In the underground black market of the port town, Stussy, newly admitted to the White Wolf Pirates, immediately cut ties with the CP Organization.

"The White Wolf Pirates are going to sea?"

"Don't ask me. I won't say a thing. I'm now an intern doctor of the White Wolf Pirates, so don't come to me again. I don't want the captain to misunderstand!"

What was CP compared to Magnus? Every time she sold them intel, they barely gave her a few tens of thousands of Beli. What beggar change! Magnus, on the other hand? Even before she boarded, he gave her 80 million Beli! Where else was she going to find such a generous captain?

"Stussy… aren't you afraid we'll tell Magnus about your contact with us?"

"I think your captain trusts me more than you!"

Of course Stussy wasn't dumb enough to reach out to the CP directly under the White Wolf's nose—she'd even gotten Kureha's approval beforehand.

Her only regret was not managing to scam an extra Devil Fruit out of the CP before leaving.

"Training, huh…"

Just thinking of the hellish training awaiting her once aboard made her face fall. If only there was a Fruit that let her grow strong instantly…

Behind her, the CP agent stared at her back, grim and conflicted. But before he could contact his superiors…

"Hey, think you CP guys can keep messing around on our turf?"

"Haha, looks like it's been too long since we last taught you a lesson—have you forgotten what the White Wolf Pirates are famous for?"

"Wiping out CP dogs like you, of course!"

Roya and Ed appeared together. Against two pirate captains of their level, even a CP0 agent couldn't easily flee.

And—

"All cleaned up?"

"Of course. Though we didn't finish them all off. Better to leave a few so we can track them later."

This sweep of the Navy and CP spies was something the crew had planned for a while. Back when it was just Roya, Lily, and Ed, they lacked the strength. But now, with Magnus at the helm, and Ripley and Rocks grown strong enough to join, even without Magnus lifting a finger, they had enough force to be called formidable.

Ripley and Rocks had already grown.

If you added the old guard too, the White Wolf Pirates…

Could finally be called a Yonkō-level crew.

Not quite on par yet—but closer.

Even so, Magnus knew better than to overestimate them.

At best, they were the weakest of the Yonkō-level crews.

No right-hand man strong enough yet, no empire-scale power.

Magnus alone wasn't enough.

"All done!"

You couldn't fault the kids for recovering fast. In just a few days, Rocks was already back to his pre-pleasure street condition.

And in his hands now was a CP0 head, defeated by him.

Strength comparable to an ordinary great pirate.

But even in one-on-one, Rocks had beaten him—at his own specialty, the Rokushiki.

Every CP agent was a Rokushiki expert.

But Rocks's talent surpassed them!

Even if it was partly because the CP0 knew he couldn't escape with Magnus looming nearby, it still proved Rocks's strength.

"Rocks."

"…Yes?"

"From today on, you're an official member of the crew."

Magnus had said Rocks had to beat Ripley to earn his place. But the truth was, Rocks had already surpassed Ripley.

Unless confined to a narrow deck where Ripley's size gave her an advantage, she was no longer his equal.

"Rocks! That's amazing!"

Before Rocks could react, Newgate cheered first. The two were the closest of all the younger crewmates, and he was genuinely happy for his brother.

"I'd better step up too!"

Even if the White Wolf didn't discriminate against interns, Newgate still wanted to earn his official stripes.

"Hmph, you've still got a long way to go!"

Rocks smirked, trying to keep his dignity as the elder by a year.

For him, this was more than just a minor promotion—it was Magnus acknowledging his strength.

From today forward—

He was no longer a greenhorn. He was a true pirate.

But this wasn't his ultimate goal.

No. His ultimate goal… was Magnus himself. Becoming an official member was just the first step!

With everything settled, it was finally time to set sail.

This time, they departed with nine people.

Magnus as captain, official crew members Rocks and Ripley, interns Newgate, Linlin, and Stussy.

The guest, Toki.

And original members Lily and Dean.

The remaining three old crew stayed on the island: Roya, Ed, and Kureha.

Roya was now Sphinx's steward.

His duel with Sebas had left lasting injuries—he could still fight at a great pirate level, but not for long.

So Ed stayed behind to watch over his old friend.

With the Black Merchant Dukeman's faction serving as an allied crew, Sphinx's situation had stabilized.

Magnus had even spoken to the Giant King.

Elbaf formally established ties with Sphinx, and while Magnus was away, Harald would send a squad of giant warriors to help.

Elbaf itself had begun building a city after the Navy's raid, and with the King at its heart, it feared no enemy but the very strongest.

And if the World Government came knocking, the giants could evacuate immediately.

If they could win, Harald could handle it alone.

If not—even all of Elbaf together wouldn't stand a chance.

So Harald agreed to Magnus' mercenary plan.

Three great pirate-level giants, and a squad of regular giants, would join Sphinx to keep the island safe while Magnus was at sea.

In return, Sphinx would pay them annually.

And as the giants grew stronger and more organized, it was clear their power would rise dramatically—soon, there would be more great pirate-level giants beyond Harald's royal guard.

Harald had even sent word to summon the captains of the Giant Pirates back.

After all, Elbaf had nearly been destroyed—what were they doing still dueling each other?

And so, in the hurried reports of Sphinx's remaining spies, news reached the Navy and CP:

The White Wolf Pirates… had set sail once again.

(End of Chapter)

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