Unknowingly, the White Wolf Pirates had reached the point where they could split forces for separate missions.
Lily and Stussy would stay behind.
As long as Magnus and the others drew the Navy's attention at Mary Geoise and the Sabaody Archipelago, Lily's strength alone was enough to free the enslaved giants in Acropolis Port.
To be safe, Magnus also contacted Harald.
Upon hearing that Magnus had located the captured giants, Harald immediately promised to send reinforcements to Acropolis Port within a month to aid Lily in their rescue.
He also brought good news.
The giants he had sent to Little Garden six months ago to search for the two captains of the Giant Warrior Pirates had reported back—they were now heading toward the Sabaody Archipelago.
If luck was on their side…
Magnus might even receive help from those two captains during the operation!
This was undeniably a boon.
Though the captains of the Giant Warrior Pirates didn't have admiral-level strength, they could still stand toe-to-toe with such opponents.
Together, even an admiral would struggle to take them down easily.
The only one not happy about this arrangement was likely Stussy.
She had expected this trip to be a light one, but now all of the crew's main combatants were headed to Sabaody, while she was left with Lily in Acropolis Port.
While there was still risk, it was far less than what Magnus' team would face.
"Haha, don't pout. The battles we're about to face are still too soon for you," Magnus said to her with a grin.
Before boarding, Stussy had received no systematic training. Compared to the crew three years ago, she was far behind—just an ordinary person.
Over the past two months, Magnus had only had her work on her physical conditioning.
Her talent didn't compare to Rocks'.
At her pace, it would likely take a full year before she could learn Rokushiki—already faster than most people.
Magnus didn't expect too much from her; her main role was as a doctor. Once she mastered Rokushiki, she could participate in many future missions.
"If you and Lily can free those enslaved giants and make it back safely, I'll give you a small reward," Magnus said.
Stussy's eyes lit up immediately.
Knowing how generous Magnus could be…
She was certain it wouldn't be anything ordinary.
Her mood brightened instantly.
While she was curious about the legendary Fishman Island, she knew she would have many chances to see it later.
Compared to sightseeing, Magnus' reward was far more tempting.
As for Lily, she needed no such persuasion.
"Go already. The reason I came along was for situations ," Lily said with a wave of her hand.
"Don't overdo it. Even if you're much stronger than before, don't underestimate the Navy and the World Government's elites. They've stood for eight hundred years—it's not something you can topple in a day," she warned.
In the past, without an admiral-level fighter, the White Wolf Pirates could only avoid direct clashes with the Navy and CP organizations.
Now things were different.
Magnus' strength had reached the admiral level. Of the current three admirals, only the last one posed any real threat to him; Rona and Kong had only just reached that tier.
Magnus could now act with far fewer restraints.
But as the saying went—
Those who drown are often the ones who know how to swim.
If Magnus let his new strength make him reckless, he would pay for it one day.
"Relax. We have strong backup this time!"
"Giants don't count as strong backup," Lily muttered. She assumed Magnus was talking about the two Giant Warrior captains—but those two could spend decades dueling each other. Who knew what "soon" meant to them?
Magnus could only offer a wry smile. He couldn't exactly say he had made arrangements with a Marine admiral.
After two days of waiting…
The White Wolf Pirates finally received the Yarcheman Mangrove resin. Once the Millennium Falcon was coated, it was encased in a bubble-like film.
Most pirates trying to pass between the two halves of the Grand Line via the tunnel beneath the Red Line risked their lives.
But the White Wolf Pirates had an advantage—
They had an experienced fishman shipwright!
Dean might not match a major pirate on land, but in the water, not even Lily or Ed could claim to beat him.
The greatest danger of deep-sea travel was getting lost.
With Dean leading the way, the voyage to Fishman Island was smooth sailing.
Along the way, newcomers like Rocks saw many rare sights—massive Sea Kings that were almost never encountered near the surface were everywhere in these depths.
Sea Kings were colossal sea creatures, apex predators of the ocean.
Normal ones could reach over a hundred meters, while giant variants could exceed a kilometer. The largest recorded reached over five kilometers in length.
Such a monster could swallow a typical pirate ship whole with a single bite.
The lantern fish they sought was one such giant Sea King—
Its stomach could hold as much as three islands.
"We're almost there."
Dripping wet from re-entering the Falcon through the coating, Dean said, "Before we left, I had trusted fishmen near Acropolis Port send word ahead. We'll be able to enter Fishman Island through the main gate."
The island was protected by a massive double-layered bubble shield, with an air pocket in between. If a coated ship entered from the wrong path, the coating would be stripped away by the shield, and the ship would fall to its doom.
The first time the White Wolf Pirates had come here, they had forced their way in, risking disaster.
Later, after building good relations with Fishman Island, they gained access to the proper entrance—
Though it was still done discreetly.
Now, things were different.
They had the strength to enter openly.
The title of White King Magnus was enough to intimidate the entire island.
Even if the World Government knew they were there, they could do little; the Navy wouldn't dare send forces into Fishman Island at such great risk.
At Magnus' level, there were only two places in the seas he couldn't move freely—
Mary Geoise and Marineford.
In the deep ocean, a massive light appeared ahead of the crew.
Once they saw it, they knew—
Fishman Island was close at hand!
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