Chapter 62: Sorrow and Joy

The battle was over. For most of the marines, this had been a far tougher battle than they ever imagined. Even with an taishō (admiral) and an admiral candidate in the field, they still couldn't take Sphinx. For the younger marines, it was a heavy blow. However... When the battered young marines returned to the ships and saw the stunned, hollow-eyed sailors stationed there, they realized things were far worse than they thought. The current Navy Admiral, Sebas—was dead! "Impossible! How can that be? He's an admiral!" "There must be some mistake, right?" "Where's Kong? Why isn't the chūjō (vice admiral) explaining!?" The marines on board erupted in panic. Of the vice admirals who led the assault, half were dead, wounded, or missing. Only five returned, two were confirmed captured, and the rest were presumed dead. If even the vice admirals had suffered so much, there was no need to mention the ordinary soldiers. When had the Navy ever lost a battle like this? Hornitz looked around and realized—he was in the best shape of all the surviving vice admirals. Even Pike was badly injured. As for Vice Admiral Elliott, after ordering the shelling of the island earlier, he was targeted by the pirates and never made it back. So Hornitz had no choice but to step up. "Everyone calm down. Wait for Vice Admiral Kong to speak before making assumptions. Whatever happened, the White Wolf Pirates are probably in worse shape." Worse shape? Alone in the command room of the ship, Kong sat on the floor, staring blankly. Memories of fighting alongside Sebas and his own performance in the battle left a bitter smile on his face. "Fleet Admiral Yama..." Kong picked up the ship's transponder snail and called the Navy Headquarters far away. "The operation... failed." The human-sized snail was silent for a long while, then spoke in an old man's voice: "I see. What about Sebas?" "Admiral Sebas... was killed." Just saying those words drained all his strength. Kong covered his face, and though already nearing forty, tears still streamed down his cheeks uncontrollably. "I... was too weak!" His comrade had died at his side, yet he hadn't avenged him. Worse, the pirate's words during the fight had shaken his faith. Justice? What even is justice? If he couldn't even avenge his fallen comrade—what kind of justice was that? At Navy Headquarters— Sensing Kong's state, Yama didn't ask why the operation had failed, why Sebas died, or what had happened with White Wolf Magnus. "...Just come back for now." Even with two taishō-level fighters together, they still couldn't bring Magnus down. That man—once of the same era as them, once left far behind—had returned with overwhelming force, trampling the names of the World Government and the Navy. Announcing his return! After a long silence, a sigh echoed from the Fleet Admiral's office. "This sea... is going to descend into chaos." Unlike the Navy's confusion and sorrow, Sphinx had become a sea of joy after repelling the marines. They... actually won? Two Navy admirals leading dozens of warships had been pushed back? Ordinary pirates didn't stop to consider that one of the admirals was already old and not at full strength, and the other was just a candidate, not yet a true admiral. They only knew—they had won! Magnus, leading the White Wolf Pirates, had repelled two admirals head-on! How many admirals did the Navy even have? If anyone still harbored complaints about Magnus not warning them earlier about the Navy coming, those feelings had long vanished. This... this was the kind of fight a man should take part in! As pirates, what better bragging right than defeating the Navy head-on? When they left Sphinx, no matter which tavern they entered, they'd boast: I was in the Battle of Sphinx. Two Navy admirals came—and we drove them off! Once news of this spread, it would shock the entire world. Sphinx would become the center of attention. A new ruler of the seas had been born! Before, Magnus was seen as just a legendary old pirate—strong, but aged. Now, all those impressions were shattered. Legend? No. He is the legend. To repel two admirals at once—what other pirate in this sea could do that? And this was without the world yet knowing that Sebas had actually died at Magnus's hands. If that became known, Magnus's prestige among pirates would skyrocket. Earlier, they'd feared a Navy siege and talked about leaving Sphinx. Now there was no need to worry. If there was ever a place where pirates could feel safe, before there wasn't—but now, there was Sphinx. A pirate's paradise. A Navy's forbidden zone! "These pirates are celebrating too soon..." Watching the island's revelry, the old crewmember Blueflame Ed muttered. Their captain was no ordinary pirate. "Let them enjoy it for now." Witch Kureha let out a strange laugh as she jabbed a syringe into a pirate's leg, making him scream. Around her, wounded from the earlier battle lay everywhere—not just pirates, but marines too. "Damn it, I don't need your treatment!" One wounded marine struggled to stand, glaring angrily at Kureha, but she didn't waver. "Haha! My treatment isn't free, you know. That leg—100,000 belli. That arm—200,000 belli. If you don't want to be crippled, pay me a million belli once you recover. Fair price, right?" Fair price? My ass! The marine struggled harder. His monthly pay was only 5,000 belli—he'd never repay a million even if sold! "I'm a witch. Do you really think you can run after falling into my hands?" Kureha laughed wildly, knocking him out. "Much better." (End of Chapter) [Check Out My P@treon For +20 Extra Chapters On All My Fanfics!!][[email protected]/euridome][Thank You For Your Support!]