Chapter 39 - 39 – Now, Is My Aura Enough?

"Come on. Our boss wants to see you." In the port town of Sphinx, Iron Hand Jode looked at Magnus and Lipuri with a mocking expression. At his signal, a crowd of pirates gathered around them with ill intent. "Haha, this one's at least playing the part decently." "White Wolf Magnus is over seventy—how could he be this young?" "And the woman with him doesn't match any of the known members of the White Wolf Pirates. Tch tch... guess this fake Magnus has pretty good taste." "..." Several pirates leered at Lipuri with vulgar gazes. Even knowing this might anger Magnus and Lipuri, they made no attempt to hide it. After all—they were pirates. If pirates weren't greedy or lustful, what kind of pirates would they be? "Looks like we've been misunderstood." Seeing nearly a hundred pirates surrounding them, Magnus sighed. Those imposters pretending to be them had clearly caused more trouble than expected. "Lipuri, handle them." "Should I go easy?" "It's fine if you kill them." Though Magnus wore a helpless smile, his words were anything but lighthearted. "They're all scum anyway." In any world, the word "pirate" was rarely a compliment. At least based on Magnus's fifty years of experience. Sure, there might be a few good pirates—but far more bad ones. Would "good people" surround and ambush strangers like this? With Magnus's approval, Lipuri grinned cheerfully. She looked around, cracking her knuckles. "Who wants to go first?" The moment she spoke, the surrounding pirates looked at each other—and then burst into laughter. "Puhahaha! What's this brat saying? She wants to fight us?" "This is the New World, not some place for little kids to play house!" "Hey, old geezer, is hiding behind a woman all you're good for?" "..." The last pirate barely finished his sentence when he saw a long leg flash before his eyes. Boom! A massive force hit him head-on. His face contorted, blood spurted from his nose and mouth, and a crack rang out as his skull fractured. The surrounding pirates only felt a gust of wind—and the man Lipuri had targeted was already soaring through the air. Bang! Bang! Bang! His body flew over a hundred meters, smashing through three buildings before finally stopping. Even if he wasn't dead, he'd probably spend his next life in a wheelchair. "That's it?" Lipuri blinked. She'd thought these guys must be strong if they dared to block them—yet they couldn't even take one kick. Originally, that blow had stunned the crowd—but Lipuri's comment instantly made the pirates furious. "Bitch!" "You're looking down on us?!" "Don't get cocky!" "..." As the mob rushed toward her, Lipuri's lips curved into a smirk. She swung her arm with a flourish. "Mini Mini no Mi: Partial Revert – Giant's Arm!" Before their shocked eyes, her arm swelled massively—and with a single sweep, she sent dozens of pirates flying like rag dolls. The remaining pirates stared at her giant-sized limb with terror. "Damn it—she's a Devil Fruit user!" "Jode-san! These people aren't normal pirates!" "What should we do, Jode-san?!" "..." Sure, Devil Fruit users weren't rare in the New World—but the extent of their power made all the difference. To casually knock back over a hundred pirates with a single blow—Lipuri wasn't just any user. "Shut up, all of you!" Iron Hand Jode had never counted on this group of nobodies anyway. After Lipuri's devastating attack, his gaze became much more serious. "So your power is to enlarge parts of your body? No wonder you're so confident. I'll admit, you've got some strength. What do you say—why not join us? Our captain is Jason the Undying, with a bounty of 120 million Beli. He's clearly better than that old man you're with." No one had expected Jode to offer an olive branch instead of attacking Lipuri directly to assert dominance. Hearing his offer, Lipuri tilted her head curiously. "120 million Beli? Is that more than White Wolf Magnus's bounty?" "Of course not—!" Jode thought to himself: White Wolf Magnus had a bounty of 290 million Beli, a legendary pirate. How could his own captain possibly compare? Not all big-name pirates were created equal. 100 million Beli was just the threshold of being a "big-name pirate." 290 million Beli was already top-tier—some even said Magnus might one day become a Yonko. Of course, that was all "might." Aware of all eyes on him, Jode wouldn't dare show weakness. He puffed his chest and shouted: "The White Wolf Pirates disbanded a year ago! No matter how strong Magnus was, he's just a relic abandoned by time!" "Our captain is young—surpassing Magnus is only a matter of time!" He turned toward Magnus and sneered: "Girl, don't let that old man fool you. Sure, he looks a little like White Wolf Magnus—but where's the aura of a true pirate legend?" ... So this whole mess was because he acted too approachable in daily life? "Lipuri, go ahead and laugh if you want." Seeing her struggling to hold back giggles, Magnus just shook his head. "Since you want to feel my 'aura'..." He took one step forward—and in that instant, the world changed. A formless pressure radiated outward, filling everyone with an indescribable terror. That seemingly frail old man suddenly towered in presence, like a giant wolf emerging from a snowstorm, its crimson eyes opening in the heart of a hurricane. Thud. A pirate collapsed, foaming at the mouth. Thud. Thud. Like dominoes, pirates dropped one after another. Magnus hadn't moved a muscle—and yet, the ground beneath his feet cracked from the sheer weight of his presence. [Quest Reward: Haoshoku Haki (Conqueror's Haki) Strength Increased!] Two months ago, his battle against the Giant King Harald had ended in victory. After going all out, Magnus had realized: Harald, like him, had reached the absolute peak of this world. They fought for three days and nights before Magnus won by a slim margin. If they fought again, the result could go either way. But after that victory... Not only did he receive a system reward—his Haki had evolved, strengthened by that clash. Now—he was even stronger than Harald. Step by step. By the time Magnus stood before Iron Hand Jode, the 50-million-Beli pirate had clenched his fists tightly. He wanted to fight back—but instinct screamed at him: If I move... I'll die. He looked at the pirates sprawled around him. He looked at that face—so ordinary, yet oddly familiar. Swallowing hard, his hoarse voice trembled: "Now... is my aura enough?" (End of Chapter) [Check Out My P@treon For +20 Extra Chapters On All My Fanfics!!][[email protected]/euridome] [Thank You For Your Support!]