They did not talk much about Marlon.
Before long, both Roger's crew and Shiki's crew were a little drunk.
Then the drunken Shiki slung an arm around Roger's shoulders and said, "Come to think of it, how did you make out at God Valley? We struck it rich, anyway!"
Without waiting for Roger to speak, Shiki boasted, "Over thirty billion Beli! Zehahahaha! Bet you've never even seen that much treasure, have you? Roger, I'm going to use this money to build a massive pirate fleet, fulfill that bastard Rocks's unfinished dream, and conquer the entire world! Zehahahaha!"
Hearing that Shiki's group had looted over thirty billion Beli from God Valley, Roger felt a little jealous too. "Who the hell asked you, bastard?!"
The Roger Pirates had only taken a little over twenty billion!
Still, considering that Shiki was a Float-Float Fruit user, he really did have an advantage when it came to stealing things. There was nothing to say about that.
Seeing that Roger was a little rattled, Shiki became even more smug. "What? Looks like your haul wasn't much. Need this great me to give you a little charity? If you ask nicely, I might consider it."
"What?" Roger suddenly slammed his wine glass onto the table, then lifted his chin. "You country pirates really have no ambition. It's only thirty-something billion Beli, yet you act like it's such a big deal..."
"Huh?" Shiki pursed his lips, looking at Roger as though he were wondering what the kid was trying to show off. "Only thirty billion Beli? You really do have a big mouth. Do you know what that means? A standard Marine Headquarters warship only costs around one hundred and twenty million Beli to build in Water 7 these days. With over thirty billion Beli, you could put together at least five hundred pirate warships. Do you understand? And you dare call me a country pirate? What country pirate have you ever seen with this much money?"
During the era of the Worst Generation, Beli inflation had been severe for various economic reasons. A standard Marine Headquarters warship cost roughly two hundred million Beli, but now, just as Shiki had said, a little over one hundred million Beli was enough.
"Tch. Come here, Viking. Open this country pirate's eyes for him!" Roger clicked his tongue disdainfully and called out.
What a joke. If they had not met Vikengam, Shiki would have gotten away with all the bragging today, and Roger would have had no way to retort. After all, Shiki's group really had gained more than they had.
But who told them Roger's crew had a filthy rich guy aboard?
At that moment, though, Vikengam was reading Shakky's palm.
"Big Sis Shakky, your love line is very long. You're definitely going to spend your life with Mr. Rayleigh. But if you'll forgive me for saying so, he may be a charming gentleman now, but he might turn into a scruffy old man someday. You'd better keep an eye on him," Vikengam said with a grin.
"Is that so? Still, even if he turns into a scruffy old man, I'll like him all the same," Shakky said with a smile. Her tone sounded joking, but her gaze was incredibly firm.
Rayleigh, beside her, said smugly, "You brat, even when I'm old, I'll definitely be an elegant and handsome old man. I won't become some scruffy old man."
Just as Vikengam was about to say something else, Roger's shout came over.
He had not clearly heard Shiki and Roger comparing their wealth, so Vikengam looked over at Roger in confusion. "What is it, Captain?"
"I'm telling you, stop hanging around that bastard Rayleigh. Can't you see nobody in this tavern can stand him? Get over here, let's drink together!" Roger cursed.
It was not just him. Seeing Rayleigh and Shakky sitting together looking as though they were about to drip syrup, Shiki also slammed the table in frustration. "Exactly! Why are you hanging around with that bastard? It's infuriating!"
And just like that, for no apparent reason, Vikengam ended up sitting at a table with Shiki, Roger, Gaban, Silver Axe, Babel, and the others.
The moment he sat down, Shiki stared at him curiously. "A new face I haven't seen before. Are you a Mythical Zoan?"
Babel, who was seated against the wall, said directly, "Back at God Valley, I think I saw Rayleigh holding a blade to his neck..."
"Ahahahaha!" Roger laughed loudly and patted Vikengam on the shoulder. "He's the scholar on our ship. His name is Vikengam, but you can just call him Viking. He's still a young brat, but you already saw his potential just now. A Mythical Zoan user—after training on our ship for a few years, he'll definitely become something special."
"Want to join our crew? Following Roger won't be any fun. I'll take you to the New World to beat up Whitebeard!" Shiki laughed and immediately tried to poach him.
It had to be said that Shiki's crew and Roger's crew were surprisingly alike in this regard. The first thing they did upon meeting was try to steal each other's people.
Or rather, this sort of thing was extremely common among pirates, especially major pirate crews like theirs. Whether ordinary pirates had ability or caught their eye was hard to say.
But their mortal enemies and rivals definitely had people worthy of recruiting.
"I'll pass. I'm doing quite well with the captain," Vikengam said with a cheerful smile, showing no sign of timidity.
"You said you looted over thirty billion Beli just now. Honestly, that's nothing. What our Viking is wearing is worth more than everything you stole," Roger said smugly, finally steering the conversation back to their earlier contest of wealth.
"Huh?" Shiki frowned. "What do you mean?"
Silver Axe, on the other hand, seemed to know his stuff. He pushed his sunglasses up onto his forehead and stared intently at Vikengam's brooch. "Tear of the Mountain Goddess, made by Master Baronia. It sold for thirty-seven billion Beli at an auction in the Vini Kingdom of the East Blue. They say the king offered it as tribute to a Celestial Dragon in Holy Land Mary Geoise. How did it end up on you? It's fake, right?"
"Oh? You really know your stuff?!" Gaban asked in surprise.
Silver Axe lifted his wine glass and took a deep drink. "Just a killer's little hobby. I like luxury goods."
"If you like it, you can have it." Vikengam was generous as well. He casually removed the brooch and tossed it in front of Silver Axe.
Silver Axe hurriedly caught the brooch. "Don't just throw it around, bastard... Wait, this is genuine?"
He had not been completely sure just by looking, but the instant he held it in his hand, he knew. It was genuine!
Damn it! The Roger Pirates are this rich!?
Was I too rash to turn down Gaban's offer earlier?
A newcomer who only just joined the ship has a brooch worth... Huh? What's with that eye-catching bracelet? Don't tell me it's the legendary Faloa Chain?
That's another top-tier luxury item worth over three billion Beli!
Seeing Silver Axe's incredulous expression, Shiki was dumbfounded as well. No way—Roger, were you serious?
"Heh heh, now you know, right? Your thirty billion Beli is nothing at all. Everything Viking has on him is worth at least thirty billion Beli. In other words, the enormous sum you thought could build five hundred warships is nothing more than a few little trinkets hanging off Viking," Roger said, swaying his head proudly.
"Just who the hell is this new member of yours?!" Shiki could not help asking.
"Ahahahaha, it's nothing special. He's merely a Celestial Dragon from Mary Geoise who greatly admires the Roger Pirates. He was so captivated by my charm that he specifically chased after me, begging to join my ship as a scholar. Sigh, I don't know what to do about it. My charm is just that great~" Roger said with an expression that suggested it was no big deal.
But his tone was practically soaring into the sky.
Shiki gritted his teeth. "Your charm is great? But Shakky chose Rayleigh."
"I have a Celestial Dragon crew member. Do you?" Roger said, though he was inwardly shattered, keeping an unconcerned expression on his face.
"I..." Shiki was about to say something else.
Roger cut in again. "I have a Celestial Dragon crew member. Do you? Huh? Do you!? You don't have a damn thing!"
"Damn it!" Shiki finally cracked. After cursing loudly, he raised his wine glass. "Fuck it, here's to Rayleigh and Shakky having eight kids in one litter! Cheers!!!"
"Yeah!!!" The tavern instantly erupted with excitement. Then Gaban, Vikengam, Roger, and the others all noisily raised their glasses as well. "Cheers!!!"
Before you continue