Chapter 46: One Bite, One Scare—One Slash, One Great Pirate

But before the Black Merchant Dukeman could bombard the Black Pearl, he'd have to get Magnus's permission first. "Rocks, Ripley—the Black Pearl is in your hands!" Magnus had already sensed with kenbunshoku haki (Observation Haki) that several skilled swimmers were making their way toward the Black Pearl. Though many had been knocked out by his haoshoku haki (Conqueror's Haki), several powerful pirates had withstood the pressure. "Got it!" "Leave it to me!" Rocks and Ripley wore excited grins. This would be their first time participating in a battle of this scale. In previous skirmishes, Magnus had handled everything himself, leaving them no chance to fight. "Newgate, can I count on you too?" The sound of Magnus's voice startled Edward Newgate, who had been quietly standing off to the side. But faced with Magnus's trusting gaze, he couldn't bring himself to say no. "I-I'll help too!" And just like that, a surge of emotion welled up inside him. Was this... fighting side by side with the White Wolf Pirates? Magnus soared into the air. The three massive ships of the Black Gold Pirate Alliance, along with several mid-sized vessels, had all begun shelling the Black Pearl. A sky filled with cannonballs rained down. But Magnus slashed once. "Tenmō (Heaven's Net)!" A storm of slashes cut through the sky, intercepting the barrage. The cannonballs exploded in the air like a brilliant firework display. "White Wolf Magnus!!!" On the deck of the Giant Beast Pirates' ship, Moz let out a roar and launched himself forward, charging toward Magnus in midair with his massive blade. Though his haoshoku had been crushed, his beastly brain didn't accept defeat without a physical fight. Charging upward, he launched a reckless assault. "You idiot!" Immortal Jason and Dukeman cursed under their breath. The whole point was to attack as a group—letting Magnus isolate and defeat them one by one was the worst-case scenario. And now Moz had gone in solo. The towering pirate surged like a wild beast, his sheer size dwarfing Magnus. The tension among the onlookers was palpable. "How scary~" But Magnus only chuckled as he raised his blade midair. "Fall, Fuyu no Kuni (Winter Kingdom)!" Haki, Devil Fruit power, and top-tier swordsmanship! Before Moz could even reach Magnus, a bone-chilling cold spread through his body. His movements dulled as frost crept into his limbs. By the time he tried to dispel it with haki— —it was too late. The blade's light flashed before his eyes. He hastily raised his greatsword to block, but the instant their weapons collided— His blade snapped! And not just that—a deep gash tore across his chest, and the biting cold froze his entire body. Everyone saw it. Moz, who had charged so fiercely, was hurled back at greater speed. The impact tore through his ship. Ice spread from the point of contact, freezing the entire ship and its crew into a graveyard of ice sculptures. The sea for over a thousand meters turned solid, even freezing ships nearby. Though Magnus didn't possess the Ice-Ice Fruit like that future Marine admiral, the cold came as a byproduct of his Devil Fruit. He couldn't freeze an entire harbor—but several hundred meters? Easily. This was something only possible now that he had returned to full power. A year ago, it would've been unthinkable. This was for deterrence. "N-No way?!" The pirates aboard Jason and Dukeman's ships were stunned. Moz had been a great pirate, with a bounty higher than either of their captains! "One strike... took out Giant Moz..." Their voices trembled. It was inconceivable. Why? Wasn't White Wolf Magnus just another great pirate like their own captains? Why was the gap so enormous? Even the pirates assaulting the Black Pearl slowed their attacks. Some belonged to the Giant Beast Pirates. Upon seeing their captain fall in one blow, their fighting spirit vanished. "C-Captain is down!" So strong! Incredibly strong! Each time Magnus fought, he left Rocks in awe. And this was no exception. Rocks was struggling just to hold his own against the crew members of these great pirates. Yet Magnus? One swing—just one—took down a pirate worth over 100 million. Newgate and his young friends were just as stunned. To them, Moz had been the strongest pirate they'd ever seen. A legendary figure. Some of them had even seen Moz punch through a stone tower dozens of meters tall. But in Magnus's hands, he didn't even survive a single move. "Hehe, now you see—Gramps is seriously strong!" Ripley grinned. Newgate nodded numbly. But what he really thought was— Can I really join a crew this powerful? Jason and Dukeman were already numb. The plan was to attack together, but Moz charged ahead. And not just that—he didn't even last more than a single clash! Their own subordinates were wavering. And now, even the captains were starting to lose their nerve. Could they really win? But reality paid no heed to their hesitation. Having felled Moz, Magnus turned to the remaining two. "Screw it!" He was still a great pirate. Immortal Jason couldn't just back down. "I can't die anyway!" He roared and looked to team up with Dukeman—only to see the man frozen, eyes wide. Huh? Magnus was already right in front of him. In his prime, Magnus's speed left Jason—one of the weaker great pirates—completely unable to react. "You can't die, huh? Heh." Magnus grabbed Jason. Busoshoku haki (Armament Haki) surged through his body—piercing, freezing, overwhelming. In a blink— Jason turned into a pile of icy sludge. This time— His immortality couldn't save him. "That just leaves you." Magnus looked at Dukeman with a gentle smile. (End of Chapter) [Check Out My P@treon For +20 Extra Chapters On All My Fanfics!!][[email protected]/euridome] [Thank You For Your Support!]