Edward Newgate was an orphan.
As far back as he could remember, he had lived in an orphanage called Home of Lambs. It was said to have been established by a pirate named White Wolf Moger after he seized control of all of Sphinx Island.
Sphinx was very poor.
Even before White Wolf Moger arrived, the entire country had been on the verge of collapse.
White Wolf Moger's arrival had stabilized order on Sphinx. He had killed the pirates who caused trouble and enabled Sphinx to sit down at the negotiating table with them.
From then on, Sphinx had helped the pirates fence their loot, reselling the goods they plundered all over the world.
And the pirates were no longer allowed to cause trouble on Sphinx.
Though Sphinx was still at a disadvantage when dealing with pirates, and the commoners living in the country remained poor,
the gray order was still better than utter chaos.
That was why all the children born on Sphinx admired White Wolf Moger and the White Wolf Pirates. Many dreamed of joining the White Wolf Pirates when they grew up, or becoming a Great Pirate like White Wolf Moger.
Edward Newgate was no exception.
But as time passed, White Wolf Moger went more than ten years without setting foot in the country. Gradually, rumors spread that he was old and thinking of retiring.
At once, some Great Pirates confident in their own strength began testing the waters. When they saw that the White Wolf Pirates didn't respond, they started taking over the businesses Mongge had once left behind.
Order across Sphinx began showing signs of collapse once again.
The ones who stepped forward then were three Great Pirates led by Black Merchant Duke Men. Enticed by the wealth generated by the pirates' dealings, they had seized control of all Sphinx six months earlier.
At first, they had only acted in secret.
But with the three Great Pirates working together, the pirates grew confident that even if White Wolf Moger returned, he wouldn't be able to do anything to them. They became even more brazen.
Home of Lambs on Sphinx Island had also gone bankrupt during this time. All the orphans there lost their home and had no choice but to become street toughs and thieves, struggling to survive.
Even so, some people still believed that White Wolf Moger would return.
Until six months ago.
A band of con artists had impersonated the White Wolf Pirates and made off with a fortune of two hundred million Beli from Black Merchant Duke Men and the other two Great Pirates.
It wasn't until half a month after the con artists had left that the Great Pirates, led by Black Merchant Duke Men, heard that the White Wolf Pirates might have disbanded. Only then did they realize they'd been tricked.
The three Great Pirates flew into a rage.
They had paid up only because they didn't want to fight the White Wolf Pirates and let other crews swoop in to benefit. That didn't mean they were actually afraid of the White Wolf Pirates.
But unable to find the con artists, they could only swallow their humiliation. It was too shameful to publicize what had happened, so they did their best to keep it quiet.
After that, more bands of con artists started using the White Wolf Pirates' name to make a profit, but the three Great Pirates caught them all.
Today, Iron Hand Jod, one of the Undead Pirates' subordinates, had sought out Mongge because he thought he was yet another group of con artists using the White Wolf Pirates' name to swindle people.
Who knew he'd picked a fight with the wrong man?
This time, it wasn't an imposter. It was the real White Wolf Moger!
"Captain, you have to avenge me!"
Iron Hand Jod clutched his severed hand, his face streaked with snot and tears as he looked at his captain.
More than half of his strength came from his hands. Now that Mongge had cut one off, he was much weaker, and he wasn't even sure he could keep his position.
"Damn it, are you sure? That really was White Wolf Moger?"
Wrapped in bandages from head to toe, Undead Jason looked annoyed.
When he first got the news, he'd thought it was another imposter. But Jod had lost a hand, and plenty of pirates had seen "White Wolf Moger" cleave half the harbor town in two with a single slash.
That kind of strength couldn't be faked.
After fifteen years, White Wolf Moger had really returned—and as soon as he came back, he'd badly wounded Jason's right-hand man and given him a warning.
"Old bastard. You're already this old—why can't you just lie down and die?"
Undead Jason looked furious.
The profits from Sphinx were enormous. At least several hundred pirate crews passed through every year, and the amount of loot they fenced alone exceeded one billion Beli.
And after years of development, the entertainment venues on Sphinx Island had gradually grown more established. It was no longer just a place to fence loot, but also a den of indulgence that made money off the pirates.
The annual profit Jason took home alone exceeded one hundred million Beli.
In that situation, asking Undead Jason to give up the money he'd already gotten his hands on was worse than killing him.
Any pirate crew that became a Great Pirate wouldn't be content with ordinary plundering. It took time and effort, and carried the risk of being hunted by the Marines.
Instead, they would use their reputations to build underground networks and run all kinds of gray businesses.
Undead Jason had invested too much in Sphinx. If he handed it over now, how could he keep going on these seas?
So Undead Jason decided to contact the other two Great Pirates on Sphinx Island.
He didn't believe they would willingly give up the profits they had in hand.
Sure enough.
Before Undead Jason could even contact them, the Great Pirates from the other two crews came to him.
The crooked merchant Duke Men.
Monster Moz.
The crooked merchant was a middle-aged man with a handlebar mustache and a black tailcoat, while Monster Moz was just as his nickname suggested: a hulking brute over seven meters tall.
It was said that Monster Moz had Giant Tribe blood.
"We can't just hand Sphinx over like this,"
Black Merchant Duke Men said bluntly as soon as he arrived.
"It took us years to build Sphinx into what it is today. White Wolf Moger shows up and wants to take it back? What makes him think it'll be that easy?"
He didn't mention that the development of Sphinx Island had been part of Mongge's plans all along. If they hadn't interfered so recklessly, Sphinx might have developed even better.
"Moz agrees."
Monster Moz's voice rumbled.
"Want money? Not a chance!"
"Want a life? Take mine!"
Seeing that the other two Great Pirates, whose bounties were higher than his own, weren't willing to hand Sphinx over, Undead Jason smiled.
"As far as I know, the White Wolf Pirates aren't here in full force. Only their captain, Mongge, came. The other two crew members aren't particularly strong."
If the entire White Wolf Pirates crew had come, Undead Jason would have had to consider whether fighting them was worth it.
But with only White Wolf Moger, it was a different story.
"We're all Great Pirates with bounties over a hundred million, and we've got tens of thousands of pirates between us. Even if he's White Wolf Moger, he can't kill us all!"
Undead Jason declared, full of confidence.
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