Behind every notorious pirate, there's always a Marine officer relentlessly chasing them down.
Magnus was no exception.
The first time "Hihebi" (Crimson Serpent) Rona pursued him, she had been nothing more than a low-ranking Navy officer.
Magnus had watched her climb the ranks—officer to lieutenant, lieutenant to captain—
And three years ago, she had officially become one of the three Admirals.
Five years ago, Rona already had strength bordering Admiral-level.
And from their earlier clash, Magnus was sure—she had finally crossed the threshold.
In this world, "Admiral-level" or "Emperor-level" doesn't denote a specific stage.
They're watershed classifications of power.
And when it comes to classification authority, no one is more recognized than the 800-year-old World Government, which uses former Admirals to test and rank.
If your strength isn't enough, no amount of merit or contributions will grant you the title of Admiral.
Which is why there's a saying in the pirate world:
Only those who can go head-to-head with an Admiral—and win—deserve the title "Yonko" (Emperor).
Fail to do that, and you're "just a big-shot pirate."
Magnus had sailed the seas for decades.
He'd crossed swords with four or five Admirals—past and present alike.
He hadn't beaten a single one.
Thus, another saying had emerged:
"Defeat White Wolf Magnus, and you're the sea's next ruler."
He had become the gatekeeper between "Great Pirate" and "Emperor".
At first, Magnus had refused to accept this.
But after losing over and over again to Admirals… he could only face reality—
He was too weak.
His Devil Fruit? Awakened.
His Haki? Pushed to the peak.
Yet… he still couldn't win.
He was always just one step short—one final missing piece.
When he lost to Rona five years ago, it completely crushed his spirit.
That was when the thoughts of disbanding his crew and retiring somewhere quietly first began.
Haoshoku Haki (Conqueror's Haki) is born from innate talent.
But the strength of Haoshoku depends entirely on the user's will.
He had roamed the seas for decades.
Did his will really amount to no more than a rookie just setting sail?
Impossible.
The only explanation was—Magnus himself no longer believed he was fit to be a king.
And because he denied himself, his Conqueror's Haki was so faint.
This past half year of retreat wasn't just for waiting on a new ship, or training Rocks and Lipli.
It was about finding himself again.
To rediscover that bold young man who once set out to sea—eyes full of dreams and pride.
An Admiral?
Failure after failure?
So what?
The system had made up for his lack of Haoshoku Haki, and with its repeated upgrades to his cellular vitality, it not only rejuvenated his youth, but even let him break past his former physical limits.
He had once tried to rise up with only human strength—
And had earned only failure and ridicule.
Fine.
No more holding back.
Deep Blue—Add Stat Points!
"Shimo Kami (Frostbite Fang)!"
In the mist-choked forest, a massive white wolf stepped forth from the shadows, a long blade clamped in its jaws.
It leapt into the air and came crashing down with a mighty slash.
Yet, Rona reacted like she had eyes in the back of her head—
Even within a haze where visibility was zero, she blocked Magnus' ambush flawlessly.
"Hmph. Just petty tricks."
The mist surrounding them was conjured by Magnus' ability—
It blanketed several kilometers, cloaking all visibility in frigid cold.
Ordinary people would suffer frostbite on contact.
But Rona wasn't ordinary.
Even as a swordswoman, to reach her level, she had to possess a monstrous physical constitution.
This mist? She could withstand it for a whole day without issue.
"Ha! This is part of my power. What's underhanded about it?
If we're talking cheap shots, how about a young lady like you bullying an old man like me?"
When the first strike missed, Magnus melted into the fog again.
He had chosen beast form over his more powerful hybrid form because he was prepared for a long battle.
Had Rona been a Devil Fruit user or someone who specialized in Busoshoku (Armament) or Haoshoku, he wouldn't have fought this way.
Against monsters who trained their bodies to the peak, Magnus' speed wouldn't help.
But swordsmen?
No one knew swordsmen better than him.
In pure destructive output, Rona was absolutely stronger—
Their first clash had proved that.
Her grip hadn't wavered at all, while Magnus' mouth—which held his blade—had been torn and bloodied by her Haki.
But—just slightly.
Rona was strong. A true Admiral-class force.
Even Magnus at his peak wouldn't be her equal.
But that's only at sea.
She might survive one day in his mist—
But two? Three?
This was Elbaf in winter.
He was the White Wolf, harbinger of winter.
There could be no better battlefield.
Magnus was done running.
Why should he just be the gatekeeper?
Why not an Emperor?
Why not the King of this age?
"Hahahaha! 'Crimson Serpent' Rona! Let's fight until our blades break and our wills crack!
This time—I'm not running!"
The white wolf's assault was unrelenting—hit-and-run strikes, vanishing and reappearing again.
He would pin Rona here no matter what.
And Rona never intended to run either.
Even in an environment unfavorable to her, she had the confidence to emerge victorious.
Yet still, she was quiet.
In Magnus…
She saw the remnants of a bygone era—a legend fading with time.
Magnus was only a pirate.
But no Admiral had ever looked down on him.
Because Magnus was the only one who had faced multiple Admirals and still escaped each time.
Still, Rona didn't believe he could beat her.
Because—
She was an Admiral.
"Hiiroiro (Crimson Ripple)!"
A crimson blade light followed her swing, curling around her like a living thing, clashing head-on with Magnus' next charge.
Magnus avoided head-on duels for a reason.
Against someone with greatsword mastery, he'd be at a disadvantage immediately.
But by using his ice mist to disrupt Kenbunshoku (Observation), he could constantly adjust his approach to target her weakest defenses.
Even so—
"Of course it's not that simple!"
The crimson blade left bloody gashes on him.
Magnus didn't use Busoshoku to block.
He tanked it with pure muscle.
As a Zoan user, his body was his greatest weapon.
Using Armament Haki would have protected him more, sure—
But it would also drain his Haki reserves.
If he needed Haki to block attacks of this level, his reserves would dry up long before Rona's stamina did.
At this point—neither was backing down.
Fight!
—
In the Giant Village—
As Magnus and Rona clashed, Rocks woke up.
The battle's cold mist covered several kilometers, and the fight wasn't far from the village.
Even inside, he could feel the bone-deep chill.
His instincts screamed:
"Don't go into that forest."
"What's going on?"
Half a year on Elbaf hadn't dulled Rocks' alertness.
Magnus had a habit of randomly attacking him, saying it was to help him train his Observation Haki.
Rocks had grumbled at first…
But then heard from other giants that this was indeed the proper method.
So he endured.
He trained.
Because he would one day become the King of the Seas.
And someone aiming for that throne couldn't shy away from suffering.
Looking out the window, he saw dense mist at the edge of the village.
The sounds of violent impacts echoed through it.
"It's Captain Magnus!"
The giants outside shouted.
"Captain Magnus is fighting someone, but the mist is too thick—we can't get close!"
The cold was so intense, it could freeze even fire.
Torches went out the moment they touched the fog.
And the giants, weakened from a week of fasting, couldn't endure the cold long enough to help.
"We need to contact Master Yoruru and Aruru!
And inform His Majesty Harald!
This isn't something we can interfere with!"
Even among the giants, few warriors were currently in the village.
And those who were didn't dare act recklessly.
What if more enemies were lying in wait?
They all knew—
Winter Solstice was when they were weakest.
Whoever planned this attack had picked the perfect time.
—
"Is that old man the one fighting?" Rocks muttered.
He looked to the sky where crimson and white flashes collided like fireworks.
He had thought six months of training closed the gap between him and Magnus.
But now?
He couldn't even approach the battle.
His nails dug into his palms.
Still not strong enough…
—
"Oi oi, what's with this brat?"
"She's too tough—won't even go down!"
"Forget her! While the giants are distracted by the Admiral, let's grab the other two!"
"…"
Whispers reached Rocks' ears, and his expression changed.
Though he hadn't awakened Observation Haki, his senses had improved greatly.
He could use Rokushiki (Six Styles) freely now.
Those weren't giant voices.
And…
"Admiral Hihebi?"
Was it that Admiral?
He didn't have time to think further.
The children of the Lamb's House were in the next room.
He didn't care about most of them—except one:
Charlotte Linlin.
Magnus himself had entrusted her safety to him.
But before he could move, he heard—
"I'm… so… hungry!!"
BOOM!!
Rocks thought the house had collapsed.
He saw—
A CP0 agent in a white suit flung like a ragdoll, skidding across the ground for meters, leaving a long trench in the earth.
"Who am I?
Where am I?
What just happened…?"
Outside the Lamb's House, Rock lay in a daze, staring up at the branches overhead.
He had just tried to knock out a giant little girl.
And… she punched him.
He'd been on guard—
He never imagined a child could hurt him.
But that punch?
Even with Haki defense, three ribs shattered.
"Boss!"
"Boss, are you okay!?"
Two subordinates rushed over.
Coughing blood, Rock grit his teeth.
"Forget that brat! Grab the others—retreat!"
That punch had surely alerted the other giants.
And though they were weak from fasting, the CP trio couldn't beat a whole village.
"The letter—is it delivered?"
"It is."
"Then once we're out of their reach, we regain the advantage."
Simple plan:
Kidnap two giant kids.
Once they left Elbaf, even the giants couldn't chase them.
And Carmel would have no choice but to negotiate.
Luckily—
Magnus was alone.
No other White Wolf crew around.
—
From the attic, Rocks watched the three CP0 leave with the children.
He didn't chase.
First, because their auras told him they were dangerous.
If he showed himself, they'd crush him in seconds.
And second—
Because he noticed something odd about Charlotte Linlin.
Wearing a flower-print dress, the little girl stepped outside.
Her presence—
Even Rocks felt a shiver.
"No wonder the old man noticed her."
But then, he saw Linlin heading toward the forest—
Toward the battle.
Alarmed, Rocks leapt down and blocked her path.
"That's far enough."
Facing Linlin, his voice was cold.
"Kids should stay where kids belong. Don't go running arou—"
BAM!!
He never finished.
Because a giant, millstone-sized fist was already swinging at him.
(End of Chapter)
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