Chapter 230: The Seven Warlords of the Sea
What was currently transpiring in Wano Country was known only to a select few on Onigashima. Even Wobbegong, who had departed earlier, had no idea what kind of chaos his casual bragging about the Boss had triggered.
"The outer waters of this country are truly complicated. With so many whirlpools and hidden reefs, it's really not easy for ships to approach."
"Possessing so many resources yet being permitted by the World Government to maintain an isolationist policy... this country is inherently special.
"It seems they prefer this country to remain unexplored to serve their own hidden agendas."
Wobbegong shared his insights while helping Sebastian steer the small boat.
Although the two of them could have simply swum back without a ship, insisting on doing so when they had transportation would imply something was wrong with their heads.
Due to its unique circumstances, Wano Country was also a region that News Coos avoided entirely. The people inside Wano simply couldn't receive newspapers from the outside world, which was why they had remained completely isolated for hundreds of years.
Only after Sebastian and Wobbegong left those treacherous waters did the News Coos reappear in their line of sight. And on the newspaper they delivered, a brand-new title had appeared.
[The Seven Warlords of the Sea]
"The Seven Warlords of the Sea? What in the world is this? What are those guys in the World Government... scheming this time?"
"Legalized pirates? Using pirates to keep other pirates in check? It seems the era Roger created has put them in quite a difficult position.
"However, the World Government's military forces should still be sufficient. Didn't the Giants join the Marines recently? It looks like they aren't just trying to check the pirates; the World Government also doesn't want the Marines expanding too rapidly during this era."
The newspaper contained a brief description of what the Seven Warlords of the Sea entailed.
Aside from being mandated to answer the World Government's calls to action and handing over a certain percentage of their spoils, they were completely free to act without government interference. They were legally recognized pirates backed by the World Government.
The requirement for selection was possessing overwhelming strength—enough to act as an absolute deterrent to other pirates in a given sea.
But Wobbegong felt that if the goal was purely to deal with pirates, a massive military expansion for the Marines would have sufficed.
A World Military Draft could have easily swept up numerous hidden powerhouses from the civilian populace.
Coupled with Harald's efforts, Elbaf's reputation was gradually improving, and a faction of Giants had already joined the Marines.
Relying on the innate, monstrous strength of the Giant race, these individuals were instantly granted the rank of Vice Admiral upon joining. At this rate, it wouldn't be long before the Marines possessed a significant amount of the Giants' power.
Choosing not to expand the Marines at a time like this, and instead recruiting Warlords who theoretically held equal standing with the Marines but answered only to the World Government... Wobbegong felt the situation wasn't that simple.
"Balance. Doesn't the Boss always say that? Those guys are constantly seeking balance. That's exactly what gives us the time we need to develop.
"Why are you paying so much attention to this anyway? Are you thinking about planting one of our people into this Seven Warlords group?
"If it's a Fish-Man, those guys would never agree to it. After all, even a fool could figure out they were the Boss's subordinate."
"I wasn't actually thinking that, but now that you mention it... it's not entirely impossible," Wobbegong mused. "It's not like the Boss only has people of our race under his command. There are quite a few highly capable individuals on Delta Island, right?"
"That's true. They've even carved out a bit of a name for themselves. But this kind of scheme wouldn't hold up under intense scrutiny. Forget it, discussing it between us is useless. Let's head back and see what the Boss thinks."
Currently, the Seven Warlords of the Sea was merely an established system. Forget selecting seven pirates; right now, the roster was completely blank.
After all, as individuals recognized by the World Government, they couldn't be easily defeated by others. If they lost frequently, the entire existence of the organization would become meaningless.
Yet, finding pirates who were overwhelmingly powerful and also willing to accept this title was no easy task.
Even the World Government only had a few potential candidates at the moment.
Sebastian and Wobbegong could ignore this matter for now, but the Marines could not.
Although deciding exactly who to select as a Warlord was the World Government's prerogative, the Warlords and the Marines could technically be considered colleagues. According to the World Government's vision, they would even need to collaborate on joint operations.
Therefore, they still notified the Marines and presented them with a rough list of candidates.
"What is the meaning of this?! Why do we need to establish something like this?! The Marines are fully capable of handling the current situation; we do not need an organization like the Seven Warlords!"
When Fleet Admiral Kong brought this news back to Marine Headquarters and informed the other officers, the voices of opposition were deafening.
They weren't just objecting to the names on the list; they were objecting to the very existence of the system.
"Sakazuki, calm down.
"The World Government isn't consulting us. The establishment of the Seven Warlords is a foregone conclusion. The World Government has already announced this matter to the public; there is zero possibility of them retracting it.
"Our authority is strictly limited to offering a few suggestions during the selection process."
Compared to Sakazuki, Sengoku had accepted the reality of the situation much faster. As the successor chosen by Kong, the two of them had already communicated privately beforehand.
"What good suggestions could we possibly offer? Every single person on this list is an unrepentant piece of scum... Though it's not entirely incomprehensible. After all, even that 'Vampire' managed to reach an agreement with the World Government."
Vice Admiral Tsuru's words carried a heavy dose of irony. This was an unsolvable paradox.
A pirate with the immense reputation and overwhelming strength necessary to deter other pirates would inherently possess a massive bounty.
Such pirates naturally had deep-seated, irreconcilable conflicts with the Marines; it was merely a matter of degree.
The news regarding Moria and Kaido hadn't spread yet, and his name was temporarily absent from the initial list. The top two names on the roster were Crocodile and Mihawk.
"Sir Crocodile... his initial bounty alone reached eighty million Berries. The user of the Logia-type Sand-Sand Fruit. It seems he's already in negotiations with the World Government...
"We can set that guy aside for now, but do they absolutely have to choose that Mihawk?! That bastard is the 'Marine Hunter'! That title is even more outrageous than the 'Vampire'!
"Allowing someone like him to join the Seven Warlords... what does that make the Marines?!"
The current Mihawk was not yet known as "Hawkeye," nor did he hold the title of the World's Strongest Swordsman. In the eyes of the Marines today, he was a massive, unmitigated thorn in their side, his level of trouble rivaling that of Nereus from years ago.
Due to certain events, Mihawk had suffered severe betrayal, leaving him unable to trust anyone. His past experiences had filled him with immense hatred toward the Marines, to the point where he was actively hunting them down.
Several extermination operations had failed to eliminate him, instead only serving to make him stronger. This caused some of the older Marines to see the shadow of Nereus in him.
Similarly impossible to kill, growing stronger with every encounter, and ultimately becoming a catastrophic, unmanageable threat...
However, the Marines were entirely unaware that it was precisely because of Nereus that the World Government felt inviting Mihawk to join the Seven Warlords was the correct course of action.
The logic was incredibly simple:
[After reaching an agreement with Nereus, didn't you Marines stop suffering meaningless casualties?]
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