"That technique… I have to learn it!"
Rocks growled lowly, unaware that on the other side of the burning ship, a wet hand had gripped the edge of the railing.
"Black Pearl… I won't let anyone else have you."
The young pirate Cassius climbed onto the deck.
"Even if I have no talent… I'll still become a great pirate like the captain—no, even greater than him!"
Cassius laid eyes on the only person still on the ship—a young man around his own age. The "helmsman" the captain had brought aboard after disbanding the crew.
"Kid! Hand over this ship to me!"
Cassius drew the saber from his waist.
Only now did Rocks notice Cassius standing on deck, unsure when he had even arrived.
He picked his ear with a look of disdain.
"That damn old man told me to protect this ship."
A wide "D"-shaped grin spread across Rocks' face.
"Then come and take it!"
For some reason, the smile made Cassius uneasy.
But just a mere helmsman?
"I'm a member of the White Wolf Pirates!"
Unlike Rocks' excitement, Magnus did not let his guard down after the strike.
Young ones lack perspective—but someone with a bounty of 170 million Berries wouldn't die so easily from a wide-range attack like that.
Especially not from hundreds of meters away.
As the wreckage of the pirate ship scattered across the waves, an enraged, blood-curdling scream rang out.
"WHITE! WOLF! MAGNUS!!!"
Farrell couldn't fly—but a few hundred meters wasn't much to him.
He had already leapt clear of the ship before Magnus's Hakoku hit.
But his escape meant the ship—and everyone on it—was doomed.
And Farrell's heart bled.
That was a brand new ship! It cost him 50 million Berries!
If not for how tight money had been lately, he never would've risked going after a legend like Magnus.
No treasure in sight—just a sunken ship.
As for how many survived?
If even half of them made it out alive, that'd be a miracle.
Either way, his plan to use his crew to wear Magnus down was a bust.
"Blood Skull Farrell, I don't recall ever having a grudge with you."
Magnus stood calmly with his blade in hand, regulating his breath after using his "big move."
Farrell glared with pure hatred.
"We didn't used to have a grudge—but now we do! If you hand over your treasure now, maybe I'll let you die painlessly!"
Magnus blinked, then laughed as if he'd heard the biggest joke in the world.
"Puhahahaha! I don't remember having any treasure. Didn't that brat Cassius tell you? When I disbanded the crew, I gave all the money to them!"
He had been wondering who betrayed him, but the moment he spotted Cassius on the Blood Skull ship—
Cassius had been found after a battle with another pirate crew, a survivor from a ravaged village.
At the time, Magnus was already sixty-five, struggling more and more in fights, and considering retirement. He brought Cassius aboard hoping to train him for a while, then send him off to forge his own path.
Cassius had no talent.
Or rather, his talents weren't in combat, but in shipbuilding.
Over the final five years, Cassius had developed a deep attachment to the ship.
By the time they parted ways, he even asked Magnus to give him the ship—to continue the journey in the White Wolf Pirates' name.
Cassius was too weak. In the New World, he'd never survive on such a large vessel.
What he didn't expect… was betrayal.
Farrell had no idea what was going through Magnus's mind.
But he didn't believe for a second that a pirate like Magnus would actually give away all his treasure.
"Then you leave me no choice—"
Two short swords appeared in Farrell's hands.
"I'll beat it out of you!"
He stepped forward, crouched low. The howling sea wind flared his crimson coat.
With an explosion of earth underfoot, two cold flashes shot straight at Magnus.
With a bounty of 170 million Berries, Farrell was despicable, yes—but undeniably powerful.
The man in front of him wasn't some average opponent.
He was White Wolf Magnus.
A living legend of the seas.
The wielder of the Inu Inu no Mi, Mythical Zoan, White Wolf Form.
Or, as most people might recognize it—
(For some reason, this line always gets censored—so here's a divider)
Inu Inu no Mi, Mythical Zoan, Ōkuchi no Makami Form!
That's right—the same fruit later eaten by Yamato, the daughter of one of the future Yonkou (Four Emperors), Kaidō of the Beasts.
That was forty years ago.
After ten years sailing the seas, Magnus had finally hit his ceiling.
He had some talent—but it wasn't enough to reach the summit.
Back then, even fighting an ordinary Vice Admiral pushed him to his limit.
So when he happened upon a Devil Fruit during a surprise raid, even without knowing what it did—
Because in this world where strength reigns supreme, Magnus had long since realized:
Hard work only determines your floor.
Talent decides your ceiling.
And in the face of true talent, effort is laughable.
Could break through human limits.
As for the price of never swimming again?
Compared to the power gained—it was irrelevant.
He hadn't eaten some useless or bizarre fruit—but the most physical enhancement-oriented type:
A Zoan. And not just any Zoan—
Farrell laughed as his twin blades closed in. "White Wolf Magnus—you really are old!"
The blades stabbed into Magnus's eyes—
But the sensation was wrong.
Magnus's voice came from the side.
Farrell watched in disbelief as the "Magnus" he struck began to pale and vanish.
A wave of frigid cold surged along Farrell's blades.
Magnus's real figure appeared on his other side, sword glowing with an icy aura.
That massive blade was already in motion.
Only now did Farrell remember—
Magnus wasn't just a Devil Fruit user.
He was also one of the greatest swordsmen in the world.
"If you want to use me as your stepping stone—"
"—then you'd better be ready to die trying!"
A nearly three-meter-tall humanoid white wolf raised its sword—
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