"There's no vice captain?"
"Then what is Vice Captain Ignis supposed to be?"
Stussy's pupils contracted. She had thought she'd successfully attached herself to the number two figure of the Rocks Pirates.
Yet Rocks just declared there was no vice captain aboard the ship.
Then what did the newspapers and bounty notices mean?
"Bahahaha! There's no vice captain aboard the Rocks Pirates. There's only one rule, strength above all, the strong are supreme."
"But we acknowledge Ignis as vice captain!"
Barbel immediately stepped up enthusiastically, determined to help solidify Ignis's position as vice captain.
"That's right. Vice Captain Ignis is the best vice captain."
Sunbell and Streussen immediately agreed, completely ignoring Rocks' insistence that there was no vice captain.
"Jihahahaha! If you can defeat Ignis, you can make them call you vice captain too."
Shiki continued being shameless as always, immediately encouraging the newcomer Stussy.
But inwardly, he didn't actually think highly of her.
Her strength was probably weaker than both Ganzui and Kyo. She wasn't remotely qualified to challenge Ignis.
"I wouldn't dare, I wouldn't dare. I completely support Lord Ignis becoming vice captain!"
After quickly observing the expressions of all the officers, Stussy decisively sided with Ignis.
She noticed that aside from Ganzui and Kyo, whose attitudes were hard to read, Newgate, Charlotte Linlin, and even the recently joined Gill Bastar all seemed to tacitly accept Ignis as vice captain.
Meanwhile, the troublemaker Shiki likewise refused to directly call Ignis vice captain.
The internal dynamics of this pirate crew were clearly rather complicated.
"Vohahaha! Ignis, if you can make every single person call you vice captain, then I'll officially appoint you as vice captain."
"But as long as even one of them refuses to acknowledge you and still wants to become vice captain themselves, then there will never be a true vice captain on my ship."
Seeing how Ignis had won over so many officers' hearts, Rocks didn't mind at all.
In fact, he hoped Ignis would grow strong enough to completely beat every officer into submission.
Most of all, he wanted to see Ignis fully conquer Newgate and Shiki.
Men like Kyo and Ganzui definitely weren't Ignis's opponents.
Charlotte Linlin had already been completely charmed into becoming Ignis's fangirl and no longer posed any threat to him.
"It's not like I absolutely need to become vice captain. You brute really have no eye for talent."
"Believe it or not, if Imu met me even once, Imu would probably beg me to become one of the Five Elders who rule the world."
Ignis shrugged, completely unconcerned with Rocks' rules.
Right now, he merely wanted to remain within the Rocks Pirates, not bind himself permanently to them.
"Jihahahaha! Ignis, when I become captain in the future, I'll definitely make you vice captain!"
Hearing Ignis and Rocks "arguing," Shiki unconsciously blurted out his true thoughts.
In the next instant, every officer turned toward Shiki.
This guy was that fearless?!
He actually dared declare in front of Rocks that he wanted to become captain, and even openly tried recruiting Ignis right before Rocks' eyes.
"Heh. Rocks, I suggest you beat Shiki to death."
For the first time, Kyo found an opportunity and immediately grinned viciously, eager to shove Shiki into a pit of disaster.
"Even if Ignis doesn't become Rocks' vice captain, he'll become mine!"
At that moment, Charlotte Linlin suddenly jumped out and began fighting Shiki over Ignis, completely failing to notice Rocks' darkened expression.
"Honestly, if given the chance, I'd also want Ignis as my vice captain."
Seeing the atmosphere becoming strange, Newgate calmly spoke up. He simply wanted to muddy the waters and help Shiki and Linlin divert some of Rocks' anger.
After all, punishment was difficult when everyone was guilty.
Of course, if Newgate ever founded his own pirate crew in the future, he genuinely would want Ignis as his second-in-command.
"Rocks, listen to this. I really am a hot commodity. By the time you want me to become vice captain, I might not even agree anymore."
Seeing things escalating toward a massive internal conflict, Ignis quickly stepped in to ease the tension.
"Vohahaha! So every one of you wants to steal Ignis from me?"
Rocks looked at the three individuals possessing the qualities of kings with great interest.
As expected of the core officers he valued most, every single one wanted to overthrow him as captain and take Ignis away.
"Hehe, that's right! I'm stealing Ignis from you!"
Now that Linlin and Newgate had both spoken up, Shiki no longer strategically retreated like usual.
Instead, he fearlessly stared straight at Rocks.
Shiki's ambitious eyes locked onto Rocks while his aura surged violently upward.
At this moment, the utterly unrestrained Shiki awakened Conqueror's Haki.
Its pressure was even fiercer than Charlotte Linlin's, nearly rivaling Newgate's.
Shiki truly deserved his future status as one of the Three Legendary Pirates alongside Roger and Newgate after Rocks' death.
He and Roger and Newgate would dominate the New World half an era earlier than Big Mom Charlotte Linlin and Kaido of the Beasts.
"Damn you, Shiki!!"
Kyo never expected Shiki to awaken Conqueror's Haki at this exact moment, and all because of fighting Rocks over Ignis.
What kind of ridiculous development was this?!
He couldn't accept it.
He wanted to see Shiki get beaten senseless by Rocks, not awaken Conqueror's Haki.
This result was unbearable.
"Vohahaharo! Usually you're so sly and cowardly, yet for Ignis's sake you actually dared bark at me."
Seeing Shiki successfully awaken Conqueror's Haki, Rocks not only wasn't angry, he even looked appreciative.
Still, Shiki absolutely needed a beating.
Otherwise, his ego would inflate straight into the heavens.
"Jihahahaha! I awakened Conqueror's Haki! Ignis, you truly are my lucky star!"
At this moment, Shiki became even more excited and arrogant, unleashing his Conqueror's Haki wildly.
He became even more determined to make Ignis his future vice captain.
"This guy…"
Even Newgate hadn't expected Shiki to awaken Conqueror's Haki for Ignis's sake. Shiki's ambition was apparently even greater than he'd imagined.
"Damn it, how is he this strong?!"
Charlotte Linlin felt a trace of pressure. Shiki's Conqueror's Haki had actually surpassed hers.
No!
She absolutely could not allow Ignis to be stolen away by Shiki!
"Ignis is mine!!"
Charlotte Linlin likewise erupted with Conqueror's Haki, forcefully pushing back against Shiki's pressure.
"Gurararara! I'll join the fun too!"
Newgate also unleashed his own Conqueror's Haki without restraint.
Not because of Ignis, he simply refused to be overshadowed by Shiki and Linlin.
The other officers stared blankly as Shiki, Linlin, and Newgate brazenly unleashed Conqueror's Haki in front of Captain Rocks over Ignis.
"We thought Vice Captain's charm only attracted women. Who knew even these kings would fight so fiercely over Ignis…"
Barbel, Sunbell, and the others endured the pressure of the three supreme conquerors, their eyes filled with shock.
Was Ignis planning to conquer both men and women alike?!
What kind of terrifying charm was this?!
The newcomers Ganzui, Gill, and Stussy were even more stunned, their minds completely blank.
Was the Rocks Pirates about to descend into internal conflict?
Were they seriously going to join on the exact day the pirate crew fell apart?!
"Vohahaha! Looks like I still underestimated Ignis's charm and importance…"