"Are the most powerful offensive Logia, the Magma-Magma Fruit, and the fastest Logia, the Glint-Glint Fruit, both in the North Blue?"
Rocks licked his lips, a trace of greed in his eyes. If he could get his hands on them, even if he didn't use them himself, he could give them to the Davy Clan in God Valley.
Those two top-tier Logia abilities were incredibly powerful. He didn't want to hand them over to Silver Axe Xiong for nothing.
"I only said that the future users of those two abilities would come from the North Blue!"
Houka shrugged, adding a caveat. Who knew whether Sakazuki and Borsalino had eaten their Devil Fruits in the North Blue?
"Wororororo! You sly bastard!"
Rocks laughed and cursed. He'd known Houka wouldn't reveal such important information.
That bastard Houka definitely wanted to get his hands on those powerful Logia abilities himself.
Houka already had a Mythical Zoan Vampire Ability, the Paramecia Moonlight Ability, and Gravity Ability. He probably wanted a powerful Logia ability too.
At the moment, Houka also seemed interested in the Paramecia Magnet-Magnet Fruit, Barrier-Barrier Fruit Ability, Teleport-Teleport Fruit, and Castle-Castle Fruit.
Houka was still asking around about abilities related to time and space!
And lately, Houka seemed to have his eye on a newcomer named Byrnndi World.
That newcomer's ability seemed to be the More-More Fruit!
Why was that guy Houka so obsessed with Paramecia abilities?
It seemed he only planned to get one or two Mythical Zoans and a Logia!
He intended to get Paramecia abilities for everything else!
"That's still better than having no information at all!"
A glimmer of longing flashed in Silver Axe Xiong's eyes. He was definitely going to the North Blue.
Even if the chances were slim, he still wanted to try looking.
"Gyahahaha! Finders keepers! Houka! Xiong! Don't blame us if we try to take them from you!"
Golden Lion Shiki wasn't about to let anyone have them without a fight. If there was a chance to snatch them, he'd take it.
He was sure even Rocks would make a move!
"Hmph! You can try!"
Silver Axe Xiong gave Shiki a cold look. He wouldn't hold back either.
He'd cut down anyone who stood in his way of getting stronger!
"Gyahahaha! Just you watch, Number 5!"
Golden Lion Shiki and Silver Axe Xiong were at each other's throats as usual.
"Houka! Do you really have no information at all about those two fruits?"
"I taught you Cannon Hammer Sword Style, and you're still not satisfied?"
"If you awaken Three-Color Haki, I'll teach you the techniques I've kept up my sleeve!"
"First, your body and Haki have to be strong enough."
Aside from information about the Ancient Weapons, Rocks was most concerned about those two legendary Devil Fruits.
Houka looked into Rocks's serious eyes, then slowly floated into the air. He raised both hands, moonlight radiating faintly from his body. He looked every bit like a grand priest and a charlatan prophet.
"One is probably somewhere in the direction of Elbaf. The other will appear in some sea in the New World, decades from now..."
Houka sat down, looking "exhausted," on Babel's broad shoulder.
Rocks's powerful Observation Haki let him see at a glance that Houka was putting on an act, but he didn't call him out.
Babel and Sambel, though, all thought Houka was using his prophetic ability and must have been expending a great deal of strength and energy.
Even Newgate, Shiki, and Xiong were fooled by Houka's acting.
They really believed that using his prophetic ability came at a cost.
"Elbaf, and somewhere in the New World decades from now..."
"Both are in the New World?"
"I believe the future can still change. Fate will favor me!"
Rocks grinned. He wasn't disappointed; instead, he was full of hope.
And even if he couldn't wait decades for that Devil Fruit to appear, he could still go to Elbaf and seize the other one.
Still, he preferred the Dark-Dark Fruit!
He knew his personality didn't quite suit the Human-Human Fruit, Model: Nika.
But if he couldn't find the Dark-Dark Fruit, he'd eat the Human-Human Fruit, Model: Nika anyway!
"Rocks, you're so strong already. Why do you need a Devil Fruit ability?"
Silver Axe Xiong had thought Rocks was going to compete with him for the Devil Fruits, and his face darkened at once.
"Wororororo! Relax. I'm not interested in Logia abilities like Magma and Glint."
"Of course, if the chance comes, I'll still take them. There are a few people back home who need powerful abilities!"
Rocks ignored Xiong's dark expression. According to the ship's rules, whoever seized a Devil Fruit owned it, while treasure was divided according to strength!
"I won't give you the chance!"
Xiong glared unhappily at Rocks and Shiki, his two rivals, and didn't spare Houka either.
"Wororororo, let's not get ahead of ourselves!"
"Once that Cook-Cook Fruit user joins the ship, we'll have a great chef aboard."
"Come on! Let's find that Steel Balloon and Gourmet Knight!"
Rocks put the discussion about the Magma-Magma Fruit and the Glint-Glint Fruit aside and set his sights on the next two new members.
The sailors and deckhands aboard the Sword of Xebec were filled with fear and resentment.
They really didn't want to be thrown off the ship!
But they weren't strong enough to catch Rocks's eye!
Luckily, Houka had given them another option!
They could set out on their own as a pirate crew and become an affiliated crew of the Rocks Pirates.
Once the Rocks Pirates took over islands and established their own territory, they could come join them and help manage it.
The catch was that they had to survive until then!
So these men had been training like mad over the past few days. They'd also asked Houka and Newgate, two approachable officers, for advice, hoping to survive in the dangerous New World.
If they really made it to that day, they would be sure to repay Houka for his kindness.
Rocks couldn't be bothered with such trivial matters. He wouldn't waste his attention on weaklings.
He knew that beneath Imu's and his own Conqueror's Haki, no matter how many underlings there were, they'd all go down in a single move.
It was just the sort of petty business Houka, the "Pseudo-Vice Captain," could handle.
He wanted every member aboard his Sword of Xebec to be strong!
The weak didn't deserve a place on his strongest warship.
"Gyahahaha! I've wanted to meet this strongest female pirate for ages!"
Golden Lion Shiki was especially annoyed by this female pirate, whose bounty had already reached 500 million Beli when she was only twelve or thirteen.
If he hadn't joined the Rocks Pirates and fought in the Battle of Omaha, who knew how many years it would have taken for his bounty to surpass Charlotte Linlin's?
"I want to see this monster of a female pirate too!"
"Don't you dare steal her from me! I'll defeat her myself!"
Silver Axe Xiong didn't believe that this female pirate could be so strong.
Once he defeated Charlotte Linlin, his bounty would exceed 500 million Beli and overtake that bastard Shiki!
That bastard Shiki showed off his bounty in front of him every day. Xiong had swallowed plenty of his anger over it.
"A great pirate at twelve or thirteen... Is her talent really that incredible?"
Newgate felt that his own talent couldn't compare with Charlotte Linlin's and couldn't help sighing.
He hadn't gone to sea until he was eleven or twelve, while Charlotte Linlin had set sail at just six years old and earned a bounty of 50 million Beli not long after.
"That girl really is talented. She can reach Admiral-Yonko Level just by eating and drinking..."
Houka acknowledged Charlotte Linlin's talent.
He wondered how far this Steel Balloon could grow under his guidance, if she didn't start having offspring like popcorn.
At the very least, she wouldn't end up as the disgrace of the Four Emperors!