Chapter 3 – The Blood Skull Pirates

"They're pirates!" Rocks' eyes widened as he spotted the pirate flag flying from the distant sailboat. "You don't need to tell me that," Magnus replied, shooting him a sideways glance. You can tell they're pirates, but did you forget I'm one too? I haven't even taken my flag down yet. "Rocks, come with me." Since he had decided to take Rocks in, Magnus no longer saw him as an outsider. "Can you steer a ship? Do you know how to read an Eternal Pose? You'll be at the helm—just follow the direction it points. That pointer leads to a small island. We're going to deal with them there." Magnus led Rocks to the helm and tossed him a spherical container holding a compass. In this world, navigation required a special type of compass called a Log Pose. And some special types—like the one Magnus handed over—were Eternal Poses, which permanently pointed to one specific island. "Why aren't we just dealing with them out at sea?" Rocks asked, puzzled. "With your strength, it shouldn't be hard, right, captain?" "Are you an idiot?" Magnus rolled his eyes. "It's just the two of us on board. If I head over to fight them and they get the same idea and charge us, what do you think happens to you?" This wasn't the East Blue, West Blue, North Blue, or South Blue—it was the most chaotic sea in the entire pirate world: The New World. Any pirate able to survive here was no joke. If he got held up— With Rocks' current strength, this future "King of the Seas" wouldn't even make it past his first encounter. And even if Magnus could sink their ship using Hakoku (Conqueror of the Sea)... The range was still a problem. The farther the attack, the more stamina it drained. Unless the enemy came closer on their own, it wasn't practical. [Misfortunes never come alone. After just encountering the King of the Seas, you now face a worn-down pirate crew looking to crush a rookie's dreams.] [The Blood Skull Pirates—a remnant of the old era long abandoned by the new world.] [Don't worry. Their captain is just an aging relic. With your current strength, you have nothing to fear.] [Defeat them. Conquer them!] Magnus already knew his system was an idiot—but seeing this info pop up on the panel still nearly made him break composure. Blood Skull Farrell. Bounty: 160 million Berries. (That's equivalent to 1.28 billion in the future.) By today's standards? That was absolutely a Great Pirate. This wasn't like the future, where bounties shot up to a billion or two like candy. Right now, Berries had serious purchasing power. If you converted by value, 1 Berry today was worth 7 or 8 times as much as in the future—bounties included. If Magnus remembered correctly, Captain Farrell of the Blood Skull Pirates wasn't even fifty yet—prime age for a pirate. And this guy dared call him old? What did that make him then? A walking corpse? As for why the Blood Skulls were here— They'd sold him out, clearly. Not surprising. Betrayal was business as usual in the pirate world. "What a pity... you picked the wrong time." In the distance... Aboard the Blood Skull Pirate Ship— "Hahaha! White Wolf Magnus, we finally found you!" Wearing a deep crimson coat, Blood Skull Farrell laughed heartily as he spotted the faint outline of Magnus's ship in the distance. "You there! Good job. Once I off your old captain and get my hands on his hidden treasure—I'll keep the loot, and the ship's all yours!" White Wolf Magnus... now that was a name! Farrell had heard it even when he first set sail. This was a man even the Marines couldn't pin down. Too bad... Even heroes fade. No matter how strong a pirate, they couldn't fight time. And now— Disbanded his crew. Sailing alone to find a grave. There's no such thing as a free ride in this world. Decades dominating the sea, and at the end? His crew split the fortune and got only ten million Berries each. No wonder someone got greedy and spilled his location. Honestly, if it were him, he wouldn't believe it either. "Full speed ahead!" Farrell shouted, "Cannoneers, prepare! Fire two volleys to start!" At his command, a young man beside him panicked. "Captain Farrell, that's not what we agreed on!" he protested. "You said you'd take Magnus' treasure and leave the ship to me!" That ship was already ancient. And Magnus was the only fighter left aboard. If it took a few cannon hits, it might just sink! "Oh? You questioning my orders?" Farrell narrowed his eyes. The pressure that radiated from him was something the young man had only ever felt from Magnus. The youth paled. He quickly shook his head. "N-No, of course not." "Good." Farrell snorted coldly. "Sure, you said the old man couldn't use Haki anymore—but who knows if that's true? If we approach directly and he still has some strength left, what if my crew gets hurt? As captain, I must ensure their safety!" He spoke with righteous conviction. But the truth was—he didn't give a damn about his crew. A name carries weight. When Magnus ruled the sea, Farrell was still sucking on a bottle. Who knew what tricks the old guy still had up his sleeve? Better to keep some distance and shell him first—wear him down. Magnus was a Devil Fruit user, after all. These fruits granted strange and powerful abilities—but the price was the ocean's curse: no swimming. If Magnus didn't block the cannon fire, and his ship sank? He'd be as good as dead. Farrell was smug with his calculations, not realizing they played right into Magnus's hands. "Looks like they're not planning to get close anytime soon." Effortlessly slashing away an incoming cannonball, Magnus watched the Blood Skull Pirates maintain a careful distance. Close enough to chase—but not engage. He even put on a show, pretending to be short of breath. "But we're almost there." In the distance, the faint silhouette of an island began to appear. Even if the Blood Skulls sped up now, they wouldn't reach them before Magnus could land. "Captain, are you okay?" Rocks asked, seeing Magnus gasping for air. Though he didn't exactly like being someone's crew, Rocks didn't really dislike Magnus either. Especially after being promised that sea-splitting technique. And just now, it hit him— Magnus really was an old man. No matter how strong, an old man's stamina couldn't compare to his youth. The Blood Skulls' tactic now was clear: Drain Magnus's strength. "Well now, would you look at that—you actually care." Magnus looked at Rocks and nodded approvingly. "Since you know your captain is tired... how about doing me a favor?" "What kind of favor?" "Watch over my old partner." "Huh?" Before Rocks could react, Magnus leapt overboard. Geppō (Moonwalk)! Kicking off the air, Magnus shot toward the island at a speed far surpassing any ship—leaving Rocks behind, alone at the helm. Rocks was stunned. Another volley of cannon fire rained down. With Magnus no longer deflecting them, the old ship was riddled with holes. On deck, Rocks scrambled for cover amid the explosions. From afar, Magnus could still hear Rocks shouting obscenities: "Damn old man, I swear to *****!!"