"Hey, Rocks, explain the rules properly! Don't just start a fight right away!"
Houka spoke up. He remembered that in the original timeline, Rocks had recruited Edward Newgate eight years after wreaking havoc at the Reverie.
But it was clear that Newgate had never been happy with Rocks.
Most likely, Rocks had gone too hard on Uhale, Newgate's former captain, when he defeated him, leaving Newgate resentful.
It wasn't until the Hachinosu period and the God Valley War that Newgate came to acknowledge Rocks.
As things stood, Newgate was just a fighter in the Whale Pirates, and he didn't care that much about treasure.
He had always longed for a family, and sent the treasure and supplies he received from dividing up the spoils back to his hometown, Sphinx Island.
Even his captain, Uhale, had mocked him for chasing after the vague dream of having a family, saying treasure was far more reliable.
Now that Houka had appeared, the time to recruit Newgate had come much earlier, and Newgate hadn't yet reached his peak.
Maybe Newgate could become a true companion.
At the very least, he could become a good friend to Houka.
After all, Rocks didn't place much value on the bonds between companions.
Otherwise, Houka would have no choice but to kill Edward Newgate and take the Tremor-Tremor Fruit!
"Who in the pirate world doesn't know about the Davy Back Fight?"
Rocks snorted, but he still held back from attacking Uhale outright.
He knew Houka must have a good reason for saying this.
Perhaps Houka had glimpsed a more distant future.
Uhale, Newgate, and the other pirates stared wide-eyed when they saw that little Houka had managed to stop the actions of Rocks, the demon pirate.
Even Rocks had to listen to this kid's advice?
"Captain Uhale, Edward Newgate, our captain wants to play a Davy Back Fight with you. We hope you'll abide by the rules."
"Otherwise, I won't be able to stop our strongest captain. After all, he's even bold enough to take down a Marine Admiral!"
"Newgate, I'm sure you've already figured it out. We really did come for you!"
"Captain Uhale, we want to win Newgate from you. For his sake, give it everything you've got and fight our captain like your life depends on it."
Houka floated into the air and addressed Uhale and Newgate, ignoring all the other pirates.
So they really did come for me!
Newgate furrowed his brow. To be honest, he was quite content with the Whale Pirates and didn't want to leave them.
He'd joined the Whale Pirates when he was little, and he was a loyal man!
"You want Newgate?"
"I surrender. You can have him!"
Uhale's face changed dramatically. There was no way he would fight to the death; he couldn't possibly beat Rocks.
He couldn't even beat a Marine Vice Admiral, let alone Rocks, who had taken down a Marine Admiral!
"Newgate, please, save me..."
"Newgate, you're so strong—you've long since surpassed me. You should become a more famous pirate."
Uhale pleaded with Newgate under his breath, hoping he wouldn't provoke the monster Rocks.
Hearing his captain beg, Newgate felt a pang in his heart. After all those years together, his pirate "companions" still weren't true companions or family.
They were ready to "sell" him off without a second thought!
"The point of a Davy Back Fight is to win fair and square, and lose knowing exactly why! We won't break the rules."
"If Captain Uhale wins, he'll get to keep a super fighter like Rocks!"
"Doesn't that tempt you?"
"All right, the rules have been explained. Let's start the game!"
"Newgate, do you have anything to add?"
To help Newgate accept the outcome, Houka had kept the hot-blooded Rocks quiet for quite a while.
If Houka, "The Prophet," hadn't been there, Rocks would have already settled everything his own way.
Edward Newgate wanted to object to the game, but the pleading look in Uhale's eyes eventually made him fall silent and accept the rules.
When Uhale saw that Newgate wasn't strongly objecting, he let out a deep sigh of relief.
"I'll choose the event!"
"I want to compete against Captain Rocks in tug-of-war!"
Uhale clearly knew the rules of Davy Back Fight and was the first to propose an event.
To avoid making contact with the monster Rocks, he didn't even dare suggest arm wrestling, afraid Rocks would snap his arm.
As for dangerous events like boxing, swordsmanship, or shooting, he would never suggest those!
He didn't want Rocks to kill him!
"What! Tug-of-war?"
Rocks was very displeased. He'd been looking forward to having some fun with Uhale.
And they were going to play such a simple children's game?
"That's right!"
"If you win, you can take Newgate, my pirate flag, or even me!"
"But if I win, I hope you'll become my first mate, Captain Rocks!"
Uhale knew he couldn't win, but he still tried to provoke Rocks, hoping he'd agree to the tug-of-war quickly.
"Hmph! You think you can beat me? Let's do it!"
Rocks accepted Uhale's challenge. He had only wanted to take Edward Newgate in the first place.
Soon, the serious tug-of-war began!
Even Babel and Sambel, the two Fish-Men, were thrilled. They'd never known pirates could play games like this.
If you wanted a strong man, all you had to do was beat him in a fight.
Newgate was in a bad mood!
He hated having others control his fate, and he was even more upset that Captain Uhale treated him like an object.
"Newgate, it doesn't have to be this way. Maybe you'll have a better future if you leave the Whale Pirates."
"What's the point of spending your life robbing people and splitting up a little treasure?"
"The family you want isn't on the Whale Pirates!"
"If you don't mind, you can call me big brother. I'm twenty, two years older than you!"
Houka floated over to Edward Newgate and spoke to the young giant.
Newgate was already an adult, standing over six meters tall—nearly at his peak height of 6.66 meters.
"'Murder and Arson' Kozuki Houka. Your bounty is eighty million Beli. Did you really kill the king and general of the Cang Kingdom, slaughter countless soldiers, and burn its capital to the ground?"
Newgate gave Houka a cold look. He didn't seem to care much for him.
"I only killed the enemies who destroyed my village. As for the arson, that was Rocks's doing."
"I'm sure you hate all the enemies who destroyed your hometown too, Newgate."
Houka didn't deny killing the king and general of the Cang Kingdom. He even brought Newgate's hometown into the conversation.
He wanted Newgate to remember what it felt like to have his hometown destroyed.
"..."
Sure enough, Newgate's gaze toward Houka changed at once. They were both poor souls without families, whose hometowns had been destroyed.
Avenging their families and homelands wasn't wrong.
They weren't the ones at fault. The world was!
That damned Heavenly Tribute system meant that non-Affiliated Nations and weak countries had no right to peace, while the poor and common people had no right to a stable life with enough to eat.
In the arena, Rocks pulled the rope with a single tug, and Uhale flew toward him before crashing into the ground and leaving a huge crater.
"Wahahahaha! I won! I'm taking Edward Newgate of the Whale Pirates!"