In the New World, on Kuraigana Island, located among the ruins of the former West Blue Sicaria Kingdom, a massive castle stood in quiet isolation.
In one corner of the castle grounds, a stretch of farmland had been carefully cleared. Mihawk was there, dressed in a plain white T-shirt, methodically turning the soil with a hoe. Ever since parting ways with Eli Winters in the Kingdom of Alabasta, he had returned here and resumed a self-sufficient life centered on farming.
This was not retirement.
Rather, Mihawk felt that his swordsmanship over the past few decades had grown too restless, too sharp without restraint. What he needed now was time to settle, to temper his edge through stillness.
Wiping the sweat from his brow, he looked with satisfaction at the neatly arranged rows of farmland. With this batch of seeds planted, vegetables would not be a concern for the coming year.
Just then, a baboon wielding a wooden sword came rushing toward him at full speed.
Mihawk frowned slightly and glanced at the hard-earned farmland behind him. With a helpless sigh, he stepped away to intercept it. If that hyperactive baboon charged in, this place would be wrecked beyond recognition.
"Baboon King, what is it?" Mihawk asked calmly.
He had lived here for quite some time and interacted with the Baboon King often. He had even taught it some basic sword techniques. Under normal circumstances, the Baboon King would not come looking for him at this hour.
"Uwu, uwu uwu!" The Baboon King gestured wildly, pointing toward a distant direction on Kuraigana Island.
Mihawk's brow creased. His voice dropped slightly. "You're saying a ship arrived, and the people on it want to see me?"
"Uwu." The Baboon King nodded firmly.
Mihawk stroked his chin, briefly wondering who would bother coming all the way here to look for him.
He soon abandoned the thought. Speculating was pointless. Going to see for himself would answer everything.
With a light movement, Mihawk vanished from the spot, heading in the direction the Baboon King had indicated.
After Mihawk left, the Baboon King's eyes flashed with a hint of slyness. It promptly turned around and headed straight for the castle.
Not long after, Mihawk reached the shoreline and spotted the ship.
It was a warship.
"The Marines?" Mihawk murmured. "Doesn't seem like it."
A man on the ship lit up when he saw Mihawk. He jumped down onto the shore and stopped a short distance away.
"Mr. Mihawk, greetings. My name is Tyger Rain. I am a major general of the CP organization," he said, bowing slightly. "I am here to invite you to attend a meeting convened by the World Government for the Seven Warlords."
The CP organization maintained its own internal ranks, and Tyger Rain was well aware of Mihawk's strength. He showed none of the arrogance common among CP agents.
Mihawk frowned. "Did they say what it's about?"
"I don't have the details," Tyger Rain replied. "The order came directly from the Five Elders."
Becoming one of the Seven Warlords was not without obligations. Each year, they were required to eliminate a certain number of pirates on behalf of the World Government. The government could also request their assistance for specific matters, though participation was largely voluntary and came with generous compensation.
In return, the World Government would no longer pursue their past crimes. In simple terms, their bounties were revoked.
Mihawk himself had once carried a bounty. During that period, the Marines had harassed him endlessly, to the point that it interfered with his sword training. When the World Government extended an invitation to become a Warlord, the conditions were not particularly harsh. More importantly, it would free him from constant pursuit. He had agreed.
Since then, however, this was the first time the World Government had ever summoned all the Warlords.
After a brief moment of thought, Mihawk decided to go. If nothing else, attending would keep his days peaceful. If the matter turned out to be troublesome, he could simply refuse. After all, when he joined, no one had said he was required to obey the World Government unquestioningly.
"I'll go," Mihawk said. "When?"
"Preferably right now," Tyger Rain answered.
Mihawk nodded and raised no objections. He boarded the warship without delay.
What he did not know was that by the time he returned, his castle would have been utterly devastated by a certain group of mischievous baboons.
In the first half of the Grand Line, within the eerie castle hidden deep in the Florian Triangle, Gecko Moria lounged lazily upon his throne.
"Absalom, still no sign of that skeleton?" Moria asked, turning his head toward Absalom, who was handling affairs nearby.
"Not yet, Lord Moria," Absalom replied respectfully. "Should I send more people to search?"
"Forget it," Moria said dismissively. "You'd be better off capturing more people for me. My little darlings are still far too few."
"Understood, Lord Moria. Our abduction plans have been going quite smoothly lately," Absalom said with a grin.
The Florian Triangle's reputation was dreadful, so few ships passed through. To compensate, they had devised various tricks. Fake treasure maps. Firework barrels tossed into the sea. Anyone who picked one up and opened it would trigger a brilliant display in the sky, instantly revealing their location. Using such methods, they had captured many victims.
Moria nodded in satisfaction, about to offer a few words of praise, when a small girl came hopping into the hall.
"Moria, those annoying people are here again!" she called out.
"Perona, huh," Moria said calmly. "Did they say what they want this time?"
Perona was referring to agents of the World Government. When she was younger, she had been injured by them, and since then, she had despised anyone associated with the government.
"They said they want you to attend some Seven Warlords meeting," Perona replied, flopping onto a sofa. "They're still waiting outside."
Moria frowned deeply. This was the first time the World Government had ever convened a meeting of the Seven Warlords. His instinctive reaction was to refuse.
But if he wanted to continue laying low in the Florian Triangle and develop in peace, this meeting was not something he could skip. Losing his Warlord status would mean losing his current freedom.
"…Fine," Moria sighed. "I'll go. Absalom, I'm leaving things here in your hands."
"Yes, Lord Moria. I'll keep everything under control," Absalom promised.
After that, Moria turned to Perona. "While I'm gone, don't run around causing trouble. Stay here and help Absalom guard the place."
"Yeah, yeah, I know," Perona said, pouting.
After giving his instructions, Moria lumbered toward the exit with his heavy frame. When he met the World Government's representatives outside, he did not waste words. He simply followed them and left the Florian Triangle behind.