With Observation Haki covering the entire archipelago, Magnus had a clear grasp of Ripley and Rocks's shifting conditions.
Ripley and Linlin were still holding out well.
But Rocks and Newgate's states were far worse.
That told Magnus—
He couldn't drag this out any longer.
Rocks and the others still needed more time to grow. Facing the Holy Knights now was simply too soon.
At the same time—
News that Rona had taken down the captain of the Holy Knights reached him.
"You actually finished off the Holy Knights' captain? Good. I'm almost done here too. I'll come support you right away."
Enough time had passed since the operation began. Facing Magnus's sudden raid, the World Government, who should've had more forces, now found themselves short on strength.
Kong. Granried Saint. Claude Saint.
Three Admiral-level fighters had already fallen.
But it hadn't come without a price.
Dorry and Brogy had already exhausted themselves with two Hakoku Spear strikes and holding back Ortega.
Rona had been cut by Claude Saint.
Though not gravely wounded, when news came through, she was already facing two more Holy Knights.
The tide was turning grim.
At first they had the advantage, striking in the territory of the Celestial Dragons and the World Government, tying their hands.
But now that the White Wolf Pirates were preparing to withdraw—
This great organization was once again showing its overwhelming suppressive power.
"One… two… three… four… five…"
Magnus's sharpened Observation Haki detected several strong presences drawing near—making no attempt to hide.
"One from Marine Headquarters. Four from Mariejois. One of them is Rona… and three already close to her."
Counting Ortega, still fighting Magnus—
The number of top fighters the Government had sent was nearly in the double digits.
And in truth—
Marine Headquarters surely still had another Admiral-level powerhouse holding post. Maybe the Fleet Admiral, maybe the Chief of Staff.
And the Five Elders themselves were also among the world's top fighters.
But they hadn't moved.
Because on the Holy Land stood dozens of kings from allied nations.
If the Elders themselves took the field—
It would mean that a single pirate crew had driven the World Government to its last resort.
If they failed to catch Magnus then—
The Government would be utterly humiliated.
Worse still—
If the Government appeared weak in the eyes of its allied nations, the strongest of them might even question the Heavenly Tribute, doubting if the Government could really protect them at all.
Of course—
Magnus had prepared for the possibility of the Elders lashing out.
If they moved—
He would grab his crew and run. Without hesitation.
Twenty.
That was Magnus's estimate of how many top-tier fighters the World Government truly had.
But in this surprise raid—
The Government had made a foolish choice. Their first thought had not been to defeat Magnus—only to drive him off.
Without knowing of Dorry and Brogy's return—
Kong had been badly wounded.
Then came Granried Saint, the vice-captain of the Holy Knights.
Though arrogant, he had only meant to fight a preliminary skirmish, to buy time until his elder brother, Captain Claude Saint, arrived.
Then the reinforcements from Marine Headquarters, the CP elites…
If it had gone that way, Magnus might have had no choice but to abandon freeing the slaves.
But then Claude Saint was struck down by Rona.
Bad decisions and lack of information had led to three Admiral-level losses for the Government before they had inflicted any real damage in return.
Magnus had even thought to take a fourth.
But seeing Ortega, reinforced by elite Vice Admirals, he let that idea go.
The Vice Admirals didn't need to fight Magnus. They only had to tie down Dorry and Brogy, dragging the battle into a stalemate.
The earlier fights had happened too quickly. Many Marine elites had been tied up by the chaos of the slaves. Only when the zombie army entered the field had they been freed to support Ortega.
Still, Magnus's side wasn't just giants and his crew.
The freed slaves were fighting too.
While there were no Great Pirate–level slaves among them, many worth tens of millions in bounties had been enslaved. Such pirates were everywhere in Mariejois—and many more in Sabaody.
Now freed—
They rose up in rebellion fierce enough to make Marines shudder.
"Haha! Enough for now. Dorry, Brogy—we withdraw!"
If they didn't—
His beloved young crewmates might not last.
Suddenly—
A faint sound came by his ear.
For convenience, Ripley had shrunk a Den Den Mushi small enough to sit in his ear. This was one of Elbaf's giant Den Den Mushi—able to transmit across vast distances, with encryption to boot.
And the message it carried made Magnus burst into laughter.
"Haha! Seems fortune favors me. Plenty of bad news—but good news too!"
Within his Haki's range—
A sixth powerful presence was drawing near, fast.
Half a month ago, Magnus had sent a message—
Asking Elbaf to send reinforcements to help rescue the enslaved giants.
But he hadn't held much hope.
The weather of the New World was brutal, and Elbaf lay nearly half the world away from Sabaody. He hadn't expected them within a month or two.
But the giants' supposedly thick skulls had come up with a clever trick.
Bastian.
The giant who had eaten the Bird-Bird Fruit.
Transforming into a giant eagle, he had carried a sling basket, hauling a whole load of giants across Reverse Mountain—flying half the world to Sabaody.
Yes.
They hadn't sailed through the New World. They had flown over Elbaf's seas, crossed Reverse Mountain, and landed straight in the first half of the Grand Line.
When they heard Magnus was moving to rescue the enslaved giants—
The warriors of Elbaf had all been eager to fight. How could they let the White Wolf Pirates risk themselves further, when they already owed them so much?
So—
After securing their elders and children in Elbaf, the strongest set out.
Quality over quantity.
And after Bastian nearly collapsed from exhaustion—
Six Great Pirate–level giants.
And—
King Harald himself.
Arrived on Sabaody!
(End of Chapter)
[Check Out My P@treon For +20 Extra Chapters On All My Fanfics!!][[email protected]/euridome]
[Thank You For Your Support!]