A cook, vice-captain of the Rocks Pirates?

He slowly descended from mid-air, his feet landing on the ground, the two famous swords still hovering beside him.

"Judging from your appearance, you're pirates too, right?"

Shiki exhaled a smoke ring, his arrogant gaze sweeping over every member of the Rocks Pirates.

“State your name. Nobody deserves to die by my blade.”

"and who are you?"

Lockes countered with a calm tone, yet it carried an undeniable sense of pressure.

"I?"

Shiki laughed loudly: "Flying Pirate, Golden Lion Shiki! This sea will be mine sooner or later!"

"Golden Lion?"

As Lockes read the name, his smile grew increasingly playful.

"Have not heard."

These words were like a needle, instantly puncturing Shiki's arrogant balloon.

His face instantly darkened.

"What did you say?!"

“I said, I’ve never heard of your name, little cat.”

Lox's tone was full of provocation.

"However, since you're so eager to die, I'll grant your wish."

"court death!"

Shiki was completely enraged. The Sakura and Muku beneath his feet hummed and instantly flew up, transforming into two deadly streaks of cold light that aimed straight for Rocks' throat.

At the same time, he waved his hands, and dozens of giant rocks floating around him rained down on the Rocks Pirates like a dense meteor shower, determined to crush them and the valley together!

"Lion Power·Earth Scroll!"

Faced with this devastating attack, the members of the Rocks Pirates all wore expressions of anticipation, as if they were watching a good show.

Newgate even crossed his arms and said to Lingling beside him with great interest, "Looks like we don't need to do anything."

Rocks glanced at the two flying swords and the boulders flying everywhere, and simply snorted coldly.

He didn't even move, yet an invisible, distorted gravitational field suddenly erupted around him!

"Tianwei!"

When the two lightning-fast swords came within three meters of Lockes' body, they seemed to sink into an invisible quagmire, their speed suddenly reduced, and they were finally imprisoned in mid-air by an irresistible force, unable to move.

The rain of giant rocks was even more unbearable.

They suddenly froze in mid-air, then flew back at an even faster speed than they had come, crashing heavily into their owner!

"what?!"

For the first time, a look of horror appeared in Shiki's eyes.

His Float-Float Fruit ability, which he was so proud of, was so easily broken by this man, and even turned around and used against him!

He hurriedly maneuvered Sakura and Muku back to defend, while simultaneously retreating rapidly, narrowly avoiding the boulders that were flying back.

Rumble!

Dust and smoke rose from the valley, and the earth groaned in despair.

When the smoke cleared, Shiki reappeared. Although he was unharmed, the arrogance on his face had vanished, replaced by an unprecedented solemnity.

He stared intently at Lox and asked, word by word, "Who...who are you?"

Lox grinned, revealing a cruel smile.

"Lox D. Gibbek".

The name Rocks exploded in Shiki's mind like a thunderclap.

Although he said he hadn't heard of it, how could he not know about the Rocks Pirates, who had been causing such a stir on the high seas recently?

By capturing the G-2 branch and stealing the super battleship Azure Dragon, and with the core members' bounties being frighteningly high, every single thing they did demonstrated the lawlessness and terrifying strength of this emerging pirate crew.

Shiki never expected to meet them here in this way.

Even more unexpectedly, this man named Lox was far more powerful than the rumors suggested.

"Lox..."

Shiki's eyes sharpened, all his contempt vanished, and his fighting spirit erupted like a volcano.

"Very good! Excellent! Only by defeating a man like you can one be worthy of becoming the overlord of the seas!"

He no longer relied on those fancy ranged attacks, but instead wrapped his domineering aura around his legs, making him look like a real lion as he pounced on Rocks.

Chapter 67 Refusing to Board the Ship

"Chop!"

He unleashed two sharp, almost tangible golden slashes with his legs, tearing through the air and aiming straight for Rocks' vital points.

"Well done!"

Instead of retreating, Rocks advanced and threw a punch as well.

It has no added Devil Fruit abilities; it is simply the purest iron fist, wrapped in Conqueror's Haki lightning.

boom!

The fist and the slash collided in mid-air, unleashing a deafening roar.

The golden slash was shattered by a single punch, turning into countless points of light.

The two figures instantly intertwined, engaging in the most intense and primal hand-to-hand combat.

As fists and feet clashed, each collision cracked the surrounding earth, and the air groaned in agony under the strain.

Shiki's physical skills are expansive and powerful, full of the domineering aura of a king.

Rocks' attacks, on the other hand, were more direct and wilder, each punch seemingly aimed at shattering the very fabric of space.

Black and red lightning bolts continuously erupted between the two, a clash of Conqueror's Haki.

"Gurarararar, these two really get along well."

Newgate watched with great interest, arms crossed.

Gatz watched with great excitement, wishing he could rush up and fight too.

Raine, on the other hand, calmly observed the battle, his focus being different from others.

'Shiki's Haki is strong, but not refined enough, and his combat experience is clearly inferior to Rocks'. His attacks rely more on the unpredictability of his Devil Fruit abilities and the raw power of his physical techniques.'

"Rocks has begun to perfectly integrate his Devil Fruit abilities with his Haki and physical skills, forming his unique fighting system."

Renn analyzed the situation in his mind.

The outcome was already decided.

Sure enough, the battle lasted less than ten minutes before the situation on the field became clear.

Although Shiki's attacks were still fierce, his breathing had become rapid, and he had several bruises on his body.

On the other hand, Lox remained as composed as ever, like a tiger toying with its prey, enjoying the thrill of battle.

"ended."

Rocks seemed to have gotten tired of playing around too. He seized an opening in Shiki's attack and vanished in an instant.

When it reappeared, it was already behind Shiki.

A hand chop imbued with terrifying gravity struck Shiki precisely on the back of the neck.

"Black hole".

Shiki felt a numbness in the back of his neck, and the world before his eyes instantly went dark. An irresistible force drained all the strength from his body, and he collapsed limply like a puppet with its strings cut.

The battle ended in an overwhelming victory for Rocks.

Rocks shook his hand, walked up to the unconscious Shiki, looked down at him, and a satisfied smile appeared on his face.

"He's quite capable; he's a good candidate to be a crew member."

He turned to his crew and grinned, "Looks like we're going to have another new partner, guys."

However, the development of things was beyond everyone's expectation.

About half an hour later, Shiki slowly woke up.

He opened his eyes and saw the Rocks Pirates' monsters gathered around a campfire, happily roasting the giant boar that Gatz had previously killed.

Rein was methodically brushing the pig with his secret sauce, and the rich aroma of the meat made Shiki's stomach growl loudly as he regained consciousness.

"woke up?"

Lox's voice came from the side, and he handed over a wine jug.

"Drink?"

Shiki didn't answer. He struggled to sit up, looking at Rocks with a complicated expression.

There was resentment, shock, but more than anything, there was the excitement of meeting a worthy opponent.

"I lost."

Shiki readily admitted defeat.

"So, would you like to board my ship?"

Locke extended an invitation directly: "Follow me, and you will see the most magnificent scenery on this sea."

Everyone assumed that Shiki would choose to join forces with such a powerful being as Rocks.

However, Shiki shook his head.

He stood up, dusted himself off, and his face regained the arrogance unique to the Golden Lion.

“I admit you are strong, Rocks.”

Shiki's gaze swept over everyone present, finally settling on Rocks.

"But it's impossible for me to be subservient to anyone."

"I, Shiki the Golden Lion, am destined to be the sole ruler of this sea! Though I have lost today, I will surely take your head when we meet again!"

After saying that, he turned around and left without even looking back.

"Hey! You think you can just run away after losing? That's so spineless!"

"Gats shouted indignantly."

Shiki paused, turned around, and grinned, a smile full of untamed spirit and boldness.

"Hahaha! I'll come back and steal your food when I can beat him!"

Before he finished speaking, Sakura and Muku beneath his feet activated their abilities again, propelling him into the sky and disappearing into the horizon in the blink of an eye.

They came in arrogantly, and they left just as easily.

On the deck, everyone looked at each other in bewilderment.

"This guy... he really has a personality."

Newgate stroked his chin and chuckled.

Renn looked in the direction Shiki had left, somewhat surprised.

"It seems that even without my appearance, this timeline itself is full of variables. Perhaps the members of the Rocks Pirates were not destined to be."

He immediately felt relieved.

The Rocks Pirates now have two future top-tier overlords, Rocks and Newgate, a natural disaster like Big Mom, and crew members with unlimited potential such as Gats, Silver, and Dorm.

More importantly, there is a head chef who can bring everyone together with his culinary skills.

The future of this ship is no longer something that a mere golden lion can control.