"What right does that brat Ignis have to be the Vice Captain of the world's strongest pirate crew?"
"I should be the second-in-command!"
Wang Zhi considered himself, the 'Pirate Guru', far superior to the likes of the 'Great Demon Lord', 'Whitebeard', '', and the 'Iron Balloon'.
Given his status and reputation, Rocks should consider it an honor for him to become the Vice Captain of the Rocks Pirates.
He hoped Rocks would wisely kick Ignis out.
That brat Ignis should be sensible and voluntarily give up the position.
Looking at this flying warship in the sky, Wang Zhi felt that becoming Vice Captain of the Rocks Pirates wouldn't be too humiliating.
But if he had the chance, he would certainly cooperate with the World Government to kill Rocks.
He wasn't used to serving under anyone for long.
Most importantly, by killing Rocks, he could inherit everything the Rocks Pirates had built.
Maybe he would even get a chance to become captain of the world's strongest pirate crew.
As the flying warship grew closer, Wang Zhi unreservedly erupted with his own aura.
He was both declaring his sovereignty and proving with his strength that even if he couldn't beat Rocks, he was still qualified to be the second-in-command of the Rocks Pirates.
...
Aboard the Xebec's Sword.
"Vohahaha! Is he showing off his strength?"
Rocks felt this 'Pirate Guru's' Conqueror's Haki.
But this so-called 'Pirate Guru' had a weaker will in his Conqueror's Haki than not only Newgate but even Shiki and Linlin.
The kind of guy who relied on setting sail a few years earlier to dominate the New World would eventually be surpassed.
"Rocks!! You can't fight him!"
"This is our prey!"
Kyo and Shiki were all clamoring.
They all saw the 'Pirate Guru' Wang Zhi as their stepping stone to fame.
By taking down Wang Zhi, their reputations would skyrocket!
Currently, this regional overlord, the 'Pirate Guru' Wang Zhi, had a bounty as high as 757,000,000 Berries.
In this era, that bounty was incredibly high!
"My bounty is lower than yours, so I go first!"
Kyo stated authoritatively.
In short, the weaker ones go first.
Otherwise, should they start with the strongest?
Shiki and Newgate were left speechless by Silver Axe's matter-of-fact tone.
Soon, the order of challenge from weakest to strongest was confirmed.
Streusen knew he couldn't beat Wang Zhi, so Sunbell went first, with Silver Axe actually placed behind Barbel.
Sunbell also felt he couldn't beat Wang Zhi, but as someone who aspired to be a hero of Fish-Man Island, he feared no battle.
...
On Elysium Island, Wang Zhi had originally wanted a world-shaking battle with the worst criminal Rocks, as a way to join the Rocks Pirates.
But instead, a burly fish-man descended from the flying warship.
"Wang Zhi! Sunbell, the 'Tidal Warrior', challenges you!"
Sunbell, like a cannonball, charged straight at Wang Zhi without any unnecessary words.
"Bastard! Rocks, are you looking down on me, the Guru?"
"Sending out just one subordinate!"
Wang Zhi felt greatly insulted. Even if Rocks had sent out high-level executives like Ignis and Newgate with bounties over 600 million, Wang Zhi wouldn't be so angry.
But sending a fish-man with a bounty of just over 300 million, this was contempt for him.
With a face full of gloom, Wang Zhi's right fist instantly coated with thick Armament Haki, his eyes as venomous as a snake's.
"Get lost! Small fry!"
Wang Zhi's Armament fist and Sunbell's Sea Warrior Trident collided fiercely.
"Strong brute force! But not enough!"
Enraged, Wang Zhi erupted with even stronger Haki and punched young Sunbell away.
The next moment, an even more immense fish-man crashed down.
"Watch closely, Sunbell!"
"Depth Dreadnought Barbel challenges you!"
Barbel, over ten meters tall, punched Wang Zhi directly.
Wang Zhi blocked with all his might, the ground beneath him shattering for hundreds of meters.
"So strong!"
The brute force was even stronger than a giant's. Wang Zhi hadn't expected Barbel, with a bounty of 388,000,000, to make him look quite disheveled.
"Bwahaha! You don't even seem as strong as Newgate!"
"And you dare call yourself the 'Pirate Guru'!"
Having landed a successful blow, Barbel instantly became arrogant. He had thought the famously powerful Wang Zhi might be stronger than Vice Captain Ignis or Newgate.
But it seemed he wasn't all that!
"Damn it!"
"You've angered me!"
Wang Zhi was furious, spewing saliva with his long tongue in his rage.
"Disgusting!"
"Fish-Man Karate: Saliva Impact Burst!"
The power waves around Barbel's hands turned the saliva into bullets, shooting back at Wang Zhi himself.
Boom, boom, boom~
Wang Zhi couldn't take down Barbel with a single punch like he had Sunbell.
This left the many pirates on Elysium Island stunned.
Barbel was among the middle-low tiers of the Rocks Pirates, practically at the bottom.
And he was going blow for blow with the 'Pirate Guru' Wang Zhi?
If that was the case, how strong must the executives be who are stronger than Barbel?
'Something's not right here.'
'According to intelligence, executives like Whitebeard, Golden Lion, Silver Axe, and the Iron Balloon were all personally defeated by Rocks.'
'Why hasn't Rocks made a move?'
Kuroki, watching from among the pirates, suddenly felt a sense of unease.
He looked up at the flying warship in the sky.
How was he going to attract Rocks's attention and successfully join the Rocks Pirates?
"Jehahaha! This Wang Zhi doesn't seem all that great!"
Floating in the air, Shiki, watching the battle between Wang Zhi and Barbel, suddenly felt Wang Zhi's bounty was a bit inflated.
However, as a regional overlord and captain, he posed a greater threat to the World Government, so his bounty would naturally be higher than that of crew executives!
Besides, Wang Zhi had been entrenched in the New World for years, slowly building up his bounty.
"I'm 60% sure I could beat him!"
Newgate, holding his Supreme Grade Blade Murakumogiri with one hand, looked down at the fight below, estimating the gap between himself and Wang Zhi.
Having sparred so often with the strongest pirate, Rocks, recently, his strength had been increasing rapidly.
He was now confident he could even beat Ignis.
Ignis had been focusing on his Devil Fruit abilities lately, and his weak physique was hindering his growth.
Rocks had teased Ignis about his weak physique more than once.
But as the ship's Great Strategist and prophet, it didn't matter so much if Ignis was a bit weak.
They could protect Ignis from now on!
...
Ignis, riding the Shichiseiken like a flying sword, floated in the air, observing the situation below.
He was looking for any familiar faces he could recruit onto the Rocks Pirates.
And he was also searching for the teleportation ability user Silver Axe had mentioned.
He soon spotted a figure in black standing unusually straight.
This guy felt out of place among the surrounding pirates, almost like his posture was that of a Marine.
....
t/n: Sunbell likes to call himself Tial Warrior.