A new year had come.
It was now January of Sea Circle Calendar 1464.
Half a year had passed since the battle at Mary Geoise.
Half a year since Rocks had left.
In that time, Magnus had heard nothing of him.
It was as if he had vanished.
But Magnus wasn't worried about some brat who had left on his own.
Rocks had the power of a great pirate.
There was no way he had died silently.
Ripley, however, had changed. After securing Sphinx's safety, her ability had undergone a transformation—she had awakened her fruit.
Now, she could shrink objects without touching them.
If she didn't count stamina limits, she could instantly reduce an island a kilometer wide to a thousandth of its size.
That was the hallmark of a Paramecia awakening: assimilation.
While the growth in combat power wasn't direct, her fruit had become strong enough to bypass even Big Mom's special body—unless she actively defended with Haki.
And speaking of Big Mom—Linlin had turned ten this year!
Compared to when she was six, she had changed drastically.
First, she wasn't as fat.
Before, she looked like a chubby little girl at first glance. Now, at most, she was slightly plump.
She hadn't grown much taller, but she already showed the budding aura of the future Pirate Empress—cute beyond words.
So long as she didn't become the grotesque woman of her later years, in a few years she would break countless pirates' hearts.
Then there was Newgate.
Since Rocks's departure, he had grown much more steady.
Finally, he was beginning to show the bearing of the world's strongest man.
The best way for a man to grow was through setbacks.
Losing to Rocks had made him realize—without strength, he couldn't protect what was important to him.
If half a year ago he had been strong enough, would Rocks have left so easily?
If Rocks had tried, he'd have broken his legs!
That was what Magnus had told him—and Newgate fully agreed.
So when he hit a bottleneck in Haki training, Newgate didn't hesitate.
He ate the Gura Gura no Mi, determined to wield the power that would one day be his.
But it was far from easy.
After eating the fruit, his strength dropped instead of rising.
He couldn't control the power of quakes in his body.
Walking down the street, he would sometimes stomp and open a crater beneath his feet, falling right into it.
The half-year delay had been for two reasons: to finish the moving island, and to wait for Newgate.
To let him master his power.
This trip to Wano wasn't for battle, but for training.
So Magnus wouldn't leave Newgate behind.
He wouldn't abandon family just because they became a burden.
Newgate had nearly cried in gratitude.
But as he aged, his flaws also began to show.
Magnus had thought himself a chauvinist.
But Newgate was even worse.
"Captain, I think there are too many women on board. Battles should be left to us men. Women shouldn't fight."
And then Ripley, with her awakened powers, beat him black and blue.
"Brat, come back with that talk when you're stronger than me and Linlin!"
Indeed, though he had eaten the Gura Gura no Mi, Newgate's clumsy control meant he was still weaker than Ripley and Linlin.
By bounty measure, Newgate was only just at the 100 million mark.
Ripley, awakened, was worth nearly 150 million. Sparring against the veteran crew, Aide could no longer beat her, and even Lily had nearly lost to her.
In just four years, the new crew members had caught up with the old.
If Rocks were still here, and had kept training, he might even be able to fight on par with Roya now.
But the one who had grown fastest was Linlin.
Roya and Lily were both top pirates, masters of advanced Haki.
Roya wielded Armament's internal destruction.
Lily could foresee the future with Observation.
Linlin hadn't grasped advanced techniques. But her sheer reserves of Haki grew endlessly, and her natural body only grew tougher.
Lily could foresee the future—
But she couldn't pierce Linlin's defenses.
Roya could still handle her, but he was older, and the wounds from his fight with Sebas left him unable to fight for long.
He could dominate briefly.
But drawn out, even he might slip.
Which meant Linlin was now the strongest in the White Wolf Pirates, aside from Magnus himself.
The thought made Magnus chuckle helplessly.
There was also Stussy, the crew's doctor. After passing the test at Acropolis Port, Magnus had formally accepted her as part of the crew, granting her the promised reward—
The Paramecia, Horm-Horm Fruit!
When he handed it over, Magnus stressed again and again—it was a healing fruit, enhancing recovery.
He didn't want her developing "other functions."
And as a normal, rational doctor, Stussy hadn't thought of anything strange. She didn't realize just how far a fruit could go.
Her only thought was—
"If Captain Magnus is ever injured, and I inject him with this, could I become his wife the next day?"
After all, when one thought of hormones, sex hormones came first to mind.
Stussy couldn't understand why Magnus never made a move on her.
But as his power expanded, she felt she had to speed up her own conquest.
She was prepared.
But Magnus never advanced.
So every time she looked at him, her eyes were filled with frustration.
Especially after another woman joined the crew.
She grew more cautious.
Could it be Magnus preferred cheerful, powerful women?
But she was a doctor!
How was she supposed to become strong?
Since this trip to Wano was for training, the old crew would not be coming. This time, only the new members would go.
Captain: Magnus
Official Crew: Ripley (fighter & quartermaster), Newgate (fighter), Linlin (fighter), Toki (logistics)
Doctor: Stussy
Interns: Shiki, Zephyr, Tsuru
After a year, Newgate and Linlin had become official crew.
Toki had formally joined the White Wolf Pirates.
And three new interns had been added: Shiki, Zephyr, and Tsuru.
The White Wolf Pirates set out once more!
(End of Chapter)
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