"Scientific Robber?"
"Vohahaha! I only just had this idea, and now you're telling me there really is such an executive in the future!"
Rocks grew even more appreciative of Ignis. With this prophet around, he was sure he could overthrow Imu and fulfill the Davy family's mission.
Then the Davy family could live openly in the sunlight, no longer hunted endlessly by the World Government.
Ignis didn't mention Vegapunk, the world's greatest scientist. After all, that guy was only 9 years old now. Who knew if he had even eaten the Brain-Brain Fruit yet?
And guys like Vinsmoke Judge, Queen, and Caesar were only being born around this time.
Under the admiring gazes of the others, the Xebeck's Sword sailed on, cutting through the waves.
On the way to find the pirate-yakuza Shiki,
Sunbell and Newgate had their match.
As expected, Sunbell lost badly.
Newgate used his strength to secure his position on the Rocks Pirates.
With Ignis serving as the oil that kept the gears turning, the ship's atmosphere remained fairly harmonious. Rocks, for his part, ensured the executives weren't tearing each other apart.
Ignis worked hard to develop his three abilities, while also enduring Rocks's physical training and Haki special training, getting beaten up by Rocks on various pretexts.
He wanted to guide Ignis onto the 'correct path' of prioritizing physical strength!
Newgate would also challenge Rocks, learning the methods to train the three types of Haki.
He wanted to learn from Rocks, catch up to Rocks, and surpass Rocks!
But getting beaten up was inevitable.
That guy Rocks treated everyone equally and hit hard.
But the results were very obvious!
Ignis, Newgate, Sunbell, and Barbel all showed improvement.
.....
Several months later!
"Damn it!! This guy can really run!!"
Trying to find Shiki, this flying pirate-yakuza, had filled Rocks with untold anger.
"I didn't expect that Rocks would have a grudge against Shiki from so early on."
Ignis hadn't anticipated that finding Shiki would take so much time.
No wonder, in the original timeline, Rocks spent eight years recruiting just six executives: Newgate, Shiki, Stussy, Ganzui, Marlon, and Ochoku.
During that time, many proud and unruly strong individuals were killed because they refused to follow Rocks.
After visiting Harald in Elbaf, Rocks spent another four years recruiting executives like Charlotte Linlin, Streusen, Captain John, Barbel, and Gloriosa.
Once they occupied Hachinosu, Kaido and Kyo finally joined the Rocks Pirates.
With Hachinosu as their base, the Rocks Pirates continued to develop for several more years before reaching their true peak.
......
Right now, Shiki and Kyo were playing a game of cat and mouse.
Currently, the strength of the mobster Kyo seemed a bit higher than Shiki's; he was the one chasing Shiki.
Shiki, with his Float-Float ability, hadn't grown strong enough yet and could only avoid battles, constantly on the run.
This personal vendetta chase was causing the Rocks Pirates to consistently fail to catch Shiki.
"When I catch them, I'm going to beat the crap out of them!"
Rocks now had his eye on both Shiki and Kyo.
Especially since Ignis had told him that the mobster Kyo would also join the Rocks Pirates in about a decade.
Rocks was determined to subdue this guy early and bring him under his command!
Ignis had no solution for the furious Rocks.
This brute of a captain was fixated on catching Shiki and Kyo.
It would be faster to first go to the West Blue to find the Mafia boss Marcone, or look for the smuggler Gloriosa, or even the Pirate Prophet Wang Zhi, than to keep relentlessly chasing Golden Shiki.
However, this period of time allowed Ignis and the others to grow stronger and deepen the bonds among the crew.
Ignis had already bonded well with Newgate, Sunbell, and Barbel. The communication and friendship among the four were currently very good.
.....
"Rocks, just chasing him like this isn't working."
Ignis felt a bit helpless towards their hot-headed captain. He'd been chasing for months without considering switching targets.
"Ignis, it's your prophecy that's failing. Otherwise, how could we chase for so long without catching him!"
Rocks had become fixated on Shiki and refused to give up. He even started complaining about Ignis's selectively inaccurate prophetic ability.
"Everything in the world is in flux. The future is constantly changing. That's the diversity and charm of 'the future'."
"If I told you about one future where you simply can't defeat Imu, you probably wouldn't accept it either..."
Ignis couldn't be bothered with Rocks's resentment. This guy had been so confident about recruiting Shiki in one go, only to be led on a chase for months. His mindset was somewhat blown.
"Hmph! Is that the future where Imu catches me before I find either the Sun God Nika fruit or the Dark-Dark Fruit?"
Rocks knew that without those two abilities, he truly wouldn't be a match for Im.
"Exactly."
Ignis didn't reveal the information explicitly. He couldn't just say that Rocks's hometown, God Valley, would be discovered by the World Government.
"Exactly! Without those two legendary abilities, you really can't beat that undying old monster!"
Rocks's mindset finally calmed down. The little matter of Shiki and Kyo was nothing compared to the Imu.
Wasting a bit more time was no big deal.
They had plenty of time now!
"Only the Vice Captain can talk the Captain down."
Barbel noticed that Rocks, who had been wearing a cold face, finally regained his usual boldness and ease. The atmosphere on the ship relaxed a lot.
When Rocks was in a bad mood, the whole ship felt oppressive.
The sailors and laborers were even more terrified. Even cooking became problematic. In the end, Ignis had to cook several times himself.
Only then did everyone discover that Ignis also had the skill of a chef.
But Ignis didn't cook often. After all, little giants like Newgate, Sunbell, and Barbel were all huge eaters.
Ignis wasn't willing to cook for these gluttons!
"Ignis, your Gravity should be able to counter Shiki's Float-Float ability, right?"
Newgate regretted not getting to eat Ignis's cooking more often. The food made by these laborers was indeed a bit ordinary.
They needed to get Rocks to find some real chefs.
"The Float-Float ability leans towards rules. Once something is floated, it stays floating. My Gravity needs continuous stamina to maintain a weightless state."
"Also, talking about 'countering' isn't quite accurate. In short, whoever is stronger counters the other!"
"If the flame is strong enough, it can counter water."
It wasn't like Ignis hadn't tried floating the Xebeck's Sword to travel. But the stamina and focus it consumed sometimes made it hard for him to concentrate on developing his other abilities.
So the flying version of the Xebeck's Sword was only used for a few days before Ignis got tired of it.
It was better to just honestly sail on the sea.
Unless they found Shiki, they could use it as a pursuit method.
"Exactly. If your Haki is strong enough, it can counter most Devil Fruit abilities."
"Conversely, if you develop your Devil Fruit ability well enough, it can also break through Haki's defenses."
Rocks highly approved of Ignis's theory. There wasn't that much natural countering. Everything comes down to you not being strong enough!
Just then, Rocks suddenly looked into the distance.
A flying pirate ship was leisurely sailing through the sky. This made Rocks instantly reveal a ferocious smile!