Whoo~
The damp, cold sea breeze hit their faces. The New World's weather was unpredictable. One moment brought cloudless skies, and the next could unleash storms.
Light rain began falling over Acropolis Port. This bit of moisture naturally could not stop the transport workers traveling between Acropolis Port and Red Port below the Red Line.
The harbor was full of bare-chested workers, slaves with shackles around their necks, and well-dressed merchants holding umbrellas.
"This is our first time sitting face-to-face and chatting like this, is it not?"
Wheels rolled over the bluestone-paved streets, the air filled with the greasy aroma of grilled fish and fried potatoes. Silas smiled, looking at Rona as if seeing a friend he had known for years.
"After all, you are a pirate and I am a Marine. I am curious... how dare you appear so openly before me?"
Though she said this, Rona did not refuse the drink Silas offered, leaning back in her chair with a lazy gaze.
"Whatever. You are stronger now; your wings have hardened. Without proper preparation, we cannot take you down. As long as you do not interfere with this World Council, I will turn a blind eye."
Honestly, Rona had not expected Silas to appear here either.
During the World Council, elite Marines from around the world gathered at the Red Line to protect the kings attending the conference and prevent incidents.
Under these circumstances, any other Admiral seeing Silas would surely suspect he had some conspiracy.
But even if Silas truly had a conspiracy, it did not matter. Currently, both sides of the Red Line have nearly ten Admiral-level fighters just on the surface.
Perhaps directly capturing Silas would let him escape when he sensed trouble.
But if Silas dared run toward Mariejois, if he got cornered, even wings would not help him escape!
"Haha, it is just that we have no conflict now, right?"
Silas laughed like an old friend.
"Did you not say before? As long as you did not catch me last time, you would never pursue me again."
"Who said that?"
Rona's expression suddenly changed. The long sword at her side unsheathed, a diagonal line cutting through the rain curtain, slicing the rain across the entire street. In less than a tenth of a second, the blade was at Silas's throat.
But Silas held his drink cup, his smile unchanged.
Seeing this, Rona snorted softly.
"Boring."
Rona did not want to fight Silas here, and Silas knew she would not. So this battle was destined not to happen.
But Silas did not know that Rona's reluctance to fight was not due to any promise, nor because it was during the World Council, when Admiral-level battles could easily affect member nation kings.
She simply did not want to.
"Silas, what if I came to your side and became your vice-captain?"
Holy shit!
As soon as Rona spoke, Silas's hand shook, nearly letting a curse slip out.
"Haha, Admiral Crimson Snake is quite the joker!"
What kind of joke was this? Rona was not like future Aokiji, who lost the Fleet Admiral position and became a pirate instead of staying as Admiral.
Even after becoming a pirate, there were conspiracy theories that Aokiji was undercover.
Rona wanting to join his crew?
As soon as she spoke, Silas's first thought was whether this was a Marine conspiracy.
It should not be!
"Could it be that Admiral Crimson Snake encountered some unpleasant business in the Marines? Tell me about it. Maybe this old guy can offer some guidance."
Rocks and the others encountering enslaved giants but not acting impulsively pleased Silas greatly. If they had really acted, their plan to reach Fish-Man Island would be ruined.
The Yarukiman mangrove resin needed two more days to arrive. If they launched a rescue operation within two days, they definitely would not have time to coat the ship.
Now Rocks and the others were gathering a list of enslaved giants and keys to unlock their slave collars, hoping to rescue all giants in one action.
Silas's job was naturally to keep Rona, the Marines' strongest fighter, occupied.
"What, looking down on me?"
Rona glanced at Silas. Her hazy eyes made him wonder if she was drunk. As she crossed her arms and leaned back in her chair, Silas's Observation Haki seemed to hear the anguished cries of her shirt buttons.
Heh, honey trap?
Silas was inwardly disdainful. The Marines really underestimated him.
Even for a honey trap, they should find someone younger. Though Rona was not bad-looking, she was already an old lady by age.
Silas had no interest whatsoever.
He was also an old man, though his cellular activity improvement had made him look much younger.
But completely returning to his youth was nearly impossible.
So his current appearance was still that of a middle-aged man.
He had no reason to look down on Rona.
This bastard!
Rona's Observation Haki was naturally inclined toward sensing emotions. Though Silas maintained his cheerful expression, his inner feelings had long betrayed him.
She was just a bit older, was she not?
She had only said she wanted to join the White Wolf Pirates. She had not said she wanted anything with Silas! If Silas looked down on her, she looked down on this old geezer too!
Getting emotional, Rona's slightly tipsy mind cleared considerably.
"Hey, old man, if you want me to turn a blind eye to what you are about to do, you need to give me something in return!"
Rona slammed the table.
"Hand over your secret to regaining youth. You should know how tempting what you have obtained is to an old woman like me, right?"
She deliberately emphasized "old woman," showing the depth of her resentment. Since Silas would not be reasonable with her, she need not be reasonable with him either.
"But did you not just say..."
"Just now was just now; now is now!"
Rona crossed her arms and legs with a confident look.
"If you are willing to share, I can give you the list of giants the Marines captured at Elbaf last time. With this list, the giants will be even more grateful to you."
No way, are you serious?
Silas looked at Rona with a frown, uncertain whether her words were true or if she wanted to use these giant prisoners to trap them all.
"Is this the extent of White King Silas's magnanimity?"
Seeing Silas hesitate, Rona sneered. "The list is in my hands. Do you dare take it?"
Undoubtedly, this was Rona's provocation.
But with words spoken to this extent, if Silas did not accept this deal, where would his Conqueror's Haki dignity go?
"Fine!"
Silas grinned.
"One month from now, Sabaody Archipelago. I will give you a piece of Pure Gold."
"Whether conspiracy or trap, bring it on!"
Silas was not afraid of exposing his possession of Pure Gold. Rather, once he obtained it, exposure was inevitable.
If nothing else, even now many suspected he had obtained Pure Gold.
Since everyone said he had it, he would not hide it anymore.
That's right, I really have Pure Gold. What do you plan to do next?
Target him?
Or join him?
This was the temptation of immortality, enough to drive people mad!
"Pure Gold... you really have it?"
Even Rona was stunned hearing Silas's reply.
She had just been speaking casually.
Actually, regardless of whether Silas would give her something to restore youth, she would give him the Elbaf giants' list anyway.
Slavery should not exist!
Previously, as Admiral, to gain power to capture Silas, she had turned a blind eye to many things.
But now, she would not tolerate it anymore.
Slave trading. If she found it displeasing, cancel it all!
Disagree?
If you disagree, I will cooperate with the White Wolf Pirates!
What Admiral position? Being ordered around daily, she had had enough of such things.
When Rona had such thoughts and acted on them, she discovered her Conqueror's Haki, which had not progressed in ages, actually showed signs of improvement!?
So-called kings naturally did as they pleased!
If constantly compromising, following others' orders, and doing things against one's heart, even with Conqueror's Haki potential, how could Conqueror's Haki possibly grow strong?
"Haha, it seems even my heart is unwilling to let me continue wasting away."
The strength improvement brought a happy smile to Rona's face.
"How about it, Silas? Want to join me for something big?"
"This Admiral position... better not to have it!"