"Listen up, you pirates! I'm done with the underworld!"
"From now on, I'm no longer the Yakuza Killer. I'm Silver Axe Xiong, an officer of the Rocks Pirates!"
Xiong had seen Shiki going around loudly proclaiming his new title, so he wanted to make his own new nickname famous throughout the New World.
He absolutely couldn't let that bastard Golden Lion Shiki get one over on him!
Golden Lion Shiki, Silver Axe Xiong, and the Deep Sea Titan Babel used their overwhelming strength to crush and plunder every pirate crew on the island.
They weren't afraid of offending those crews, or of being retaliated against in the future!
After all, they were now subordinates of the World's Worst Pirate, Rocks!
The Rocks Pirates would become the greatest pirate crew in the world and rule the New World!
The countless Blood Shadow Bats Houka had sent out took the opportunity to drain the blood of many pirates.
The Vampire Soul Gu entered its first period of rapid growth.
Houka also received a considerable boost in return, and it seemed as if he had found a shortcut to becoming stronger.
After they finished their sweep of the pirate island, the Rocks Pirates held a welcoming feast for their new recruit, Xiong.
"Bahaha! That was satisfying! In the past, pirates plundered Fish-Man Island without restraint. Now I can finally kill and rob these pirate crews without restraint!"
"Sambel, I suggest you give up on your hero dream! It's much more satisfying to become the Scourge of the Ocean or the Deep Sea Undertaker!"
Babel, brimming with excitement, lectured Sambel, his honest clansman.
Since they'd already gone out to sea and made their name, he didn't like Sambel's honest, kindhearted nature!
"Big Brother Babel, I'll try to be fiercer, but I won't give up on becoming a hero of Fish-Man Island!"
Sambel scratched his head and chuckled sheepishly. But after seeing the wanton destruction around him, even the urge to wreak havoc stirred within him, and his eyes changed slightly.
"Wahaha! Should we go help Newgate take the Supreme Grade Sword, or go after some other strong fighters first?"
Rocks swallowed a mouthful of roast meat and picked up a stack of wanted posters and dossiers.
The smuggler pirate Ganzi, a Bomb-Bomb Fruit Ability user, did business all over the New World, West Blue, and North Blue. Finding him would probably be as troublesome as tracking down that bastard Shiki.
Ochoku, who called himself the Pirate Patriarch, had claimed a pirate island as his territory, so his location was relatively fixed.
But Houka had warned Rocks that Ochoku might sell out the Rocks Pirates for money, repeatedly leaking their location and information.
A traitor like that wouldn't be of any use on board!
And yet Ochoku dared to call himself the Pirate Patriarch, as if he didn't care about the World's Worst Pirate.
If Rocks couldn't recruit him, then he'd kill him and make sure the Rocks Pirates' name spread throughout the New World!
As for Malone, the mafia boss of West Blue, they could deal with him later.
When they left the New World, Rocks planned to secretly return to his family's home in West Blue, God Valley, and bring the Davy Clan a fortune and supplies to improve his family's lives.
"Of course we should help me get the Supreme Grade Sword first!"
Even Newgate, who usually never fought over anything, wanted to claim his share this time.
The sooner he got the Supreme Grade Sword, the sooner he could train with Murakumogiri and continue strengthening himself.
"Shahaha, Brother Houka, I want to find two famous swords. Any suggestions?"
Golden Lion Shiki floated over to Houka with a fawning look that made Silver Axe Xiong sneer in disgust.
"I'll need to spend more time with you before I can predict anything about your future."
Houka shrugged. He didn't tell Shiki about the two famous swords, Oto and Kogarashi.
"I need to spend more time with you before you can predict my future?"
Shiki raised an eyebrow, seeming to have guessed one of the conditions for Houka's powers of prophecy.
Perhaps Houka needed some kind of connection with someone before he could see part of their future.
"Then we'd better spend more time together, Chief Strategist..."
Shiki didn't call Houka the vice captain. Instead, he called him the Chief Strategist to get closer to him.
"Ugh! That disgusting Flying Orange Cat!"
Xiong looked even more contemptuous of Shiki, his disgust plain on his face.
Without his Float-Float Fruit Ability, Shiki would've been chopped into pieces by now.
"Hey, what's with that attitude? Chief Strategist Houka arranged this welcome feast for you. Are you looking down on him?"
Shiki gave a malicious grin and immediately tried to drive a wedge between Xiong and Houka.
If Xiong offended Houka, Newgate and Babel would probably turn against him too.
Then Xiong's situation in the Rocks Pirates would become very grim.
That was exactly the outcome Shiki wanted.
"Hmph!"
Xiong didn't explain himself. He just scowled and drank.
"Shiki, cut out the petty tricks."
Houka gave a meaningful laugh, seeing right through Shiki's attempt to sow discord.
"Xiong, welcome aboard!"
Houka raised his cup toward Silver Axe, completely unfazed by Shiki's awkward laugh.
"..."
Xiong, whose nature was cold, glanced at Houka in surprise. In the end, he accepted Houka's goodwill and raised his cup in response, but said nothing.
"Bahaha! One slippery, one cold as ice. Neither of you knows how to have a good time!"
"Newgate! Let's drink!"
Babel wasn't particularly friendly toward the two new recruits. He raised a huge barrel of wine toward Newgate.
"Cheers!"
Newgate was a drinker too. He never turned down a drink, no matter how much was offered.
The two drinkers' enthusiasm finally livened up the welcome feast.
"Wahaha! Then let's go help Newgate get Murakumogiri first."
Rocks looked at his six subordinates with a satisfied smile.
He'd originally planned to seek out Harald, the powerful king of the giants.
But Houka said it was doomed to fail, so Rocks had to put the idea aside for now.
"Gurarara! Thanks!"
Newgate laughed heartily. Though there were rules in this pirate crew that he hated, things seemed pretty good so far.
At least he got along well with Houka, Babel, and Sambel.
He hoped the two new recruits, Shiki and Xiong, wouldn't turn out to be bastards he hated!
"Houka, take a look at this guy. His name didn't come up before. Is there a chance he'll become one of my subordinates?"
Rocks handed Houka a wanted poster. He'd taken an interest in the man's considerable strength.
[Four-Armed Gun King] Gier Buster, a Paramecia-type Hollow-Hollow Fruit Ability user.
"Hmm?"
"Him?"
"We can bring him aboard!"
"He really was one of the Rocks Pirates' officers!"
Looking at the man in a hat and sunglasses, Houka nearly forgot about this Rocks officer.
After he died, Gecko Moria would turn him into a zombie general in the future.
He hadn't expected him to be a Hollow-Hollow Fruit Ability user!
Did he have some connection to Ghost Princess Perona?
Could the bullets he fired carry the power of Negative Hollows?
Bullets combined with Negative Hollows—that was a good combination!
"And this one: Bolo Gram, captain of the Bolo Pirates. He seems worthy of joining us too!"
Rocks handed Houka another wanted poster and asked his opinion.
'Pineapple-headed Marco?'
'No, this is Marco's father!'
Houka's eyes narrowed. The man looked exactly like Marco.
"You can give it a try!"
Houka nodded. The man seemed to be about as strong as Silver Axe and Ganzi, and he could even kick Silver Axe flying. He was definitely powerful.