In this world, a person's strength depended on their convictions.
Physical power could not decide everything.
Strong convictions were the foundation for overcoming difficulties.
Kong had found his conviction.
So he would become incredibly powerful.
But Kong's conviction had enormous flaws from its very inception.
He wanted order on these seas.
But so-called order meant rules, and the World Government itself was the greatest creator and destroyer of rules. The Celestial Dragons who established the World Government had never taken mortal rules seriously.
About to become a Marine Admiral, Silas did not believe Kong was unaware of what kind of people the Celestial Dragons were.
So his order was nothing but a joke.
If Kong could truly practice his convictions, he would definitely become stronger, incredibly strong.
But before that...
"A brat who only talks big is not worth mentioning!"
With one strike, all the phenomena created by their power collision were swept away. Kong's body flew backward, crashing heavily in the distance, not getting up for a long time.
Silas stood in place, motionless.
"Was it still too forced?"
Silas did not know if Kong had lost his fighting ability, but he had already lost his.
In his current state, any Marine Vice Admiral could finish him off.
But one minute, two minutes, until five minutes passed, Silas barely caught his breath.
Kong still lay on the ground, unmoving.
If not for seeing Kong's chest still rising and falling, Silas would have thought he was dead.
But that was impossible.
Silas was very clear about the force of his final strike. At most, it would severely injure Kong. To kill Kong, the power would need to double.
A physical combat specialist proficient in all three types of Haki.
Not a Zoan Devil Fruit user, yet better than a Zoan fruit user.
Not to mention Kong was still young.
So the result of his final battle with Kong could be called mutual destruction.
He could not move.
Kong also lacked the strength to continue fighting.
"We won?"
Edwards Lily stared blankly at the battlefield, at Silas, who was the only one still standing, feeling everything before her was like a dream.
Honestly, when she received news that Silas had robbed Heavenly Tribute and appeared on Sphinx, Edwards Lily thought Silas had gone mad.
In the past decades, they had made countless efforts, but until the end, they had never overcome the mountain that was Marine Admirals.
But today, they had not only defeated a Marine Admiral but also defeated an Admiral candidate who was about to become a Marine Admiral.
Everyone knew that Cyborg Kong becoming a Marine Admiral was just a matter of time.
In other words...
"We defeated two Marine Admirals today?"
Hearing Lily's voice, Roya, lying on the ground, rolled his eyes.
"The three of us went on a killing spree, right?"
"Hmph, Silas is our captain. If the captain is amazing, does that not mean we are amazing?"
Lily crossed her arms, saying proudly.
"Yes, yes, yes."
Roya, who could not even move, was too lazy to argue. Actually, their victory had a large element of luck. If it had been Kong and another young Admiral, they might have lost.
After all, Silas's strength had not reached the level where he could directly confront two Admirals.
And they were ultimately just support.
Silas stood in place, recovering his stamina as much as possible. His Observation Haki swept across the entire island, and only after confirming nothing unexpected had happened did he finally relax.
Initially, he had not expected the original White Wolf Pirates crew members to come, so when calculating combat power, he had not included them.
If things became untenable, Silas would abandon occupying Sphinx Island.
He would choose to leave.
With Silas's strength, once beast-transformed, taking a few people to escape would be incredibly simple.
Freeze seawater, create passages.
Never mind two Admiral-level fighters. Even if their numbers doubled, without flight ability, without the ability to walk on water, without blocking his escape route, they could not keep him.
But after Roya and the others arrived, the situation changed.
The pirates, originally at a disadvantage on the front lines, actually suppressed the Marines. And facing Kong and Sebastes, he was no longer powerless to fight back.
Even after dragging it out until Sebastes was exhausted, he delivered a fatal blow.
This battle's results had greatly exceeded Silas's expectations. Fighting to this extent, neither side could continue.
In the distance, Kong, who had also recovered some stamina, finally sat up.
"What, still want to fight?"
His Zoan fruit plus cellular activity enhancement gave Silas recovery power far beyond ordinary people. After just ten-plus minutes of rest, Silas's condition had improved considerably.
Kong was not a fruit user, but as a physical combat specialist, he had the "young person" recovery buff. Combined with injuries less severe than Silas's, his condition might be even better than Silas's.
"There is no point anymore."
Kong fell silent. His Observation Haki also saw the current scene on the island. Because both their Admiral-level fighters were held up, after the White Wolf Pirates crew appeared, the Marines fell into disadvantage.
He could not defeat Silas. Continuing to fight would only cause meaningless casualties.
This battle, they had lost.
In the port town, even Admiral-level powerhouses like Silas had fought to exhaustion, let alone these ordinary pirates and Marines.
Hornitz was numb.
When he discovered the original White Wolf Pirates crew had appeared, he realized trouble. These powerful crew members, should they not go help their captain? Their side had two Admiral-level fighters!
The Marines' attack on Sphinx was established under the assumption that the entire White Wolf Pirates would be held down by two Admirals. The Admirals would handle the White Wolf Pirates, while the island's pirates would be their achievements.
Hornitz had never imagined the Admirals would lose.
Even if White Wolf Silas had the strength to match one Marine Admiral, they had another one. Vice Admiral Kong simply had not been promoted. His strength had long been recognized by the Admirals.
But half a day had passed with intense fighting continuing.
The Admirals had not been able to take down White Wolf Silas.
The White Wolf Pirates crew, however, were rampaging through the Marines' formation.
And he could not even defeat this new White Wolf Pirates crew member before him!
Hornitz stared intently at Rocks.
Bloodshot eyes appeared.
So close, just so close!
He was about to give up. Just a little more and I could have defeated him!
Suddenly, from the Marine warships came a blood-curdling wail.
Kong's voice rang in all Marines' ears.
"All forces, retreat!"
No way, just a little more! Just a little more and I would have beaten him!
But military orders were absolute.
No matter how unwilling Hornitz was, he could only follow orders.
But equally showing unwillingness was Rocks.
"Damn it, why are you running away?"
Beaten black and blue, Rocks shouted unwillingly.
"Just a little more!"
"I was getting the feeling!"
"Just a little more; if I held on a bit longer, I could have awakened Observation Haki!"
But Rocks was powerless to stop Hornitz from leaving.
Facing an enemy stronger than himself, Rocks persisting until now was already his utmost effort. Where was there room to detain anyone?
But since the Marines were retreating, that meant...
"We won?"