WebNovels

Chapter 66 - Chapter 67: Refusing to Join the Crew

"Slashing Wave!" He kicked out two sharp, tangible golden slashes that cut through the air, tearing through the atmosphere and aiming for Rocks's vital points.

"Bring it on!" Instead of retreating, Rocks advanced, throwing a punch of his own. It was not enhanced by any Devil Fruit ability, just a pure iron fist wreathed in the lightning of Conqueror's Haki. BOOM! The fist and the slashes collided in mid-air, creating a deafening roar. The golden slashes were shattered by the single punch, turning into a shower of light.

The two figures instantly crossed paths, engaging in the most intense and primitive hand-to-hand combat. Fists and feet clashed. Every collision made the surrounding ground crack and the air scream. Shiki's fighting style was wide and open, full of a king's dominance. But Rocks's attacks were more direct, more ferocious. Every punch seemed to want to shatter space itself. Black and red lightning flashed continuously between the two—a top-tier clash of Conqueror's Haki.

"Gurararara, these two guys really get along, don't they," Newgate said, watching with great interest, his arms crossed. Gatz was so excited he wanted to charge in and fight himself.

Ren, on the other hand, was calmly observing the battle, his focus different from the others. 'Shiki's Haki is strong, but it's not yet condensed enough. His combat experience is also clearly inferior to Rocks's. His attacks rely more on the strangeness of his Devil Fruit ability and the ferocity of his fighting style. But Rocks has already begun to perfectly integrate his Devil Fruit ability with his Haki and fighting style, forming his own unique combat system.' Ren analyzed in his mind. The outcome was already decided.

As expected, the battle lasted less than ten minutes, and the situation on the field was already clear. Although Shiki's attacks were still sharp, his breathing had become ragged, and he had a few new bruises. Rocks, on the other hand, still looked at ease. He was like a tiger toying with its prey, enjoying the fun of the battle.

"It's over," Rocks seemed to have gotten tired of playing. He seized an opening in Shiki's attack and his figure vanished. When he reappeared, he was behind Shiki. A hand-blade, containing a terrifying gravitational force, accurately chopped at the back of Shiki's neck. "Black Hole."

Shiki felt a numbness in the back of his neck. The world before him instantly went dark, and the strength in his body was instantly drained by an irresistible force. He fell limply like a puppet with its strings cut. The battle ended with Rocks's overwhelming victory.

Rocks shook his hand, walked over to the unconscious Shiki, and looked down at him, a satisfied smile on his face. "Good strength. He's good material for a crew member." He turned to his crew and grinned. "Alright, boys, looks like we're getting a new comrade."

However, things did not go as expected. About half an hour later, Shiki slowly came to. He opened his eyes and saw the group of monsters from the Rocks Pirates gathered around a bonfire, cheerfully roasting the giant wild boar that Gatz had caught earlier. Ren was methodically brushing a secret sauce on the pig. The rich, meaty aroma made the newly conscious Shiki's stomach grumble.

"You're awake?" Rocks's voice came from the side. He held out a wine flask. "Have a drink?"

Shiki didn't take it. He struggled to sit up and looked at Rocks, his expression complex. There was unwillingness, shock, but more than that, the excitement of meeting a worthy opponent. "I lost," Shiki admitted his defeat frankly.

"So, want to join my ship?" Rocks directly extended an invitation. "Follow me, and you'll see the most magnificent scenery on this sea."

Everyone thought that faced with such a powerful Rocks, Shiki would choose to join. However, Shiki just shook his head. He stood up, dusted himself off, and the arrogance unique to the Golden Lion returned to his face. "I admit you're strong, Rocks," Shiki's gaze swept over everyone present, finally landing on Rocks. "But to make me subservient to someone else is impossible."

"I, Shiki the Golden Lion, will be the one and only hegemon of this sea! Although I lost today, the next time we meet, I will definitely take your head!" With that, he turned and was about to leave without looking back.

"Hey! You're just going to run away after losing? You've got no guts!" Gatz shouted indignantly.

Shiki's steps paused. He turned back and grinned, a smile full of unruliness and heroism. "Wahahaha! When I'm strong enough to beat him, I'll come back to fight you for food!" Before his words had even faded, Oto and Kogarashi under his feet activated their ability again, carrying his body into the sky. In a flash, he had disappeared over the horizon. He had arrived arrogantly, and he had left just as decisively.

On the deck, the crew looked at each other. "That guy... he really has character," Newgate said, rubbing his chin with a smile.

Ren looked in the direction Shiki had left, also a little surprised. 'It seems that even without my appearance, this world's timeline is full of variables. Perhaps the members of the Rocks Pirates were never predestined.' He immediately felt relieved. The current Rocks Pirates had Rocks and Newgate, two future top-tier hegemons. It had Linlin, a natural disaster, and Gatz, Silver, and Dolum, crew members with unlimited potential. Most importantly, it had him, the Head Chef who could unite everyone with his cooking. The future of this ship was no longer something a mere Golden Lion could influence. Whether he joined or not was not that important.

"Alright, forget about that lion that ran away," Rocks's voice interrupted everyone's thoughts. He pointed at the wild boar that was already roasted to a golden brown and was dripping with fat, and shouted heroically, "Time to eat! No one goes home sober tonight!"

"OOOH!"

A conflict that had started from an unexpected encounter ended with a lively bonfire barbecue party. The enticing aroma of meat and the wanton laughter of monsters once again filled the island's sky. To them, this was just an insignificant little episode in their adventure on the Grand Line.

The clamor of the bonfire party gradually subsided, leaving only the crackling of the fire and the gentle music of the waves crashing against the reefs. Shiki's departure did not leave much of a ripple in the hearts of the crew. For this group of monsters who were used to the wonders of the Grand Line, it was just an insignificant little episode. They were more concerned with the volcanic rock-roasted pork that Ren had cooked with the giant wild boar and the new spices discovered on the island, a dish that could make their very souls tremble.

Gatz let out a satisfied burp. He felt that every bite of meat he ate had turned into pure strength, rushing through his limbs. He even felt that he could now punch through this island with a single blow. Of course, that was just an illusion.

-------

Enjoying the story? Support the author and get access to early chapters by joining my Patreon!

Find me at My : pat*eon*com/RuneA

I, Herta's Fiancé, the Universe's Number One Male Fist (114 Chapter (Simulpub-Full) )

Zenless Zone Zero: I'm a Succubus in Sixth Street (330 Chapter)

Reborn in Type-Moon, My Sister is Aoko Aozaki (254 Chapter)

MyGO!! A Story Voiced by Me (130 Chapter)

BLEACH: Blade of Purification (140 Chapter)

Konoha: Starting the Game as Yoriichi (370 Chapter)

My Real Job is Spying on Konoha, but I'm Also its Hokage (140 Chapter)

The Pinnacle of the Navy! Starting from Being Captured by Garp (160 Chapter)

Watching Yu-Gi-Oh! short videos is making the veteran players lose...(80 Chapter)

Uma Musume : The Trainer Who Just Wants to Live (200 Chapter)

Zenless Zone Zero The Random Kamen Rider (170 Chapter)

Genshin Impact: It All Began With Me Being Stepped On by Arlecchino (120 Chapter)

Naruto: I Can Synthesize Summoning Beasts (90 Chapter)

Demon Slayer: The Great Swordsman's System, Disciple of Yoriichi (130 Chapter)

My Wife is a General, but I'm an Emanator of Abundance! (140 Chapter)

Type-Moon: My Nine-Fold Path (140 Chapter)

Uma Musume: They're Peeking at My Diary, and All of Tracen is Panickin (Ending)

The Wild History of Type-Moon world (70 Chapter)

Reborn in Conan, But I Refuse to Be the Bad Guy (80 Chapter)

Ruan Mei is begging me to go back? But there's no going back anymore (140 Chapter)

Just a Slacker at Tracen Academy (148 Chapter)

Survival in Blue Archive (70 Chapter)

Kimetsu no Yaiba: Doma Wasn't Hated Today, Either (100 Chapter)

The Vibe of This Chat Group is a Little Off (100 Chapter)

Heartbreak Simulator: I Broke Them and Made Them Cry (80 Chapter)

The Talentless Trainer Doesn't Want to Restart (80 Chapter)

A Journey Starting as a Quincy (80 Chapter)

Uma Musume: The Master of Romance Obstruction (80 Chapter)

Uma Musume: You Can't Be a Hero Without a Little Chemical Enhancement (40 Chapter)

Honkai Impact 3rd Your Boyfriend is Really Amazing (40 Chapter)

Warhammer 40K: My Fiancée, Fulgrim (150 Chapter)

Classroom of the Elite: Trying to Capture Me! (120 Chapter)

Genshin Impact My Named Senji Muramas (150 Chapter)

A Chef, the Vice-Captain of the Rocks Pirates? (130 Chapter)

Naruto : My Uchiha Girlfriend is Too Tsundere (100 Chapter)

Type-Moon: Reincarnated in a Lostbelt, I Became the Alien God (60 Chapter)

The Way These Horse Girls Look at Me Is Terrifying! (110 Chapter)

Naruto: Tsunade's Deskmate (120 Chapter)

I Just Want to Live a Normal (50 Chapter)

Genshin Impact: A Hundred Confessions? It's Just a System Task (60 Chapter)

OnePiece : Starting as a Veteran of the Roger Pirates (60 Chapter)

Uma Musume : I Have Special Horse Taming Techniques (70 Chapter)

If there's a particular novel you're enjoying on Patron, please give it a 'like' so I know to focus on it.

More Chapters