With the boost provided by his Berserk Form, he now possessed the strength and confidence to challenge an Emperor. That was why he showed Charlotte Linlin absolutely no respect when speaking about her.
At the same time, Laffitte finally understood why King always treated Big Mom with such disdain.
"Then ignore her. Our main target is the World Government. The Dyna Stones will be more than enough to deal with the Big Mom Pirates."
"But Captain, what about the Whitebeard Pirates? Should we discuss this with them as well?"
Jellro raised the question.
"There's no need. With Whitebeard's pride, he would never cooperate with anyone. Besides, our operation is also connected to Whitebeard. Telling him too much would only do more harm than good."
"Yes!"
The three of them answered in unison.
Once the serious matters had been settled, the atmosphere among them became much more relaxed.
"Last time, Gin and the others took some new recruits to East Blue. How did it go?"
"Captain, Bellamy from North Blue, Blue Gilly from the New World, and the others are all skilled close-quarters fighters. Considering their current ages, Captain Gin and the others were quite satisfied with their strength."
"Is that so?"
Roy nodded noncommittally.
"Furthermore, while they were in East Blue, they encountered the Straw Hat Pirates, who have been attracting a great deal of attention lately. The two sides even exchanged blows."
"Oh?"
Roy raised an eyebrow, his interest piqued.
"According to Captain Gin, aside from Straw Hat Luffy, the others weren't particularly strong. However, they possess considerable potential. It's no wonder they were able to defeat Crocodile."
Jellro paused before continuing.
"Speaking of the Straw Hat Pirates, we should also mention their recent activities."
"Their recent activities? What happened?"
"They just participated in the annual Dead End Race organized by Hannabal's underground casino. During the race, they defeated Gasparde, who had been planning to join us."
"Gasparde was originally an officer at Marine Headquarters. He later seized his unit's warship and deserted, becoming a pirate. He despises the Marines so much that his pirate flag depicts the Marine emblem crossed out with a large X."
"He currently has a bounty of ninety-five million Berries. He possesses the Candy-Candy Fruit, which allows him to become a living mass of candy syrup. He's known as the 'Marines' Greatest Stain.'"
Jellro truly deserved to be called their most talented administrator. Information about these people flowed effortlessly from his mouth.
"So? What are you planning to do about it?"
"Nothing in particular. Clashes are common on the sea, after all. However, Mihawk happens to have nothing better to do and has been wandering through those waters. He apparently heard that the swordsman aboard the Straw Hat Pirates is a disciple of the once-renowned master swordsman Koushirou. To pass the time, Mihawk intends to meet the Straw Hat Pirates."
"…"
As expected, some things were simply destined to happen.
Because Gin had followed Roy into the New World, Pirate Admiral Don Krieg had met a particularly miserable end in East Blue.
First, Mihawk had directly annihilated his fleet of fifty ships. Later, after their food supplies ran out, Gin was no longer there to lead them to Baratie. As a result, the entire crew starved to death aboard their ships.
Their fate had been utterly tragic.
Since Krieg never attacked Baratie, Zoro naturally never encountered Mihawk there.
But now, it seemed that some events could not be avoided forever.
While Roy chatted casually with Laffitte and the others, the Straw Hat Pirates were gathered at a certain restaurant along the Grand Line.
"Who's this guy?"
Luffy and the rest of the Straw Hat Pirates tilted their heads as they stared at the man standing before them.
The man had both hands tucked into his pockets. He wore a white suit vest over a dark blue shirt, along with a green sleep mask. His body was extraordinarily tall.
"Hmm?"
"We're the ones asking who you are!" everyone shouted.
None of them noticed that Robin, who had originally appeared perfectly calm, underwent a drastic change the moment she saw him.
Her expression became like that of a frightened little animal.
It was as though she had suddenly come face-to-face with her natural predator.
Just as in the original course of events, Nico Robin had begun accompanying the Straw Hat Pirates on their adventures after the Alabasta Incident.
"Ah!"
The man also noticed Robin standing behind the others.
"You've grown into quite the young woman, Nico Robin."
"Huh? Is he someone you knew before, Robin?"
Luffy turned toward Robin without sensing anything unusual. However, he quickly realized that something was wrong.
Robin seemed… extremely frightened.
"For even Robin to be this shaken… Who exactly are you?!"
Seeing the normally composed Robin in such a panicked state, Nami suddenly felt that the situation might be far more dangerous than it appeared.
"Well, now. There's no need to be so nervous. Let's talk this over calmly."
The man, who stood well over three meters tall, continued speaking in a lazy voice as he slowly waved one hand.
"I didn't come here because I received any orders. The weather was nice today, and I also ran into a few troublesome matters. Before I knew it, my walk had brought me all the way here."
"Orders? What organization are you with?"
Picking up on the particular word the man had used, Zoro questioned him warily.
"He's with the Marines."
Before Aokiji could answer, Robin spoke in his place, her voice trembling.
"He's Admiral Aokiji of Marine Headquarters."
Sanji clearly understood exactly what the rank of Admiral represented. The cigarette fell from his mouth without him even noticing.
"In the entire Marines, there are only two officers who hold the rank of Admiral."
Robin steadied herself before continuing.
"Akainu and Aokiji. Above them stands only one person: Fleet Admiral Sengoku, the supreme commander of the Marines. The three of them are known as the World Government's greatest military power."
The last person she referred to was the tall, lazy-looking man standing directly in front of them.
"Why would someone that powerful appear here? You should go fight some great pirate with a much higher bounty!"
Usopp hid behind Zoro while raising his sniper slingshot.
"Go… Go somewhere else!"
(End of Chapter)
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