The Three Deaths of a Pirate!

In this world, a person's strength was greatly influenced by their state of mind.

For example, Crocodile had once fought Bullet to a draw. But after losing to Whitebeard, he gave up on himself and chose to pursue power through external means, only to be defeated by Luffy, who had set out to sea not long before.

At sea, a pirate could die twice.

The first death came when they lost their dream and chose to drift with the tide.

The second came when their heart stopped and their body perished.

The third came when they were forgotten by the sea.

When Mongge disbanded his crew, it was as if he had died once as a pirate. At the time, not only was his body at its weakest, but his fighting spirit was at its lowest, too.

Instinctively, he chose the way of fighting that gave him the best chance of winning.

Call him despicable and shameless, or say that he stopped at nothing. When facing the Blood Skull Pirates, rather than fighting the whole crew head-on, he preferred to use the terrain of an island to pick them off one by one.

If not for the system, he probably never would have chosen to face the Blood Skull Pirates head-on.

But after awakening his Conqueror's Haki, Mongge understood one thing.

The more a person held back, the weaker they became.

That was what Haki was.

"Only by defeating your enemies with honor can you become stronger!"

Mongge's blade came down. Even though Rona managed to block in time, the force of the blow still shattered her shoulder blade, leaving a hideous wound on the beautiful Marine.

"Still Flow!"

The crimson blade light soared into the air once more, but this time it wasn't an attack.

It was a knockback.

"Goodness, you really don't know how to go easy on a lady."

Blood ran from Rona's nose and mouth. Even with such a large wound splitting her shoulder, she still wore a smile.

"This is going to leave a scar."

"Haha! If that's your concern, I've got a lot more scars than you do."

Mongge laughed heartily. Rona's injuries were horrifying, but his own were no less severe. If not for the incredible regenerative abilities of his Mythical Zoan, he would have bled dry by now.

"Don't you men always say scars are a man's medals of honor?"

"Of course not. I'm no masochist."

"Heh."

Rona slid her sword back into its sheath. Seeing Mongge staring at her blankly, she couldn't help but laugh. "Old man, surprised? I'm just an employee. How much Beli does the Navy pay me each month? Why would I risk my life for that little money?"

"You didn't look like you were holding back just now."

"Of course not," Rona said with a smile. "If you'd been a little weaker, I'd have cut you down. But you're still standing just fine, aren't you?"

As she spoke, Rona glanced into the distance.

"The Giant King over there looks ready to jump into the fray. Dealing with you alone is hard enough. If he joins in, I doubt I'd even make it off Elbaf."

Rona wasn't a Devil Fruit User, so an injury that shattered her shoulder blade had already greatly affected her strength.

And she was a swordswoman who relied on her hands.

So even though she could still fight, Rona chose to give up.

After all, Mongge still had enough strength to keep fighting, too.

"Old man, I haven't seen you in five years, and you've given me quite a surprise. If word gets back, someone's going to lose sleep over this."

A pirate capable of matching an Admiral was still active on the seas. The impact that would have on the Navy's plans for the New World was easy to imagine.

Especially since this pirate was in the Land of Giants, Elbaf, and seemed to get along pretty well with the Giants.

"Well, none of that has anything to do with me. I'm still on vacation. If I get hurt while I'm on leave, does that count as a work injury?"

Rona chuckled and turned to leave.

Both of them could still fight. If Mongge tried to force Rona to stay, it would mean a fight to the death, one where only one of them could walk away alive.

But even as her figure gradually disappeared from Mongge's sight, he still couldn't figure out what she had been trying to do.

Fight him?

Take him to Impel Down?

"Women are such a hassle."

That was the only conclusion Mongge could come to.

He put the matter out of his mind. More than Rona, he cared about his own strength. He was certain that after his fight with her, he had finally crossed the threshold into the ranks of top-tier powerhouses.

Perhaps he was still a newcomer at this level.

But the fact that he'd driven Rona back showed that he now had the strength to face an Admiral-level opponent head-on without being outmatched.

At last, he had taken another step forward.

At the thought, Mongge finally couldn't hold back his laughter.

"Puhahahahahaha—"

"The captain won!?"

In the Sunny Realm, Rocks murmured as he watched Mongge, the last man standing, burst into laughter.

"Of course the captain won!"

Lipri was beaming, her face full of pride.

Only those who had seen an outstanding pirate as children and had come to admire them could understand how Lipri felt. And Lipri was now a member of the White Wolf Pirates, with Mongge as her captain.

"But that's a Marine Admiral..."

Rocks muttered, unable to hide his shock.

He'd always known Mongge was strong, but he'd also always thought that no matter how strong Mongge was, he was still just a stinking old man who'd grown on in years.

So he'd never given up on challenging Mongge.

But now...

After seeing Mongge fight Rona, Rocks couldn't help but feel a flicker of doubt.

Could he really beat Mongge?

Could he ever become as strong as Mongge?

"Don't overthink it."

Lipri smiled and ruffled Rocks's hair. But her fingers were so big that she nearly knocked him unconscious.

"The captain gave you the chance to challenge him because he believes in your potential. If you don't even have the courage to surpass the captain, how can you become a member of the White Wolf Pirates?"

Mongge and Rona's fight had stirred Lipri, too.

As a Giant who had only just come of age, she was still too weak. She didn't even qualify to join a fight like that.

But unlike Rocks,

Lipri had grown up in Elbaf, the world's strongest nation. Her horizons were broader than Rocks's, and she had greater confidence, too.

After all, their Elbaf had a king who had once fought Mongge to a draw.

Although Lipri felt that Harald probably wasn't Mongge's match anymore, it still showed that the Giant Tribe had the potential to stand at the pinnacle of the world.

"Hmph. I'm not giving up!"

Rocks had wavered for only a moment before his confidence returned.

The stronger Mongge was, the stronger Rocks would become after defeating him. It also meant he was one step closer to his dream.

He was going to become the Overlord of the Sea!

How could he possibly lose to some stinking old man?