Chapter 77: Come Fight!

[Sea Calendar Year 1081, July — you have received news of the invasion of the giant nation Elbaf. This operation was spearheaded by the World Government and jointly executed by the Navy and CP organizations.] [The Navy deployed no fewer than 103 flag officers — including one taishō (Admiral), thirty-two chūjō (Vice Admirals), seventy shōshō (Rear Admirals), and hundreds of kyōkan (Captains and Commanders) to assist. A certain old lady once said someone would pay — and she meant it.] [In addition, there is one CP organization's highest operative, and several senior CP intelligence agents. The entire Elbaf stands on the brink.] [You, merely a normal supernova, seem powerless against this?] [...] Ten days ago, when Magnus decided to sail to Elbaf, this was the message the system displayed. Magnus had always preferred to look at the system's messages from a critical, dialectical perspective. After all, the system's timeline extended twenty years into the future. That "retired old lady" could only refer to Rona. The taishō (Admiral) was definitely Kong. By now, one of the other current Three Admirals probably already had one foot in the grave — no way they'd still be active. As for 103 flag officers? What a joke. Did the Navy pull every senior officer out of the New World for this? Even if half that number showed up, it'd still be terrifying. Most of them were probably standout kyōkan, with the potential for future promotion. Even if you cut their strength in half... This was still a daunting number. Rona, Kong, and a CP0 commander — that meant three taishō-kyū (Admiral-class) opponents. If he ran into all three... Magnus wouldn't even last an hour before being beaten to death. His only hope was Giant King Harald. If he could team up with Harald, then two against three wasn't hopeless. But... Harald had already been captured. Not just captured — his leg was severed, and he was barely clinging to life. There was no teaming up. That was why the Navy dared to sit in Elbaf waiting for Magnus to come — because even if he came, it wouldn't change the outcome. With Harald defeated and captured, and with Navy and CP0 still at full strength, even a single taishō could hold Magnus off. Let alone three. Although... that CP0 commander did seem slightly weaker than Rona or Kong. Now... On the sea, twenty kilometers from Elbaf, a palm-sized ship floated atop the waves. At this distance, Magnus could already use his kenbunshoku haki (Observation Haki) to sense the situation on the island. "The situation... doesn't look good." Not only was Harald captured, but most of Elbaf's fighting giants had already been crushed by the Navy and CP0. What remained was a scattered, battered remnant. Even if he rescued them, they'd be too wounded to form any meaningful fighting force in the short term. But should he save them? Of course he should. If he didn't rescue those giants, then even if he personally held off all three taishō-kyū, Ripley, Rocks, and Newgate would still be overwhelmed by the dozen or so chūjō. In fact... The Black Pearl had already arrived in Elbaf's waters a day ago. Using the Mini Mini no Mi (Mini Mini Fruit) to shrink the ship... No one could possibly spot a palm-sized vessel in the open ocean. In the meantime... Magnus had sent Rocks to sail the Black Pearl around Elbaf in a full circle. They'd now mapped out the Navy's forces on the perimeter: Seven chūjō, sixteen shōshō, and about two hundred kyōkan. Even if Magnus pinned down the three strongest, there were still enough officers left to bury Ripley and the others under sheer numbers. Therefore — they had to make contact with the giants hiding deep within the Sun realm of Elbaf. "Ripley," Magnus said, "I want you and the others to infiltrate Elbaf and find the giants still hiding in the Sun realm." "When the battle begins, I'll hold off the three strongest. During that time, you must get the giants to mobilize and rescue Harald and the captured warriors." "Remember — you only have half an hour!" An hour would be optimistic — nobody could withstand three taishō-kyū for long. Not even a mythical Zoan user could. The kenbunshoku haki of Rona and Kong was disrupted by the Adam Tree's life force, so even they couldn't pinpoint the giants' hiding spots. Only Ripley, who had grown up in Elbaf, could. If she could persuade them to move, free Harald, and retreat back into the Sun realm's depths, even Rona's kenbunshoku haki wouldn't find them. The only question left was whether Magnus could still have the strength to escape after half an hour. Seeing the worry in Ripley's eyes, Magnus smiled. "Don't worry — I don't fight battles I can't win." Pulling Hiyori closer, he grinned. "As long as we have Lady Hiyori here, no matter how bad my injuries, I can always escape." In some ways, Magnus was lucky. Whether it was Ripley's Mini Mini no Mi or Hiyori's Toki Toki no Mi (Time Time Fruit), both were exceptionally functional powers. The Mini Mini no Mi not only shrank people, it also diminished their presence. On top of that, Magnus had already taught Ripley, Rocks, and Newgate techniques to suppress their own presence and avoid kenbunshoku detection. With both combined, even future-sight-level kenbunshoku wouldn't immediately notice a shrunken Ripley or the others. The only concern was Hiyori. "Lady Hiyori," Magnus said seriously, "this fight will be dangerous. I won't be able to protect you during the battle. Ripley's fruit may not completely hide you from enemies. Even so... are you still willing to help us?" Magnus would never lie to her. This was a battle even he wasn't confident in winning. Admiral-level combat... Even the collateral damage could kill Hiyori. "Of course I am," Hiyori said firmly, looking up at him. "Magnus-sama, you're willing to risk yourself to protect others. How could I not risk myself to stand with such a man?" She smiled. "Besides... I'm a coward at heart. If things get really bad, I can always use my time travel. Once I vanish, none of those Navy dogs could find me." The Toki Toki no Mi, combined with the Mini Mini no Mi... Even the keenest kenbunshoku user couldn't spot an ant suddenly appearing in their field of vision. And so... Once Ripley and the others had slipped into Elbaf, Magnus let the Mini Mini no Mi effect on his body fade. His body swelled, white wolf fur sprouting. His fruit awakened — a halo of icy white mist floated around him. "Awooooooooooooooo—!!" A deafening howl split the skies above Elbaf. "Kong. Rona." "Come fight!" (End of Chapter)[Check Out My P@treon For +20 Extra Chapters On All My Fanfics!!][[email protected]/euridome][Thank You For Your Support!]