It had happened so abruptly that Vikengam did not understand why Rayleigh had suddenly come over to help.
Had he and Roger joined forces to take down Shiki?
But just then, he noticed that Nozdon and Eye Dragon, who had been fighting Babel alongside him moments ago, no longer seemed to be in a fighting stance.
Even Babel, who had looked ready to kill him earlier, showed no intention of continuing the fight after Rayleigh made his move.
"Where did you find this brat? He looks quite promising." Babel climbed out of the whirlpool's eye and stood once more upon the shattered ice.
Rayleigh smiled. "Jealous that our new member is such a fine young man? Say, now that the Rocks Pirates have more or less disbanded, have you considered joining our ship?"
Though he still did not quite understand what was happening, the atmosphere no longer seemed as tense as before. Vikengam, who had landed at the harbor, withdrew from his combat stance and turned to look toward the town.
Good grief. Gaban was still swinging axes and hacking away at Silver Axe, but Roger and Shiki had already stopped fighting.
The two stood face-to-face, apparently arguing fiercely over something.
"Not used to this sort of thing, are you?" Doringer, carrying an axe of his own, flapped his little demon wings and landed beside Vikengam.
"Obviously. Out of nowhere, they started fighting the second they met, and after barely ten minutes, they suddenly stopped again. Are pirates always this... strange?" Vikengam could not help complaining.
Back in Mary Geoise, he had already found the Celestial Dragons' logic utterly absurd. He had thought pirates would be somewhat better, but now that he considered it, he had simply been too young.
"This is West Blue, not the New World. Unless something unexpected happened, the Marines should still have fleets searching for us. How could they possibly fight Shiki and his group to the death here?" Doringer smacked his lips and explained.
"So what exactly was that fight about just now?" Vikengam asked after a moment of silence.
"Testing each other," Doringer said. "Shiki saw that our captain was injured, so he wanted to see whether there was a chance to take Captain Roger down here. Captain Roger, Mr. Rayleigh, and the others also wanted to see what condition the Rocks Pirates were in after the battle at God Valley."
"So if either side had really shown an opening just now..." Vikengam raised a brow.
"Just as you thought. If anyone had shown a weakness and looked like they could be taken down quickly, that little scuffle would have immediately turned into a real slaughter," Doringer said without hesitation.
"I see." Vikengam smacked his lips in sudden understanding.
Roger and Shiki were arguing over there, but Vikengam did not meddle. Instead, he focused all his attention on Gaban and Silver Axe, who still had not fought to their hearts' content and were continuing to clash.
The two had already demolished two streets beside the docks. Ruins split and smashed apart by battle axes lay everywhere. Whenever the two figures crossed paths, violent impacts and turbulent blasts of air could be heard.
Even so, it was clear they were holding back. Neither had gone all out; it was more like a technical sparring match.
Without question, a duel between top-tier Big Axe Heroes was an exceptionally rare sight.
At that moment, Vikengam had even activated his Sharingan. The tomoe in his scarlet eyes spun rapidly, as though he feared missing even a single detail of Gaban and Silver Axe's dazzling display.
Learning had always been Vikengam's forte, whether knowledge or combat techniques!
"I've already told you, as long as the two of us join forces, we can immediately recreate the might of the Rocks Pirates. Then, this sea will belong to us! Think about it, Roger. Whether it's Newgate or Linlin, once they return from West Blue to the New World, a new struggle for supremacy will begin at once. The tide of this great era is rolling in—aren't you the least bit tempted?" Shiki said to Roger with an extremely animated expression, gesturing wildly.
Though Shiki looked displeased on the surface upon running into the Roger Pirates here, he was actually extremely excited inside.
Just as he had said, as long as Roger nodded, the moment they joined forces, they would become the most dazzling presence in this new era's rising tide!
Think about it: Shiki had gathered Silver Axe and Babel, already forming a formidable combination. The Roger Pirates were even more extraordinary—Roger, Rayleigh, Gaban, none of them were weak.
Given the current state of the seas, even Newgate, Charlotte Linlin, and the other great pirates might not be able to handle them separately. If they joined forces, the difference would undoubtedly be overwhelming!
Roger listened to Shiki's seductive words with some displeasure on his face. Just as he was about to speak, Shiki interrupted him. "What's more, at God Valley, you saw it with your own eyes. You even fought him, didn't you? That monster-like guy? Even Rocks fell into that monster's hands... Do you really think either of us could deal with that monster alone? But if you and I join forces, that might not be the case..."
Those words undoubtedly stirred Roger somewhat.
Though Shiki and the others had also been involved in the battle at God Valley, their impressions had not been nearly as clear or direct as Roger's.
But that stirring lasted only an instant.
Roger's gaze abruptly sharpened. "Stop talking nonsense, Shiki. The two of us don't get along. If we force ourselves together, we'll fall out sooner or later. Rather than that, it's better not to get tangled up from the beginning. I never wanted to become some ruler of an era anyway. I have more important things to do, and I don't have time to play mind games with bastards like you in the New World..."
Just as Roger had said, although he acknowledged Shiki's strength and ambition, their temperaments clashed far too much. Roger was no saint himself, but Shiki was simply too untrustworthy, ruthless, extreme in his actions, and excessively bloodthirsty.
Roger felt that he and Shiki were completely incompatible!
Shiki wanted to return to the New World to contend with Newgate, Charlotte Linlin, and the host of great pirates there, taking part in the tide that was about to sweep through the era.
But Roger had no intention of doing any of that. In order to find Final Island, they clearly would not be staying in the New World for long. They needed to travel across the world in search of clues to Final Island.
Where would he find the time to stir up trouble with Shiki in the New World?
Shiki clearly had no intention of giving up, but Roger did not give him the chance to continue. Instead, he hurriedly asked, "That square stone covered in a bunch of unreadable writing, the one that can't be destroyed—it's called a Poneglyph. We mentioned it once when we were drinking on Hachinosu, remember?"
"A Poneglyph?" Shiki frowned slightly after being diverted. "Rocks was looking for those things for a while too. What is it? Does it hide treasure?"
"Yeah, that's right, it hides something. But it's the history of the Void Century. I'm not sure whether there's any treasure, but I'm very interested in that thing right now. If you have any clues, tell me..." Roger did not conceal too much and gave a selective explanation.
"Blank history?" Shiki paused, then asked, "What are you looking for that thing for?"
At this point, Shiki did not know enough about such matters. He was a pirate, after all, out to rob and plunder. Why would he study this stuff? It was not like he was preparing for graduate school.
It was only later, after Roger stirred things up, that the matter of the Poneglyphs gradually became known and taken seriously by everyone. Only then did Shiki realize that they might contain the whereabouts of the Ancient Weapons.
"To solve a mystery. Don't you think it would be very interesting to unravel a mystery that no one has known for hundreds of years?" Roger said without hesitation.
Shiki could not empathize with Roger at all on this matter. All he cared about was conquering the world. What was the point of solving some mystery?
After thinking for a moment, Shiki said, "Linlin has one in her lair. I heard her mention it to Rocks."
Roger froze, then looked at Shiki with deep suspicion. "You bastard, aren't you trying to kill with a borrowed knife? You want me to fight Linlin to the death, then follow behind and pick up the scraps?"
Before you continue