Tonight, Elbaf was impossibly quiet.
As noisy as it had been when the battle began, now the silence etched itself onto every Marine and CP agent's face.
They had lost.
Strictly speaking — it wasn't really a failure.
The Marines and CP still held dominance over Elbaf. The giants had paid dearly to rescue their king — so many ordinary giants had thrown themselves into the fray, only to fall to the elite forces of the Marines and CP.
But in this world where strength reigned supreme —
No matter how many ordinary soldiers you fielded, they could never compare to a giant king with admiral-level power — let alone the elite giants alongside him.
They should have done better.
Through their surprise attack, they had already defeated and captured Harald and many of the giants' best warriors.
But the White Wolf Pirates' intervention had undone everything.
"The admirals must have gone after Magnus, right?"
"Even if they rescued the giant king, as long as we capture the White Wolf Magnus, it's all worth it!"
"That's right — he's the real target!"
The campaign had always had two objectives: conquer Elbaf, and use it as bait to trap the White Wolf Pirates.
Even if the Marines and CP agents felt bitter, they still believed that as long as Vice Admiral Hisame, Admiral Rona, and CP0 chief Grindwin could bring down Magnus — all would be well.
But when Rona, Kong, and Grindwin returned — their expressions were grim, no better than their own.
They… had also failed!
When that realization sank in, the Marines were stricken with despair.
And then —
"Pfft~"
A laugh broke the silence.
"Well well… guess we'll get scolded by the old man now," Rona muttered, scratching her hair with a bright smile, as though completely unbothered by the failure.
"Alright, alright — so what if the giant king escaped? Elbaf is the world's strongest nation, after all. And that damned White Wolf got away too. He's been sailing these seas for decades — who could've guessed he still had tricks left up his sleeve?"
Seeing the radiant Rona comforting them despite her own frustration, the Marines felt moved.
"Admiral Rona, we'll capture the giant king again!"
"That's right — we won't give up so easily!"
"That damned White Wolf Pirates — one day we'll bring them to justice!"
Rona simply waved them off.
"Kong, take care of the rest. I'm going to rest."
"But Admiral—"
"Don't worry. I feel better than ever."
Her smile even left Kong dazed.
Rona had always been admired — the Navy's most brilliant, most beautiful, most lively female soldier. Ever since she joined, countless men had dreamed of her.
Even Kong himself had once felt a longing for her.
But though she smiled at everyone, no one had ever reached her heart.
It was as if her only purpose in life was to bring down the White Wolf Pirates.
And now — that goal was shattered.
Even with nearly three admirals' worth of force, they had failed to stop Magnus. Now that the world knew of his escape, HQ would never again muster such strength just to pursue him.
Even the World Government would have to think twice about whether it was worth it.
So Kong knew — Rona's heart couldn't possibly be as light as her smile.
But how could he possibly comfort her?
What Kong didn't know was —
Rona hadn't been pursuing Magnus out of hatred.
Most Marines hunted pirates because of hatred.
But not her.
Rona hunted Magnus simply because she wanted to know — why had he abandoned the path of an adventurer and chosen the path of a pirate?
And she'd already learned that answer long ago.
From then on, the hunt had become pure obsession — a way to justify herself, and her own ideals of justice.
Now, it was over.
"Ah… if I just said I didn't want to be a Marine anymore, those idiots would probably be devastated, huh?"
It wasn't arrogance — she really was that popular. Many Marine recruits had joined simply because of her.
She'd even served ten years as the recruitment poster girl.
"Let's see…"
Rona lay on a boulder, listening to the waves.
"…what kind of change you'll make."
A month later—
The news of Elbaf's conquest spread across the world.
And another rumor came with it:
The White Wolf Pirates had been hiding in Elbaf all along, working with the giants.
And in this campaign, the White Wolf Pirates had appeared.
Unlike the disaster at Sphinx, this time the Marines had struck hard — crushing Harald and the giants.
The Marines' prestige soared once again.
After all — the White Wolf Pirates still couldn't match the World Government.
And yet…
Although Elbaf was conquered, and Adam wood was shipped to every corner of the world — the slave markets, waiting eagerly for giant captives, were left disappointed.
A whisper began to spread.
The World Government had captured Harald early in the campaign — but knowing it was a trap, the White Wolf Magnus had still come.
He had rescued Harald — while facing three admiral-level opponents — and walked away alive.
When this news broke, pirates everywhere erupted!
If his stand at Sphinx had made Magnus a living legend —
This time, his name shook the world.
The Sea Sovereign.
The White King, Magnus!
In a world without a Pirate King, without even any true Emperors yet — his name stood alone as the mightiest among pirates.
And so, people began to say:
This era… is named Magnus!
A year later.
As a new era dawned, and its tides surged—
Magnus, who had vanished for a year, finally returned.
To Elbaf.
(End of Chapter)
[Check Out My P@treon For +20 Extra Chapters On All My Fanfics!!][www.p@treon.com/euridome][Thank You For Your Support!]