A Terrifying Strike Instantly Kills Shiji

"Finally found that bastard!!!"

"Houka! Make the ship fly, now!"

"Chase him!!"

Rocks couldn't wait to fly over and beat Shiki the Extreme into a pulp; the man had wasted months of his time.

"Anti-Gravity: Weightlessness!"

"Horizontal Gravity!"

Houka didn't hesitate, immediately applying his Gravity Ability to the Sword of Xebec. The ship lifted into the air, then surged forward with horizontal acceleration, hurtling toward the distant Flying Warship at top speed.

On the other side, aboard the Flying Warship.

Shiki, having just shaken off Xiong's pursuit on an island, was in a fairly good mood.

With the Float-Float Fruit Ability, that bastard Xiong would never be able to catch him in this lifetime.

Once his strength grew, he would definitely take his revenge.

"Daring to chase me for so long—sooner or later, I'll slaughter you!"

Shiki looked at his two swords, now notched and chipped, a flicker of annoyance in his eyes.

He had to admit, Xiong's axe skills and raw power were formidable.

He was no match for him right now.

Experts who excelled with axes were all monsters with strength far beyond ordinary men.

"Looks like I need to find some famous blades."

Shiki, who specialized in dual-sword style, had yet to obtain the famous blades Oto and Kogarashi.

"Boss! There... there's a flying ship charging at us!!"

A yakuza lookout screamed in terror, his eyes wide as saucers.

He hadn't expected that, aside from his boss's power, there would be another Flying Warship.

At this moment, Shiki was merely a yakuza gang leader; he had yet to establish the Flying Pirates.

Thus, his yakuza underlings called him "Boss" rather than "Captain."

"A flying ship?"

Shiki rushed to the stern and looked toward the sky behind them, his long golden hair billowing in the wind like a lion's mane.

"To think there's an ability similar to the Float-Float Fruit!"

Shiki was shocked. He activated his Observation Haki, sensing for any powerful individuals aboard that Flying Warship.

The next moment, Shiki's expression shifted violently, cold sweat breaking out across his forehead.

He felt as if a primordial monster were looking down upon him.

This terrifying aura was a hundred, a thousand times more powerful than that of the Yakuza Killer, Xiong!

"It's a monster! Run!!"

Shiki roared without a second thought.

His underlings scrambled to row the air-oars to gain speed.

Currently, the Flying Warship Shiki kept aloft with his Float-Float Fruit Ability still relied heavily on the wind to navigate, much like sailing on the sea.

Therefore, Shiki's Flying Warship was relatively vulnerable to extreme storm weather.

"You think you can run!!"

"Stop right there!!"

Rocks drew his blade and unleashed a terrifying slash toward the sky.

The cannon-like shockwave of sword energy was even more fearsome than the Elbaf combined technique, Ikoku.

The super-powered shockwave slash, with a range of 5,000 meters, blasted Shiki's Flying Warship into a sky full of debris.

"Damn it, Rocks, why are you so hot-headed? Aren't you afraid of killing Shiki!"

Houka's eyes widened as he watched Rocks' explosive strike.

Newgate's eyes burned with fervor; sooner or later, he would reach this level too.

"The Captain is so strong!"

Sambel's eyes were filled with stars. If Houka represented wisdom, then Rocks was the absolute embodiment of power.

Both were his idols!

"That's just exaggerated!"

Babel looked at Rocks in horror. His strongest Fish-Man Karate technique had a range of only a few hundred meters.

Rocks' power was more than ten times his own.

"Wahahaha! If he can't even take one of my blows, then he deserves to die!"

"Perhaps I've even done you a favor, giving you the chance to obtain the Float-Float Fruit Ability!"

Rocks grinned broadly, his rage having simmered for months.

To think that Shiki the Extreme actually wanted to run—it was truly impossible not to lose his temper!

High above, amidst the sky filled with debris.

Shiki the Extreme looked pale as he watched the wood fragments rain down into the sea; his Flying Warship and his underlings were all gone!

Even he, while dodging frantically, had been caught in the blast of the Cannon Roar Shockwave Sword Qi, suffering significant internal injuries.

What kind of monstrous power was this!

Was this even the strength a human should possess!

Gulp.

Shiki swallowed hard, wondering what kind of demon he had encountered.

"Wahahahaha! Not bad! To survive that—it seems you have the qualifications to board my ship!"

The Sword of Xebec approached Shiki's location rapidly, Rocks' voice arrogant and wild.

Shiki instinctively wanted to keep fleeing, but the next moment, a sudden gravity pressed down upon him, clashing with and restraining his own Float-Float Fruit Ability.

Caught off guard, he nearly plummeted into the sea.

"Dare to run again, and I'll cleave you into a mist of blood with a single slash!"

Rocks' Conqueror's Haki erupted madly, ruthlessly crushing Shiki just as he managed to steady himself.

Shiki's face turned even paler.

"Stop, stop, stop! I'm not running!"

Shiki immediately raised both hands, abandoning all resistance and thought of escape.

The strength of these monsters was too great; he could neither escape nor win.

"Get down here!"

Rocks looked at Shiki, who was still hovering in the air, and commanded with a fierce, harsh tone.

"Right away, right away!"

Shiki landed obediently on the Sword of Xebec, his eyes darting quickly across these monsters.

When he clearly saw the monster that was Rocks, his eyes widened in an instant.

This was actually the world's most evil pirate, the one who had recently been the talk of the town for taking down a Marine Admiral—Rocks.

When had he ever provoked such a big shot!

"Shiki the Extreme, I'll give you two choices. One, join our Rocks Pirates immediately, or die. Two, play a Davy Back Fight game with me. If you win, you can leave; if you lose, you join voluntarily or die."

Rocks held up two fingers, his gaze fierce as he stared at Shiki.

If Shiki chose the Davy Back Fight, he would definitely beat him half to death!

"I'll join!!"

Seeing the fierce look in Rocks' eyes, Shiki didn't hesitate to join.

He had already forgotten about his dead underlings and his destroyed Flying Warship; he didn't want to be beaten to death by the furious Rocks.

"Wahahahaha! Then welcome to the Rocks Pirates!"

Rocks grinned, the anger on his face mostly dissipating.

If Shiki hadn't been sensible, he really would have dealt a lethal blow!

Besides, even if he killed him, there was still Houka who could take over the Float-Float Fruit Ability.

"Yes, Captain Rocks!"

Shiki called out with a dry laugh, though he still felt a bit of resentment deep down.

He was already considering whether to find an opportunity to leave the Rocks Pirates.

However, staying on the Rocks Pirates' ship for now didn't seem so bad; it would also allow him to hide from Xiong's pursuit.

Moreover, with a Rocks this powerful, perhaps he could even learn from him and grow stronger himself.

"My ship doesn't have many rules. We have only one: the strong rule, and strength is everything!"

Rocks looked at the cautious Shiki and spoke directly. He didn't like suppressing his subordinates, especially geniuses who possessed the qualities of a king.

Rocks let them grow stronger, awaken their Conqueror's Haki, and develop rapidly.

Only by being strong enough would they be qualified to join him in taking on Imu!

"The strong rule, and strength is everything?"

Shiki's eyes lit up. This rule suited his personality perfectly; he had never considered himself inferior to anyone in his life, and he refused to submit to anyone.