Chapter 200: Going Alone to the Showdown
Crane's decision to join the White Wolf Pirates was deliberate and well-reasoned. Not because Silas had performed well, but because compared to him, the World Government had fundamentally disappointed her.
If Silas's political and economic system was a crude small boat, then the World Government was a rotting ship. Small boats could be repaired. Large ships whose very keels had been hollowed out by decay could not.
Reform or overthrow. Crane couldn't decide, because she didn't know if dismantling the World Government would simply create another tyranny under Silas's rule.
But eventually, she figured it out. Silas's desire for everyone to gain freedom and live better lives was genuine. The Eleven-Nation Alliance thrived after withdrawing from the World Government alliance. As time passed, conditions continued to improve. Silas's overwhelming influence controlled the entire New World. Over half of all pirates served under him. The remaining independent pirates didn't dare challenge nations under his protection.
Not to mention the New Marines.
As long as Silas didn't change, he possessed the ability and strength to correct course, no matter what challenges arose. Human life was short, but Silas, possessing Pure Gold, could exist for centuries. Most importantly, he showed no greed for power. He even disliked constant work.
His only real hobby was playing with his female crew members.
"Sister Rona, why did you choose Captain Silas? Do you like him?" Crane had once asked.
Rona's expression sharpened, almost mocking. "Like? Do you think a woman my age still harbors such feelings? I admit I admire that bastard. After all, he's my childhood savior, the one I've always chased. But if liking someone means complete devotion, I probably couldn't manage it."
Crane remembered Rona's face then—a mixture of ridicule and melancholy.
"If I were a White Wolf Pirate member, or twenty to thirty years younger, I'd probably fall for Lily and Ripley completely, entrusting myself to Silas. But that doesn't apply to me. I'm not a pirate. I'm the founder of the New Marines. I led trusted comrades away from the Marines, so I carry responsibility for their choices."
So Rona chose Silas for multiple reasons—admiration, affection, and responsibility.
"That man treats his women well," Rona spoke as if seeing through Silas completely. "Otherwise, he wouldn't allow me to establish a military force operating outside his system, without restraint."
"It's troublesome. I was scheming against him, yet he treats me so well. Doesn't that make me look bad?"
"Too late to regret now." Rona stirred the thick soup in her bowl deliberately. "Initially, I only wanted to leverage Silas's power to establish my own New Marines, to give those naval soldiers following me something to show for their loyalty. But as time passed, I discovered I increasingly enjoyed our current arrangement."
"I don't know what Silas will achieve in the future, or whether he'll abandon his ideals. But I can always stand beside him watching." The red-haired officer smiled faintly. "He's my choice, so I have the obligation to witness his path. If he makes wrong choices, I'll work hard to correct him."
At that moment, Crane understood. Rona had truly fallen in love with Silas, but the responsibility and justice she carried didn't allow complete devotion. She chose to stay beside him in her own way.
If Silas's actions aligned with her sense of justice, she would support him unconditionally. Conversely, if he violated that justice, she would bear the responsibility of stopping him.
And Silas's establishment of the New Marines without obstruction suggested he wanted to limit his own power.
"I'm not a god, but a person, so I'll make mistakes too," Silas had once told her. "As long as one is human, one has desires. Desires can't always be satisfied, so I want people around me to supervise me. Becoming a tyrant only requires power, but tyrants can't become kings that normal people follow."
Silas's lack of greed for authority, his clear self-awareness—every detail Crane witnessed ultimately decided her.
"I want to stay beside you. I want to watch you change this world. I want to believe my choice wasn't wrong."
Silas could see Crane's feelings toward him weren't simple attraction, though affection was present. But that affection clearly wasn't her reason for devoting herself. The girl entered this game deliberately, wanting to become the rope binding this wolf.
"You won't regret?" The same words Silas had once asked Stussy.
"I won't regret!" The girl's eyes burned bright with conviction as she looked at Silas.
South Blue
Two young Marines trained earnestly on the remote island. One swung his fist at a giant boulder, muscles straining with each impact. Another performed one-handed push-ups with mountain-sized stones on his back, trembling from exertion.
"Ugh, damn it, how much longer do we stay here?" Garp shouted, his frustration evident. The scarred youth glared at the endless frozen landscape.
"Who knows?" Sengoku, the fluffy-haired black-haired youth, curled his lips. He'd figured out the World Government was gathering scientists to research something classified. The entire island was crawling with CP organization members and Celestial Dragon guards. Though no Marine Admiral was stationed here, it remained impenetrable.
"Damn it! While I waste time here, Roger that bastard is probably tearing through the New World!" Garp's hands clenched into fists. Two years ago, he'd encountered the Roger Pirates on a mission. Since then, an unbreakable competition has formed between them. In the following years, he'd captured them multiple times. They escaped every single time.
"Roger's Haki has grown stronger. Last time we fought, his Haki nearly equaled mine. If this continues, he'll surpass me!"
"A pirate who escapes your pursuit repeatedly could become a serious problem for the Marines," Sengoku said seriously. "Unfortunately, Admiral Kong and others focus entirely on the White Wolf Pirates. They have no interest in other crews. If we could recruit additional personnel, the Roger Pirates couldn't possibly escape."
Currently, only the White Wolf Pirates commanded Marine attention. Second priority was the Rocks Pirates, third the Whitebeard Pirates. Two of the three pirate crews had separated from the White Wolf Pirates, yet these two alone gave the Marines immense headaches.
The Rocks Pirates possessed formidable overall strength. Rocks himself held Admiral-level power, earning the title "Little White King" among Marines. Direct orders prohibited capturing the Rocks Pirates without Admiral-level commanders.
The Whitebeard Pirates faced the same restriction. Marines feared the Rocks Pirates and their captain equally. Yet toward the Whitebeard Pirates, Marines had only one evaluation: ignore them.
Unlike the Rocks Pirates, who wandered like lawless brigands, the Whitebeard Pirates initially seemed intimidating. After contact, Marines discovered something peculiar. Though separated from the White Wolf Pirates like the Rocks Pirates, Captain Rocks had openly challenged White King Silas. And Edward Newgate?
He only wanted to raise children. He spent his time searching country by country for suitable crew members. Nine out of every ten crew members were children. Oddly, Newgate seemed completely serious about this odd hobby. Unable to determine his true intentions, the Marines confirmed the Whitebeard Pirates posed no immediate threat and adopted a hands-off approach.
When the World Government and White Wolf Pirates would clash again remained unknown. Under this intense pressure, positions requiring seniority were redistributed throughout Marine ranks. The entire force displayed unprecedented vitality. Whether this represented renewal or a final flash before collapse depended on the outcome of future battles.
Three years after Acropolis Port, Garp and Sengoku—mere young ensigns then—were abnormally promoted to Rear Admirals. Though still rear admirals, they surpassed many elite vice admirals.
Both now executed a classified World Government mission: protecting scientists stationed on the remote island and developing new energy sources. After several months, Garp was growing restless, and Sengoku matched his frustration.
However, if Garp knew his heart's desire—pirate Roger—was on this very island, his reaction would be completely different.
"Damn bastards, where the hell am I?" Roger hid among scientists, barely literate, examining an energy design blueprint with enthusiastic researchers. The blueprint indicated the development of new energy to help the world escape energy scarcity. Roger distrusted half of what the World Government claimed, but surrounding scientists discussed eagerly.
Though just mastering Observation Haki, his innate ability to hear all things' voices told him the truth. He was seeing blueprints for a terrifying weapon.
Roger didn't care about the energy. He only knew he'd arranged a meeting with the White Wolf Pirates at Baldimore. Instead, he'd been kidnapped to this godforsaken place, and escape looked nearly impossible through the substantial guards surrounding everything.
"Don't know how Rayleigh and Gaban are doing. Forget it, I can barely save myself." Though in difficulty, Roger hadn't lost his fighting spirit.
The good news was that guards mistook him for a Baldimore scientist. These scientists were all shrewd. Without understanding the World Government's true purposes, they wouldn't expose him.
Roger stayed on the remote island for several months, until one day he heard a laugh he deeply hated.
A giant sea creature pulled the Rocks Pirates' ship speeding from the ocean's horizon. Standing foremost was Rocks himself.
"Kihihi, so this is the place? Hey, Navy guards, tell your chief! I'm taking this island! Want to live, get out quick!"
His Observation Haki sensed only one threat-level presence: one Admiral-level fighter. How could that stop him? He'd learned from Silas. When facing stronger opponents, fight two at a time instead of one.
Deep within the island, a cane-wielding old man's face turned cold. The White Wolf Pirates' pressure forced them to revive a centuries-old weapon. Whatever consequences resulted would be preferable to being overthrown by Silas.
After Acropolis Port, the Five Elders began doubting whether they could defeat the White Wolf Pirates. This doubt intensified when powerful fighters appeared consecutively in Silas's crew. Restarting ancient weapons became urgent.
Long ago, three ancient weapons existed capable of destroying the world: Pluton, Poseidon, and Uranus. Though Pluton and Poseidon were lost, Uranus remained in their hands. It was one of their strongest trump cards
However, time had developed a catastrophic problem. They couldn't replenish Uranus's naturally depleting energy, making it now an empty shell.
So they kidnapped entire teams of Baldimore's scientists simply to restore its power. The talk of "helping the world escape energy scarcity" was simply a cover. Their true purpose: restarting this ancient weapon.
Restoring Uranus meant no matter how the White Wolf Pirates expanded their forces, they'd become dust before its destructive power.
Of course, the White Wolf Pirates couldn't sit by and watch weapons threatening them develop unchecked. So Silas dispatched his trusted general, Rocks.
Since the World Government underestimated them, Silas didn't mind losing one of his claws to eliminate this threat.
"Lord Imu!" Before Saturn Jaigolusia could even speak, Imu refused.
Because—
"Silas appeared at Mary Geoise!"