The Eve of the Storm, the Marines Attack!

On the massive warship, watching the current Admiral complaining while lying on a chair, Kong felt helpless but had to admit the old man was right.

White Wolf Moger wasn't weak, but he'd heard from Admiral Rona that Moger's strength was at most on par with hers. If Admiral Rona hadn't been concerned about the Giant King Harald's presence and continued fighting, it was hard to say who would have won.

And he, as an Admiral candidate, was slated to succeed the current Admiral Kizaru after he retired.

In other words, his strength had undoubtedly reached Admiral-level.

Even if Admiral Kizaru's strength had declined with age, he could still unleash Admiral-level power for short bursts.

With two against one, Kong didn't know how they could lose.

The only problem was...

They couldn't find the White Wolf Pirates at all!

Ever since they stole the Celestial Gold, the White Wolf Pirates had vanished. They'd been sailing for over a month without finding any clues.

Until the Den Den Mushi on the warship suddenly rang.

"What, Sphinx!?"

Upon receiving the transmission from Marine Headquarters, Kong immediately became serious.

"Admiral Kizaru, Moger's whereabouts have been discovered. A day ago, White Wolf Moger appeared in the non-affiliated nation of Sphinx and defeated three Great Pirates with bounties over 100 million single-handedly!"

"Headquarters now suspects that the White Wolf Pirates intend to take Sphinx for themselves and develop it into their own territory!"

Sphinx was a place where pirates fenced stolen goods; the Marines had known this for a long time, but even so, taking down Sphinx wasn't easy.

Because the pirates would run.

The pirates had no sense of belonging to Sphinx; as soon as the Marines arrived, they'd flee, leaving behind only an island with ordinary residents of a non-affiliated nation, which held no value to the Marines.

Therefore, Kong, who was then a Marine Rear Admiral, had proposed a suggestion: since the pirates couldn't be completely eliminated, Sphinx should become a fixed trading post for pirates. The Marines would dispatch a large number of intelligence personnel to infiltrate it and gather information on the pirates.

This approach proved highly effective. They exploited the pirates' carelessness, setting up ambushes along their routes and eliminating several Great Pirates who had previously fenced goods in Sphinx.

It was precisely this achievement that propelled Kong from Marine Rear Admiral to Admiral candidate.

Furthermore, to avoid depleting their resources, the Marines only targeted pirate crews that posed a significant threat and were extremely vicious.

Small fry were left alone for the time being.

So, to this day, countless pirates still frequented Sphinx. Over time, some risks had been replaced by convenience.

Even if the pirates became more cautious, there were always more ways than difficulties.

What about Devil Fruit abilities?

However, upon hearing that Moger had defeated the three pirate crews that originally controlled Sphinx and taken it for himself, Kong felt something was amiss.

Who was it that had initially advised him not to bother with Sphinx?

"Hmph, just a mob of disorganized pirates. Moger has fallen too, actually wanting to use these pirates against us."

Kizaru snorted. After so many days, he was finally not lying on a chair or being held by a female slave.

He issued his first order proactively.

"All forces, listen up! Head to the non-affiliated nation of Sphinx, and order the surrounding Marine branches to dispatch warships for support!"

Although Kizaru was old and lecherous, his mind was still sharp. He could look down on the enemy strategically, but he wouldn't underestimate Moger tactically.

If Moger were truly that weak, he would have been thrown into Impel Down long ago.

How could he still be at large?

Moreover, if Moger truly possessed Admiral-level strength, combined with his old crew members, their current force might actually be unable to stop Moger from escaping.

Therefore, he needed to add more layers of insurance.

From beginning to end, Kizaru didn't believe Moger would do anything other than try to escape.

Direct confrontation?

Don't be ridiculous.

They had the equivalent of two Marine Admirals here!

Time moved into March.

News of White Wolf Moger's appearance in Sphinx gradually spread.

If, at first, the pirates in Sphinx were cheering Moger's forceful seizure of the Celestial Gold, then after the initial excitement cooled, they finally began to realize something was wrong.

Why hadn't the White Wolf Pirates left Sphinx yet?

The pirates had never considered that the White Wolf Pirates would stay in Sphinx permanently. After all, that was their usual style; even if they planted their flag somewhere, they wouldn't stay long.

Not to mention, the White Wolf Pirates had stolen from the Celestial Dragons. They were now thorns in the side of the World Government, which wished them utterly destroyed.

Under such circumstances, if the White Wolf Pirates stayed in one place for too long, it would inevitably attract a massive Marine encirclement.

What am I striving for?

Mongge had been asking himself these days, what exactly was he striving for?

If he wanted to develop his power, then once Rocks and Newgate grew up, they would have three Admiral Emperors on one ship, and even the World Government wouldn't be able to do anything to them.

But how long would that take?

Ten years, or twenty?

As their captain, he relied on his crew's strength to dare to face the Marines and the World Government. What was the difference between him and the future Clown Buggy then?

The strength of Conqueror's Haki was the strength of the owner's spirit.

Could he, who relied on his crew to become a king and conqueror, truly be qualified to be a king?

"You don't want to back down either, right?"

Mongge listened to his heartbeat, which had become more and more vibrant over the past year, and a smile appeared on his face.

Whether he could win or not, he would only know after fighting!

"Who will come this time? Elephant Mountain definitely won't. Rona? Has her injury healed? Tsk, it won't be Kizaru, will it? If that old geezer comes, I swear I'll kill him in a few slashes. Kong? That brat should have Admiral-level strength by now..."

Mongge whispered to himself, and as names were uttered, the aura around him grew stronger and stronger, even the villa temporarily provided by Black Merchant Duke Men for their stay began to shake.

"Hahaha, although the future Emperors of this era haven't grown up yet, every era indeed has no shortage of strong individuals!"

Mongge had originally regretted that it would take a long time for Rocks and Newgate to grow up, let alone the future Marine Admirals.

But while the future Admiral Emperors hadn't grown up yet, the current Marine Admirals were all at their peak.

Soon, he would know who the Marines sending this time were.

[Marine Era Year 1481, March. On the lawless island of Sphinx, you encountered a large Marine fleet led by the current Marine Admiral Steel Lion Kong. As an ordinary pirate, the only thing you need to do is escape this major Marine operation.]

[After this operation, you will receive a pirate bounty. The higher your pirate bounty, the richer the rewards will be after this operation concludes.]

[May your pirate journey not stop here!]