The Flying Pirates' ship moved forward at a steady pace. Inside the cabin, Golden Lion Shiki, with his golden hair like a lion's mane reaching the ground, sat proudly.
However, although Shiki's demeanor was still immensely domineering, the fine wrinkles on his forehead, where the ship's rudder was embedded, clearly told the world that he was no longer young!
Apparently, even Golden Lion Shiki, with his ambition and courage to roar across the seas and devour the world, could not defeat the erosion of time.
Just as Indigo, the Golden Lion's ship doctor, approached Shiki with rustling footsteps, preparing to examine him,
Suddenly, Shiki seemed to sense something and abruptly stood up, his gaze piercingly directed towards the island where Rocks was located!
Watching Shiki's movements, Indigo subconsciously asked, "Captain, what's wrong?!"
"Gyahahahaha!"
At this moment, Golden Lion Shiki clearly sensed that he was being spied on. As someone with all three types of Haki, Golden Lion Shiki naturally understood that this feeling meant someone was using Observation Haki to probe him.
"Someone is using Observation Haki to probe us."
As his lion-like, unrestrained laughter began, Golden Lion Shiki said with a proud expression, "Let me see who dares to probe me!"
With that said, Golden Lion Shiki activated his Observation Haki.
But when Golden Lion Shiki followed the sensation of being spied on to perceive the other party, he found that his Observation Haki couldn't 'see' their location at all!
Golden Lion Shiki's expression changed slightly. Although his Observation Haki was not as powerful as before due to the ship's rudder embedded in his head, even so, as a legendary pirate, Golden Lion Shiki possessed Observation Haki at the pinnacle of this world.
Yet now, his Observation Haki couldn't sense the other party at all?
"Gyahahahaha!!!"
However, Golden Lion's reputation wasn't for nothing. With his ambition to devour the four seas, he quickly regained his confidence, laughing excitedly and saying,
"To be able to probe me from such a distance, what powerful Observation Haki!"
With that said, Golden Lion Shiki, his eyes bursting with ambition, stood up and waved his hand, saying proudly, "My lads!"
"Come with me and let's see who this being with such Observation Haki truly is!"
Following Golden Lion's command, the massive, sky-soaring battleship adjusted its sails and rapidly approached the island where Rocks was, following Golden Lion's direction.
The moment the ship approached, Rocks, who had already sensed the other party while activating his Observation Haki to familiarize himself with its characteristics, looked up at the sky and said with a domineering laugh,
"To encounter my subordinate in my burial ground, Rocks!"
"What a wonderful coincidence!"
"Wouldn't you agree, Shiki?!"
Rocks' voice exploded like a thunderclap from the heavens; he had no intention of hiding himself.
Therefore, Rocks' domineering voice instantly surged upwards, enveloping the entire Flying Pirates' ship, which was about to descend into the sea.
Shocked, Shiki, who stood at the bow, originally intending to use his name to subdue the being on the island who had unleashed such powerful Observation Haki,
looked at the domineering figure seated on the island, a figure that only appeared in his dreams during midnight. His confident and proud smile was immediately replaced by shock.
Even he, Shiki, the Golden Lion, a legendary pirate on par with Pirate King Roger, was stunned into a daze, staring blankly at the domineering figure facing him!
If Shiki was so stunned, then Indigo and the others, who had followed Golden Lion through the Rocks era, and some of whom were even former members of the Rocks Pirates, were all standing in stunned silence.
The ones who performed best at this moment were surprisingly the newcomers, who were completely inferior to the former in terms of combat power and seniority. Having never personally experienced the era when the Rocks Pirates dominated the world, even if they had heard of Rocks from their companions, they still didn't have a strong direct sense of the terror represented by that domineering presence!
Looking at the stunned Golden Lion Shiki, Rocks laughed domineeringly, "Hahahaha, Shiki, since you're here, come and sit down. Your Captain, I, have missed you very much!"
The moment that laughter, even more domineering and unrestrained than Golden Lion's roar across the seas, burst forth,
even the newcomers of the Flying Pirates fell into a state of stunned silence.
Listening to that laughter, like rolling thunder, their hearts churned like a stormy sea, raising wave after wave. This, this, this person actually claimed to be Captain Shiki's Captain!!!
The newcomers were merely shocked by Rocks' words, while Indigo and the others were purely shocked by Rocks' very existence.
Because, whether it was Rocks' terrifying Haki that manifested even when he was just joking, or the Haki Blade Heavy Country, that supreme grade sword, entirely dark purple and still incredibly sharp despite only having a blade, by Rocks' side...
All of this told them!
It told them that the man before them was none other than Rocks D. Xebec, the Captain of the legendary Pirate King who dominated the entire sea thirty-eight years ago, the Pirate King Rocks D. Xebec!
The pirates were shocked!
Indigo was shocked!!
Even Golden Lion Shiki, one of the so-called Three Legends, who, despite his old age, still possessed the ambition to roar across the seas and devour the world, was stunned!!!
"Captain, am I seeing things? He's Rocks! Rocks D. Xebec, the Captain of the Rocks Pirates who dominated the entire sea thirty-eight years ago!!!"
Indigo, who had followed Golden Lion since the Rocks Pirates and had steadfastly guarded the Flying Pirates even after Golden Lion was imprisoned in Impel Down, trembled all over, shaking with shock to the point of disbelief as he pointed his finger at Rocks, his face filled with terrified shivers.
And at this moment, Rocks' mind heard a system notification that only he could hear,
"Gained negative value 1000!"
"Gained negative value 1000!"
"Gained negative value 10000!"
"..."
This was the legacy left behind by Rocks, who dominated the entire sea thirty-eight years ago. As long as someone knew of Rocks' prestige, they would be shocked the moment they saw him, and this shock was precisely the sustenance for him to recover himself!
The dense system notifications made Rocks' brow relax. He then raised his hand to close the system notifications and glanced at his attribute panel.
Negative value: 128000
Rocks no longer had time to pay attention to the Golden Lion before him, because the negative value he had gained at this moment was already enough to allow him to restore his body once!
Although it hadn't yet reached the million negative value needed to restore him to full health, his body, which could collapse at any moment, made this repair urgent!
One-tenth of a healthy state should be enough to give him a body that could defeat Golden Lion without collapsing!
Rocks called out to the system, "System, the energy has arrived, repair my body!"
"Deducting 100,000 negative value, activating body repair module, performing lowest intensity body repair!"
As Rocks spoke, a dry, mechanical notification sounded in his ear,
"Body repair module successfully activated, repair in progress 10%... 50%..."
As the system notification echoed, Rocks clearly felt a warm current originating from his brow, spreading throughout his entire body.
As time passed, Rocks could clearly feel his heart beating faster, and with each circulation of his hot blood, his fragile body grew stronger.
Finally, Rocks felt as if he were in the hottest steam room, with hot steam rising from his entire body.
When the warm current from his brow disappeared and the steam rising from Rocks' body dissipated with the wind.
Rocks clearly felt that the tearing pain in his lungs with every breath had significantly lessened, his fragile bones had become firmer, and the strength contained within his muscle fibers had increased considerably.
But none of these were the most important.
At this moment, Rocks clearly felt that the aura of death, which had permeated every muscle, every bone, and even every cell of his body, had weakened the moment the repair ended.
Vitality!
Vigorous vitality began to revive within this body that had been gone for thirty-eight years. He clearly saw a hint of vital blood color appearing on his originally lifeless, pale arm.
Rocks asked the system, "Body repair complete. I feel vigorous vitality. Does this mean that as my body is repaired, its lifespan also increases!"
"The Strongest Overlord System has powerful functions. As long as the host obtains sufficient energy, lifespan increase and even eternal life can be achieved."