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Worm novel 200 . xyz.
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The sea stretched out endlessly. A vast distance separated every island.
Without a compass for navigation, it was incredibly easy to lose one's sense of direction.
Lius and his crew bypassed Little Garden. Riding the wind and waves, it took them nearly a full week before they finally arrived in the waters of Alabasta.
His daily check-ins over the past few days had brought him only negligible improvements.
It seems my luck has been poor lately. When will I finally get a check-in above the special grade?
Lius complained inwardly with a sigh.
"My lords, the coast of Alabasta is just ahead!"
Gem the explosion man suddenly cried out from the helm.
Staring at the faint dark line slowly emerging on the horizon, he could not conceal the pleasant surprise in his voice.
Over these past few short days, the man had finally witnessed what a true monster was.
His reverence for Lius and the other two matched his fear of the organization's boss. It might have even surpassed it.
"We are finally back," Vivi murmured. Staring out toward her kingdom, the blue-haired girl fell into a daze.
Beside her, Igaram trembled with excitement.
He had finally brought the princess back safely. On top of that, he had secured powerful external reinforcements for their country.
The only price was a half-day tour of the royal capital's treasury.
This was much better than watching helplessly as their nation perished under Crocodile's cruel manipulation.
"Ah, there are ships approaching us! Oh no, they are marine warships!"
This sudden shout shattered the joyous atmosphere on board.
Mikita the kilo ability user shrieked from the top of the mast.
Swoosh!
Gliding down with an open umbrella, she landed with a look of absolute panic on her face.
"Marines?"
The previously sluggish trio instantly perked up at those words. They quickly pushed themselves up from their lounge chairs.
"It really is the marines. There are two of them!"
Lius leaped onto the bow. Shielding his eyes with his hand, he peered into the distance.
Two warships were indeed speeding toward them from the direction of the coast. Judging by their aggressive posture, the vessels were heading straight for them.
"What? It really is the marines! What do we do?" Igaram cried out in panic.
The consequences would be severe if the marines caught him and Princess Vivi associating with pirates.
He tried to pull the princess into the cabin. However, Vivi stubbornly stood her ground to face whatever came next.
Such absolute determination earned her a few extra glances from Nami.
Raising an eyebrow, the orange-haired navigator's expression grew serious. "Our only option is to charge madly toward the coast. We will not have to fear their pursuit once we make landfall!"
"Then let's charge right in!" Slowly rising to his feet, Lius rested his hands on the sword hilt at his waist and flashed a wide grin.
Beside him, Ace pressed down the brim of his hat. A confident and eager smile spread across his freckled face.
Sensing the trio's unwavering courage, the four weaklings on the deck finally managed to calm down a little.
Their sloop surged forward at full speed against the howling wind.
Before long, the distance between them and the warships shrank to a mere hundred meters.
The situation on the enemy decks became clearly visible.
A tall woman stood at the bow of each vessel.
One of them had elegant jet-black hair and a dignified appearance. A famous sword hung from her waist. Her overwhelming aura was palpable even from a hundred meters away.
She was a Vice Admiral of the Marine Headquarters and an alternate admiral. Her name was Momousagi!
The other woman had light pink hair parted down the middle. Clamping a cigarette in her mouth, she stared at them through tinted purple sunglasses. Her tailored marine uniform gave her a rather heroic and dashing vibe.
She was a captain of the Marine Headquarters, Black Cage Hina!
"So it is them. What an unexpected encounter!" A cold smirk tugged at the corners of Lius's mouth. Gripping his sword hilt tightly, he ordered, "Prepare to break through!"
His words sent Nami and Ace's hearts into their throats.
The four weaklings on the deck shivered uncontrollably in absolute terror.
Right at that moment, the two speeding warships suddenly slowed to a crawl when they were just a few dozen meters away.
Momousagi accepted a document from her deputy. Slowly unrolling it, she shouted across the water.
"Lius. Ace. We are here on behalf of the world government to recruit you."
Her clear voice carried perfectly across the gap between the ships.
That single sentence instantly dispersed the tense atmosphere on the pirate ship.
"Recruit?" Lius and Ace were completely dumbfounded.
They had considered countless possibilities for this encounter. However, being recruited by the world government at this exact moment was certainly not one of them.
The rest of the crew stood there in stunned silence.
Nami quickly waved her hand to signal Mikita and Gem to stop sailing.
A recruitment offer from the world government? Could it be...
Vivi and Igaram, who had some understanding of geopolitical affairs, suddenly realized something. All color instantly drained from their faces.
"That is correct. We are here to recruit you as members of a world government affiliated organization. The Seven Warlords of the Sea!"
Momousagi spoke with a stiff tone that lacked any sort of friendliness.
Losing momentum, the small sloop eventually came to a halt less than twenty meters away from the towering warships.
At this close range, both sides could see each other with perfect clarity.
Momousagi and Hina swept their eyes over the two teenagers before them. Although their gazes were not exactly filled with blazing fury, they certainly contained zero goodwill. They observed the boys with utmost vigilance.
They were incredibly youthful and seemed to merely be in their teenage years.
Compared to Ace's muscular build, Lius appeared rather ordinary. If not for his incredibly handsome face, it would be extremely difficult for him to attract any attention based solely on his physical frame.
Since they were marines who stood for absolute justice, they naturally harbored zero favorable impressions of an organization like the Seven Warlords.
The two female officers would not have even bothered to carry out this mission if they were not bound by the orders of the world government.
"The Seven Warlords?" Lius raised an eyebrow.
Beside him, Ace tightly furrowed his brows.
The two boys turned their heads slightly to exchange glances. They clearly saw the surprise reflected in each other's eyes.
He too was surprised that the government was attempting to recruit both of them simultaneously.
Meanwhile, Lius was shocked for a completely different reason. He never expected that they would actually try to recruit him as well.
There would be absolutely no reason for them to continue traveling together if they both accepted the offer and became Warlords. Their pirate crew would naturally dissolve.
This made sense. This kind of calculating strategy was far more typical of the world government.
"Ace. What is your choice?" Lius turned his head to look at his companion.
"What do you mean 'what is my choice'? Shouldn't I be the one asking you that question?!" Ace refuted with obvious dissatisfaction.
Hearing this retort, Lius let out a chuckle. Nami also chuckled from behind them.
Only the four weaklings remained absolutely silent. They barely dared to breathe as they quietly waited for the duo's answer.
"Beautiful ladies. I would like to ask a question!" Raising his gaze to look at the naval officers, Lius revealed a genial smile.
"What question?" Momousagi and Hina furrowed their brows. They found this form of address quite strange, but they managed to reply with a shred of patience.
"If you want to know about the obligations of a Warlord, everything is detailed in this recruitment letter!" Raising the document in her hand, Momousagi prepared to toss it over.
"Oh, there is no need to go to such trouble!" Waving his hands to stop her, Lius chuckled. "I simply wanted to ask..."
He paused for a brief moment. He slowly rested his hands on the sword hilt at his waist.
"If we refuse the offer, will we immediately be going to war?"