"What a coincidence, old man. Didn't expect to run into you here."
"Haha, maybe it isn't coincidence."
"That guy next to you… hey, don't tell me you plan to shelter those idiots from the Roger Pirates. Even for you, I won't give face!"
"Oh? Want to start early with a fight against me?"
"…"
On Karakuri Island, Baldimore, two blasts of Conqueror's Haki speared into the sky, turning into tangible shockwaves that tore the clouds apart.
Having just checked in on Edward and then bumping into Rocks here, Magnus couldn't help thinking—small world.
But it wasn't really chance.
Rocks was tangled up with the Roger Pirates; once he caught wind of their whereabouts, of course he'd rush over.
As for Magnus, he'd only come because of the intel Rayleigh provided: before their clash with Rocks's crew, the Roger Pirates had agreed—if things went south, regroup on Baldimore.
Rayleigh had hesitated at first about giving Magnus the rendezvous point. But after seeing that world-rending "training match" between Magnus and Edward with his own eyes, he made up his mind.
From Magnus he'd also learned that Rocks stood even above Edward—and had mastered all three colors of Haki, with practically no weak points.
Among top-tier fighters, brawlers might not be the most "versatile," but they have the fewest weaknesses—the classic no-shortcomings type.
Armament for offense and defense; Observation to sense presence and even glimpse the future; the Six Powers mastered, plus Life Return to keep fighting and recover even while badly wounded; and Conqueror's unleashed at full power to even break devil fruit abilities—
In short, aside from lacking a fruit, Rocks fought most like Magnus—he had inherited Magnus's combat creed completely.
In that case, to beat Rocks, unless the Roger Pirates had more raw power, even if they toppled his whole crew, Rocks alone was a mountain they couldn't scale.
And in the short term, the fastest way to grow is to glean a true powerhouse's experience.
Only, Rayleigh hadn't expected—
Rocks to reach Baldimore ahead of them. If the others hadn't slipped away in time, they might be in real danger.
Unless Magnus chose to shelter them.
The clash of Magnus's and Rocks's Conqueror's crushed the breath from many aboard Rocks's ship; Rayleigh saw several with power on par with his own turn pale.
And on the other side?
The women with Magnus were all smiles. The famed ones, fine—but even the two clearly average fighters looked completely unfazed.
The reason—
"That bastard Rocks is getting totally suppressed!"
Barorick wore a grim look. Why were they feeling the pressure, while Magnus's side wasn't?
Simple.
Magnus's Conqueror's fully overwhelmed Rocks's. Even while colliding with it, his pressure still spilled over and hit the others.
Rocks's, meanwhile, never made it past Magnus's.
The difference was plain.
"Haha, just joking around."
Thankfully it didn't come to blows. Magnus withdrew first, leaving Rocks his captain's dignity.
"I just appreciate those youngsters. But they have their own adventure, so I found a pretext to make them owe me a favor."
"I don't plan to shelter them—only to train them for a month, then see what kind of splash they can make in the New World."
"But it looks like—"
Magnus's Observation swept across the island.
"We're a bit late."
"Training as a favor" was sheltering by another name.
But Magnus had given him face; now it was Rocks's turn to return it.
A month isn't long.
Rocks didn't believe a measly month of training would let those kids surpass him. If it did, top-tier strength in this world would be cheap indeed.
Since Magnus had put it that way, Rocks didn't mind giving the Roger Pirates a month.
Assuming nothing unexpected happened.
Magnus's original plan had been to train the Roger Pirates for a month, collect a favor, then let them and Rocks's crew bash it out.
As the man who—originally—would kick off the Great Pirate Era, Roger wasn't the type to fold easily. If he did, then Magnus had simply misread him.
Only the unexpected happened first.
The residents of Karakuri Island, Baldimore, had vanished.
As a Government-member nation, Baldimore didn't have a huge permanent population—but still nearly a hundred thousand.
And sometime without Magnus's knowledge—
All one hundred thousand disappeared, without a trace of struggle.
"If that kid Roger had bad luck, he might've been mixed in with them—snatched up with Baldimore's people by the Government."
"Very possible."
To spirit away a hundred thousand quietly, without stirring notice—Magnus could only think of Imu's teleportation array.
Could a teleport array move that many?
He didn't know. But he knew Imu must have a purpose—just like she'd captured Wano for its samurai.
If she took Baldimore's residents, it was likely for something similar.
But Baldimore's people were scientists, not fighters.
"Scientists…?"
Magnus felt he was close to something—but couldn't yet be sure.
In his memory, Baldimore's most famous scientist was the one who'd be called the world's greatest brain—Vegapunk.
If the Government wanted to abduct the future Vegapunk, Magnus could understand: that was a man who could push science forward by centuries on his own.
In the future, he'd even mass-produce near-Admiral-class "soldiers."
Someone like Magnus in his pre-seventies—
Might only barely fight even with a single Seraphim.
But that's all in the future.
Right now Vegapunk was only a boy of ten.
No matter how gifted, a ten-year-old could do very little.
That's why, though Magnus had wanted Baldimore in his fold, he hadn't gone out of his way to find Vegapunk.
By the time Vegapunk bloomed—
Magnus and Imu's final war would be long finished.
Even without Vegapunk, Baldimore gathered the world's top scientists; their tech was decades ahead.
Steam turbines and the like—mostly Baldimore's work.
The Millennium Falcon, after all, was still a sailing ship.
So Imu must have some use for those scientists.
"Shame we're a step late."
Magnus shook his head. As open war with the Government settled in, its deep reserves slowly surfaced.
They knew Imu had a plan for those scientists—yet they could do nothing to stop her.
They didn't even know where she had taken them.
"If we can't find Roger D. now, we have no reason to clash. Rocks, don't tell me you're going to take it out on a crewmate just because you can't find the captain?"
"Hmph."
He wanted to say Rayleigh wasn't some "ordinary crewmate," but the vice-captain. Still—he'd decided to give Magnus face, and wouldn't quibble now.
Besides, the man was barely under a hundred million—small fry.
Only because of Magnus—
Rocks gave Rayleigh a second look, wondering what set him apart. Magnus's eye was notorious.
Every man who boarded Magnus's ship—even the "weakest," Zephyr—was now pushing two hundred million. Let alone graduating monsters like him and Edward.
Yet despite Rocks letting it slide, Rayleigh felt anything but relieved.
Because his captain was missing.
They'd agreed to regroup on Baldimore. Even if something happened, they'd leave a trace.
But he'd found none—no message, no mark.
"Come to think of it, you have a vivre card, right?"
Magnus's reminder made Rayleigh start. He fished a thin slip from his pocket—the piece for Roger. It still pulsed with life—and pointed in a single direction.
"Huh. Not Mary Geoise?"
Magnus glanced at the slip and was surprised.
He'd assumed Imu would take Baldimore's people to the Holy Land. Apparently not.
If it were towards Mary Geoise, the vivre card would tilt upward—Mary Geoise sits atop the Red Line.
But Rayleigh's card pointed straight ahead.
A vivre card is made by mixing a person's clipped nail into special pulp; it reflects the owner's life, and torn fragments point to each other.
In the New World, almost every pirate carries one. Magnus was no exception; all White Wolf crew had theirs for contact and rescue.
"Looks like we've got a job."
If they couldn't find the scientists, fine. But if they could, staying put would be feeding the enemy.
If the enemy gets stronger and I don't—
That's the same as me getting weaker.
In that case—
Make sure the enemy can't get stronger.
"Rocks, interested in lending a hand?"
"Tch. What do those scientists have to do with me?"
"Haha. You need battle experience, don't you?"
Magnus smiled. "The Government won't pick a fight with you for no reason. And if they do, they'll just crush you on the first exchange."
Times had changed.
The old Government let top fighters run free—people were weeds; cut them down, they grew back.
So did monsters.
Why waste effort? Let them squabble and bleed each other for turf.
Monsters never ally easily; as long as there weren't enough of them, they posed no threat.
Then Magnus appeared—and forced a change.
His power now seriously threatened the Government. Rocks's crew, too, was counted as part of Magnus's sphere.
They couldn't kill Magnus—but Rocks was far weaker. Given a chance, they'd absolutely pin him down and finish him.
Rocks knew that—and never poked the Government.
Edward was the same.
He'd only gone for Hines because he heard the Admiral was on vacation. If things went wrong, Edward would have bolted without a second thought.
But that was because Magnus wasn't at their side.
If Imu opened a teleport array, as long as she wasn't personally there, Magnus could brute-force jam it.
Worst case, he'd grab everyone and run.
Of course, he wouldn't break the unspoken rules lightly.
At most, he'd leave a stamp of his Haki on Rocks, to keep Imu from "cheating" by calling in too many reinforcements. If she did—Magnus would march straight up to Mary Geoise.
"Go make a mess. There's some risk—but if I'm asking you to help me, I won't let that woman interfere."
He wouldn't move together with Rocks.
While Rocks went to rescue Baldimore's scientists, Magnus would stay on the Sabaody Archipelago—ready to knock on the door.
He had a pretty good guess what Imu wanted those scientists for.
But without Vegapunk—
Could mere "ordinary" scientists really reboot that terrifying weapon?
He doubted it.
Even so, he wouldn't abandon those people.
After all—
"A little mermaid staked most of her savings on this deal. If Baldimore's people don't come back, she'll be stuck going home to Fishman Island to wait tables."
(End of Chapter)
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