"We finally found that bastard!!!"
"Houka! Get the ship airborne!"
"Chase him!!"
Rocks wanted nothing more than to fly over and beat Shiki the Extreme into a pulp. The bastard had wasted several months of his time.
'Anti-Gravity · Zero Gravity!'
'Lateral Gravity!'
Houka didn't hesitate. He used his Gravity Ability on the Sword of Xebec, first making it float, then accelerating it sideways as it raced toward the Flying Warship in the distance.
Meanwhile, aboard the Flying Warship.
Shiki had just escaped Xiong's pursuit on an island, and he was in a pretty good mood.
With the Float-Float Fruit Ability, that bastard Xiong would never catch up with him in his life.
Once he grew stronger, he would make sure to get his revenge.
"You dare chase me for that long? I'll kill you sooner or later!"
Shiki looked at his two swords, their blades full of chips, and his eyes showed a hint of irritation.
He had to admit that Xiong's axe skills and strength were both formidable.
He was no match for him right now.
Anyone strong enough to wield an axe well was a freak with inhuman strength.
"Looks like I'll have to find two famous swords."
Shiki, who excelled at Two-Sword Style, had yet to acquire Oto and Kogarashi, the two famous blades.
"Boss! There's... there's a ship coming this way!!"
A lookout, a gangster from the underworld, shouted at Shiki in terror, his eyes bulging like bells.
He hadn't expected there to be another Flying Warship besides the one his boss could control.
At the moment, Shiki was only the boss of a Yakuza gang. He hadn't founded the Flying Pirates yet.
So his underworld underlings called him "Boss," not "Captain."
"A ship?"
Shiki immediately rushed to the stern and looked at the sky behind them. His long golden hair streamed in the wind, making him look like a lion king.
"There's actually someone with an ability similar to the Float-Float Fruit Ability!"
Shiki was shocked. He used Observation Haki to sense whether there were any strong fighters aboard the Flying Warship.
The next moment, Shiki's expression changed drastically, and cold sweat quickly beaded on his forehead.
He felt as if a primeval monster were staring down at him.
This terrifying presence was a hundred, even a thousand times stronger than Yakuza Assassin Xiong!
"A monster! Run!!"
Without another word, Shiki roared.
His underlings hurriedly rowed the air oars to speed up.
Shiki's Flying Warship, which he kept aloft with the Float-Float Fruit Ability, still relied heavily on the wind to travel, much like a ship sailing on the sea.
So, relatively speaking, Shiki's Flying Warship was quite vulnerable in extreme storms.
"You still think you can run?!"
"Stop right there!!"
Rocks drew his sword and unleashed a terrifying slash at the sky.
The cannon-like Shockwave Sword Qi was even more terrifying than Elbaf's combined technique, Ikoku.
The mighty shockwave slash, with a range of five thousand meters, blasted Shiki's Flying Warship into countless fragments.
"Holy crap, Rocks! Why are you so damn reckless? Weren't you worried you'd kill Shiki?"
Houka's eyes widened at Rocks's ferocious slash.
Newgate's eyes burned with excitement. One day, he would reach that level too.
"Captain is so strong!"
Sambel's eyes sparkled. If Houka represented wisdom, then Rocks was the absolute embodiment of strength.
They were both his idols!
"That's absurd!"
Babel stared at Rocks in shock. The range of his strongest Fish-Man Karate technique was only a few hundred meters.
Rocks was more than ten times stronger than he was.
"Wahahaha! If he can't even withstand one of my attacks, then he deserves to die!"
"Maybe it'll even work out for you. You might get the Float-Float Fruit Ability!"
Rocks laughed, baring his teeth. His anger had been building for months.
That Shiki the Extreme had actually tried to run. There was no way he wouldn't get angry!
Above the raining fragments,
Shiki stared pale-faced at the splinters falling into the sea. His Flying Warship and his underlings were all gone!
He had even been caught in the cannon-like Shockwave Sword Qi while frantically dodging, and he'd suffered serious internal injuries.
What kind of monstrous power was this?
Was this the kind of power a human could have?
"Gulp."
Shiki swallowed. What kind of demon had he run into?
"Wahahahaha! Not bad! You survived that, so you're qualified to join my crew!"
The Sword of Xebec quickly approached Shiki's location. Rocks's voice was domineering and arrogant.
Shiki instinctively tried to flee again, but the next moment, a force of gravity pressed down on him, counteracting his Float-Float Fruit Ability.
He was caught off guard and nearly plunged into the sea.
"Try running again, and I'll slash you into a cloud of blood!"
Rocks's Conqueror's Haki erupted violently, crushing Shiki, who had just steadied himself.
Shiki's face grew even paler.
"Stop, stop! I'm not running!"
Shiki raised both hands, giving up on resisting and fleeing.
These monsters were too strong. He couldn't escape, and he couldn't beat them.
"Get down here!"
Rocks looked at Shiki, who was still floating in the air, and ordered him in a harsh voice.
"Right away!"
Shiki obediently landed on the Sword of Xebec, his eyes darting over the monsters around him.
When he saw the monster that was Rocks, his eyes instantly widened.
This was the World's Worst Pirate, Rocks, who had recently become the talk of the town after killing a Marine Admiral.
When had he offended such a big shot?
"Shiki the Extreme, you have two choices. One: join the Rocks Pirates or die.
"Two: play a Davy Back Fight with me. If you beat me, you can leave. If you lose, you either join us willingly or die."
Rocks held up two fingers and stared at Shiki with a fierce look.
If Shiki chose the Davy Back Fight, Rocks would beat him half to death!
"I'll join!!"
At the sight of Rocks's fierce expression, Shiki joined without another word.
He had already forgotten about his dead underlings and destroyed Flying Warship. He didn't want to be beaten to death by Rocks, whose face was still full of rage.
"Wahahahaha! Then welcome to the Rocks Pirates!"
Rocks grinned. Most of the anger had faded from his face.
If Shiki had refused to cooperate, Rocks really would have gone hard on him!
Even if he killed Shiki, Houka could still take over the Float-Float Fruit Ability.
"Yes, Captain Rocks!"
Shiki called out with an awkward laugh, but deep down, he still felt a little unwilling.
He wondered whether he should look for a chance to leave the Rocks Pirates.
Still, staying aboard the Rocks Pirates for now didn't seem so bad. He could also avoid Xiong's pursuit.
And Rocks was so powerful that Shiki might be able to learn from him and grow stronger.
"There aren't many rules aboard my ship. We have only one: the strong come first, and strength is everything!"
Rocks looked at the cautious Shiki and spoke. He didn't like holding his subordinates back, especially gifted young men with the potential to become kings.
Rocks let them grow stronger, awaken their Conqueror's Haki, and develop quickly.
Only the strong were qualified to join him in taking on Imu!
"The strong come first, and strength is everything?"
Shiki's eyes lit up. That rule suited his personality perfectly. He had never been weaker than anyone, and he refused to submit to anyone.