Besides the World Government organization, Wano Country was one of the most powerful nations in this world. So-called strong nations were those that still possessed resistance against powerful military organizations like the Marines, even making the World Government hesitate to set foot there easily.
And Wano Country's strongest and most famous figure was the dragon-slaying samurai called Shimotsuki Ryuma. No matter who the opponent, he would defeat them in a single flash—a great swordsman who had never tasted defeat in his lifetime.
Silas's interest in Wano Country ended there. After all, he was also a swordsman, and facing a top-tier great swordsman like Shimotsuki Ryuma only stirred an impulse to duel.
"But this wind is really strong!"
Silas stood on the Millennium Falcon's deck. Since they were about to reach their destination, all crew members had come out.
The New World's ocean stretched endlessly, but around the Millennium Falcon, they could already see numerous towering rock pillars—symbols of approaching islands and land.
"The wind is strengthening, and the waves are high. Probably due to approaching Wano Country, the outer sea's wind and waves reaching the coastal area are being altered by the terrain here."
Silas carefully observed the weather. He was the White Wolf Pirates only navigator, sometimes unable to sleep peacefully at night.
'I need to train a new navigator!'
Silas thought. Rough fellows like Newgate and Shiki were hopeless—they barely recognized characters and showed disgust when taught to read. Zephyr was similar.
If you had some education, why become a pirate instead of doing something else?
Thinking it over, only Toki and Tsuru could try learning. Stussy's profession was doctor, so learning navigation might distract her. Ripley was quartermaster and combatant—though she could spare time to learn, Silas didn't hold much hope.
And there was the chef. Though White Wolf Pirates' average combat power had increased, many responsibilities were actually handled by Silas—like navigator and chef. Without Stussy, he would also handle medical duties.
Couldn't be helped—even on these vast seas, finding companions with built-in professions who could keep pace with the crew was incredibly difficult. Being strong alone couldn't reach the pinnacle.
"That brat Rocks should be experiencing my difficulties now."
Silas chuckled lightly, directing Ripley to steer.
"Left rudder fifteen degrees, maintain course. We need to find a position with stable currents to proceed, or we'll be caught in whirlpools and need someone to push the ship underwater."
Silas glanced at Shiki and Zephyr, whose expressions immediately tensed. Even Newgate stiffened.
He would never forget being sent underwater with Rocks to push the ship when they had entered whirlpool waters during navigation. But soon he remembered—now he was a Devil Fruit user. Jumping in water would drown him directly, forget pushing ships underwater—even bathing on deck left him powerless.
This was the price of gaining power!
As his mastery of the Tremor-Tremor Fruit gradually deepened, Newgate increasingly realized how powerful a fruit Silas had given him. His current attack power was incomparable to before.
Milky white light appearing in his palm, Newgate's expression was resolute.
"Big Brother Rocks, when we meet again, I absolutely won't lose!"
Though becoming stronger was the eternal main theme, as pirates, witnessing different scenery on the seas was navigation's true meaning.
Not counting Silas and Ripley, White Wolf Pirates crew members averaged under twenty years old. Especially Zephyr and Linlin—one had just turned sixteen, the other was simply a child.
Seeing the scene before them, they were immediately captivated. The closer to Wano Country, the clearer the seawater beneath became. Standing on the Millennium Falcon's deck, they could see various marine life.
"It's an octopus!"
"Is that a tuna?"
"And carp, so many carp!"
Everyone was attracted by the scene. Under clear seawater, dense schools of fish swam in one direction. The magnificent scene made even usually silent Tsuru unable to help looking down.
Suddenly, a carp half the size of the Millennium Falcon leaped up, its tail slapping waves, splashing water before Tsuru. Feeling the seawater's cool temperature, even her heart seemed purified.
"How is it? Navigation is quite interesting, right?"
Silas appeared beside Tsuru somehow, smiling warmly.
"Young people shouldn't think too much. Whatever endpoint the future holds, the most important thing is enjoying the present."
"Besides, when the sky falls, tall people like me will hold it up."
Silas roughly knew what Tsuru was considering and worrying about. At least until she truly made her choice, such worries would accompany her for a long time.
But as Silas said, whatever endpoint the future held, what mattered was grasping the present.
Right. Since Marine intelligence hadn't contacted her, why consider so much? Her current identity should be White Wolf Pirates trainee.
With this thought, the deep blue ponytailed girl brushed aside wet hair strands.
"Does Captain chat with Miss Ripley and Miss Toki like this normally?"
"Uh."
Silas shrugged.
"After all, you're all my important crew members."
"Hehe."
Tsuru smiled, but unlike previous forced smiles, this time she had genuinely relaxed and opened up considerably.
"Is Captain's purpose in visiting Wano really just to train us?"
"Of course, that's the main purpose."
"What about secondary purposes?"
Silas glanced at Tsuru, his wolf-like gaze making her heart skip. But she still received an answer.
"If possible, I want to establish trade routes with Wano Country, making them open their borders."
This was indeed Silas's initial idea. He had even considered forcing Wano to open if they disagreed. But after Tsuru and Zephyr joined, Silas changed this thinking.
After all, they were originally Marines. Plus Toki's relationship with him was different now—forcing Wano to open might create rifts among several people.
"Let nature take its course."
So this was Silas's final thought. Though Wano had many samurai, he was certain this era's Wano shouldn't have so-called Admiral-level fighters. Wano without Admiral-level fighters meant nothing to Silas.
At least in his mind, Tsuru and Zephyr's value far exceeded Wano Country's.
Silas's approach confused Tsuru. She couldn't understand if White Wolf Pirates were a pirate crew or a merchant fleet developing trade routes.
Logically, such a powerful pirate crew should be plundering everywhere or directly conquering Wano, making it their territory, right? Yet from Silas's attitude, he seemed to completely disregard this strong nation.
Was his purpose really just training them?
Tsuru subconsciously wanted to know more. From Silas's earlier attitude toward her, she could deduce he was indeed more tolerant of female crew members than male ones, matching intelligence from Marine operatives at Sphinx.
White King Silas didn't have strong desires for power and wealth. The only thing that interested him was women.
Intelligence indicated all female crew members aboard White Wolf Pirates were White King Silas's forbidden goods—any woman boarding White Wolf Pirates couldn't escape his clutches.
Tsuru didn't know where Marines obtained this information, but from her observations, it seemed true! Except for young Linlin, all other female crew members seemed involved with Silas.
So half of Tsuru's melancholy related to this. From boarding White Wolf Pirates, Tsuru worried Silas would make moves on her and was even prepared to sacrifice herself.
After all, she was a spy. As a spy, anything could be sacrificed for intelligence, including her chastity.
But knowing was one thing, reality another. Though Tsuru was a spy, she was also a girl under twenty with her own fantasies about the future.
Fortunately, Silas hadn't taken advantage of her vulnerable position. Instead, he had acted as a genuine mentor, carefully guiding her training and development. In just months aboard the White Wolf Pirates, Tsuru felt her growth far exceeded her Marine training days.
This left Tsuru's heart quite strange.
'What kind of person is White King Silas?'
Luckily Silas didn't know Tsuru's thoughts, or he would definitely cry injustice. What do you mean women boarding his ship couldn't escape his clutches? Which bastard spread such rumors?
But thinking carefully, this wasn't exactly rumor. Soon Silas handled his relationship with Stussy anyway, and though Silas appreciated Tsuru, wanting to cultivate her as staff, he wouldn't immediately engage in workplace harassment.
Ask Ripley, Toki, and Stussy—which relationship wasn't mutual?
Since Tsuru wanted to know more, Silas didn't mind telling her more. Some matters needed brainstorming.
Though Silas didn't care whether Wano opened, their opening would greatly benefit his faction's development.
However, just as Silas prepared to chat more with Tsuru, letting her use her clever mind, his eyebrow suddenly arched.
"Captain, what happened?"
"Something seems to be falling."
"???"
Following Silas's gaze, Tsuru immediately saw an incredibly magnificent waterfall, with countless carp leaping toward it, as if crossing the falls would transform them into dragons.
Looking up with decent eyesight, after Silas spoke, she vaguely saw a small dot atop the waterfall.
"That's... a ship!?" Tsuru said in surprise.