Marine Headquarters — Marineford.
Once the execution date of Portgas D. Ace was finalized, Fleet Admiral Sengoku immediately issued a mandatory summons.
The target of this order—
—were the notoriously unruly Seven Warlords of the Sea.
The Seven Warlords were known as the third great power of the seas, standing alongside the Marines and the Four Emperors.
Though there were only seven of them, every single one possessed terrifying strength.
With the decisive war against the Whitebeard Pirates approaching, Sengoku not only mobilized one hundred thousand elite Marines, but also made sure not to neglect the combat power of the Warlords.
Among the current Seven Warlords, the deceased Doflamingo and Crocodile had been replaced by Edward Weevil (Whitebeard Jr.) and Marshall D. Teach (Blackbeard).
Interestingly enough—
One claimed to be Whitebeard's son.
The other used to be Whitebeard's son.
Both were deeply connected to Whitebeard in their own twisted ways.
The first to respond to the summons was Bartholomew Kuma.
After all, Kuma had long remained either at Marineford or inside Vegapunk's laboratory.
Though he was a high-ranking officer of the Revolutionary Army, for reasons unknown, he allowed himself to be manipulated by the World Government.
That said, Kuma was not a complete puppet—he still had his own will.
At this moment, he was holding a newspaper.
The headline reported on the Straw Hat Pirates.
It stated that Monkey D. Luffy had caused chaos at Enies Lobby and was about to arrive at Sabaody Archipelago.
His bounty had skyrocketed to 300 million Berries.
In the first half of the Grand Line, this was already an astonishing figure.
If the Marines weren't fully focused on preparing for Whitebeard, they would have already launched a large-scale manhunt.
Kuma stared at Luffy's photo and murmured:
"Dragon… this is your son, isn't it?"
"Don't worry."
"If the Marines move against him…"
"I will protect him."
"This is the last thing I can do as a Revolutionary."
Thriller Bark.
Following Luo Xing's instructions, Gecko Moria also accepted the summons.
Behind him stood Oars, towering at nearly two hundred meters, like a demonic god.
Moria glanced back, greed and boundless ambition flickering in his bat-like eyes.
"The so-called war at Marineford that will 'change the era'?"
"No."
"This is merely the opening act of the true war Lord Luo Xing is about to unleash."
"A new era far beyond your imagination is coming—"
"Marines… World Government… you bastards."
Fish-Man Island.
A Marine Headquarters Vice Admiral personally delivered the summons to Jinbe the Knight of the Sea.
Jinbe didn't even look at it before refusing outright.
"Old man Whitebeard showed me great kindness."
"I will never stand against him."
"And Ace is my friend. I intend to rescue him."
The Vice Admiral flew into a rage.
"Jinbe! Fleet Admiral Sengoku made it clear—if you refuse the summons, your Warlord title will be revoked immediately!"
"You will be arrested and imprisoned in Impel Down!"
"And Fish-Man Island will be implicated as well!"
Jinbe replied without hesitation:
"This is my decision alone. It has nothing to do with Fish-Man Island."
"If you intend to arrest someone—arrest me."
He extended his arms calmly, offering no resistance.
He had no choice.
If he fought back, Fish-Man Island's future would become even darker.
Fish-Man Island lay at the critical passage between the first and second halves of the Grand Line.
Pirates ravaged it constantly.
Celestial Dragons hunted Fish-Men and Merfolk as slaves.
Only because Whitebeard's flag flew overhead—and because Jinbe was a Warlord—had the situation improved in recent years.
But now, that fragile balance was about to collapse.
Whitebeard was heading to war.
Jinbe was stripped of his title.
Dark days were coming.
With deep worry and helplessness, Jinbe was escorted to Impel Down.
The New World.
A jungle-covered island swarming with sword-wielding baboons.
A group of Marines struggled forward.
Leading them was another Vice Admiral, his expression grim.
Not because of terrain—
—but because of the baboons.
Every single one carried swords.
And every single one had impressive swordsmanship.
So much for "Dracule Mihawk has no subordinates."
These baboons were clearly trained by Hawk-Eyes Mihawk himself.
After suffering multiple injuries, the Marines finally reached Mihawk's castle.
Before the Vice Admiral could use his loudspeaker—
Mihawk had already stepped out, Yoru slung across his back.
"A war against Whitebeard, yes?"
"Fine. I'll participate."
He said nothing more and walked toward the shore.
The Marines stared at one another in silence.
The Vice Admiral cursed under his breath:
"He sensed us long ago and deliberately stayed hidden, letting the baboons attack us first…"
"But what can we do?"
He was the world's strongest swordsman.
Calm Belt — Amazon Lily.
A specially modified Marine warship bypassed the Sea Kings and arrived at the isolated island.
The man delivering the summons to the world's most beautiful pirate—
Pirate Empress Boa Hancock—
was Vice Admiral Momonga.
His timing was fortunate.
The Kuja Pirates had just returned.
Momonga immediately shouted:
"Boa Hancock! By order of Fleet Admiral Sengoku, this is a mandatory Warlord summons!"
Unfortunately—
His luck ended there.
The Pirate Empress was in a terrible mood.
Her peerless beauty was frozen in frost.
Her eyes held no emotion as she formed a heart with her hands.
"Disgusting men who sully my sight—"
"Perfume Femur."
Pink waves swept outward.
Dozens of Marines instantly turned to stone.
Only Momonga remained—having stabbed his own foot to maintain clarity.
Gritting his teeth through the pain, he said:
"Boa Hancock… are you not afraid of losing your Warlord title—"
She ignored him completely and walked back into the palace.
Her sisters, Sandersonia and Marigold, looked at Momonga with pity.
"You should leave."
"You have very bad timing. Sister is in a foul mood today."
Why was she in such a mood?
No one dared say.
Except the two sisters.
"She always asks about that man when she sails."
"She even went deep into the New World…"
"She must be hoping to meet him…"
"Shh! Lower your voices!"
Hancock had already heard everything.
Her mood worsened.
Every voyage carried that expectation.
Every time—it was shattered.
Yet her pride would never allow her to seek him out herself.
She had only met him once.
Never seen his true face.
Her feelings were not yet obsession—only something budding.
She entered the palace, preparing to bathe.
Then—
The Den Den Mushi hidden in her bosom rang.
Her heart skipped violently.
She dismissed everyone.
Hands trembling, she answered.
A warm, clear male voice came through:
"Hello, Hancock?"
"It's Luo Xing."
"I'd like to ask you for a favor."
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