When Magnus arrived at Sphinx—

The entire harbor erupted into cheers.

Not just the regular townsfolk and pirates, but even the spies who'd stayed behind to gather first-hand intelligence on the White Wolf Crew.

After a year of absence, the White King Magnus had finally reappeared!

No one really thought much of Magnus disappearing for a year. The sea was vast — it wasn't rare at all for famous pirates to vanish for years, only to show up alive and well.

Most figured he'd simply gone to heal.

After all, given his age, taking on three of the Navy's top fighters at once… even escaping in one piece surely left him with wounds.

But as long as he could still maintain his overwhelming strength, he would continue to shine as one of the greatest legends on the seas.

And now word was out — White King Magnus had found Pure Gold!

No one knew how that news leaked, but coupled with his youthful appearance, it wasn't just the pirates who believed it — even senior World Government officials were ordering CP agents to dig up every detail.

No one could resist the lure of immortality.

Even if it wasn't actually Pure Gold, the fact that Magnus, now past seventy, had made such a powerful comeback — clearly, he'd found something extraordinary.

At Sphinx's harbor.

The rebuilt port town was now ten times larger than it had been a year ago.

Thanks to the massive fortune Magnus had seized from the Heavenly Tribute, Sphinx's development had skyrocketed.

Shops lined the streets, one after another, and once news of his feats at Elbaf spread, even the most calculating merchants realized his rise was unstoppable.

Sphinx, protected by Magnus and still a World Government affiliate, had no need to fear Navy crackdowns.

Doing business here was a guaranteed profit.

Even strong, prideful pirates wouldn't lightly challenge the White Wolf Crew's authority here — no one dared cause trouble within Sphinx.

Out there, anything goes.

But here?

You think the White Wolf Crew has no one to stop you?

Roya, Lily, and Ed— three pirates with bounties over 100 million each, a force to be reckoned with even in the New World.

Add in Black Merchant Dukeman, who'd sworn allegiance to Magnus, and there were four major pirates operating under his banner.

Who could take on four big-name pirates at once without a top-tier fighter?

Dukeman himself was grateful he'd stayed put after Magnus left.

Who could've guessed Magnus would come back after fighting two of the Navy's top fighters, then later take on three more and still survive?

If he'd tried to run, and Magnus decided to hunt him down in anger—

He'd be dead.

Besides, even as someone else's man now, Dukeman was more than satisfied with his position — second only to the White Wolf pirates in all of Sphinx.

Being under Magnus' shadow was a blessing.

Since Magnus' heroics were acknowledged even by the World Government, even pirates with higher bounties treated Dukeman with respect — something he'd never dared dream of before.

In the New World, every pirate was arrogant. Even Magnus, when he'd stood at the pinnacle, had been challenged by three working together.

But now?

If he had to choose again, Dukeman would fall to his knees on the spot and welcome his king.

Of course — all of this was because of Magnus' fearsome feats.

If he disappeared too long, sooner or later, some upstart would come looking for trouble.

Defeating the strong and taking their place was every New World pirate's game.

But for now — no one dared.

For the CP agents, gathering intelligence on the White Wolf Crew was their top priority.

"This month's fee."

At Sphinx's underground black market, a CP agent shoved a fat bundle into the hand of a young woman in sunglasses and a hat.

"I need this month's intel."

"Just 100,000?"

She weighed it and scoffed.

"You think I'm still that little nurse? I'm Witch Kureha's disciple now, and a reserve White Wolf crew member. You think 100,000 buys me? Are all you CP agents this naïve?"

"…Far as I know, Witch Kureha hasn't taken a disciple. And there's no 'reserve crew' in the White Wolf."

"That's only a matter of time!"

She hissed like a cat.

"Don't tell me you don't know the White Wolf Crew needs a doctor. Kureha's too old to sail, and the goat doctor isn't leaving his clinic. How could they turn down someone as pretty and skilled as me?"

"You've been trying to infiltrate the White Wolf Crew for years, haven't you? Once I'm in, you'll have direct access to their intel. Isn't that worth it?"

She leaned closer, lowering her voice.

"All I lack is a bit of strength. If you get me a Devil Fruit, then getting in is as good as done. Every doctor on a ship needs some means to protect themselves, right?"

"…I'll file the request, but no promises."

"Make it fast."

After tossing him some scraps of intel, her smile faded.

"Kureha-sensei… how long before you really take me as your disciple? Every time I deal with those CP agents, I'm terrified they'll turn on me."

A raspy laugh came from the shadows.

"You seemed to be enjoying yourself just now — trying to scam them for a fruit. That's not easy, you know."

Kureha stepped out, revealing the whole exchange had been staged.

"If they're so eager to plant a mole, we'll give them one — and they chose you."

The girl was none other than Sphinx's nurse — Stussy.

"But I don't want to be their mole," she said pitifully.

"I grew up here, always idolized the captain. Joining the White Wolf has always been my dream!"

"Ha, catching his eye won't be easy. But you were right about one thing — I can't sail anymore. If you want a chance, mastering medicine is your only hope."

Even the strongest could still fall ill — and a good doctor was priceless.

Kureha knew exactly what Stussy was after.

But ambition wasn't bad.

Even if that ambition was to climb into Magnus' bed.

But she chuckled to herself.

If you thought you could control that man so easily—

"Get going. I just heard — Magnus is back."

"Really?!"

Stussy lit up.

She'd spent the whole year buried in books, training, all for this moment.

When Magnus stepped onto Sphinx soil, he was met by tens of thousands of cheering islanders.

More rushed toward the harbor, and it was a good thing the town had grown so much — otherwise they'd never fit.

Magnus had truly changed Sphinx.

With the White Wolf's dominance, pirates behaved. And when pirates behaved, the people prospered.

And with all the jobs created by his investment, no one went hungry.

So on Sphinx—

Magnus wasn't crowned king.

But he might as well have been.

Newgate stood stunned.

Having lived here for years, he couldn't believe how much it had transformed in just six months.

The port town was now on track to become the largest city on the island — even more bustling than the royal capital.

And—

"Captain… is that… a shipyard?"

Ripley pointed to a group of workers, at whose head stood none other than their own fishman shipwright.

"Ha! Building a shipyard was always my dream — and to think I realized it here, not on Fishman Island," Dean said wistfully.

Sphinx had never had real industry — but now, with Dean's shipyard, it finally had a backbone.

Magnus bumped fists with him.

It wasn't enough just to have it — you needed the strength to protect it, too.

"This is only the beginning."

(End of Chapter)

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