Currently, among the Seven Warlords of the Sea, there is Sir Crocodile, known for his ability to fight anyone to a standstill, and Dracule Mihawk, who aims to become the World's Strongest Swordsman.
With only two members, the group was far from reaching the required number.
Sengoku took out two more wanted posters — for Gecko Moria and Bartholomew Kuma.
"Gecko Moria, who fought against Kaido and lost with honor… and Bartholomew Kuma, who has made quite a name for himself operating under the very noses of the Four Emperors in the New World and is infamous for his brutality toward pirates. These two are the candidates hand‑picked by the World Government to join the Seven Warlords."
Sengoku's gaze swept slowly across everyone in the room, finally settling on Kuzan and Borsalino.
"You two are tasked with extending the invitation."
"Actually, there was one other candidate… but I intend to observe him a while longer, and wait for our new Marine technology to be completed. That is all — dismissed."
The Calm Belt — First Half of the Grand Line
The Calm Belt was every pirate's worst nightmare. As the name suggested, there was never any wind here — meaning in this age of sail, ships were completely unable to move.
On top of that, the region was teeming with Sea Kings in numbers greater than anywhere else in the world. For this reason, neither pirates nor Marines dared to venture into the Calm Belt lightly.
Today, however, Grimm had accidentally wandered straight into it. To be precise, it was Mannoroth's fault. While Grimm had been resting with his eyes closed, that idiot had lost his bearings. They had been heading toward the Sabaody Archipelago, but had strayed far off course.
After breaking several of Mannoroth's ribs as punishment, Grimm sat down on a small, isolated island.
Out on the sea nearby, a massive column of water suddenly erupted skyward, and Mannoroth's colossal body rose from the waves.
In his hand, he gripped a Sea King with bold black‑and‑white stripes like a zebra — thick, muscular, and baring its teeth. Even from a distance, it was easy to see it was at least a hundred meters long.
"Master…"
Mannoroth — despite having his ribs broken — had already regenerated them rapidly thanks to the power of Fel Energy. He sounded proud as he spoke.
"I have caught a delicious‑looking Sea King! I shall roast it immediately and serve it to you, Master!"
"You fool…"
Grimm spoke flatly from where he sat on the shore, jerking his chin slightly to indicate Mannoroth should look behind him.
"Huh?"
The giant skeleton froze and turned around. Behind him, countless creatures — all over one hundred and fifty meters in length, and clearly of the exact same species as the one he was holding — were staring at him with predatory intensity.
A quick count showed more than twenty of them.
"You've gone and caught their child, you idiot!" Grimm said, narrowing his eyes.
No sooner had he spoken than the Sea Kings behind Mannoroth surged forward in a mass attack.
More than twenty colossal beasts — most exceeding one hundred and fifty meters in length, and every bit as large as Mannoroth himself — rushed him all at once. Such numbers were only ever seen in the Calm Belt.
"INSECTS! ALL OF YOU ARE JUST INSECTS!!"
Mannoroth roared and frantically swung his huge arms. Grabbing one of the Sea Kings, he spun it around like a giant whip, smashing it into the others to fend them off.
After crushing or slaying seven or eight of them, the fresh blood spilling into the water seemed to attract even more predators. Sea Kings of all different kinds began gathering from every direction.
In the blink of an eye, the number of enemies rose from twenty‑five to over fifty.
This was exactly why no one dared enter the Calm Belt.
"Master! Master! MASTER!!"
Against such overwhelming numbers, and still in his weakened state, Mannoroth was barely holding on. He called out desperately from the water.
"Save me! Help me, Master!!"
"Tch!"
Grimm clicked his tongue in annoyance. He drew Ashbringer in one smooth motion and slashed downward. A wave of golden sword energy tore through the air.
SWISH! SWISH! SWISH!
Every Sea King that had surfaced was cut cleanly in half at the waist.
Mannoroth seized the chance and swam frantically toward land, collapsing heavily onto the shore with a crash that shook the ground.
"Ugh… to think I was almost finished off by mere insects… if only I still possessed my full power… I would boil this entire ocean until it evaporated…" he muttered to himself.
A few seconds later, Mannoroth suddenly seemed to remember something important. He dragged the carcasses of several Sea Kings onto dry land, looking relieved rather than terrified.
"Such a waste… it would be such a shame to just leave them behind!"
He spoke as if talking to himself, then began tossing pieces of raw Sea King meat into his enormous jaws, eating with great relish as if they were nothing more than snacks.
Watching him, Grimm realized something: in this skeletal form, not only had Mannoroth's strength dropped drastically… but apparently his intelligence had also suffered quite a bit. After all, a skeleton didn't exactly have a brain anymore.
Two minutes later, when he had nearly finished eating everything he had gathered, Mannoroth snapped back to reality. He shuffled closer to Grimm and asked timidly:
"M‑Master… would… would you like some?"
Grimm glanced at him but said nothing. Understanding the silence as a refusal, Mannoroth promptly stuffed the very last piece into his own mouth.
SPLASH…
Suddenly, the sound of oars cutting through water carried clearly across the silent, windless expanse.
A green light flashed deep within Mannoroth's eye sockets. He turned sharply toward the noise and spotted a ship barely visible in the distance, roughly two nautical miles away to the front‑right, moving slowly through the water.
"Master… I shall go and destroy that ship!"
A spark of battle‑lust flared within him. He was full of energy after his meal, and eager to prove himself and make up for his earlier stupidity.
Without waiting for an answer, Mannoroth dove back into the sea and moved swiftly toward the vessel.
Grimm couldn't even remember how many ships this monster had wrecked since they began traveling… but it was the first time they had encountered anyone out here in the Calm Belt.
His eyes narrowed thoughtfully. Wait a minute… there is one pirate crew famous for operating in the Calm Belt… the Kuja Pirates.
Aboard a ship propelled mainly by two massive serpents, a group of female pirates stood looking troubled. Boa Sandersonia — tall and striking — frowned deeply.
"What is this? The smell of blood… it is incredibly strong!"
She walked to the railing and looked down. The ocean beneath them — normally deep blue and clear — was now stained bright red.
Having lived here all her life, she recognized the scent instantly: it was the blood of Sea Kings.
"How could there be this much Sea King blood?" asked Marigold, the middle sister, looking utterly shocked.
She stared at the crimson sea, unable to imagine how many such monsters must be slaughtered just to dye the ocean this color.
"Is it… pirates?"
Suddenly, Mannoroth's colossal skull emerged directly in front of the Kuja ship. The two giant serpents pulling the vessel froze in terror, their eyes widening in shock.
"Ah… so you are pirates," Mannoroth boomed loudly. "Since you are not civilians, it will be fine to kill you. Master surely won't mind!"
"What… what is that thing?!"
"A talking Sea King? No… wait… it's… it's a gigantic skeleton?!"
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