Since this was just to pick someone up, Silas did not bring too many people this time.
Needless to say about Ripley and Rocks.
They were both newcomers to the White Wolf Pirates with huge room for growth. Compared to staying on Sphinx and working behind closed doors, going out to see more would be better than anything else.
Then there was their true newcomer, Edward Newgate.
From February until now, four months had passed.
Originally, Rocks had mastered Six Powers: Shave in just over a month. In this regard, Edward Newgate appeared much more clumsy.
Up to now, he had only mastered one Six Powers technique: Iron Body.
But this so-called clumsiness was relative.
Though Newgate's learning speed for the Six Powers was inferior to Rocks, his Haki progress was fast!
After mastering Iron Body, Newgate accidentally awakened Armament Haki during practice with Rocks, making Rocks so jealous his eyes turned red.
Why!?
He had worked hard for a year and finally comprehended Armament Haki during a life-or-death struggle with a pirate worth a 30 million bounty.
Even now, his Observation Haki was still somewhere between comprehended and not comprehended.
But Newgate, just by sparring with him for a few months, awakened Armament Haki.
Was this talent!?
Rocks finally understood why Silas had brought Newgate aboard.
Compared to these naturally gifted guys, comparisons were odious!
Rocks did not know that compared to him, Silas was even more speechless.
Is this the talent of Emperor-level powerhouses?
Before the system, it took Silas a full five years to learn all Six Powers after learning Shave, then ten years to learn Haki.
What about Rocks and Newgate?
One mastered all Six Powers in a year, the other achieved Armament Haki in four months.
Compared to them, Silas felt like he had wasted the first half of his life.
So seeing Rocks being unsatisfied, Silas really wanted to show him what "Captain's Wrath" meant!
As for Ripley, she probably really lacked Observation Haki talent.
Her Armament Haki progressed steadily, but her Observation Haki talent showed no improvement.
Actually, compared to giants her age, Ripley's strength was already quite impressive.
Most giants might only reach the Marine Rear Admiral to Vice Admiral level their entire lives, equivalent to pirates worth a 10-50 million bounty.
Still far from great pirate status.
Giants with true great pirate strength, all of Elbaf had fewer than ten, mostly royal guards with ancient giant bloodlines.
However, saying this had some element of insufficient greed.
You had to know great pirates were all powerhouses with bounties over 100 million!
As long as you were certified as a great pirate and did not provoke Admiral-level fighters, you could basically run rampant on these seas.
Ten great pirates.
Plus, Giant King Harald, who was already Admiral-level, calling Elbaf the world's strongest nation was not excessive at all.
After all, the World Government was not really a country but an organization.
A super organization encompassing over a hundred member nations!
This time Silas went to sea with only three people. Besides Ripley, Rocks, and Newgate, the remaining original White Wolf Pirates members all stayed on Sphinx.
One reason was that Sphinx's development had just gotten on track. Another was that he needed to leave some people on Sphinx to deter pirates who did not know their place.
After confirming Silas's strength, unless they could capture Silas himself, the Marines would never easily attack Sphinx.
Pirates, on the other hand, mostly newly debuted pirates, became arrogant with just a bit of strength, not caring about Marine Admirals or maritime overlords.
Fight first, talk later.
Three great pirates, Roya, Lily, and Ed, unless Admiral-level powerhouses personally acted, even in the New World, they were enough to intimidate one region.
Additionally, the White Wolf Pirates' fifth original crew member had also arrived at Sphinx recently.
This was a Fish-man craftsman.
After the White Wolf Pirates disbanded, this Fish-man craftsman returned to his hometown, Fish-Man Island. Due to delayed information, he only learned recently that Silas had actually made a comeback.
Thus, half of the original White Wolf Pirates crew had arrived.
The remaining half, honestly, Silas did not want them to come.
Because they were all quite old, with two even having families in some remote countries. They were no longer suited to adventure with them.
What they were about to do was dangerous.
What they were about to face was the most powerful existence in this world.
If possible, Silas hoped they would come after ten years.
By then, he would definitely prepare the most magnificent banquet to welcome their arrival.
The Black Pearl, amid Fish-man craftsman Dean's complaints, set sail once again.
Almost simultaneously with Silas's departure, the entire Marine intelligence network spread throughout Sphinx became active, closely monitoring the White Wolf Pirates' movements.
But the sea was too vast, and Silas had a pile of eternal poses. They had no way to determine where Silas wanted to go.
As for secretly following behind?
Give them a break!
Silas's Observation Haki could cover an entire island. When facing hostility, this range could become even larger.
How was following behind the Black Pearl any different from suicide?
Holy Land Mariejois.
CP0 Headquarters.
Encrypted documents flowed like an assembly line through dark rooms, with figures in white suits and white masks moving among them.
"We must quickly track White Wolf Silas's movements."
"Investigate surrounding islands. With the Black Pearl's supplies, they should be able to sail at sea for at most a month."
"Do not forget Giant Flower Ripley!"
As a giant from Elbaf who had eaten the Mini-Mini Fruit that could change body size, she could also proportionally shrink objects.
Combined with Silas's ability to freeze fruits and vegetables, as long as they brought enough tea, beans, and pickles, they could prevent many diseases during sea voyages.
If Silas wanted, he could even stay at sea for several years.
"In any case, before we attack Elbaf, we must stop any message from reaching White Wolf Silas, or we'll have to face both the White Wolf Pirates and Elbaf together!"
This attack on Elbaf was ordered by the World Government's highest authority, the Five Elders. The reason was that due to Giant King Harald's indulgence, large numbers of giants had gone to sea to become pirates, causing huge losses to member nations.
Therefore, the World Government decided to use absolute strength to defeat Elbaf and make Elbaf's giants submit to them, reducing the damage caused by giants.
This reason gained recognition from many Marines.
Moreover, it was not just about giants. Many Marine hawks believed that their failure at Sphinx had caused Marine prestige to plummet, so they had to find a new target to establish their authority.
If the World Government had not ordered it, they definitely would not dare target Elbaf.
That was the world's strongest nation after all!
But with World Government approval, this operation would be a powerful alliance between Marines and CP organizations. There was simply no possibility of failure.
So what if it was the world's strongest nation?
Only by conquering the world's strongest nation could they prove the Marines' powerful strength.
As for Sphinx?
That was an accident!