Shiki immediately looked at the other crew members. If he couldn't beat Rocks, surely he could beat the others?
He would become the number two on this ship!
'Strong!'
When Shiki saw Newgate, he instantly felt that this young giant was stronger than him.
Scanning Ignis and Sunbell, he felt they weren't weak either.
Only Barbel seemed like someone he could bully.
As for the sailors and laborers, he ignored them.
"Bwahaha! We haven't even laid a hand on the new guy, and you already want to pick a fight?"
Barbel laughed heartily. Every new member, of course, had to have a big fight to establish their position on the ship.
"Jihahaha! Might makes right, strength is supreme! Of course, we have to fight!"
"But I'm not in good shape today. We'll fight in a few days."
Shiki showed no fear, meeting Barbel's fierce gaze.
Newgate, however, just gave Shiki a casual glance.
He had sparred with Ignis and already had experience and techniques for dealing with flying abilities.
If Shiki dared to cause trouble, he wouldn't mind using his Tremor-Tremor Fruit to send Shiki to the bottom of the sea.
"I told you, no fighting on a new member's first day. Only banquets!"
Ignis floated in the air and spoke, trying his best to keep the atmosphere on the ship normal.
"Okay, Vice Captain."
Barbel was very obedient. He would rather anger Rocks than offend the prophet.
"He's the Vice Captain? I thought the rule was might makes right!"
Shiki was instantly a bit unconvinced. He would rather believe Newgate was the vice captain than this guy Ignis.
"There is no Vice Captain on my ship!"
"You can beat them all into submission and make them willingly call you Vice Captain."
Rocks spread his hands and shot Ignis a mischievous glance.
It seemed he wouldn't need to beat up Ignis himself anymore. Shiki would constantly be picking fights with him.
"Jihahaha! Beat them into willingly calling me Vice Captain, huh!"
Shiki instantly had a small goal: to beat these strong crew members into submission.
"I only recognize Ignis as Vice Captain!"
Barbel spoke very honestly, not afraid at all of offending the new guy, Shiki.
"Jihahaha! I'll beat you all one by one. Hope your mouths are tough enough!"
Shiki was arrogant and unruly. He wanted to beat these guys just like Rocks had beaten him.
Let them understand what 'might makes right, strength is paramount' really meant!
"Bwahaha! Fighting Ignis for the Vice Captain position? Hope you don't regret it."
Sunbell laughed loudly. He hoped Shiki would still be able to laugh after finding out Ignis was a prophet.
Even Rocks highly valued Ignis.
With just a little scheming from the Vice Captain, Shiki would probably suffer quite a bit.
In fact, if Ignis really wanted Shiki's Float-Float ability, Rocks and Newgate would probably help kill Shiki.
That was Ignis's importance!
On the Rocks Pirates, the rule of might makes right, and strength is supreme, applied to everyone.
Except for the prophet, Ignis.
"Regret? I'll never regret anything!"
Shiki shot a provocative glance at Ignis, but Ignis ignored him and continued directing the sailors and laborers to prepare Shiki's initiation banquet.
When Shiki saw the floating 'mountain of meat and forest of wine', he immediately thought of the gravity suppression from earlier.
"What's your ability?"
Feeling that Ignis's ability might counter his Float-Float Fruit, Shiki casually asked.
Know yourself and know your enemy, and you'll never be defeated.
"Gravity."
"Welcome aboard, Golden Lion Shiki!" Ignis smiled faintly, casually picked up a floating glass of red wine, and raised it towards Shiki.
"Golden Lion? Is that my new epithet?"
Currently, the yakuza-pirate Shiki, mingling in the underworld, was generally called 'Golden Shiki' on the streets and didn't have any other epithet.
But the title 'Golden Lion' did suit his golden hair.
"Sorry, I'm used to it. Golden Lion Shiki is your future epithet."
Ignis had a nonchalant look. Letting these guys know their future epithets wasn't a big deal.
"Future epithet?"
Shiki frowned, suddenly feeling a sense of trouble.
"Bwahaha! Vice Captain Ignis is a prophet who can see the future. You want to take his Vice Captain position? Offend him? You'll see."
"Maybe your destined opportunities, like famous swords and Devil Fruits, will all be taken away..."
Sunbell grinned mischievously at Shiki. They knew Ignis had taken the Vampire Fruit originally meant for Redfield, the Red Count.
Offending Ignis meant being extremely unlucky in the future.
Maybe if a fatal crisis came, Ignis wouldn't even give a warning.
"What! A prophet?"
Shiki's pupils dilated. He had just been thinking of getting two famous swords. If Ignis obstructed or misled him...
Wouldn't that ruin it?
So that's what those two fish-men meant by 'hope you don't regret it'.
"Hmph, I don't believe it!"
Shiki bluffed stubbornly, but his gaze towards Ignis was no longer so arrogant and unruly.
"Ignis, I've already got some leads on my future Supreme Grade Blade, Murakumogiri."
"I really like the look of that naginata. When are we going to take it?"
At this moment, Newgate, grabbing some roasted meat and eating it, spoke to Ignis with a smile.
It seemed he really would become a master swordsman using a naginata in the future.
Newgate, used to fighting with his fists, had already started preparing to practice long-handled naginata techniques.
"What! A Supreme Grade Blade?"
Shiki's eyes instantly turned red with envy. Ignis, using his prophetic ability, was helping this young giant find a suitable Supreme Grade Blade?
That was the charm of a prophet!
"Hehe, you should ask the captain, Rocks. He decides the Rocks Pirates' actions."
"I'm just responsible for providing a little information."
Ignis leisurely enjoyed his red wine, deliberately ignoring Shiki's complicated gaze.
Shiki was a few years older than Newgate, only in his early twenties now, his strength far from its peak.
And he wanted to compete with Ignis for Vice Captain? He wasn't qualified yet!
Now, possessing three abilities, even if his physique was a bit lacking, Ignis's strength had reached a very considerable level.
With the boost of the Shichiseiken, he could definitely handle the young Golden Lion Shiki without a problem.
"Vohahaha! Newgate, don't worry. We'll definitely help you get that Supreme Grade Blade!"
"This guy Ignis found his Shichiseiken for himself early on. He's cunning."
Rocks laughed heartily. He liked this feeling of precise plundering.
"But now, let's go and grab that guy Kyo, the one who was chasing Shiki, and bring him on board too!"
Now that Shiki was aboard, Kyo should be in these waters too.
Since Kyo would join in about a decade anyway, why not have him join earlier?
Maybe, following them, he could grow to an even higher level.
"You're going to recruit Kyo?"
Shiki's eyes widened again, but the next moment he grinned mischievously.
"Well, Captain, you'd better give him a good beating! Kyo is notoriously hard-headed and arrogant!"
Shiki started egging Rocks on. He hoped Rocks would beat Kyo within an inch of his life.
Now that he had joined the Rocks Pirates before Kyo, he would be Kyo's senior. He could taunt that bastard in the future.