At Roger's domineering declaration, Shiki's expression froze for a moment.
Rayleigh covered his eyes and said, "Sure enough, no matter how much time passes, Captain still doesn't know how to talk."
"Shiki, you bastard, don't get in the way of me becoming Pirate King! Otherwise, even if it's you, I'll kick your ass hard!" Roger stood at the bow, laughing wildly.
The veins on Shiki's forehead throbbed as his anger began to burn. Come to think of it, this wasn't the first time he and Roger had met.
The two had fought each other on the Grand Line when they were young. Back then, he was not yet the "Pirate Admiral," and Roger was nowhere near as powerful as he was now.
In short, the grudges and entanglements between them in their youth could fill an entire blood-pumping novel. Of course, other great pirates such as Whitebeard had also been involved.
Later, Golden Lion and Whitebeard entered the New World one after another to make their names, earning the title of legendary pirates. Roger, on the other hand, had continued wandering around the first half of the Grand Line, only entering the New World for the first time recently.
That was also why Roger's reputation was slightly weaker than Whitebeard's and Shiki's. For one thing, he had no desire to expand his pirate crew, fighting across the seas with only a single ship from beginning to end. For another, he had entered the New World too late.
Still, Shiki and Roger were old acquaintances.
"Honestly, stop dreaming about becoming Pirate King. What meaning does something so illusory even have?" Shiki said disdainfully.
"Still, I'm surprised you suddenly came to the New World this time. At least in some respects, you've finally come around. So how about joining forces with me?