Chapter 544: The Warlord Invitation
In front of the Fleet Admiral, the Admirals, the Vice Admirals, and the numerous officers and soldiers, the World Government's decree solidified Fleet Admiral Kong of the Steel Bone's position, making it as stable as Mount Tai. It affirmed his leadership and made it clear that his position as Fleet Admiral was not to be questioned because of the war's failure.
Once the rejection was announced, a myriad of thoughts flew through everyone's minds. Many looked at Admiral Sengoku standing behind Kong, their own thoughts unreadable. Sengoku himself listened to the announcement with a blank expression, feeling nothing. The power struggle within the Navy had, for the moment, concluded.
Kong accepted the decree and turned to face the crowd.
"It is an indisputable fact that my mistakes have caused the Navy to suffer heavy losses. I have failed you all," Kong said, and then gave a deep bow to everyone present.
Seeing this, the officers standing before him quickly moved to the side, not daring to accept a bow from the Fleet Admiral. The soldiers followed suit.
"But a temporary failure means nothing!" Kong continued, his voice ringing with conviction. "We Marines have not been defeated! As long as a single breath remains in us, our mission to carry out justice will never disappear! We may fall silent for a time, but we will not be discouraged! When we have regrouped, the seas will once again welcome peace!"
"Justice will prevail!" Sengoku immediately shouted, raising his right hand.
"Justice will prevail!"
At this cue, everyone, from officer to soldier, roared to the heavens. The sound pierced the clouds as they all unleashed the pent-up fury in their hearts.
Seeing this, the World Government officials handed the official appointment to Kong and departed. Kong smiled faintly, seeing that morale had been restored. He nodded at Sengoku, who nodded back.
The Navy fell silent. The Marine branches scattered across the Four Blues and the Grand Line also went quiet. In stark contrast, pirates began to set sail in droves. In the Four Blues and on the Grand Line, ambitious individuals who had been suppressed by the might of the Navy began to emerge. Countless pirates, some with nothing more than a wooden plank, headed for the sea. No one could stop them.
Five years after Roger initiated the Great Age of Pirates, another wave of pirate frenzy had begun. Pirates all over the world were in an uproar. And it wasn't just pirates. Ambitious figures from the criminal underworld, revolutionary cells scattered in various places, and non-affiliated nations with their own grand ambitions all rose up in a near-simultaneous clamor. The Navy was powerless to stop any of it.
In the South Blue.
A group of men in black stood on the deck of a warship, looking at a large pirate fleet in the distance.
"Strange things happen every year, but this year has the most. To think the World Government would one day cooperate with pirates," said one of the men, who wore a mask and spoke in a lazy drawl.
"Shut up, Ink Crow. This isn't for you to discuss. Just carry out your orders," said another man next to him, who wore a lion mask.
After that, no one else spoke. The warship, flying the flag of the World Government, sailed towards the Buggy Pirates.
"What? You want me to join the World Government and become one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea? What the hell is that?" Buggy asked, his feet propped up on a table while two beautiful women massaged his shoulders. He held a glass of red wine, looking at the man in the lion mask sitting opposite him.
Behind Buggy, Crocodile and Dracule Mihawk were seated. Crocodile smoked his cigar, his eyes glinting as he sized up the men in black. Mihawk, meanwhile, held his own glass of red wine, studying its color, his Black Blade "Yoru," one of the twelve Supreme Grade Swords, resting by his side.
"That's right, Mr. Buggy," the man in the lion mask said with great patience. "The World Government has recently established a new institution called the Seven Warlords of the Sea. We are inviting seven renowned great pirates to join the World Government. As long as you join, your bounties will be immediately revoked, and the Navy will no longer pursue you."
Buggy's eyes darted back and forth. "Join the World Government? Aren't you asking me to betray my fellow pirates?" he said, his tone hostile.
The man in the lion mask let out a laugh. "Mr. Buggy, isn't betrayal a common occurrence among pirates?"
His words silenced Buggy.
"Perhaps Mr. Buggy would prefer to hear our terms," the lion-masked man continued in a tempting voice. "Upon joining the Seven Warlords, your original bounties will be canceled, and the World Government will no longer pursue any past crimes. Furthermore, members of the Seven Warlords will have their privateering activities tacitly approved by the World Government. However, if discovered, you will be required to pay a tribute—just a small portion, of course."
Unfortunately for him, he was not a beautiful woman, and Buggy was not so easily swayed. But the terms he laid out still shocked him. To be able to plunder openly... this Seven Warlords thing had a lot of potential.
Instead of deciding immediately, Buggy looked over his shoulder at Crocodile and Mihawk. He saw them both staring intently at him and immediately understood.
"Wait a minute. We need to discuss this," Buggy said, standing up. He then walked into the ship's cabin with Crocodile and Mihawk, wearing the expression of a man marching to his doom. This puzzled the man in the lion mask.
Inside the cabin, Mihawk and Crocodile sat at a table, both lost in thought. Buggy stood beside them, not daring to move.
"So... what do you two think?" Buggy asked cautiously.
Crocodile shot him a sideways glance, which was enough to scare Buggy into splitting apart into pieces.
"It sounds quite good," Mihawk said, holding his wine glass.
Buggy's eyes lit up. "I think so too! We can plunder, and we don't have to be chased by the Marines! That's way better than being some bum pirate. We'll be able to sail the seas openly, which will make things much more convenient." Buggy was already lost in daydreams of the future.
Hearing the words "sail openly," both Crocodile and Mihawk's eyes lit up as well.
Mihawk's goal was to become the world's greatest swordsman. His current objective was to challenge all the swordsmen of the Four Blues, to build up his own philosophy of the sword and accumulate enough strength before entering the New World to challenge the mountain that stood in his mind. Joining the Buggy Pirates was merely a matter of convenience.
It was the same for Crocodile. To become the Pirate King, he needed sufficient power, and the Buggy Pirates, along with the secrets Buggy knew, were what he desired. Joining the Seven Warlords was not out of the question, but the matter required more thought.
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