Time passed.
About ten days had passed since Marco was captured.
The battle took place on the high seas, unknown to anyone.
The Whitebeard Pirates had not received any news either.
"Strange, it's been so many days, Marco should have returned with the Sun and Moon Pirates Remnants by now."
"What remnants? They are our new companions."
The commanders were not worried about any danger to Marco; they were just curious when he would return.
"What's the rush?"
Whitebeard looked helplessly at his eagerly awaiting sons.
By all accounts, Marco had only been gone for a month.
On the vast sea.
Any trip out takes several months, or even up to a year.
But as time continued to pass.
No news came back.
Whitebeard started to get a little anxious.
With only a week left until the Hundred Day Memorial, Marco had been gone for three months, and there was no news at all.
Whitebeard could no longer sit still.
He proactively asked his sons about the current situation on the sea.
Izo replied: "The Sun and Moon Pirates Remnants mysteriously disappeared two months ago after appearing outside our territory. No one on the sea has seen their whereabouts since then."
Whitebeard frowned.
So long.
Even at the slowest pace, they should have arrived here by now.
Did something unexpected happen?
"What about Marco's news?" Whitebeard was somewhat uneasy.
"There's no news of Commander Marco either," Izo also worried: "I tried to contact Commander Marco with a telephone transponder snail, but Commander Marco didn't take a telephone transponder snail before he left, and his whereabouts have been lost on the sea."
Everyone felt a bad omen.
The Sun and Moon Pirates Remnants and Marco had both mysteriously disappeared.
Adding to that, Commander Marco went to find the Sun and Moon Pirates Remnants.
It was easy.
To connect the possibility of both parties encountering an accident together.
"Could it be that the Sun and Moon Pirates captured Commander Marco?"
"Impossible."
"It's the least likely scenario."
"First, let's not even talk about whether the Sun and Moon Pirates Remnants would dare to do such a thing; even if they dared, they couldn't achieve it."
"It must be Captain Marco, still trying to persuade the Sun and Moon Pirates Remnants."
The captains spoke, one after another.
Without any clues, Whitebeard couldn't make a judgment and asked other questions: "What's the situation with the other forces right now?"
"Kaido of the Beasts, that madman, is still searching. He can't find them, and he's getting more and more irritable. He even destroyed a Marine branch and had a big battle with a large Marine force."
"The forces dispatched by the BIG MOM Pirates are still searching, but no one has seen the Sun and Moon Pirates with them, nor have they found them."
"The Red Hair Pirates are in the same situation."
"The Marines seem to have sent two Admirals, along with a large Marine force, to the New World, seemingly to stop Kaido of the Beasts' rampage and also to warn everyone in the New World not to disturb the upcoming Shichibukai event."
"The Revolutionary Army has made no moves apart from making statements."
Having received all the intelligence,
Whitebeard breathed a sigh of relief.
As long as no other forces found the Sun and Moon Pirates and came into conflict with Marco, then there was no problem.
"It's nothing major; just keep waiting. I trust Marco very much."
"That's right, that's Marco after all."
Everyone was less worried now.
As the second-in-command,
Marco's prestige in the Whitebeard Pirates was the highest, second only to their Pops.
...
...
The Sun and Moon Pirates had been missing for two months.
The attention of the sea had also shifted from the Sun and Moon Pirates to the upcoming establishment of the Seven Warlords of the Sea.
The Marines and the World Government had already begun to build anticipation for the event.
The momentum was immense.
They were determined to attract all eyes and push the reputation of the Seven Warlords of the Sea organization to the peak of the sea in one fell swoop.
On the World Government's newspapers,
Every day, some content about the Seven Warlords of the Sea organization would be recorded.
For example, everyone was most concerned about what responsibilities the Shichibukai would bear.
The most curious thing, however, was the selection of the Shichibukai; who exactly were the seven individuals?
Until now,
Not a single detail had been revealed to the outside world, not even one name.
Even the seven Shichibukai themselves didn't know the identities of the other six; the Marines had done an excellent job of keeping it confidential.
Until today,
The newspaper finally published some information about the seven Shichibukai.
...
"The Shichibukai are actually seven monsters with the title of'Strongest'? That's impossible."
On the Tomorrow, sailing towards the Dressrosa Kingdom,
Shaki looked at today's newspaper in shock.
On the newspaper, there were seven silhouettes, representing the seven Shichibukai, and above each of their heads was a title: "Strongest..."
"The Shichibukai, an organization mostly made up of nobodies. The Marines dare to give each of them the title of'Strongest' to indirectly undermine the'Strongest' titles of the Sea Emperors? How ridiculous."
Kevin understood the Marines' intention.
To increase the fame of the Shichibukai and indirectly strike at the prestige of the Sea Emperors.
Before, the title of "Strongest"
Only Sea Emperors were qualified to receive it.
Whitebeard's Strongest Man, Kaido's Strongest Creature...
"Strongest Swordsman!"
Everyone gathered around and saw the first silhouette. From the shadow, they couldn't make out the identity, but the shadow was marked "Strongest Swordsman."
"Red-Haired Shanks or Hawkeye Mihawk? They haven't decided a winner? It's not certain who the Strongest Swordsman is."
The identity of the Strongest Swordsman was not hard to guess.
"Hmph, Captain is the Strongest Swordsman!" Kuina loudly declared, "And Teacher Gion!"
"Don't get excited; the Strongest Swordsman isn't something you get by just saying it." Kevin rubbed Kuina's excited head, "I'll help you win it back, so you don't have to painstakingly search for the Strongest Swordsman when you challenge him in the future."
"Okay."
Kuina and Kevin high-fived, making a pact.
"Poor Kuina." Gion also sympathetically rubbed Kuina's head. Her dream was to become the Strongest Swordsman, something that would forever be impossible.
Everyone then looked at the second silhouette.
All the silhouettes were the same.
There wasn't a single clue.
"Strongest Underworld Emperor!"
Everyone looked at Stussy; she was once one of the Underworld Emperors.
If one were to speak of the strongest...
It must be her now.
"Underground Emperor?" Stussy shook her head, unable to confirm the identity.
"Doflamingo," Kevin uttered the identity.
?
"So weak, does he even qualify?"
Gion laughed. A guy who couldn't even take one move and fled miserably, does he qualify to be called the strongest?
"We're going to find trouble with Doflamingo now. He just got the title of'strongest,' and the Donquixote Family headquarters is about to be gone. How pitiful."
They continued to look at the third shadow.
Kevin was also curious.
"Strongest background?"
The first thought that came to mind was Luffy.
-------------------------------
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