Chapter 179: Players Doing Bad Things
"You brat, what have you done...?"
Although the crisis of food and water shortage was temporarily resolved by Longbread killing everyone else who knew about it except for himself.
However, key personnel like Newgate and Skeeter keenly sensed the change in the atmosphere on the ship.
Furthermore, Rocks' Observation Haki was like a searchlight in the dark, sweeping across the ship again and again without any concealment, making it difficult for them, whose senses were equally sharp, to ignore.
Squirrel, enduring the discomfort of having no privacy whatsoever and having everything meticulously examined by Rocks from head to toe, instinctively felt that Rocks' actions were inextricably linked to Violet, and rushed back to his room immediately.
Shiki didn't dare to use his Haki within Rocks' Observation Haki range, so he chose to quickly scan the room with his naked eyes.
No!
The room was empty; there was no sign of that black-haired bastard!
Shiki realized he had been tricked.
It's true that Violet wanted to cause trouble, and it's also true that she wanted Rocks to admit that she had boarded the ship and find her himself.
But that doesn't mean she has to stay in his room and be monitored by him. With such a large space as the Sword of Gybeck, it doesn't matter where Vale hides, and she doesn't need to worry about him suddenly turning on her and selling her out.
Vera wasn't lying; she was just playing a word game with him.
Violet hid in his room and told him that she planned to keep a low profile and didn't want to be discovered by anyone other than Shiki. Shiki subconsciously equated this with Violet's plan to hide in his room.
"ha."
Realizing he'd been tricked, Shiki laughed in anger. It had been a long time since he'd seen anyone so easily provoke his rage. Even when that bastard Rocks forcibly took him aboard the Sword of Gybeck, Shiki wasn't actually that upset because he and Rocks were birds of a feather.
Violet's sudden disappearance confirmed Shiki's suspicions. The eerie atmosphere on the ship and Rocks's actions of completely disregarding the other crew members' feelings by casting the entire ship under his Observation Haki were definitely related to Violet.
"Phew...that's good."
Shiki gave a cruel smile. Now, he'd suddenly become interested in this game of hide-and-seek too.
——
Shanks sat on an old wooden crate, holding a wine glass in one hand and a rag in the other, having spent the entire day slacking off under the pretext of wiping the glass.
The tasks that should have been his responsibility were enthusiastically taken over by the friends he had just made on the ship after some "exchange".
There are still more good people than bad in this world.
Shanks sighed inwardly, leaned back, rested his head on the box behind him, and gazed at the sky.
Rocks' domineering and powerful Observation Haki naturally required Shanks to exert great restraint in order to suppress the urge to confront and fight him head-on.
This is, after all, the era of Rocks, and this is, after all, Rocks' Sword of Gybeck. As a guest who accidentally stumbled into this point in time, he should be more discreet... But thinking about it this way, if he misses this opportunity, he will never have the chance to test just how powerful this "King of the World" was at his peak.
Oh no, this makes me even more tempted!
Shanks covered his face with his hand, somewhat helplessly. The adventure with Violet was undoubtedly very exciting and interesting, but Violet always gave him such perplexing problems, making him feel both pain and joy.
A shadow fell over Shanks, and Shanks opened his eyes as he felt the brightness suddenly drop. He saw Shiki standing in front of him, a cigar in his mouth, arms crossed, looking annoyed.
Rather than Rocks, who was determined to participate in and win this game of hide-and-seek himself, Skeeter didn't mind seeking some off-field help.
"Ah, it's Shiki-senpai. Do you want a wine glass to drink from? You'll have to wait until I finish wiping it first."
Shiki, who already knew from the other crew members that Shanks had been wiping this glass all day, was speechless.
And what he was holding was a rag for wiping the deck, right? It definitely was. Just thinking about the bloodstains and vomit that often appeared on the deck made Shiki's originally murderous look almost impossible to maintain.
"...Your companion has disappeared."
Shanks opened his mouth silently, then hesitated for a few beats before saying uncertainly, "Wasn't that something that was certain the moment the Sword of Giebeck departed from Beehive Island?"
The Sword of Gybeck didn't let Violet board the ship back then, leaving her alone on Beehive Island for several days before Shiki realized that Violet hadn't followed.
Shanks glanced at Shiki's empty head and suspected that his senior's later erratic behavior might not be solely due to the ship's rudder inserted into his brain.
Shiki was speechless. He couldn't very well say that not long after the fleet set sail, the kid they had underestimated and abandoned on Beehive Island had secretly slipped onto the ship under everyone's Observation Haki, caused a big incident on board, tricked him, and then disappeared.
Shiki said with a stern face, "I suspect she's hiding somewhere on the ship right now. You were her former comrade, so tell me, where is she most likely hiding?"
Shanks: "..."
Shanks put on an innocent expression: "How could I possibly know that, Shiki-senpai? I'm a pirate, how could a pirate have real comrades?"
Less than a month ago, the entire ship robbed the temple's donations. During the retreat, while Newgate and Kaido were still trapped underground with the enemy, they didn't hesitate to throw bombs inside, forcing Newgate to use his Tremor-Tremor Fruit ability, almost destroying the entire island before he escaped this betrayal from his ally. Shiki remained silent for a second.
He felt that what the red-haired man in front of him said made a lot of sense.
Shiki laughed maliciously: "Yeah, after all, you're the kind of person who, upon hearing that Rocks said only you were allowed on board, would not hesitate to throw that guy onto Beehive Island."
Shanks sighed softly and nodded resignedly: "Yes, after all, I'm the kind of person who would abandon my comrades without hesitation."
"Haha, that's right, that's what a pirate should be like." Shiki laughed and patted Shanks on the shoulder. "Ruthless, insidious, and treacherous, you are truly a shameful, but qualified, pirate."
After Shiki finished laughing, he didn't remove his hand, but instead pressed his palm down on Shanks' shoulder.
Shiki bent over, his bulging blond hair, like that of a lion in his prime, obscuring the sky from Shanks' view.
"If you find any trace of that guy, tell me, and I'll make you a full member of the Rocks Pirates."
Shanks felt another urge to sigh. He never imagined that after so many years, he would have become a captain and a king of the sea, only to find himself worrying about being promoted to a higher rank again.
However, he still felt nostalgic, which reminded him of the time when he was an intern on Captain Roger's ship... If given the chance, perhaps he could hide his identity and catch a glimpse of those people from afar. At this point in time, Captain Roger should not have met him as an infant yet.
Shanks was multitasking, trying to gain Captain Roger's trust while concealing his identity, while giving Shiki a perfunctory reply, saying that he would notify her immediately once he discovered Violet's whereabouts, in exchange for the hard-won opportunity to become a full member of the crew.
After Shiki left, having finally received a satisfactory answer, Shanks raised his hand and touched Griffin, equally puzzled.
"Where is Violet hiding?"
Meanwhile, Valerie, who was being watched by Shanks and the others, was fast asleep in a box huddled in a corner.
As a golden bachelor at sea, Shiki's room had no place to sleep other than his bed. Violet needed to find the Rocks Pirates' food and fresh water storage place in one night, collect them all into her backpack, and then seize the opportunity to sneak into Rocks' captain's cabin, leaving some subtle but enough traces to provoke him.
"Hmm..."
Still half-asleep, Vera raised her hand to adjust the bush hat on her head and calmly began to space out.
This is such an unfair game! In this timeline, Rocks knows nothing about her, while Violet knows him intimately because of the "tutoring" she received from the future Rocks.
One can only thank the future Rocks for giving Vera a wealth of theoretical knowledge and practical experience on how to anger others.
Looking at her hunger level, Vera judged that most of the day had passed since she left Shiki's room. It was probably already dark outside, and the crew on the ship should be realizing their current predicament by now.
What will Lockes do? Turn back now to find the nearest island to replenish supplies? That would be tantamount to admitting defeat for the man, so he'll probably consider raiding the seas first.
At this time, there were still more than a decade before Roger died and the Great Age of Piracy began. Although there were still many pirate flags flying at sea, it was nothing compared to the great pirate rampage of the Violet era.
But Violet wouldn't pin her hopes on something as elusive as luck.
Violet took out a book with a bright red cover, resembling an apocalyptic scene.
She chose to meet Rocks as a librarian because of the book "The End Is Gone".
After reading this book, you will find that it focuses on Violet and creates a post-apocalyptic area shrouded in earthquakes and lightning.
At sea, earthquakes often trigger devastating tsunamis.
With Newgate on board, such an earthquake and tsunami would naturally not pose a major threat to the Sword of Giebeck. However, whether it was Newgate or Rocks, once they took action, the news of the Rocks Pirates' presence would be impossible to keep secret.
Given Rocks' current reputation, any sane fleet would avoid this area, so Rocks' idea of replenishing supplies by plundering other ships would be impossible.
Unless you're the kind of person who's extremely stubborn, even if you know the Sword of Giebeck is here and Rocks is there, you can stick to the original course.
However, there are only two or three people like this in the whole world, so how could Viole be so unlucky as to meet one?
After finishing reading "The End of the World Is Coming," the book slowly disappeared from his palm, and an invisible magical fluctuation spread rapidly from this inconspicuous pile of junk outwards.
Vera, who was faintly feeling the vibrations coming from the seabed hundreds of meters below her, adjusted her posture.
Next, all that's left is to wait.
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Author's Note: Shanks: Well-behaved.jpg
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