Ochoku, the Stepping Stone

"What right does that brat Houka have to serve as the vice-captain of the world's strongest pirate crew!"

"Let me be the one to take that second-in-command spot!"

Ochoku considered himself, the Pirate Patriarch, to be far superior to the likes of the Great Demon Lord, Whitebeard, Golden Lion Shiki, or the Steel Balloon.

Given his status and renown, becoming the vice-captain of the Rocks Pirates would be an honor for Rocks himself.

He hoped Rocks would be sensible enough to kick Houka to the curb.

That brat Houka should also know his place and voluntarily hand over the position.

Looking at the Flying Warship in the sky, Ochoku felt that serving as the vice-captain of the Rocks Pirates wouldn't be such a grievance after all.

However, if the opportunity ever arose, he would certainly collude with the World Government to kill Rocks.

He was not the type to settle for being under someone else forever.

Most importantly, if he killed Rocks, he could inherit everything the Rocks Pirates possessed.

Perhaps he would even have a chance to become the captain of the world's strongest pirate crew himself.

As the Flying Warship drew closer, Ochoku unleashed his aura without restraint.

He was declaring his presence, but also demonstrating his strength to prove that even if he couldn't defeat Rocks, he had the power to be the second-in-command of the Rocks Pirates.

Aboard the Sword of Xebec.

"Wahahaha! Is he trying to show off his strength?"

Rocks sensed the Conqueror's Haki of this so-called Pirate Patriarch.

However, the strength of this Pirate Patriarch's Conqueror's Haki was inferior not only to Newgate's, but even to Shiki's and Linlin's.

Someone who relied on setting sail a few years earlier to run rampant in the New World would eventually be surpassed.

"Rocks!! You can't make a move!!"

"This is our prey!"

Silver Axe Xiong, Golden Lion Shiki, and the others began to clamor.

They all viewed the Pirate Patriarch Ochoku as a stepping stone to fame.

As long as they took down Ochoku, their reputations would skyrocket instantly!

Currently, Ochoku, a Pirate Patriarch who dominated his own territory, held a bounty as high as 757 million Berries.

In this era, that bounty was already exceptionally high!

"My bounty is lower than yours! I'm going first!"

Silver Axe Xiong stated this with a stern face, as if it were the most logical thing in the world.

In short: I'm weak, so I'm entitled.

After all, why would one start with the strongest?

Golden Lion, Whitebeard, and the others were rendered speechless by Silver Axe's deadpan logic.

Soon, the order of challenges, starting from the weakest, was confirmed.

Streusen admitted he couldn't beat Ochoku, so they started with Sambel, with Silver Axe even falling in line behind Babel.

Sambel also felt he couldn't defeat Ochoku, but as someone aspiring to be a Fish-Man hero, he feared no battle.

On Elysium Island, Ochoku had intended to have a world-shaking battle with the most evil pirate, Rocks, and use the momentum to join the Rocks Pirates.

Instead, a burly Fish-Man flew down from the Flying Warship.

"Ochoku! Tidal Knight Sambel has come to challenge you!"

Sambel didn't waste any words, launching himself like a cannonball straight at Ochoku!

"Bastard! Rocks, are you looking down on this Patriarch!"

"To think you'd only send a subordinate!"

Ochoku felt deeply insulted. Even if Rocks had sent high-ranking officers with bounties over 600 million like Houka or Newgate, Ochoku wouldn't have been this angry.

But for Rocks to send a Fish-Man with a bounty of only 300 million—this was a clear sign of disrespect toward him, the Pirate Patriarch.

With a gloomy face, Ochoku instantly coated his right fist in thick Armament Haki, his eyes as venomous as a viper's.

"Get lost, you small fry!"

Ochoku's Armament Haki-clad fist collided violently with Sambel's Sea Knight Trident.

"Such brute strength! But it's not enough!"

Furious, Ochoku unleashed even more powerful Haki, smashing the young Sambel away with a single punch.

Yet, the very next moment, an even more massive figure came crashing down.

"Sambel, watch closely!"

"Abyssal Titan Babel, come and face me!"

Babel, whose body exceeded ten meters in height, slammed a fist into Ochoku.

Ochoku blocked at the limit, but the ground for hundreds of meters around his feet was shattered by the impact.

So strong!

This brute force was even greater than that of the Giants. Ochoku had not expected that Babel, a Fish-Man with a bounty of 388 million, could force him into such a disheveled state.

"Bahahaha! You don't even seem to compare to Newgate!"

"And you dare to call yourself the Pirate Patriarch!"

Having landed a successful blow, Babel became instantly arrogant. He had assumed that the renowned Ochoku would be stronger than Vice-Captain Houka and Newgate.

As it turned out, he was nothing special!

"Damn you!"

"You have angered me!!"

Ochoku was consumed by rage. Amidst his furious roar, his long tongue sprayed out a massive amount of saliva.

"Disgusting!"

"Fish-Man Karate: Saliva Impact Bullet!"

The power fluctuations in Babel's hands instantly transformed the saliva into bullets, firing them back at Ochoku himself.

Boom, boom, boom!

Ochoku did not finish Babel off in an instant as he had done with Sambel.

This left the many pirates on Elysium Island dumbfounded.

One had to realize that Babel was in the lower tier of the Rocks Pirates, nearly at the very bottom.

How could he be trading blows evenly with the Pirate Patriarch, Ochoku?

If he could do this, just how strong must the executives who were even more powerful than Babel be?

Something is wrong with this situation!

According to the intel, executives like Whitebeard, Golden Lion Shiki, Silver Axe, and the Steel Balloon were all defeated by Rocks personally.

Why hasn't Rocks made a move now?

Black Flag Black, who was watching the battle from within the crowd of pirates, suddenly felt a sense of unease.

He looked up at the Flying Warship in the sky.

How was he supposed to attract Rocks' attention and successfully join the Rocks Pirates?

"Jehahaha! This Ochoku doesn't seem like much!"

Floating in the air, Golden Lion Shiki watched the fierce battle between Ochoku and Babel, instantly feeling that Ochoku's bounty was somewhat inflated.

However, as a hegemon and captain in his own right, the threat posed to the World Government was higher, so his bounty would naturally be higher than that of the executives of their pirate crew!

Moreover, Ochoku had entrenched himself in the New World for many years, allowing his bounty to climb over time.

"I have a sixty percent chance of defeating him!"

Newgate held the Supreme Grade Sword, Murakumogiri, in one hand. He looked down at the battle below, calculating the gap in combat power between himself and Ochoku.

Having fought against Rocks, the strongest pirate, frequently of late, his own strength had soared rapidly.

He was now even confident that he could defeat Houka.

Houka had been focusing his energy on his Devil Fruit abilities lately, and his weak physique had hindered his growth.

Rocks had teased Houka about his frail constitution more than once.

However, as the ship's grand strategist and prophet, it didn't matter if Houka's strength was a bit lacking.

In the future, they would be the ones to protect Houka!

At this moment, Houka was standing on the Seven-Star Sword, flying through the air with effortless grace, observing the situation below.

He was looking to see if there were any familiar faces he could recruit into the Rocks Pirates.

At the same time, he was searching for the Teleport-Teleport Fruit user that Silver Axe had mentioned.

He soon spotted a figure in black standing exceptionally straight.

This guy felt completely out of place among the surrounding pirates, and his posture even resembled that of a Marine.