Chapter 45: One Hundred vs Three, Advantage Is Mine!

It was getting late. As the three major pirate crews of Sphinx assembled their fleets and appeared at the harbor, the amber twilight of dusk dyed the sky, and the usual bustle of the port faded into an eerie stillness. "Looks like those bastards occupying Sphinx have no plans to hand it over peacefully." Ripley hoisted her massive club carved from the core of an Adam tree and spoke with a teasing grin. "Afraid?" "You're still here, aren't you, Captain?" She giggled. If Magnus wasn't backing down, how could his crew? "Just a mob of rabble." Rocks was full of fighting spirit, having just awakened haki. He hadn't forgotten Magnus's words—haki grows stronger in battle. After an afternoon of rest, his wounds from the Red Heart Pirates fight hadn't fully healed, but his stamina was back. "Haha, regardless, let's hear what those kids across the bay have to say. I'm the senior here—I can't just bully the young recklessly." Magnus's lips curled into a smile. With the help of kenbunshoku haki (Observation Haki), he had already sensed the layout of the harbor. He had a clear grasp of the enemy's strength. The most powerful were the three captains of the pirate crews—each had a bounty exceeding 100 million Berries. By future standards, they'd be at the level of calamities or sweet commanders under a Yonko. And even then, they were mid-tier at best. They were clearly weaker than the Blood Skull Pirate captain Magnus had faced after awakening his system a year ago. Below them, a few other combatants were decent but not on par with the calamity/sweet commander level. At most, they were about as strong as Ripley now. "Terrifying~" Magnus muttered sarcastically. Three pirates with nine-figure bounties, half a dozen strong fighters, and nearly five thousand pirates—enough to overwhelm anyone below an admiral with sheer numbers. "White Wolf Magnus!" A loud, commanding voice rang out from one of the massive pirate ships. "You haven't ruled this island in over a decade! Sphinx now belongs to the Black Gold Pirate Alliance. You've injured my men and barged into our territory. Are you declaring war?!" Magnus immediately recognized the speaker—Immortal Jason. A user of the Zombie-Zombie Fruit, Jason wouldn't die as long as damaged parts were replaced. His suicidal fighting style made even equals avoid going head-to-head. And Magnus had already chopped off one of his subordinates' arms. "White Wolf Magnus, your era is over! Sphinx no longer belongs to you! If you don't want to face the combined wrath of our three crews, I suggest you leave immediately!" On another ship, the black-hearted merchant Dukeman spoke loudly. He had no desire for a bloody fight with Magnus. As a businessman, he hated losing deals. A lion might grow old, but its roar still carried weight. No one knew how much of his prime Magnus still retained. And then, a deep roar cut through the air: "White Wolf Magnus, dare to fight me?!" Onboard the Giant Beast Pirates' ship, Moz leapt to the bow. A terrifying aura burst from him and swept across the harbor. "Damn idiot!" Dukeman and Jason had hoped to intimidate Magnus into backing off, but Moz had immediately unleashed his haoshoku haki (Conqueror's Haki). How had this oaf awakened Conqueror's Haki, anyway?! BOOOOMMMMMM— Moz's uncontrolled haoshoku exploded across half the harbor, indiscriminately knocking out weaker pirates left and right. But on the Black Pearl, Newgate and the others didn't feel a thing. They simply saw Magnus step to the bow, arms spread, laughing wildly: "Puhahaha! So someone among you three has a little guts to use Conqueror's Haki?" "But this level? Not enough!" Moz's Haki was amateurish—unable to distinguish friend from foe, and utterly lacking directional control. But Magnus was different. After fighting Rona the Crimson Serpent and Giant King Harald—and further boosted by the system—his haoshoku had grown immensely. "Let me show you what real Conqueror's Haki looks like!" With a bellow of laughter, Magnus unleashed his full power. Black and red lightning crackled across the sky. An overwhelming pressure swept over the harbor like the heavens collapsing, like the earth itself was being torn apart. To everyone's shock, Moz's Haki shattered instantly under the weight of Magnus's. Even at a distance, the terrifying pressure made it hard to breathe. The air itself felt frozen. Countless weak pirates collapsed outright. High up on a rooftop, Stussy thought she was far enough from the Black Pearl. But as soon as Magnus unleashed his aura, her breath caught in her throat. "So this... is the strongest pirate on the seas?" She panted, overwhelmed. Just standing there, Magnus felt like the center of the universe. An unmatched king. Was someone like that really someone she could reach? At the harbor, the three pirate captains felt suffocated. They never imagined a man in his seventies could still emit such terrifying might. "C-Captain, many of our men... they're down!" A trembling pirate reported. "How many do we have left?!" Dukeman gritted his teeth. From Magnus's posture, peace was no longer an option. Thankfully, they still had numbers. The White Wolf Pirates had only three people! "W-We have a hundred left!" "WHAT?!" Dukeman's eyes bulged. "I brought three thousand men for this operation!" Sweat poured down his face. His crew was the strongest among the three. If even they had been reduced to this, the other two must be worse. But there was no turning back now. "Prepare the cannons!" Dukeman roared. "No matter how strong White Wolf Magnus is, he's still just one man. If we sink his ship, he'll have no choice but to fight us head-on!" One hundred vs three— Advantage is mine! (End of Chapter) [Check Out My P@treon For +20 Extra Chapters On All My Fanfics!!][[email protected]/euridome] [Thank You For Your Support!]