"Fear will make you lose even faster!"
A long, ghostly green sword appeared before Silver Axe Xiong, radiating an evil power. Its flickering blade aura carried a keen, slicing edge.
"Damn it!"
Influenced by the Seven-Star Sword, Xiong had lost some of his reason and immediately flew into a rage.
He swung his giant axe wildly, trying to send Houka flying.
Gravity Blade: Fierce Tiger!
A purple, tiger-shaped blade aura slammed Xiong, axe and all, into a massive crater dozens of meters deep.
"Ugh!"
Silver Axe Xiong spat out a mouthful of blood. This gravity blade aura made him feel as if he were facing Rocks's Cannon Hammer Sword Style, leaving him utterly unable to fight back.
"Young people sure have vigorous blood. You like spitting it up so much!"
Houka's expression was cold as he summoned a huge swarm of Blood Shadow Bats, which engulfed Silver Axe Xiong.
The blood of a powerhouse couldn't be wasted!
"Hey, hey, hey, Houka, that's enough!"
"How are you even more ruthless than me?"
Rocks sensed Silver Axe Xiong's presence weakening rapidly and hurriedly called out to warn him.
He didn't want one of the officers he had just recruited to be killed by his own crew.
"Challenges come at a price!"
Houka increased the gravity's crushing force and the Blood Shadow Bats' bloodsucking assault. The Seven-Star Sword had nearly taken complete control of Xiong's will, too.
Only after Xiong had completely lost the ability to fight back did Houka dispel all his powers. He drifted back to his place and leisurely savored his red wine, looking pleased.
His unruffled victory pose perfectly embodied the meaning of elegance!
"Shiki, carry that guy back."
Rocks ordered Shiki, then rejoined the feast.
Shiki's opinion of Houka had completely changed. This strategist's strength far surpassed anything he had imagined!
There was no way he could beat this prophet now!
"Not bad, Houka! You've developed some incredibly powerful moves."
Rocks gave Houka a satisfied smile. The weakling who was Officer 001 finally had the power to protect himself.
"But if I had the Seven-Star Sword and three Devil Fruit abilities, I could unleash slashes dozens of times stronger than yours!"
"So your physique still has a lot of room to grow!"
Rocks made sure to remind Houka, lest the crafty kid get too big for his boots.
Still, given how quickly Houka was growing, he really was qualified to be vice-captain.
Even Rocks couldn't imagine how powerful Houka would be at full strength with nine Devil Fruit abilities.
"I know. I'm still nowhere near strong enough to deal with those old monsters!"
Houka wasn't arrogant or complacent. He hadn't even awakened Three-Color Haki yet, and his body hadn't finished transforming.
He still had a long way to go!
"You're this strong?! And you still have the nerve to say you're weak, helpless, and pitiful?"
Newgate stared at the island-splitting slash Houka had carved through the ground, his face full of shock.
"Am I not weak? I lose every arm-wrestling match against you! You nearly broke my arm, too!"
Houka answered Newgate with complete conviction. His strength and physique were nowhere near Rocks's or Newgate's.
"Damn it! Rocks was right. You prophets are the craftiest!"
Newgate was speechless at Houka's sleight of hand, making himself sound weak.
"Vice-captain, I knew you had both brains and strength!"
Babel had fully decided that the two strongest men on the ship were the ones to follow. Whenever Rocks couldn't be bothered, he would stick firmly with Houka.
"The vice-captain is so strong!"
Sambel admired Houka, the kind vice-captain, even more. From now on, he would make sure to follow Houka's orders.
Before long, Shiki carried back Xiong, whose face was deathly pale.
His body was covered in bat bites, and he looked as though he had been drained dry.
What hurt Xiong most was that he hadn't even managed to touch Houka's clothes before a whole series of attacks had left him powerless to fight back.
The terrifying slashes, crushing gravity, bloodsucking bats, and evil mental invasion—he had struggled to deal with every one of them.
Combined, these abilities were a hundred times more troublesome than Shiki's Float-Float Fruit Ability.
"Tsk, tsk, what a mess, Xiong!"
"First Rocks beat you senseless, and then Houka thrashed you..."
Shiki gloated. It was a good thing he hadn't challenged Houka; otherwise, he would have been the one getting beaten.
He was smart enough to goad Xiong into it with just a few words, making him the one who lost face.
"This time, you caught me off guard. Next time, I'll definitely beat you!"
Xiong was still unconvinced. As a newcomer who had just joined the ship, how could he have known that Houka had so many abilities—and an evil sword, too?
Once he figured out everything about Houka, he would challenge him again!
"Bring it on. My Vampire Bats could use a meal."
Houka felt the lifespan and strength returned to him by his Vampire Ability, and his smile grew wider.
During the God Valley War, apart from Captain John and Ganzi, Silver Axe Xiong and Golden Lion Shiki had both been among the first to abandon the crew.
Houka didn't mind teaching them a good lesson and keeping them in line.
They were young now, and so was Houka.
He didn't believe he would grow any more slowly than these officers.
By the time Silver Axe and Golden Lion reached the peak of their strength, Houka would be even stronger!
"Damn it!!"
Covered in injuries, Silver Axe gritted his teeth and cursed under his breath, temporarily submitting to Houka's strength.
"Wahahaha! Looks like your wanted posters will be updated after today!"
"Newgate, Sambel, if you two don't put on a good show, your bounties will probably be a lot lower than theirs."
Rocks surveyed the pirate island, now little more than rubble, and the countless pirates lying on the ground. A satisfied smile spread across his face.
That was the kind of destructive power the Rocks Pirates should have!
"Captain, I'll do my best!"
Sambel answered earnestly at once. The next time they encountered another pirate crew, he would be the first to charge in.
"Who cares about those numbers?"
Newgate looked completely unconcerned. If he didn't need to send money back to Sphinx Island, he wouldn't even bother competing with these guys for the spoils.
"I hope you feel the same when Sambel's bounty surpasses yours!"
"Men! Let's go!"
"We're going to get Newgate a Supreme Grade Sword!"
Rocks laughed heartily. He, too, hoisted a huge sack of gold and treasure and headed back to the Sword of Xebec.
Golden Lion Shiki slung two sacks of treasure over his back and floated into the air.
He liked the feeling of carrying treasure.
Newgate, Babel, and Sambel all cheerfully hoisted treasure onto their backs, in high spirits.
Houka simply flicked his fingers and floated up all the remaining treasure and supplies, bringing the wounded Silver Axe along with them.
Silver Axe accepted Houka's help without expression.
His resentment had faded a little.
Only after the Rocks Pirates' flying warship had departed did the underlings on the pirate island dare to emerge.
They stared in terror at the two horrific slashes left behind by Rocks and Houka.
Houka's slash was especially frightening. It had cleaved straight through half the island.
How could a kid with a bounty of just 80 million Beli be so strong?
Even the well-known Yakuza Assassin Xiong, with a bounty as high as 300 million, had been crushed by Houka!
Had another monster like Charlotte Linlin been born?
They felt that every member of the Rocks Pirates was a monster. Several of them were no weaker than Charlotte Linlin!
Their bounties might even reach around 500 million Beli!