"Hey, hey, hey! What exactly is going on here?!"
Roldy, looking utterly done with life, untied the braided fur around his neck.
Moria was busy tearing the slips of paper off his body, while Mihawk was trying to restore his hair to its original state.
Perona, exhausted from playing, had already fallen asleep off to the side. She was hugging a teddy bear, with several adorable little ghosts circling around her. As the snot bubble at her nose rose and fell, the bodies of those ghosts expanded and shrank along with it.
"Well, ahahaha… it is what it is, I suppose… Right, Roldy, did you need something?"
Moria scratched his head. He could hardly admit that the little girl he had picked up seemed to enjoy staying with Hawkeye more than with him, could he? Damn it. He was the one raising her like a daughter, and he was the one who used Roldy's money every day to buy things for the little girl. So looks really did beat everything, huh?
"Forget it, Moria. This plan doesn't involve you. I mainly came for Mihawk."
"Oh? What is it?"
Hawkeye's interest was piqued. Although Moria was not as strong as him, he was still one of the great "silver medalists" of the sea. Among those monsters, his current strength could be considered top-tier. Yet even with that kind of strength, Roldy still would not choose him?
"Well, Old Man Garp revealed some rather important news during his visit. The World Government intends to establish an organization called the Seven Warlords of the Sea. So, Mihawk, are you interested?"
Roldy's scheme was simple. Since the World Government wanted the Seven Warlords of the Sea and wished to seek powerful support from the seas to deal with the current situation, then he might as well plant someone inside.
As for why he was doing this, it was not because Roldy valued the convenience brought by the title of Warlord. Rather, according to his next plan, one person among his forces had to stand openly in the light. This person had to be powerful and sufficiently loyal to him. After thinking it over, the choice naturally fell on one of the four of them. Mihawk, being the strongest among them, and considering his personality, naturally became Roldy's first choice.
"The Seven Warlords of the Sea? The mighty World Government is actually seeking the power of pirates to balance this era? What a laughable move."
Mihawk gave a disdainful sneer. People of their status could all see it clearly. This so-called Seven Warlords system was not actually of much use. Those who were truly powerful would never bother with the World Government's recruitment.
"Kishishishishi! So, Roldy, why plant Mihawk inside? With my strength, there shouldn't be any problem either, right?"
Moria asked from the side.
"You? If your final goal is nothing more than becoming one of the Seven Warlords, then with your current strength, you're more than qualified. However, that would mean completely setting aside your grudge with Kaido. Of course, that wouldn't be a big problem either—provided you've already made up your mind and want me to step forward on your behalf."
Roldy glanced at Moria. The man's talent was certainly sufficient. In his youth, he had fought Kaido evenly. If he devoted himself to training and forged the heart of a true powerhouse, then his future achievements would absolutely not be inferior to Kaido's.
The problem was that his heart was not strong enough. And that meant his Conqueror's Haki would ultimately be unable to rival that of the truly top-tier monsters.
"Tch. Since you put it that way, I'll just follow your arrangements."
With things said to this point, Moria did not argue further. The grudge between him and Kaido could never be resolved. He had to take revenge with his own hands.
"I still don't quite understand, Roldy. Joining this so-called Seven Warlords of the Sea does not seem to bring us much benefit."
"Gahahahaha! This also takes your personality into account, Mihawk! A guy like you gets unbearably irritated if you go a month without crossing swords with a master swordsman. Next, we're heading to the Kingdom of Giants, and there are no top-tier swordsmen there. You can't expect me to spar with you forever, can you?
"Once you become one of the Seven Warlords, you'll have a legitimate right to pick fights. You'll also be able to attend meetings at Marine Headquarters openly and aboveboard. Most importantly, there is something I need to ask of you."
"Oh? Explain."
If there was still something Roldy had to rely on strategy to obtain, perhaps there was only one thing.
"After becoming one of the Seven Warlords, I need you to take the initiative to approach Teacher Zephyr. I admit there will be some difficulty involved, but I truly cannot stop worrying about the safety of Teacher Zephyr and his family. If anything unexpected happens, I'll have to trouble you to rescue them."
This idea had not come to Roldy only recently. He had long been thinking about what method he could use to bring Teacher Zephyr out. In truth, he hoped even more that Zephyr could leave the Marines and join his forces.
But that stubborn old man had devoted his entire life to justice. Shaking such a belief would be extremely difficult. Perhaps only after being driven into despair again and again by the World Government would Zephyr finally become completely disheartened.
"Very well. Since you put it that way, I suppose I should at least give you, my boss, some face."
Mihawk agreed.
In their plan, Roldy would next head for the Kingdom of Giants. The darlings of the sea, the Fish-Men, were already under his protection. He had already grasped the power of the Fish-Men. But there was absolutely no reason to let go of the kings of the land—the incredibly powerful giants.
Simply by reaching adulthood, they possessed strength comparable to an ordinary Marine Headquarters Vice Admiral. A giant army numbering a full one hundred thousand was more than qualified to shake the entire world.
"Gahahahaha! I knew you wouldn't refuse. Come, come, since little Perona is already asleep, let's hold a banquet tonight to celebrate!"
"Kishishishishi! Right, Mihawk! We can't bring Perona with us to the Kingdom of Giants. She's still too young. So during the time we're away, Perona will be entrusted to you!"
"Nani? I won't agree to that. Absolutely not!"
...
Things continued to develop according to Roldy's plan. After he made a call to the Five Elders, they still had their doubts, but nevertheless approved Mihawk's entry into the Seven Warlords of the Sea.
Two months later, news that the World Government was about to establish the Seven Warlords of the Sea was released. And the first powerful figure confirmed to become one of the Seven Warlords was Hawkeye Mihawk.
The moment this news came out, the journalists across the sea were set ablaze once again.
The right-hand man of that powerful Emperor of the Sea had actually joined a newly established organization under the World Government? Did this mean Roldy had reached some kind of agreement with the World Government? Or had they entered into some form of cooperation?
The Seven Warlords of the Sea, an organization originally dismissed by the powerful figures of the ocean, suddenly gained tremendous weight.
Mihawk's bounty, after all, had reached an exaggerated 2,298,000,000 Berries . The prestige of the Seven Warlords of the Sea was instantly elevated. The World Government also had no choice but to remove those candidates from the original list whose bounties were only a little over 100 million and had not even reached 200 million.
Fortunately, with Mihawk joining first, pirates with bounties of three or four hundred million also became interested.
Two months later, the list was released across the seas.
The Seven Warlords of the Sea:
"Hawkeye" Dracule Mihawk! Bounty: 2,298,000,000 Berries !
"Sea Dragon" Tiger! Bounty: 200,000,000 Berries !
"Bloody Hand" Dilava! Bounty: 210,000,000 Berries !
"Tyrant" Kuma! Bounty: 360,000,000 Berries !
...
...
...
Every one of the seven people on the list was a major figure with a bounty exceeding 100 million.
Mihawk naturally needed no further explanation. As for Kuma, that was naturally Dragon's handiwork.
That "Bloody Hand" Dilava was said to have a decent relationship with Kaido. There were also three minor characters whose bounties had barely passed 100 million and who clearly would not survive even a single chapter. As for the final person, he was Tiger from Fish-Man District.
After escaping from the Holy Land, Tiger had done quite a few things and had accumulated a bounty. However, the most important reason he was able to become a Warlord was still a single phone call from Roldy.
And at this moment—
Tiger had already appeared at the Sabaody Archipelago.
No, among the Seven Warlords, he was not the only one who had appeared at the Sabaody Archipelago.
Aside from Mihawk, there was another one…
A man with a body like a giant, possessing explosive strength, yet with a smile on his face that was almost excessively warm…
Kuma!
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