Shiki immediately looked at the other crew members. If he couldn't beat Rocks, surely he could beat someone else.
He was going to become the second-in-command of this ship!
'So strong!'
The moment Shiki saw Newgate, he sensed that the giant was stronger than him.
When he looked over at Houka and Babel, he felt that neither of them was any weaker than him.
Sambel was the only one he could pick on.
As for the sailors and deckhands, he ignored them.
"Bwahahaha! None of us has even laid a hand on the new guy, and you're already challenging us?"
Babel laughed without restraint. Every new member had to fight a big battle, of course, to establish their place on the ship.
"Kyahahahaha! The strong rule, and strength is everything. Of course we should fight!"
"But I'm not in good shape today. We'll fight in a few days."
Shiki wasn't afraid at all. He met Babel's savage gaze head-on.
Newgate merely glanced at Shiki.
He'd fought Houka before and already had the experience and techniques to deal with someone who could fly.
If Shiki dared to provoke him, Newgate wouldn't mind using his Tremor-Tremor Fruit Ability to send Shiki sinking into the sea.
"I already told you, no fighting on the first day a new member comes aboard. We're having a banquet instead!"
Houka floated in the air as he spoke, doing his best to keep the mood aboard ship civil.
"Sure thing, Vice-Captain!"
Babel was very obedient. He'd rather anger Rocks than offend Houka, the prophet.
"He's the vice-captain? Wasn't strength supposed to be everything on this ship?"
Shiki was instantly a little dissatisfied. He'd sooner believe that Newgate was the vice-captain than that this guy, Houka, was.
"There's no vice-captain on my ship!"
"You can beat them all into submission and make them call you vice-captain willingly."
Rocks shrugged, then gave Houka a sly look.
Looks like he wouldn't have to beat Houka up himself anymore. Shiki would keep picking fights with him from now on.
"Kyahahahaha! Beat them until they're willing to call me vice-captain, is that it?"
Shiki had set himself a small goal: beat all these powerful crew members into submission.
"I only recognize Vice-Captain Houka!"
Sambel spoke up obediently, not at all afraid of offending Shiki, the new guy.
"Kyahahaha! I'll beat you all into submission one by one. I hope you've got the guts to keep talking!"
Shiki was arrogant and unruly. He was going to beat these guys up just as badly as Rocks had beaten him.
He'd show them what it meant for the strong to rule and for strength to be everything!
"Bwahahaha! Trying to take Houka's vice-captain position? I hope you don't regret it."
Babel burst out laughing. He hoped Shiki would still be able to laugh after finding out that Houka was a prophet.
Even Rocks took Houka very seriously.
With the brilliant Vice-Captain Houka scheming against him, Shiki would probably suffer plenty of losses.
In fact, if Houka really wanted Shiki's Float-Float Fruit Ability, Rocks and Newgate would probably help kill him.
That was how important Houka was!
On the Rocks Pirates, the rule that the strong ruled and strength was everything applied to everyone.
Everyone except Houka, the prophet.
"Regret it? I'll never regret anything!"
Shiki shot Houka a provocative glance, but Houka ignored him and continued working with a few sailors and deckhands to prepare Shiki's welcome banquet.
When Shiki saw the floating "sea of wine and meat," he immediately thought of the gravity that had pinned him down earlier.
"What's your ability?"
Shiki felt that Houka's ability countered his Float-Float Fruit Ability, so he casually asked about it.
After all, knowing yourself and your enemy was the key to winning every battle.
"Gravity Ability."
"Welcome aboard, Golden Lion Shiki!"
Houka smiled faintly, picked up a floating glass of red wine, and raised it toward Shiki.
"Golden Lion? Is that my new nickname?"
Shiki was a samurai who ran with the underworld crowd, and people there usually called him Shiki the Extreme. He hadn't earned any other nicknames yet.
Still, the title Golden Lion did suit his golden hair.
"Sorry, I'm used to calling you that. Golden Lion Shiki is your future title."
Houka acted as if it were no big deal. It wouldn't hurt to let these guys know their future titles.
"Future title?"
Shiki furrowed his brow, suddenly getting a bad feeling.
"Bwahahaha! Vice-Captain Houka is a prophet who can see the future. You want to take his position and you've offended him? You're in for it now."
"Maybe all the opportunities that were meant for you will get snatched away. Famous swords, Devil Fruits, that sort of thing..."
Babel looked at Shiki with a mischievous grin. They knew that Houka had taken the Vampire Fruit, which should have belonged to Red Earl Redfield.
Offending Houka meant having a very unlucky future.
If Shiki ran into a deadly crisis, Houka might not even warn him.
"What! A prophet?"
Shiki's pupils trembled. He'd just been thinking about getting two Famous Swords. If Houka got in his way or misled him—
Wouldn't that ruin everything?
So that was what the two Fish-Men had meant when they told him not to regret it.
"Hmph, I don't believe it!"
Shiki held his chin high and spoke stubbornly, but there was far less arrogance in his gaze when he looked at Houka.
"Houka, I've already got a lead on the Supreme Grade Sword, Murakumogiri, that I'll get in the future."
"I really like the look of that naginata. When are we going to take it?"
Newgate, who had grabbed some roast meat and was eating heartily, turned to Houka with a grin.
Looks like he really would become a master swordsman who wielded a naginata in the future.
Newgate was used to fighting with his fists, but he'd already started preparing to train in the techniques for wielding a long-handled naginata.
"What! A Supreme Grade Sword?"
Shiki's eyes instantly turned red with envy. Had Houka used his powers of prophecy to find a suitable Supreme Grade Sword for the little giant, Newgate?
Was that the charm of having a prophet around?
"Heh, ask Rocks, the captain. He decides what the Rocks Pirates do."
"I'm just here to provide a little information."
Houka leisurely enjoyed his wine, deliberately ignoring Shiki's complicated expression.
Shiki was a few years older than Newgate and had only just turned twenty. His strength was still far from its peak.
He wasn't qualified to challenge Houka for the vice-captain position!
Houka had the abilities of three Devil Fruits now. Even if he was a little lacking physically, his strength was already quite impressive.
With the Seven-Star Sword boosting him, he had no problem taking on the young Golden Lion Shiki.
"Wahahahaha! Don't worry, Newgate. We'll definitely help you get a Supreme Grade Sword!"
"Houka found himself a Seven-Star Sword ages ago. That guy's as cunning as they come."
Rocks burst out laughing. He loved the feeling of taking exactly what they wanted.
"But first, we're going to recruit that Yakuza Assassin Xiong who's hunting Shiki. We might as well bring him aboard while we're at it!"
Now that Shiki was aboard, Xiong should be somewhere in these waters too.
Xiong would join them over a decade from now anyway, so they might as well bring him aboard early.
Maybe he could reach even greater heights by growing alongside them.
"You're going to recruit Xiong?"
Shiki's eyes widened again, but then he broke into a wicked grin.
"Then you'd better beat him up good, Captain. Xiong's famous for being a stubborn, arrogant hardcase!"
Shiki immediately started egging Rocks on. He hoped Rocks would beat Xiong half to death.
Now that he'd joined the Rocks Pirates before Xiong, he'd be Xiong's senior. Then he could taunt that bastard all he wanted.