Houka looked at Shiki's young face. The guy was still a little unreliable and willful, and he loved playing tricks on people.
Throwing bombs and shutting the gates to block their escape routes were just some of the little ways he liked to mess with his crewmates.
It was hard to imagine that he would become the arrogant, overbearing Golden Lion Shiki, who looked down on everyone and wanted to rule the world!
"Vice Captain Houka, that guy's future title is Golden Lion. What about me? Will I get a fearsome nickname that shakes the world?"
Babel stuffed his face with meat and looked at Houka expectantly, hoping to hear a resounding title.
He'd joined the Rocks Pirates, but hadn't done anything major yet. He didn't even have a wanted poster, so he had no bounty or nickname.
"Catfish Wrestler Babel!"
Houka floated in the air, reclining as he drank red wine and spoke leisurely.
"Catfish Wrestler? That's not impressive or domineering at all!"
Babel's face fell. The nickname clearly wasn't what he'd imagined, and he was immediately a little dejected.
"Vice Captain, you're a prophet, a cultured man full of wisdom. Please give me a new nickname!"
Babel seemed to have thought of something, and his eyes lit up as he looked at Houka.
He believed that the well-read Houka would surely come up with something he liked.
"You want to change your title?"
"That would change the future. Who knows what kind of butterfly effect might come back to bite me?"
Houka sat up in the air, wearing a 'troubled' expression as he solemnly spouted nonsense.
"Uh..."
"If it could have bad consequences, then never mind, Vice Captain."
At the sight of Houka's grave expression, the fire in Babel's heart instantly died down.
"Forget it. From the moment we met, the future was already destined to change!"
"Everyone, you must believe in the saying, 'I decide my fate, not the heavens!'"
Houka turned his back to the others and gazed up at the sky at a forty-five-degree angle, leaving them with a mysterious silhouette.
"Vice Captain..."
Babel was so moved he could barely contain himself. Sambel's eyes sparkled as he was completely won over by Houka's charisma.
Rocks raised an eyebrow. Would Houka die if he stopped putting on an act?
He was always picking on the honest, good-natured people aboard the ship!
Newgate gave Houka an approving smile, while Shiki's expression grew even more complicated.
"Let me think of a title that suits you..."
Houka looked back at Babel's enormous body, which stood over ten meters tall, and immediately came up with a few decent titles.
"How about Deep Sea Titan? It sounds perfect for a Fish-Man as enormous as you."
"If you don't like that, there's also Scourge of the Ocean! Deep Sea Roar! Tidal Knight! Warship Undertaker!..."
Houka quickly rattled off a long list of impressive titles, and Babel was instantly thrilled.
He loved every one of them!
Even Sambel's eyes lit up as he started turning the idea over in his mind.
Once Big Brother Babel had picked his title, he'd choose one too.
"Wahahahaha! Not bad, not bad! Those titles are worthy of my officers!"
Rocks burst into hearty laughter. Honestly, he wasn't even satisfied with his title, World's Worst Pirate, anymore.
He wanted to know if he'd have any other fearsome, resounding epithets in the future!
"Bwahahaha! Then from now on, I'll be Deep Sea Titan Babel! Catfish Wrestler sounds awful!"
Babel spoke excitedly. Deep Sea Titan sounded even more powerful than Golden Lion.
"Then you should practice with a meteor hammer or a long-chain ship's anchor as your weapon."
Houka grinned mischievously.
"Great! I'll listen to you, Vice Captain. I'll train with the Meteor Ship Anchor as my weapon!"
Babel was more than happy to take advice from Houka the prophet. Along with Fish-Man Karate and Fish-Man Jujutsu, he'd train with the Meteor Ship Anchor too!
"Vice Captain, I..."
At that moment, Sambel quietly raised his hand. He'd taken a liking to one of the titles.
"Wahahaha! Kid, I think Scourge of the Ocean and Warship Undertaker are pretty good. Got the guts to take one of those domineering titles?"
Rocks looked at the honest, good-natured Sambel and suddenly felt like using one of those titles to change his personality.
"Uh, Captain Rocks, I..."
Sambel's courage nearly fizzled out, and his expression turned awkward.
Neither of the two titles Captain Rocks had suggested was the one he wanted.
"Don't mind Rocks. Pick whichever one you like. I've got your back!"
Houka waved his hand grandly, though out of the corner of his eye, he couldn't help sneaking a glance at Rocks's wild grin.
"Captain Rocks, Vice Captain Houka, I want the title Tidal Knight. I want to become a hero of Fish-Man Island!"
Sambel immediately mustered his courage. Though he came from the chaotic Fish-Man District, his heart had always been full of hope.
He wanted to be a hero, a Fish-Man hero who could protect Fish-Man Island and change its circumstances!
"Gurarara! A hero! That's a fine ambition!"
"But you'll have to work hard. Being a hero is ten or a hundred times harder than being a pirate!"
Newgate burst out laughing, giving Sambel his full approval. He also appreciated Houka's protective attitude even more.
"Hmph. We're already pirates, and you want to be a hero?"
Shiki sneered. He clearly didn't like the title or the dream; his opinion was much the same as Rocks's.
He also thought Scourge of the Ocean and Warship Undertaker were much better, more in keeping with the Rocks Pirates' brutal style.
"Hmph!"
Rocks snorted and stopped paying attention. He just felt that Sambel had no ambition or spirit.
No wonder he lacked the makings of a king!
"Hey, Houka, what's my future nickname?"
Newgate took a big swig of red wine and roughly wiped the red wine stain splashed on his short beard with his sleeve.
Newgate had long blond hair, only a little shorter than Golden Lion Shiki's. Yet the short whiskers on his upper lip were white.
"Hahaha! Newgate, your trademark feature hasn't grown in yet!"
Houka glanced at Newgate's short beard, shrugged, and laughed.
"Trademark feature? Hasn't grown in?"
"What the hell are you talking about? Stop beating around the bush and tell me!"
Newgate couldn't guess even after thinking it over, so he scowled and demanded an answer.
"I won't tease you. Your trademark white beard will become famous throughout the world in the future!"
"Because of your white crescent-shaped beard, you'll be known as Whitebeard Newgate!"
Houka made a crescent shape with his hands in front of Newgate. Then he even activated the Moonlight Gu, turning it into a silver crescent that hovered near Newgate's lips.
"Hahaha! Right, right! That's the Whitebeard Newgate I remember!"
Houka smiled with satisfaction. Newgate with a white beard was the real Newgate.
"Whitebeard?"
"That title's just so-so!"
Newgate waved Houka's Moonlight Gu away, looking thoroughly unimpressed.
"Whitebeard! Golden Lion! Those are all legendary titles that will be famous in the future."
"So many pirates will imitate your nickname. There'll be Blackbeard, Brownbeard, Redbeard, Pinkbeard..."
Houka shrugged as though describing something commonplace.
"Gurarara! Looks like I really will be a big shot in the future!"
Newgate smiled with satisfaction and stroked the white whiskers on his upper lip, deciding that Whitebeard wasn't a bad title after all.