"You!"
The moment Rowan spoke, the Five Elders understood his intent perfectly. But by the time they moved to intervene, it was already too late.
In his unconscious state, Doflamingo had no way to resist Rowan's overwhelming and barbaric Armament Haki. Under the wanton destruction of that Haki, Doflamingo's trachea, arteries, and nerves were reduced to literal tatters within his neck.
With a casual toss, Rowan dropped the lifeless body of Doflamingo onto the floor like a dead dog. Because his arteries had been shredded internally, thick, crimson blood began to seep from the corners of Doflamingo's mouth, and the metallic scent of gore quickly filled the conference room.
Even though Doflamingo had mastered his String-String Fruit to the point of being able to perform internal "surgeries" while unconscious, this was beyond repair. Even if the Op-Op Fruit user, Trafalgar Law, were standing right there, he would be powerless to save him.
The gathered kings looked at the unmoving corpse of Doflamingo, their hearts cold with terror. A titan of the era, the "Heavenly Yaksha" and Warlord of the Sea, had been choked to death just like that by Marine Vice Admiral Rowan.
Is this the sheer audacity of the Marine Godfather?
Just then, the conference room doors were slammed open once more. Seven or eight CP agents in suits and masks rushed in. Rowan knew instantly that these were the reinforcements the Five Elders had summoned to deal with him.
However, he showed no anger. Instead, he calmly wiped his hands, pulled out his pipe, lit it, and took a leisurely puff. He looked at the Five Elders and said placidly, "Although Doflamingo mostly victimized various nations across the seas—nations that are enemies of the World Government—he was, at his core, a pirate. So, Lords Five Elders, there's no need to thank me or award me any medals for taking out the trash."
Finishing his sentence, Rowan glanced at the two CP0 agents standing nearby and pointed his pipe at Doflamingo's corpse with a smile. "Gentlemen, aren't you going to clean this up?"
Rowan's voice was disturbingly calm, as if the man he had just crushed the life out of wasn't a world-renowned pirate, but merely an ant.
The two agents looked back at the Five Elders for instruction. The Elders, realizing that Doflamingo was dead and further escalation would be useless in front of all the world leaders, nodded grimly and waved away the other CP reinforcements.
They never expected Rowan to be this decisive.
Watching the CP0 agents carry the body away, Rowan even found the time to be polite. "Much obliged."
Then, he walked over to the seat previously occupied by Doflamingo and sat down without the slightest bit of hesitation. Admiral Kizaru and Admiral Akainu took their places behind him like two immovable bodyguards.
The Five Elders' eyes darkened. To see two Marine Admirals acting as attendants for a single man... Rowan's position in the Navy was even more absolute than they had feared.
Rowan, ignoring the Elders' murderous glares, looked at the shocked faces of the kings and said with a smile, "Have the representatives of the nations finished their proposals? Good. Because I have a small suggestion I'd like to raise, and I hope no one here objects."
"A suggestion?"
The royalty and ministers looked on with intense curiosity. Rowan was the most talked-about man on the planet; what would he propose? Would it benefit their kingdoms?
The Five Elders stared coldly. "What could you possibly propose?" one asked in a heavy voice. "As a Marine, your only duty is to follow the orders of the World Government."
It was a blatant warning: The Navy belongs to the Government. You have no place making policy here.
Facing a threat that would have made any other Marine tremble, Rowan remained composed. He took another puff of his pipe before replying, "Lord Five Elders, as a specially invited guest of King Cobra, I believe I have every right to make a proposal."
The Elders fell silent for a moment, exchanging looks, before one finally nodded. "Very well."
"Excellent." Rowan's lips curled into a smirk. "My proposal is this: I suggest the World Government officially abolish the Royal Shichibukai system."
Abolishing the Warlords was one of his primary goals for coming to the Levely.
"Abolish the Shichibukai?" "Vice Admiral Rowan means..."
The room erupted into murmurs. The Warlords were a sanctioned pillar of the world's balance, meant to counter the Four Emperors. Along with Marine Headquarters and the Yonko, they were one of the Three Great Powers. Rowan wanted to tear down one of those pillars?
For the nations located in the Grand Line, this was a massive shock that required careful calculation of pros and cons.
"I find this matter inappropriate," one of the Five Elders rejected him immediately. The Warlords were a system certified by the Government; if it were to be abolished, it would be by their word, not a Marine's.
If they let Rowan dictate global policy, what would be left of the World Government's authority? Rowan had already slapped them in the face by killing Doflamingo; they couldn't let him take an inch more.
"Lords Five Elders, don't be so quick to dismiss it. Listen to my reasoning first, then decide."
Rowan's tone didn't waver. He knew that by killing Doflamingo, he had humiliated the Elders, especially since they had sent CP agents to protect the man. If they continued to reject Rowan's logic without cause, the 170 allied kings might start wondering who truly held the power to protect them: the World Government or the Navy.
The kings leaned in, eager to hear why the most powerful man in the Marines wanted to dismantle the system of state-sponsored piracy.