"That's right, I didn't want to come. As a king, I'm extremely busy with affairs of the nation," Aeridar said, spreading his hands. "But those five old fogeys insisted I be here."
"Busy with affairs of the nation? Fuffuffuffuffu Are you telling a joke, Aeridar! Fuffuffuffuffu~" Doflamingo glanced at Aeridar, then covered his forehead and burst into laughter.
"That's the funniest joke I've heard all year," Sengoku scoffed, curling his lip.
Tap... tap... tap...
Suddenly, the sound of footsteps approached. Mihawk, with his large, cross-shaped Black Blade strapped to his back, walked in.
"Do all of you enjoy wasting time? It seems I didn't need to come at all," Mihawk said flatly, stopping by the round table.
"Hawk-Eyes!" A Vice Admiral gasped in a low voice.
"Oh my" Doflamingo raised an eyebrow, surprised. "Even the most unlikely person showed up! Fuffuffuffu"
As a lone wolf, Mihawk's attendance rate was even lower than Empress Boa Hancock's. The last time he attended was when Aeridar first became a Warlord of the Sea.
"You came, too." Sengoku was also somewhat surprised.
"Hmph. It's nothing. I only came to observe and listen, as I have a slight interest in the pirate being discussed today. That is all." Mihawk stared directly at Sengoku.
"In that case, may I also have the honor of observing? Is that acceptable?"
Abruptly, an unfamiliar voice rang out in the conference room.
"Hmm." Mihawk's gaze narrowed. He looked sideways.
"Well, it might be slightly different from mere observation~" A slender man, pale with an unnatural sickly whiteness, with no eyebrows, lips painted crimson, wearing a black top hat, a jumpsuit, a floral shirt, and leather shoes, was sitting on a balcony, holding a red cane. He looked like a mime.
"Who are you? How did you get in here?!" Vice Admiral Stainless asked gravely.
This was the Holy Land of Mariejois. The security was incredibly strict, and today, for the Warlord meeting, it was twice as tight as usual. How could anyone have gotten in without alerting any guards?
"I am honored to have the chance to meet so many important figures today. If you don't mind, I have a request… I earnestly ask that you allow me to participate in this conference as well," the mysterious man twirled the red cane in his hand and began a short tap dance for the onlookers.
"Huh?!" Doflamingo grimaced.
"I believe this meeting is about the recent revocation of Crocodile's title and the decision of who should succeed him, correct?" The mysterious man smiled and pinched the brim of his hat.
"You're Laffitte, aren't you?!" At this, Vice Admiral Mozambia, who found the man somewhat familiar, recognized his identity.
"Laffitte?" Sengoku turned to look at Mozambia.
"I am honored that Your Excellency knows my name!" Laffitte twirled the red cane in his hand.
"Laffitte is a sheriff from the West Blue who was renowned for his overly violent enforcement before being expelled from his country," Vice Admiral Mozambia stared at Laffitte, introducing him.
"Heh heh heh heh~ That is an old story now, and my own past is nothing of consequence, not important at all," Laffitte chuckled, then continued, "I have come here to recommend a true man to become a Warlord of the Sea: Marshall D. Teach!"
"Marshall D. Teach? D..." Sengoku was slightly confused. He hadn't heard that name before, but the 'D' in the name made him uneasy and wary.
"Yes, that is the great name of our pirate captain," Laffitte said calmly.
"Never heard of him," Sengoku said coolly. "I'll be honest with you, an obscure fellow like that would never be able to keep the other pirates in check."
"Teach..." Aeridar also mumbled the name.
"What, have you heard of him?" Doflamingo asked from his seat.
Suddenly, everyone in the room looked at Aeridar. Even Laffitte watched him with curiosity. It was well-known that his captain, although a member of the Whitebeard Pirates and extremely strong, was not famous, with hardly anyone knowing his name.
"Heeey~ Don't underestimate this guy, Fleet Admiral Sengoku," Aeridar said meaningfully. "Though this fellow is obscure, he has done a few things that are more than enough to shock the world."
"Oh? Tell us."
Everyone was intrigued. Laffitte also raised an eyebrow, looking at Aeridar.
"Blackbeard Marshall D. Teach. Formerly a member of the Whitebeard Pirates' 2nd Division." Aeridar's single sentence was enough to stun everyone.
"Whitebeard Pirates!" Sengoku exclaimed in shock.
"Wait, what do you mean by 'former' Whitebeard Pirates?" Doflamingo caught the hidden meaning in Aeridar's words.
"Exactly what it sounds like," Aeridar said nonchalantly. "Let me start from the beginning. He's an old-timer in the Whitebeard Pirates. You know about the three scars over Red-Haired Shanks' left eye? Those were inflicted by Marshall D. Teach during a skirmish between the Whitebeard Pirates and the Red-Hair Pirates a while back."
"Hiss~"
The people present couldn't help but gasp, their expressions changing instantly. They were utterly shocked, looking at Laffitte with entirely new eyes. Even Kuma, who had been completely expressionless, showed a flicker of emotion.
Recall that back in the day, Gecko Moria barely managed to escape from the hands of another Yonko, Kaido, but his subordinates were wiped out completely.
The same was true for Crocodile, who was soundly defeated by the Yonko Whitebeard and even had a hand severed.
Yet this Blackbeard Teach was able to leave indelible scars on the eye of the Yonko Shanks. Based on this alone, he was more than qualified to be a Warlord of the Sea.
Without waiting for the others to recover, Aeridar continued, "However, for some unknown reason, this guy assassinated the commander of the Whitebeard Pirates' 4th Division, Thatch, and defected from the Whitebeard Pirates. His superior, 2nd Division Commander Fire Fist Ace, is currently pursuing him."
"And, of course, I don't think Ace, that kid, can beat him," Aeridar said with a hint of mockery on his face, though he deliberately omitted the reason why Blackbeard Teach killed Thatch.
Another bombshell dropped, leaving everyone dizzy.
"He killed the commander of the Whitebeard Pirates' 4th Division and defected!. No wonder Fire Fist Ace suddenly appeared in the first half of the Grand Line," Sengoku exclaimed, aghast.
These were earth-shattering events. Any one of them would have been enough to make this Blackbeard famous worldwide.
"He injured Shanks, yet sought neither a commander position nor fame, hiding his power, remaining in the shadow of Whitebeard's formidable name all these years." Vice Admiral Tsuru inferred something else from Aeridar's words. "After enduring for so long, he suddenly appears demanding to become a Warlord. Has the time he was waiting for finally arrived, or is there another reason?"
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