I'm a big pirate, and you said I just went out to sea?

Chapter 151 Thanks to my old naval buddy for sending me the Admiral seed!
Rocks's assessment of Lipley was actually inaccurate.

Lox thought Lipriy was a combatant, but in Munger's mind, Lipriy's abilities were more inclined towards logistics management.

Lipriy was clearly aware of this as well.

Because her progress in Haki and physical skills was not going smoothly, Lipri gradually began to focus on developing her Devil Fruit ability.

There's nothing wrong with that.

Everyone has their own area of ​​expertise. Some people are good at fighting, some are good at manufacturing, some are good at cooking, and some are good at medicine.

Monger once thought...

If he hadn't been a captain, he might have become an excellent navigator.

To know.

Even a powerful general cannot guarantee that his ship will remain safe and sound in the unpredictable and ever-changing new world.

The same goes for Liprit.

Monger originally thought that since Lipriy's Mini-Fruit only allowed her to freely control her body size, the strategic value of the fruit would be greatly reduced.

But when Lipley can shrink other objects, even people.

The significance of this fruit is completely different.

So much so that when Lipri's Devil Fruit power became strong enough.

Monger finally realized his vision.

By moving the entire inhabitants of Sphinx into the belly of the lanternfish, they completely avoided being besieged by the Navy and the World Government.

The entire Sphinx is now divided into two parts: the inner island and the outer island.

Outer islands served as venues for foreign trade.

All those above are unimportant outsiders with questionable identities. Although Monger would also arrange some people there, they would at most be forces like the black marketeer Dukemen, who were affiliated with the White Wolf Pirates.

The inner island is the core of the Sphinx.

The core members of the White Wolf Pirates are all housed here.

However, it also has its drawbacks.

"If I stay in here, will I never grow up or age?"

I initially thought Monger was just joking.

However, when Roya and Ed realized that staying inside the lanternfish's belly meant being constantly exposed to pure gold, they were dumbfounded.

They were long past the age of being able to grow up, and now all that was left for them was the suffering of old age. But now Monger was telling them that as long as they stayed inside the fish's belly, they would live forever.
"I think there are probably countless rich people in this world who want to buy a piece of land of their own inside this fish's belly."

Roya muttered to himself.

Even if it's only the size of a palm.

Because of Lipriy, a luxurious villa can be built on a piece of land the size of a palm. Unless one possesses sufficiently powerful Haki, an ordinary person shrunk by Lipriy would probably never be able to return to their original size.

"You can stay here and retire from now on!"

"Haha, I don't think there's a better place to retire than here."

"But it's nice to go out once in a while."

The last sentence was spoken by Ed. As the sword instructor on Sphinx Island, he was well aware of the advantages and disadvantages of this place.

It will neither grow up nor age.

Such an ability seems wonderful, but it also eliminates the possibility of becoming stronger.

"Of course, stagnation is not an option."

If his goal was simply to create a secluded paradise, then Munger could have stopped now, but his ambitions go far beyond that.

and.

"It's only temporary. I don't want Lipley to worry about things here all the time. When we no longer need to hide, I'll just find you a better place."

"Haha, I can't wait to see that day."

"After all, you can't see the sky from here!"

Inside the lanternfish's belly was only that huge, glowing light bulb.

It doesn't distinguish between day and night.

Munger was very curious as to why someone could stay in such an environment for over a hundred years without going crazy.

During the implementation of the Sphinx relocation plan.

Munger encountered two holdout residents from over a hundred years ago.

Yes.

There was a father and daughter who stayed inside an lanternfish for over a hundred years.

And they didn't even know the other person was still alive.

After learning that Munger was going to build his own kingdom inside the lanternfish's belly using pure gold, he made a huge fuss.

result.

Of course, they were forcefully suppressed by Monger.

The younger one has been given to Kureha for treatment by Monger, while the older one has been added to the Sphinx family.

No matter what he does, he can't just sit at the Sphinx and eat for free.

Since the rescue of the slaves of Mary Geoise.

Now the Sphinx has suddenly gained 50,000 more laborers. Although not all of them have decided to stay in the Sphinx, they still have to earn money for their way home, right?

That's right.

Although Munger rescued a large number of slaves from Mary Geoise, he did not intend to go all the way and help some of them return home.

Even the naval soldiers under Rona's command were powerless to help with this.

Because there are just too many people.

If they really help tens of thousands of people return to their hometowns, then even if the White Wolf Pirates are currently wealthy, they will eventually go bankrupt.

The scientist who stayed inside the lanternfish's belly for over a hundred years possessed the technology to extract pure gold. Putting aside the fact that he could extract pure gold, the fact that he could do that alone proves that he was an exceptional scientist.

And that's exactly what Monger is lacking now.

There is a lack of sufficient technical personnel.

Monger now thought of someone who, if he could tie that person to the Sphinx, might solve all his future problems once and for all.

Of course, before that, Mongols first had to go to Wano Country.

We said we'd set off two years ago.

It's been delayed until now.

Even with Monger's thick skin, he couldn't help but feel a little guilty.

"No need to apologize."

Tenzuki Toki still maintained a Yamato Nadeshiko-like expression.

"Aren't you already planning to take me to Wano Country?"

Tian Yue smiled as she straightened Meng Ge's collar.

She no longer has the same obsession with Wano Country as before, since staying in the lanternfish is essentially like time standing still.

The prophecy is that it will happen decades from now.

So what's she in such a hurry for?

Or.

"Does Mr. Monger want to get rid of me?"

As he spoke, Tianyue Shi couldn't help but reveal a sad expression.

"After all, I'm just an ordinary woman with nothing to offer. I don't have the strength of Miss Lily, nor can I use my abilities to help you like Miss Lipriy." Although the Time-Time Fruit can transport people through time, it's incredibly useless in combat, especially since Toki's combat talent is truly mediocre.

"Haha, unless you voluntarily disembark like that bastard Lockes, I don't have the habit of actively kicking crew members off the ship."

"crew!?"

"What, Miss Shi, don't you intend to join our White Wolf Pirates? Our crew is in dire need of someone to manage the accounts, but unfortunately most of my crew members are illiterate. At best, they can only write their own names; arithmetic is far too difficult for them. What if we get cheated when we buy or sell things in the future?"

"I can!"

Tian Yue Shi's voice surprised Meng Ge. She seemed to realize that she had spoken a little too loudly. Tian Yue Shi said shyly, "What I mean is, if Mr. Meng Ge is willing to trust me, I can help Mr. Meng Ge manage the bills."

"Haha, how could I not trust you? Shi and I are sworn brothers!"

If it weren't for Toki Amatsuki's battle in Elbaf, he wouldn't have been able to escape so easily, and the Navy wouldn't have hesitated to act against him.

It was precisely because they couldn't find Monger that the Navy had to abandon their attempt to conquer Elbaf.

If Elbaf hadn't been saved, how could there have been the battle to liberate the slaves not long ago, and how could the White Wolf Pirates have grown to this size?
Although Monger did not intend to recruit too many core crew members, the slaves from Sabaody Archipelago and Mary Geoise still needed to be settled.

They are currently tentatively designated as the Sphinx's guard.

Well, Sphinx has a permanent population of only over 300,000, but its guard force numbers 50,000. Of these, 30,000 are slaves, 5,000 are selected from the native islanders, and 15,000 were originally pirates.

Of the 50,000 slaves who followed the White Wolf Pirates back to Sphinx, more than 90% were willing to stay because they had nowhere else to go.

So in reality, only a few thousand slaves wanted to leave the Sphinx and go home.

Monger did not stop these slaves; instead, he offered them well-paid jobs, which was the only thing he could do.

In fact, apart from women and children, those who could serve as slaves to the Celestial Dragons were mostly young and strong men, and all of them had good physical attributes.

I've only been training for a few months.

Monge then gained 30,000 regular troops, comparable to the elite navy.

There are also many powerful individuals among them.

There are even ethnic groups like the Bakania and Lunaria that claim to be extinct.

The Bakania race inherited the bloodline of giants and possesses physical attributes a thousand times greater than those of fishmen.

The Lunaria race possesses the ability to generate flames. Their defense is greatly enhanced when the flames are burning, and their defense decreases when the flames are extinguished, but their speed increases.

However, although Munger discovered these two races among the slaves, the slaves of both races tried their best to hide themselves.

And they are among those who chose to leave.

Monger didn't care about this.

He almost forgot to retrieve Shiki the Golden Lion from Fishman Island, so why would he care about two special races?

Even with special racial talents, one can only become stronger through their own efforts.

What Monger lacks under his command are top-tier experts.

A few special races, a couple of kittens and puppies, are not enough for Monger to take seriously.

He was naturally happy that they were willing to stay.

He wouldn't force anyone to stay if they didn't want to.

"Speaking of which, how's that little guy I found on Fishman Island doing?"

As soon as Ed heard what Munger said, he knew who Munger was referring to.

"You mean that brat Shiki? He has great potential, is very skilled in swordsmanship, and is also a Devil Fruit user."

"Did you notice?"

"Haha, only that brat Shiki thought he was hiding it well."

The veteran members of the White Wolf Pirates are all proficient in both types of Haki, so the newcomers' little tricks can't be hidden from them at all.

"Although that kid hasn't made any moves yet, he's not exactly a peaceful character. If he gets stronger, he might just defect."

"But he has to have the ability first!"

Monger and Ed exchanged a glance and burst into laughter simultaneously.

Their willingness to train new talent doesn't mean they are resentful.

Different personalities require different approaches.

Someone like Lox is someone whose ambition cannot be suppressed. He is like a weed, and even without their guidance, he will grow wildly. Putting him in a greenhouse might even smooth out his rough edges.

Monge laid a solid foundation for him, then let him grow wildly, and finally defeated him at his peak.

Only in this way can he make Lox willingly serve him.

As a ruler, Rocks had his own pride.

Monger gave him the right to a fair challenge, so whatever the outcome.

He would accept that outcome.

"Besides Shiki?"

Of all the new recruits Ed is currently training, Munger is naturally most interested in Shiki, after all, he is a future powerhouse who once competed with the Pirate King Roger, and his peak performance was comparable to that of Newgate and the others.

It's just a bit of bad luck.

"There's also a little girl named Crane who mastered Moonwalk, one of the Six Styles, in just a few months, and a brat named Zefa who has already mastered Iron Body and Finger Pistol."

"Zeffa!?"

Monger interrupted Ed, dumbfounded.

"Was he also a slave we rescued from Sabaody Archipelago?"

"No."

Ed gave Monger a strange look.

"He was not a slave, but a ship's helper. It seems he overslept and missed the merchant ship, so he had to stay in the Sphinx."

"Then why did he join the Guard?"

"Because he was cheated when he bought something and almost became a slave, he had no choice but to join us in order to escape the pirates who were chasing him."

Although Sphinx has strict control over the underground black market, it only prohibits pirates from trading slaves within Sphinx. People without identification can still easily encounter danger in Sphinx's underground black market.

"Haha, that's really interesting."

At first it was cranes, and now even Zephyr has been sent over.

Monger knew what the Navy was planning.

If the crane was just an accident, then Zephyr's appearance could not be an accident.

Ed didn't know why.

But doesn't Monge already know that?

If Tsuru is merely a future naval staff officer with the potential to become a naval admiral, then Zephyr is practically a future naval admiral.

A potential admiral was just sent over by the navy like that?

Monger almost grinned from ear to ear.

So what if the Navy wants them to join the White Wolf Pirates as spies?
His White Wolf Pirates are upright and honest.

The real concern should be the navy!

The initial kindness of nurturing them is gone.

When one's actions conflict with one's inner sense of justice.

Will Tsuru and Zephyr really side with the Navy?
"Ed, get Shiki, Tsuru, and Zephyr for me. Starting today, they'll be our White Wolf Pirates' apprentices!"

With a wave of his hand, Monger made his decision.

Now that the Sphinx has a way out, it's natural that Mongols can no longer stay there.

Going to sea is his destiny!

(End of this chapter)