Magnus hadn't expected that in just half a year without seeing him, Edward would pull something this huge.
He'd taken the future Yonko—the man who would one day stand shoulder to shoulder with Magnus, the "strongest creature," Hundred Beasts Kaido—and made him his adopted son!
For a moment, Magnus's look toward Edward turned… complicated.
He himself had only recruited people as crewmates.
Edward, meanwhile, went straight to adopting someone as his son.
Of course, the Kaido of now couldn't compare to the Kaido of later.
Because he was only five.
Five years old—and already nearly three meters tall.
"Bastard, who are you calling your adopted son?"
Dragged over by Edward, Kaido wore a scowl. If Edward hadn't been providing room and board, there's no way he would've accepted the "adopted" title.
Though, to be fair, Edward treated him well.
With two horns on his head and a spiked club slung over his shoulder, the chibi three-head-tall boy strutted right up to Magnus.
"Who's this shorty?"
Standing next to nearly-three-meter Kaido, Magnus could indeed be called "short."
Then Kaido got smacked.
"Idiot! This is my captain—and that makes him your captain too. Who do you think pays for the food you stuff in your face every day?"
"Don't tell me—"
"That's right. If you want to keep eating, show some respect!"
Because most New World nations lay under the White Wolf Pirates' protection, the Whitebeard Pirates didn't raid like traditional pirates; they spent more time crushing other pirate crews.
But that made income unstable, and they often needed stipends from the White Wolf Pirates.
"And don't let the captain's height fool you. He's the strongest man in the world. Even ten of me wouldn't necessarily be his match!"
Anything else Kaido could shrug off—but hearing that even ten Edwards weren't Magnus's match, the little brute straightened up.
He'd been born in a country that lived by war and plunder. There, only the strong ate their fill—and earned a sliver of dignity.
And yet, that nation's army had crumpled before Edward; with a single punch he shattered it—and ripped an island apart.
And that Edward admitted he wasn't Magnus's equal?
Kaido tightened his grip on the club, weighing whether to test Magnus himself.
"If I were you, I wouldn't."
Seeing the itching-to-swing kid, Magnus smiled. At his age, he wasn't about to fuss with a five-year-old.
"Picking a fight with an unknown power isn't wise."
Talent matters.
But so does the ability to cash that talent in.
Magnus might overlook a child's cheek—but other pirates wouldn't. Never overestimate a pirate's sense of ethics.
"Still, talk is cheap. If you don't see it with your own eyes, you probably won't buy it."
Magnus looked to Edward.
"Well? Want to lend a hand so I can see where your strength is now?"
"Good!"
Edward agreed without a flicker of hesitation.
It was why he'd wanted to head back to Sphinx.
Half a year ago, he hadn't "happened" to meet Admiral Hines Oran—it was deliberate. He sought the vacationing Admiral out.
Who knew Hines would wimp out? One punch shattered the ice prison—and Hines wouldn't even fight.
Which meant even after all this time, Edward still didn't know where his current level truly sat.
"Let's try the island nearby."
By now, people on the merchantman were waking one after another. They hadn't the faintest idea what had happened—then remembered they were being raided.
"Gods, why did I suddenly pass out?"
"Where are those damned pirates? Weren't they boarding?"
"Those two ships attacked us!?"
…
They looked closely—and finally noticed two ships pacing the merchantman. The flags were strikingly similar. Most important of all, they'd seen that design somewhere before.
Hey—that was the same flag flying on their own mast!
Then the story from their captain:
It was the passing White Wolf Pirates—and their subordinate Whitebeard Pirates—who had saved them. Otherwise the raiders would've flooded their decks already.
Hearing that, the merchants' freshly calmed nerves snapped taut again.
Who did you say?
They'd guessed the two ships might belong to the White Wolf Pirates—but White Wolf had dozens of allied crews flying that flag.
They had figured these two were just sub-crews.
Turned out they weren't "subs" at all.
They were the White Wolf Pirates.
And White King Magnus himself was aboard the smaller ship.
That the Millennium Falcon could change size was no secret.
So although the pirate ship alongside looked smaller than the merchantman, none of the merchants doubted its true bulk might dwarf two or three merchantmen put together.
"Is Magnus-san here too?"
Sitting on a bubble life ring, Kokoro's eyes sparkled at the news. It had been many years since she'd last seen Magnus.
Back then she'd still been an underage mermaid.
Now things were different.
She was grown.
Even among mermaids she was quite the beauty. Leaving the comforts of Fishman Island to trade like a common merchant—and risk slavers on the prowl—
Hadn't she done it all to see Magnus again?
Reality bites harder than dreams. Even with Magnus suppressing the slave trade, he could only clamp down inside the New World.
Five years ago he had smashed the market on the Sabaody Archipelago.
Five years later—
A new trafficking hub opened there in grand style.
Moreover—
Because Magnus had freed the slaves of Mary Geoise, the holy land now lacked labor. The Celestial Dragons began buying in bulk again.
The slave market blazed hotter than ever.
Mermaids like Kokoro fetched prices north of one hundred million at auction—and even then were "sold out."
So—
No matter how many goods Kokoro purchased and hauled from island to island—
In truth—
The most valuable "item" she possessed was herself.
But Kokoro would never treat herself as merchandise.
Because Magnus had said he would give people freedom—human or mermaid alike.
(End of Chapter)
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