Silas didn't know Kokoro's thoughts. Observation Haki wasn't mind-reading, after all. It first sensed people's auras, and the stronger someone was, the more obvious their aura became.
When Silas saw the merchant ship, at a glance, besides the ship's guards, the strongest auras aboard were Rayleigh and Ivan. Though Ivan concealed his aura well, the massive power gap still let Silas instantly recognize this veteran crew member.
But though Kokoro's race differed from ordinary humans, her aura was similar to regular people. Plus they'd met only a handful of times. How could Silas possibly recognize her? So one Conqueror's Haki blast knocked the poor mermaid unconscious. By the time she awoke, Silas's Millennium Falcon and Newgate's ship were preparing to depart.
Half a year unseen, Silas was curious what level Newgate's current strength had reached.
"Here's good." Randomly picking an uninhabited island, having Ripley and others stop the ship at a distance, Silas and Newgate stood on opposite sides of the island.
"How long do you think Newgate can last?" Ripley stood on the Millennium Falcon's deck, asking Crane beside her.
"Ten minutes?" Crane said uncertainly. Though she, like Shiki and Zephyr, was a later-joining second-period crew member, as time passed, her improvement speed gradually fell behind Shiki and Zephyr.
In the White Wolf Pirates, there was one acknowledged prodigy: Charlotte Linlin. At five years old, she could severely injure the CP organization's top intelligence personnel with one punch. For a long period, she surpassed both Rocks and Newgate. If not for age slowing her progress, Rocks and Newgate surpassing her would be impossibly difficult.
After Charlotte Linlin matured and learned to use her power, her growth accelerated explosively. Two years ago, Linlin's strength was surpassed by Newgate. Now, if they fought again, who'd win was uncertain.
Besides Linlin, the White Wolf Pirates' first tier consisted of Rocks, Newgate, and Shiki. All three's improvement speeds were terrifying. The only regret was that they joined the White Wolf Pirates at different times. With similar talent, Rocks's strength consistently exceeded Newgate's, while Newgate's exceeded Shiki's.
Below the three, the second tier was Zephyr. Though lacking presence, everyone in the White Wolf Pirates witnessed Zephyr's efforts. Despite slightly inferior talent to the other three, through his own efforts, Zephyr's strength constantly pursued Shiki, keeping him from slacking off.
Recently, Shiki wanted to leave the White Wolf Pirates because his strength had stagnated. In battle with Zephyr, he nearly lost. Always considering himself the second-period crew's big brother, like Rocks wanting to poach Newgate to his ship, Shiki also always wanted to poach Zephyr.
But he was destined for disappointment. Whether Newgate or Zephyr, they had their own beliefs. With conflicting beliefs, they couldn't possibly accept others' recruitment. Newgate valued family, but Rocks chose to leave the White Wolf Pirates. Zephyr cared about ordinary people; Shiki didn't.
Even Silas, wanting to tame these unruly crew members, must rely on sufficient strength and rewarding grace while wielding authority, balancing kindness with firm control. He'd spent years cultivating Newgate and Zephyr's loyalty. How could they be easily poached by Rocks and Shiki?
Besides several people, further down the third tier were Ripley and Crane. Geniuses for ordinary people, but for true prodigies, somewhat mediocre. Ripley had encountered bottlenecks long ago. Though Crane could still improve, ordinary great pirate strength, placed among the first-period crew averaging near Admiral-level, was somewhat insufficient.
So Crane guessed Silas's strength still exceeded Newgate's, but couldn't imagine by how much.
"Hmph~" Ripley crossed her arms. When first joining the White Wolf Pirates, she was somewhat competitive. After all, who'd willingly admit inferiority? But after witnessing those monsters, Ripley had to admit human growth speed indeed far exceeded giants'.
Since she couldn't catch up, stop chasing. Train methodically, grow methodically. Anyway others however strong couldn't exceed Silas.
Even during training, Silas must obediently ask her to shrink his size. Staying beside Silas longest, through constant exposure, Ripley naturally gained clearer understanding of Silas's strength.
"Though Newgate has become much stronger, if Captain wanted, it wouldn't need ten minutes. An instant could resolve the battle!" When strength gaps were sufficient, any weaknesses would be infinitely magnified. Fully matured Newgate had both Armament and Observation Haki at top levels. Observation even reached the future sight level.
But Newgate's true power wasn't his Armament or Observation Haki, but his awakened Tremor-Tremor Fruit ability. Terrifying, destructive power even Silas must acknowledge.
Like now. When Newgate clenched his fist, the air began to tremble uncontrollably. First air around Newgate, then ground, finally the entire island and surrounding seas. Though battle hadn't officially started, just leaking power made distant onlookers unable to stand steady.
"So strong!"
"No wonder he made us stand so far. Not even fighting yet with such power. Really fighting, we couldn't withstand even their aftershocks."
"Captain, go for it!"
Newgate's ship, including Kaido's, had several young children, but that didn't mean there wasn't a proper crew member. Several same-age crew members existed, just average strength, with huge gaps compared to Whitebeard. After all, compared to Rocks selecting the best, Newgate chose crew more casually. As long as they saw eye to eye, regardless of strength, he recruited them.
"Haha, quite intimidating!" Newgate's tremor power worked this way: the farther the distance, the greater the impact. Conversely, at closer proximity, Silas wasn't much affected. An ordinary person might think Newgate was just that, but this was merely the beginning.
When Newgate restrained his tremor ability, the surrounding air stopped trembling. Appearing in Newgate's hand was a milky-white light sphere.
"Captain, be careful!" Newgate took a deep breath. Knowing his captain's true terrifying strength, even three years after the Acropolis Port battle, Admiral-level fighters facing Newgate were too frightened to fight. But facing Silas, Newgate still summoned maximum focus. He didn't dare hold back.
"Tremor!" Newgate roared low. After the confrontation ended, he stepped forward first. His tall body at this moment burst out with speed nobody dared underestimate. Newgate clearly knew his strengths and weaknesses. However powerful the attack, only hitting mattered!
Space seemed compressed to the limit. Newgate's form instantly leaped from one battlefield's end to the other. His young face twisted from extreme battle intent, knotted muscles beneath surging with terrifying power capable of shaking seas.
Silas saw Newgate's arm muscles bulging to extremes, milky-white light wrapping his massive fist. When his arm swung, even air seemed to groan from unbearable weight.
"Excellent!" Silas stood in place. Seeing Newgate's attack, not alarmed but pleased. At his level, attacks moving him were already rare. If ordinary Admiral-level fighters' attacks struck his solid flesh and his Armament Haki defense, even tearing his body, the injuries would heal before one breath.
But Newgate's attack differed. Really allowing the attack to land on his body, even Silas would suffer considerable injury. Tremor power's damage was almost omnidirectional. So at this moment, Silas moved.
On his black blade, destructive black-red arcs danced. Solid Conqueror's Haki wrapped around the completely forged black blade Frost Hidden, carrying suffocating, terrifying pressure. When Newgate's fist fell, Silas's blade likewise rose.
At their center, a black, wave-like impact erupted this moment, thunderous roars exploding.
"BOOM!"
Ground beneath Silas's feet shattered inch by inch. What effect his attack had aside, Newgate's Tremor-Tremor Fruit's destructive power had now manifested. Visible huge cracks spread from Silas and Newgate's collision center. Terrifying attacks capable of destroying heaven and earth were released by Newgate without reservation. Only the man before him could make Newgate use his utmost strike.
"World Break!!!" As if even space was shattered by Newgate's punch. Before Devil Fruit awakening, Newgate, wanting to cause large-scale destruction, still needed to combine his own terrifying brute force. But after Devil Fruit ability awakened, under Newgate's punch, Silas only felt the entire world trembling.
"Haha, somewhat interesting!" Facing Newgate's attack, though Silas used Conqueror's wrapping, it was merely a casual greeting strike. But facing Newgate's attack, the Conqueror's Haki wrapped on his blade was clearly insufficient. Space cracks were spreading toward Silas.
Seeing this, Silas's expression became solemn, his tone no longer flippant. "Then let's get slightly serious!" Until now, Silas had merely single-handedly swung one Conqueror's-wrapped blade strike, blocking Newgate's full-power attack.
Next second, Silas sheathed and turned. Newgate's attack brought him no pressure whatsoever. Facing Newgate's opportunistic follow-up punch, after turning, Silas struck again. This strike was swift as lightning. All Haki concentrated within the blade's inch space. Newgate's milky-white light was almost instantly cut open by the black blade.
"!!!" Seeing this, Newgate's expression changed drastically. This strike hits his hand—would his hand survive?
"Haha, attack surplus, defense insufficient! All top-tier physical technique masters have fists that are both the sharpest spear and strongest shield! If fists aren't hard enough, can't defeat enemies!" Newgate's current attack could completely suppress ordinary Admiral-level fighters. But facing higher-level enemies is somewhat insufficient.
As the blade was about to strike Newgate, Silas changed from cutting to slapping. The blade harshly slapped Newgate's fist once. Even battle-hardened Newgate, being slapped by Silas's blade, felt like a student being struck on the palm by a teacher's ruler. He immediately gasped.
"Come, look!" Silas's blade could easily cut through Newgate's Tremor-Tremor Fruit-formed light. When fists collided, Newgate's newly formed light-wrapped fist, shockingly, had no effect on Silas. No, not no effect, but the Haki wrapping Silas's fist was too refined, almost forcibly bearing his tremor power, colliding directly with his flesh fist.
"Pure fruit power, however strong, hardly reaches true mastery! Only by combining Haki —both complementing each other —can you become your stepping stone to the absolute peak! Again!"
Initially harboring thoughts of challenging Silas, but Silas's one blade, one punch, completely shattered Newgate's arrogance, making him return to receiving Silas's guidance as in childhood. Newgate originally thought that, after becoming stronger, even if unable to defeat Silas, at least wouldn't lose embarrassingly. After all, even Marine Admirals dared not face him.
But now Newgate knew the so-called Admiral-level was merely the starting point. To become a true powerhouse, he still had a long road ahead. Rocks was still exploring, but Silas could lay the true broad road before him. Newgate lacked opponents. Silas was the best opponent. Newgate lacked pressure. The pressure Silas could provide was incomparable to anyone in this world.
The only drawback: this battle was merely guidance, not life-or-death struggle. It could only bring Newgate enlightenment, not a truly forceful breakthrough. But just this already far exceeded the still-exploring Rocks. After all, Rocks had a ten-year pact with Silas.
Though if Rocks came requesting guidance, Silas wouldn't favor one over the other, but Rocks was precisely stubborn, wanting self-exploration. In his view, having left the White Wolf Pirates, still seeking Silas's guidance would prove his departure wrong. Rocks had his own pride.
Though this seemed to Silas like unnecessary suffering, if he truly broke through on his own, he could truly shatter Silas's shadow over him. Since Rocks wanted to walk his own path and Silas's focus had shifted, Silas could only spend more effort guiding Newgate. When the ten-year deadline arrived, Silas would point at Newgate, telling Rocks to first defeat Newgate before talking.
So this guidance lasted one day and night.