The Real and Fake White Wolf Pirates

The Black Pearl arrived at the port of Sphinx in the early morning.

It was a small town, and from the crow's nest of the Black Pearl, one could see the end of the town at a glance.

The perimeter of the port was lined with ships of varying sizes, most of them flying pirate flags, with a few flying the flags of underground gangs and slave traders.

Fierce-looking pirates disembarked from the ships, some grumbling as they headed towards the town's taverns, while others went straight to the town's red-light district.

Yes, that place.

Sailing was a very boring affair. The vast majority of pirates had little desire to become stronger. They plundered the wealth of the weak, and most of the plundered wealth was spent on indulging their desires.

Rocks was different.

After their confrontation, Magnus found that this kid was terrifyingly disciplined.

He spent all day training.

Even with a beautiful woman by his side, he didn't even glance at her.

Sphinx in February was still a bit chilly.

But Ripley, having grown up in Elbaf, was already accustomed to this kind of weather. Besides a plush coat, she wore denim shorts and a tight top underneath, exuding youthful vitality.

You couldn't tell that she was already over fifty years old.

Well, for the Giant race, over fifty years old was basically equivalent to a human in their teens. A few years ago, Ripley wouldn't even have been considered an adult.

"Is this Sphinx?"

Ripley leaned over the railing of the ship's hull, looking around. She'd almost forgotten; although she had defeated three CPOs in her debut, she was a complete rookie pirate. She had always stayed in Elbaf, and now that she was out, everything seemed fresh and new.

"Yeah, the port's much bigger than when I left. It's cleaner and tidier too. At least I don't see any pirates fighting in the streets."

In the New World, the reason for two pirate crews clashing could be as simple as disliking each other at first sight. If neither side could gain the upper hand after a prolonged fight, they would sit down together for drinks and conversation.

If one side was weaker, the other would mercilessly absorb them.

"After we go ashore, Ripley, you'll come with me to the underground market here. Rocks, you stay on the ship and guard the Black Pearl."

"Okay."

"Got it."

Ripley and Rocks both responded in unison.

There was no such thing as order in pirate ports. If a ship was left unguarded, everything inside would be stolen in no time.

If the pirates knew that the Black Pearl currently held items worth two billion Belly, then soon all the pirates in Sphinx would attack them.

Of course, that was assuming they weren't afraid of death.

Magnus casually scanned the surroundings with his Observation Haki and confirmed that there were no particularly strong pirates nearby. At most, they were minor figures with bounties of only ten to twenty million. If a fight broke out, Rocks might not be entirely outmatched.

And as soon as any commotion occurred here, given the size of this town, Magnus could return to the port in an instant, leaving Rocks to guard the ship would be more than enough.

Bringing Ripley along was simply a matter of taking turns.

The last time they landed on another island, Ripley had guarded the ship, so this time it was Rocks' turn.

"Still too few people!"

Magnus sighed. Other pirate crews either gathered enough crew members in the Four Seas or the Grand Line before entering the New World.

But Magnus had started in the New World from the beginning.

Among the three of them, Ripley and Rocks were both combatants. With the power of the Mini Fruit, Ripley could barely be considered a half-support role. Besides them, Magnus, as the captain, not only served as the navigator but also doubled as the cook and doctor.

"Navigator is fine, but I'm not really a doctor or a cook."

"In that case, should we recruit some crew members here?"

Ripley said with a giggle, carrying a backpack.

"The pirates who can make it here should be quite strong, right?"

"Haha, that depends on luck."

Although he didn't have high hopes, Magnus still felt a sense of anticipation.

What if?

What if he met that man?

Edward Newgate, the man who would later be known as the world's strongest. But Magnus was interested in him not just because of his potential to stand at the pinnacle of the world.

It was because of Edward Newgate's dream.

Despite his immense strength, Edward Newgate didn't have much ambition; he only wanted a family on the sea.

As a captain, Edward Newgate would be a solid support.

As a crewmate, Edward Newgate was also someone you could trust with your back.

As long as you treated him like family, he would reciprocate the same.

For a captain, what better crewmate could there be?

The Black Pearl landed.

After paying the ten thousand Belly docking fee, Magnus and Ripley headed towards the town.

Along the way, the two of them received many scrutinizing glances.

"Captain, I feel like those people are looking at us with ill intentions."

"Yeah, your feeling is correct."

Observation Haki inherently possessed the function of detecting hostility. Those with innate Observation Haki could even sense others' emotions.

While Magnus couldn't do that, he could still distinguish between good and ill will.

He was also puzzled.

Had it only been a year, and the White Wolf Pirates' flag had become this ineffective?

Not only did the Marines attack them on sight, but even these pirates, no different from thugs, dared to openly display their malice?

It wasn't until he overheard the pirates' hushed conversations.

"The White Wolf Pirates' flag again?"

"Tsk, how many times this year? There are always some who aren't afraid of death and use the White Wolf Pirates' name to swindle and deceive. Do they really think everyone in the White Wolf Pirates is dead?"

"Who knows? I heard the White Wolf Pirates have disbanded. They haven't recruited new crew members in a long time, right? The ones on the ship are all old timers."

"..."

Upon hearing the pirates' conversation, Magnus finally understood what was happening and found it somewhat amusing.

In the future, after the Straw Hat Pirates were scattered, a group of pirates impersonated the Straw Hat Pirates to swindle and deceive, even managing to recruit a bunch of pirates with high bounties to join them.

Now, after the news of the White Wolf Pirates' disbandment spread, pirates were impersonating them to swindle and deceive, and it seemed to be successful?

The port.

A group of youths hid in a corner. After seeing Magnus and Ripley leave and get further away, they quietly jumped into the water and swam towards the Black Pearl.

"Newgate, are you sure it's okay? What if this really is a White Wolf Pirates' ship?"

Approaching the Black Pearl, a youth lowered his voice and said worriedly.

"Impossible." The youth at the front shook his head and said seriously, "How could the White Wolf Pirates only have three people?"

He had observed carefully. There were only three people on the ship before them. After the woman and the old man left, only one young man, around their age, remained.

"Don't overthink it, we'll grab the money and leave."

The youth leaped out of the water. Although his build was larger than an adult's, his speed was astonishingly fast. He appeared on the ship almost instantly.

"Quick!"

He shouted and, taking the lead, charged towards Rocks, who was sitting at the bow of the ship.

"Hm?"

Rocks, who was meditating with his eyes closed, saw the charging youth and grinned.

"Interesting."