"I'm in!"

The moment Magnus announced a crew-wide sparring match, Rocks' eyes lit up, and he shot Ripley a provocative look.

This time, he would beat Ripley — and use that momentum to challenge Magnus himself!

He knew he couldn't win…

But he wanted to see just how far he still had to go to reach Magnus' level.

A challenge was inevitable!

"Any wish at all?"

"As long as it's something I can actually do."

Magnus pushed Ripley's head aside and clarified.

"You've gotten awfully lazy lately. You'll probably lose to Rocks."

"Hmph, don't be so sure!"

Ripley admitted she'd been a little lax since Magnus came back, but she hadn't slacked off at all during the year he was gone.

Rocks' growth was faster — but wasn't that only natural?

He was human.

And she was a giant, with three times the lifespan of a human.

So his growth being three times hers was perfectly reasonable, right?

But even if she believed Rocks would surpass her sooner or later, she didn't think he could beat her yet.

"Who wins and who loses — you only know after you fight!"

After all, she was now a big-name pirate with a bounty of 100 million!

Over the past year, by constantly harassing the Navy, both she and Rocks had seen their bounties soar.

Even Newgate and Charlotte Linlin had gotten their very first bounties.

Yes, even seven-year-old Linlin was wanted.

The crew's bounties now stood as:

Ripley the Imperial Flower — 100 million belli!

Rocks D. Xebec, the Omen's Child — 85 million belli!

Edward Newgate, the Stubborn Stone — 30 million belli!

Charlotte Linlin, the Wild Brat — 50 million belli!

Because of their age, Newgate and Linlin hadn't earned proper nicknames yet — and those names often evolved as a pirate's strength and image changed over time.

Some pirates even picked their own names, and as long as they were recognized, those names would appear on their wanted posters.

Though the White Wolf crew was still small and young, even their lowest bounty — Newgate's — was 30 million, more than enough to survive anywhere, even in the New World.

In just two years, the newly reformed White Wolf crew was back on track, surpassing Magnus' old crew in strength was only a matter of time.

And those Navy bounties only reflected their strength from six months ago — they'd only grown stronger since.

When the Navy was still around, there had been a clear gap between Rocks and Ripley.

But now…

Rocks was confident enough to challenge her!

"This is the first-ever White Wolf crew tournament," Magnus announced. "I plan to make this an annual event. So don't be discouraged if you don't win this time — take it as a chance to see how far you've come."

When external pressure wasn't enough, you had to create internal competition.

Magnus wanted harmony among his crew.

But too much comfort killed motivation — and it was his job as captain to strike the right balance.

"With so few of you, I'll arrange the matchups myself."

"First match: Ripley vs. Rocks!"

"Second match: Newgate vs. Linlin!"

"There will be six matches total. Rankings will be points-based — if there's a tie, the winner of their head-to-head match will rank higher."

This wasn't just about picking a winner — it was about giving everyone a chance to measure themselves against the others.

Normally they trained with restraint.

Here, with Magnus watching, they could go all out!

"…Even Linlin has to fight?"

Magnus hadn't put her on the list because he knew her level, but Toki seemed relieved. Still, seeing even seven-year-old Linlin lining up to fight left her surprised.

"Of course. Linlin's no pushover," Magnus smiled at the girl.

"But if you don't want to, that's fine too."

"I want to play with everyone!"

Linlin shook her head vigorously. To her, this was just how her brothers and sisters played.

Back at Sheep's House, no one had wanted to play with her. But here on this ship, everyone did — and she couldn't be happier.

Of everyone, Newgate was the most nervous.

He'd never beaten either Rocks or Ripley in training — his only real chance to win was against Linlin.

But would it really be that easy?

He'd heard about Linlin's strange body — even Haki couldn't pierce her skin.

Still, Magnus had said: this wasn't about who won or lost, but about seeing their own strengths and weaknesses.

Rocks and Ripley took the stage first.

The upper deck of the Millennium Falcon was a hundred meters long, sixty wide — a vast, open arena of Adam wood that could take a beating without breaking.

Rocks attacked first.

The moment Magnus gave the word, he drew his blade.

"Soru!"

A burst of speed and he was in front of Ripley in an instant, blade swinging down.

Ripley didn't dodge — as a giant, she had absolute power. She met his strike with her fist.

Clang!

It was flesh against steel, yet the sound was like clashing metal.

Such was the might of Busoshoku Haki.

"Strong…" Toki murmured from the sidelines.

"But they weren't always this strong," Magnus chuckled. "No one is. Not me, not Ripley, not Rocks."

"Toki, Wano isn't as peaceful as you imagine. If you really plan to leave someday, I hope you'll grow strong enough to protect yourself."

"…Are you worried about me, Magnus-san?"

"Haha, don't you deserve my concern, Toki-san?"

Toki flushed. She wasn't blind — she knew full well what he and Ripley got up to each night.

And now he was saying this?

"You womanizer…" she grumbled — but couldn't muster any real dislike.

"Oi, Captain!" Ripley called out mid-fight. "Your precious crew is dueling here and you're flirting over there? Too much!"

"Haha, aren't you just warming up?"

"Then watch us closely!"

Ripley's eyes sharpened.

On land, she and Rocks were evenly matched.

But on the narrow deck of a ship, Rocks' room to dodge was limited.

"Giant's Thunder!"

"Soru!"

No matter how far Rocks had come in Busoshoku, this wasn't just a Haki contest.

It was also a matter of raw strength.

And here, Ripley crushed him.

Her punches weren't just fast — with the Mini Mini no Mi, her arm expanded tenfold mid-swing, making her punch effectively a thousand times more devastating.

She barely moved, yet her reach covered the whole deck, forcing Rocks to keep dodging.

"Damn Kenbunshoku…" Ripley muttered.

Rocks' Observation Haki was better than hers.

Though she'd awakened it first, he'd already surpassed her.

She told herself: he's human, she's a giant with three times his lifespan — so it made sense he grew faster.

But telling yourself that didn't make it any easier to watch someone once weaker overtake you.

Observation Haki was instinct.

Ripley forced herself to calm down, to study Rocks and find an opening.

Soru took a toll even on him — while her stamina was still high.

'Got careless…'

Rocks thought.

He'd assumed he'd already caught up to Ripley, that going all-out would let him win.

But she'd slapped him down hard.

He felt like an apprentice pirate trying to bluff a veteran — and failing.

Maybe Newgate was right.

Maybe he should eat a Devil Fruit and power up quickly.

Even Magnus was a Devil Fruit user — why hold himself to a higher standard?

No. That wasn't it.

He didn't want to become Magnus.

He wanted to surpass Magnus and be the King of the Seas!

And in that moment of crisis…

Rocks broke through.

His Observation sharpened, his speed increased.

For the first time, Magnus felt a faint sense of danger — as though one king had just met another.

His own Haoshoku stirred.

"Interesting…" Magnus thought.

He'd never doubted Rocks would awaken Haoshoku Haki. If he hadn't, that would've been the real disappointment.

But until now, Rocks' will had always been suppressed by Magnus' own.

Now, at last, it showed signs of awakening.

Magnus was looking forward to the day Rocks truly unleashed it.

But for now…

"…Forget it."

Rocks froze, then gave Ripley a sour look.

"I give up."

He'd made progress — but winning on this cramped deck was impossible.

He'd lost his chance to challenge Magnus — but his resolve was stronger than ever.

Magnus was pleased.

Ripley, despite winning, looked uneasy.

She'd seen Rocks' breakthrough.

Next time, she doubted she'd win.

'I really don't want to lose in front of the captain…'

(End of Chapter)

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