As long as 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 Shiki.

"You're not angry about what happened today, are you, Vic?" Golden Lion Shiki asked with a smile, taking a bottle without a hint of hesitation.

"What do you think?" Patri Vic replied, giving him a cool glance.

He wasn't angry. In this pirate world, the weak were at the mercy of the strong.

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

He only blamed himself for being weak.

But he'd get his revenge. Once he was strong enough, he'd make Golden Lion Shiki pay. He couldn't just swallow this insult.

"You're welcome to challenge me anytime," Golden Lion Shiki replied with a grin.

"All right, enough about that. I don't believe you came all this way just to test me. There must be another reason," Patri Vic said, sitting beside Golden Lion Shiki as he opened a bottle.

"Captain Rocks heard you were friends with Edward, so he sent me to recruit you. He wanted to know if you'd join the Rocks Pirates," Golden Lion Shiki replied, spitting out his cigar and taking a long drink.

Rocks thought highly of Whitebeard, even though Whitebeard wasn't one of the strongest pirates aboard.

Everyone who joined his crew did so for personal gain.

Whitebeard was the one exception. He wasn't after profit, but something else.

That alone convinced Rocks that Whitebeard would stay with him longer than anyone else—and that he'd be the most loyal.

Rocks admired Whitebeard, so he was also interested in Patri Vic, Whitebeard's only friend.

He'd even personally sent Golden Lion Shiki to invite him to join the Rocks Pirates, proof enough of how highly he regarded Patri Vic.

"I'm not interested," Patri Vic said, taking a swig of wine and wiping the foam from his lips.

"Hm? Every pirate on Hachinosu Island wants to join the Rocks Pirates. You're really not interested?" Golden Lion Shiki asked, somewhat surprised.

"Everyone has different goals. For now, I don't want to join the Rocks Pirates."

If he'd been transported to Luffy's era and ended up in one of the four seas, he would've set sail long ago. There weren't many powerful people around in that era.

He could've made a name for himself.

But he'd been transported to the Rocks era!

Rocks was incredibly powerful. The future Four Emperors—Whitebeard, Charlotte Linlin, Kaido of the Beasts, and the legendary pirate Golden Lion Shiki—as well as many other great pirates were all aboard his ship.

And he kept all those pirates in line through sheer strength.

The pirates aboard obeyed him simply because he was too strong.

If Patri Vic joined the Rocks Pirates in an era like this without overwhelming strength of his own, then even if Whitebeard protected him, someone on the ship who took a dislike to him could still kill him.

"Gyahahaha... You're right, Vic. Everyone has different goals. Since you've decided not to join, I'll go back and report," Golden Lion Shiki said with a laugh. He was beginning to admire Patri Vic's independent streak.

Patri Vic gave a slight nod. He couldn't wait for Golden Lion Shiki to leave.

Golden Lion Shiki lit a cigar and was about to go when he suddenly turned around. "You're good at Body Technique, and you've got some strange abilities. If you learn Armament Haki, you'll become even stronger."

"If you joined the Rocks Pirates, I'd take you on as a disciple and teach you Haki. What a shame."

"Even if I joined the Rocks Pirates, I wouldn't want to be your disciple," Patri Vic replied coolly, taking a sip of wine.

As if! He had a system!

Why would he need Golden Lion Shiki as his teacher?

In the future, he'd definitely beat him to a pulp.

"I look forward to seeing you again, Vic. I hope you'll be stronger by then," Golden Lion Shiki said with a grin. Then he floated into the air and left.

Watching Golden Lion Shiki go, Patri Vic cleaned up all the broken bottles scattered across the floor.

He put the few unbroken bottles on the counter.

Time flew by, and before long it was night. The Rocks Pirates' recruitment ceremony had ended.

Back in the tavern, Patri Vic had stretched out in a chair, ready to sleep.

"Vic!" A sudden shout woke Patri Vic just as he was about to drift off.

"Hm? What is it, Edward?" Patri Vic slowly opened his eyes and saw a familiar figure standing by the door.

"I thought something had happened to you." Seeing Patri Vic, Whitebeard finally relaxed.

He'd had to help with the new recruits' induction ceremony that day.

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

As he approached, he'd noticed the tavern's battered wall and signs of a fight outside. He'd started to worry about Patri Vic's safety.

He'd thought someone had attacked Patri Vic, but now that he knew he was all right, he felt relieved.

"What happened?" Whitebeard asked, sitting beside Patri Vic, concern in his voice.

He'd said long ago that anyone who attacked Patri Vic was attacking him, too.

Even though Patri Vic was unharmed, he still had no intention of letting whoever had attacked him get away with it.

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