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Among the Warlords, it's hard to determine who is the weakest, aside from the anomaly Buggy the Clown, but there's no doubt about who is the strongest.
Hawkeye, the 'World's Strongest Swordsman.'
Besides Hawkeye, there is another who is extremely special among the Warlords. It's difficult to describe her strength, but even someone as strong as a Yonko might fall at her feet.
"This is the Pirate Empress!"
"So beautiful!"
"I'd give her everything!"
The pirates' eyes were filled with hearts, engrossed in Hancock's beauty. Even though many of their companions had turned to stone, they couldn't suppress their agitated emotions.
Jinbe, who arrived with Hancock, was completely overshadowed.
"Filthy men."
Hancock glanced at the pirates, her eyes full of disgust. If not for Daichi's request, she would never have come here.
However, her disdainful gaze only made the pirates more infatuated.
"Hancock-sama!"
"Crack!"
Another batch of stones appeared.
Above the high platform, Crocodile and Law watched the commotion below, both frowning, their eyes filled with apprehension.
It must be said that the Pirate Empress's ability is too powerful against men; almost no one can resist her charm.
But as an ally, she is indeed a very reliable fighting force.
A moment later, in the Captain's room.
"It's been a while!"
Crocodile grinned.
"Boa Hancock, Jinbe."
"Crocodile!"
The two stared at Crocodile.
They were all once Warlords and had met each other. Jinbe and Crocodile were even cellmates and escaped Impel Down together.
This indicated a basis for cooperation between them.
Without much reminiscing, Crocodile knew that the two were arranged by Daichi to assist them and would likely become members of Cross Guild in the future.
Crocodile got straight to the point: "I presume you've heard that the World Government has summoned the Warlords, and their target is us!"
"Hawkeye, Doflamingo, Gecko Moria, and Kuma, who has become a slave—each of them is difficult to deal with."
"Most importantly, the Marines are very likely to send an Admiral!"
If it were just the Warlords, the situation might be better, but if an Admiral is dispatched, they will be in a very tough spot.
"Kuma shouldn't be coming."
Hancock said indifferently, "I saw Kuma in Sabaody Archipelago not long ago. For some reason, he is guarding the Straw Hat's ship."
"That's good news."
Kuma's ability is quite tricky, and his absence is undoubtedly good news, significantly reducing the pressure.
A light of ambition flickered deep in Crocodile's eyes: "In this war, our goal is not just to repel the enemy, but more importantly, to increase Cross Guild's fighting power!"
"What do you intend to do?"
Hancock and Jinbe frowned simultaneously.
The two knew very well that Crocodile was an ambitious man!
"Kuahahahaha!"
Crocodile's laughter was sinister.
"I plan to bring Hawkeye and the other two into Cross Guild. With them joining, Cross Guild will truly be a powerful force that no one dares to provoke!"
"Huh?!"
Everyone was startled.
If Hawkeye and the other two could join, Cross Guild would have seven Warlords. One of the former Three Great Powers would once again take shape, instead of its current awkward position.
"Are you confident?"
"Of course."
Crocodile raised the corner of his mouth.
The current Warlords are almost defunct, and the World Government is also trying to abolish their existence.
Coincidentally, he knew some internal information.
"Wait!"
The quiet Law finally spoke up.
"There's one man I won't allow to join Cross Guild!"
"Who?"
"Doflamingo!"
Law's eyes were filled with murderous intent.
"He's my enemy!"
Crocodile raised an eyebrow slightly.
He had already tested Law's strength. His Haki was still nascent, but his extremely special ability was enough to compensate for the disadvantage of his Haki.
In other words, he approved of Law.
As for Doflamingo, that guy was as ambitious as him, and he had a major fight with him during the Summit War.
He disliked Doflamingo very much.
It wasn't just that their personalities clashed; more importantly, that guy was restless and could not be his subordinate, nor could he be on equal footing.
One ambitious man was enough for him.
"Alright."
To everyone's surprise, Crocodile agreed to Law's request.
"I also have a bit of a grudge with that guy!"
"I see."
No one said much more.
It was too early to draw conclusions about something that hadn't even begun. After all the effort, they might not be able to recruit anyone.
Furthermore, even among the Warlords, Doflamingo was an anomaly. Calling him a rogue was a compliment; causing chaos was his most fitting label.
Cooperating with Doflamingo meant constantly being wary of betrayal!
Meanwhile, at Holy Land Mary Geoise
"Fufufufu!"
Doflamingo squatted on the table, looking at Hawkeye.
"The Warlords, once known as one of the Three Great Powers, now only a few of us remain. How laughable."
Hawkeye frowned.
He was also worried about this.
In just a few years, the Warlords had suffered successive defeats, their power completely gone. If this continued, there might be no need for them to exist.
He still wanted to live a few more peaceful years.
Receiving no response, Doflamingo turned to provoke Moria.
"Moria, I heard you were defeated by Straw Hat. If that's true, you're not qualified to continue as a Warlord, you know."
"Do you want to die, Doflamingo!"
Moria's anger erupted.
Thinking of Straw Hat Luffy, the fire of revenge in his heart burned uncontrollably. That defeat was the greatest humiliation of his life!
The atmosphere suddenly became tense.
Tsuru arrived at the conference room.
"Let this boring quarrel end here."
"Fufufu, alright, Vice Admiral Tsuru."
Doflamingo reined in his rogue behavior.
He still had some "respect" for Vice Admiral Tsuru.
Tsuru threw a newspaper in front of the three. "This is the latest newspaper."
"Hmm?!"
The three picked up the newspaper and couldn't help but stare.
["Pirate Empress" and "Knight of the Sea" Join Cross Guild!]
Undoubtedly, it was breaking news!
Cross Guild was already on the rise, and now with two former Warlords joining, its momentum surged again.
But for them, it was bad news.
Originally, to subjugate Cross Guild, the backgrounds of two of the four core members, Crocodile and Law, were relatively clear, but the strength of Buggy and Mr. 3 was unknown.
During the Summit War, the two did not show much strength, but every action they took had a significant impact on the battle.
"Unknown" was the most troublesome thing.
Now that the Empress and Jinbe had joined, Cross Guild's strength had greatly increased. Relying on just the three of them might not be enough!
"Fufufufu, is this going to be a Warlord banquet?"
Doflamingo gloated.
The growth of Cross Guild was a real headache for the World Government and the Marines; it didn't have much of an impact on them!
"Stop making sarcastic remarks!"
Tsuru said coldly, "If you fail to destroy Cross Guild this time, your Warlord titles will also be stripped!"
Doflamingo stopped smiling.