Half a month had passed since Silas invaded Mariejois.
In that time, he'd successfully reunited with the rest of his crew.
"Cheers!"
Challenging the World Government and escaping unscathed deserved a grand celebration. The newly freed slaves wept with joy.
"We're finally free!"
"We never have to worry about Celestial Dragons forcing us to work again!"
"Thank you, White Wolf Pirates!!!"
Cheers erupted aboard the Millennium Falcon.
Only the ship processed by Ripley's ability could accommodate so many—over fifty thousand slaves gathered together.
Not all slaves chose the White Wolf Pirates' help.
Some believed they could escape on their own.
Others thought they'd have an easier time through different routes while Marines and World Government pursuers focused on the White Wolf Pirates.
Such slaves weren't few.
Actually, this thinking wasn't wrong. Marine orders definitely prioritized pursuing the White Wolf Pirates' ships.
But what did subordinates actually do? That was another matter entirely.
Admiral-level fighters had been defeated, yet you want small fry to chase the White Wolf Pirates?
What's the difference between that and suicide?
So while Marines officially pursued the Millennium Falcon, except for a few stubborn ones, most pretended not to see it even when spotted.
A few thousand Berry monthly salary—why risk your life?
Another reason was many Marines knew the White Wolf Pirates had caused chaos at Sabaody Archipelago and Mariejois to rescue slaves.
Even their formerly admired Admiral had participated.
So many Marines felt conflicted.
Human trafficking was already strictly forbidden by the World Government. If it happened on remote islands, that was one thing. But Sabaody Archipelago hosted the world's largest human trading center.
Euphemistically called "job placement centers."
Anyone with half a brain knew these weren't legitimate places.
So helping recapture these slaves? Anyone with moral standards would ignore such orders.
Thus, in just half a month, the Millennium Falcon broke through the Marine encirclement, successfully reuniting with Silas's merchant ship outside.
"Ha! Never thought you'd actually dare do this with me."
Rona lounged against the ship's railing, having long discarded her Marine coat.
"I thought when I mentioned liberating Mariejois slaves, you'd back out."
From the moment she freed those slaves, Rona was destined to part ways with her former Marine identity.
Now she was also on the World Government's wanted list.
["Crimson Snake" Rona: Bounty: 460 Million Berry!]
Originally Marines wanted to suppress this bounty—the impact was too severe. If active Marines learned their idol had defected, who knew what chaos would ensue?
But the Five Elders ruthlessly rejected this request.
"Traitors are traitors!"
"Do you still harbor expectations for that woman?"
"This woman was wrong from the start!"
With World Government intelligence agencies investigating, some of Rona's unknown secrets were unearthed.
Like Rona once being saved by Silas.
Like Rona's particular obsession with Silas.
Like someone at Acropolis Port seeing a woman resembling Rona and a man resembling Silas entering a hotel.
All evidence suggested Von Braun Rona had always harbored special feelings for Silas—likely the root cause of her betrayal.
World Government officials absolutely refused to admit fault on their part.
They only felt this operation was definitely White Wolf Pirates-led.
Rona was convinced by Silas, ultimately becoming a White Wolf Pirates member.
Marine Admiral Rona actively rebelling? Impossible, absolutely impossible!
Anyway, Silas had to take this blame, though he didn't care.
"This was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity!"
Silas sat with Rona and Harald.
Though outsiders claimed all three had allied, only they knew they hadn't actually formed an alliance.
Just shared objectives.
And... pure friendship?
"After this operation, we probably can't live peacefully anymore."
Harald held a large bowl, pouring alcohol down his throat.
"But there's no helping it."
He laughed heartily. Harald never regretted following Silas to invade Mariejois—rather, he was grateful Silas was willing to bring him.
Otherwise, owing too many favors would make future friendship difficult.
"How about we form a formal alliance!"
Harald looked at Silas and Rona, raising his bowl.
"After this operation, the World Government absolutely won't spare us. With just one side's strength, we'll struggle against World Government retaliation."
Whether it was Silas's side, his side, or Rona's side, they each had advantages and disadvantages.
The White Wolf Pirates were the strongest among the three, but not in crew strength—in Silas himself.
Harald could say Silas alone comprised 90% of the White Wolf Pirates' combat power.
Such a crew was undoubtedly malformed.
Fortunately, the White Wolf Pirates' new members were young. With great growth potential.
Comparatively, the giants' side had much more balanced combat power.
Forget Elbaf's tens of thousands of giant warriors.
Just the giants around Harald now—not only Dorry and Brogy, who could jointly oppose Admiral-level fighters, but also several giants comparable to great pirates.
Excessively powerful.
Excluding leaders Silas and Harald, the current White Wolf Pirates really couldn't match these giants.
As for Rona and her subordinate Marine soldiers, though weaker than the White Wolf Pirates and Elbaf giants, they weren't weak either.
Especially with many high-level talents trained by Marines aboard, knowledgeable in all aspects.
These talents both other sides lacked.
If they could cooperate, they'd indeed complement each side's deficiencies.
"No!"
But Rona refused without thinking.
"We won't cooperate with pirates!"
However tempting Harald's proposal, Rona wouldn't forget their former Marine identity.
They saved slaves through inner justice. That didn't mean betraying their beliefs.
If Rona agreed to ally with Silas and Harald, by tomorrow, most subordinate Marines would leave.
Once bearing expectations, many things became involuntary.
"How about different wording?"
Silas raised his glass, smiling at Rona.
"Sphinx has long suffered pirate harassment. The local royalty hopes to hire capable people to help manage local markets—after all, besides pirates, Sphinx mostly has civilians working hard for survival."
Though everyone knew Sphinx was White Wolf Pirates territory, it was undeniably a World Government-recognized member nation.
Despite this membership now being precarious.
But Rona just needed a reason.
After betraying the Marines and the World Government, Rona and her Marines had nowhere to go. They couldn't obtain supplies through plunder like ordinary pirates.
A suitable base was important.
"I'm planning to connect trade routes between Elbaf, Sphinx, and Fish-Man Island. From now on, Sphinx won't just be where pirates fence stolen goods but a supply point for merchants."
"Most importantly..."
"You're Marines with more formal training methods—you can help giants better integrate into their guard roles."
"Think about it."
"You and your subordinates are doing something very meaningful. You'll change an entire giant kingdom, helping them integrate into this world and become part of it!"
"Isn't this much better than directly attacking Elbaf?"
Actually, this was what the past World Government wanted to do. They just couldn't gain giant trust.
Though Rona and her subordinates once had conflicts with giants, fighting alongside them rescuing slaves had earned many giants' recognition.
Giants' emotions were pure.
Good was good, bad was bad.
Once recognized, past conflicts could be completely forgiven.
If the great Giant King Harald didn't care that the human Admiral once severed his leg, what did they have in mind?
Ultimately, that was an honest battle.
Though Harald lost, he recognized Rona's and her then-allied human Vice Admiral's—now Marine Admiral's—strength.
"Seems you planned this from the start?"
After hearing Silas's words, Rona raised an eyebrow.
"Haha, just a pleasant surprise."
After all, Silas never expected Rona would defect from the Marines. And cause such a huge incident!
Predictably, after this event, many Marines would face accountability, even imprisonment risks.
However, those truly feeling indebted were lured into joining by Rona.
Like Fleet Admiral Elephant Yama?
"That old man deserves a scolding!"
Right, just scolding. Would the World Government really imprison Elephant Yama for Rona's defection?
If Elephant Yama were slightly tougher, the concern wouldn't be Rona, but whether Marines would declare independence.
Though this possibility was infinitely close to zero.
"Settled!"
Just the next day, Rona had convinced her subordinates—specifically by telling her adjutant her thoughts, then ordering the adjutant to convince others.
"Ella, please help me—only you can do this!"
Then becoming hands-off under her adjutant's murderous glare.
This was naturally impossible.
Having been a Marine Admiral, though her unreliable impression was deeply rooted, she wouldn't abandon followers wanting to pursue her right after liberating slaves.
She ultimately couldn't be as carefree as imagined.
Her defection alone would be one thing.
But triggering Mariejois chaos before defecting, not only liberating slaves but also causing countless Celestial Dragon deaths in the upheaval.
This was no longer just her problem.
Except for high-ranking, powerful Marine officers, anyone weaker or less connected who had good relations with her faced World Government accountability risks.
She had to bear consequences for her "freedom"!
"Here."
"What's this?"
"Key to White Wolf Silas's room."
Hearing Ella's words, Rona spat out her water.
"Where'd you get this thing?"
"You think getting a key duplicated on a pirate ship is hard for us?"
Ella looked at her superior, curling her lips.
"Stop acting worried about us all the time. If you really thought this way, you wouldn't be the Admiral Rona I know."
"Also, stop looking like you owe us."
"Following you was our decision. You didn't force us. Even those guys we forcibly brought along—if we really didn't want to free those slaves, someone would've informed on us."
Actually, this operation went smoothly because the Celestial Dragons were completely unprepared.
"So Admiral Rona, go pursue your own happiness!"
Seeing such subordinate support, Rona was moved.
"Thank you, Ella, but I don't need this right now."
"Eh, why?"
"Because..."
Like changing opera masks, Rona's expression turned extremely dark.
"How many mistresses do you think that bastard has on this ship?"
Since reuniting with Ripley's group, Silas has woken up very late daily.
Not for special reasons, just verifying his strength changes.
This operation not only rescued many Celestial Dragon slaves but also significantly improved Silas's own strength.
Observation Kill alone was worth the risk.
This wasn't just advanced Conqueror's Haki application. But deeper mastery of Observation Haki.
A technique combining two Haki types.
Only achievable at top levels.
At this point, Silas didn't know how to advance his Haki further. Even the World Government gave him a bounty far exceeding this era's standards.
["White King" Silas: Bounty: 960 Million Berry!]
More than double Rona's bounty.
Harald, after over a decade without sailing, received a new bounty—also substantial.
["Giant King" Harald: Bounty: 375 Million Berry!]
Rona's and Harald's combined bounties didn't match Silas's alone.
This depressed them both for a while.
After all, Silas's past strength only slightly differed from theirs.
But now, even fighting two-on-one, Silas wouldn't lose.
The bounty changes mainly affected these three. Comparatively, except for Dorry and Brogy reaching 250 million Berry each, others' bounties barely changed.
After all, this battle was essentially top fighters' combat.
Silas noticed Ripley and Newgate were fine, but Rocks was troubled.
This was soon confirmed.
"Old man!"
Rocks finally approached Silas, looking at him seriously.
"I want to leave the White Wolf Pirates!"