"Law? I heard he's a candidate for the Warlords of the Sea?"
Jinbe asked, genuinely curious.
It seemed Mihawk had crossed swords with him—and not pleasantly.
"Hmph. My little boat couldn't sail, and he happened to pass by. I was going to hitch a ride. Who knew he'd not only refuse, but flip me the middle finger? If he hadn't run so fast, I would've cleaved him—and his ship—clean in two."
Remembering it made Mihawk's temper flare again.
That Trafalgar Law was absurd! They were both future Warlords, potentially fighting on the same side one day, and yet he acted like that.
Still, Mihawk had to admit the man's ability was bizarre—he'd casually unraveled one of Mihawk's slashes and slipped away as if he'd teleported.
"Uh…"
Jinbe hadn't expected Trafalgar Law to be that cold. But with the moniker "Surgeon of Death," that temperament wasn't exactly shocking.
"Since Crocodile, Doflamingo, and Moria have all left the Warlords, the World Government is recruiting to fill the vacancies worldwide. The current shortlist includes Trafalgar Law, Eustass Kid… five people in all. I've heard that after this summons, they'll finalize which three will be promoted based on wartime merit."
As Jinbe recalled the intel, he couldn't help wondering what the other four candidates were like.
Judging from the icy Law and the so-called "evil age" upstart Kid, none looked easy to deal with.
But the hardest of all to deal with was still Creed—the man who single-handedly toppled three Warlords!
After half a day's sail, the new Marine Headquarters came into view: a conjoined fortress several times grander than old Marineford, a true citadel at sea. Who knew how much manpower had been poured into it?
The site sat at a critical harbor in the early stretch of the New World. Nestled at the mouth of a relatively stable "golden waterway," it could be said to clamp down on the New World's throat.
Mihawk and Jinbe both quietly admired Sengoku's vision.
If the Marines held this point, they could advance or retreat at will. The Four Emperors' days would turn harsh—like beasts trapped in a jar.
Perhaps that was why the Marines had fully mobilized this time, drawing most of their powerhouses to garrison here—and even summoning the Warlords to lend their strength.
Against such a colossus, not to mention one Emperor's armada, even two together might fail to shake this new HQ.
"The New World is about to change."
Mihawk and Jinbe sighed in unison.
The Marines—and the World Government—were truly dead-set this time.
Who would be the unlucky Emperor to help the Marines fire their opening salvo in the New World?
A lookout at the harbor spotted Jinbe's ship and quickly dispatched a small fast boat to welcome them.
But the one who came out to meet them shocked Mihawk and Jinbe both—it was the Marine Hero, Garp!
"Oi, Mihawk! Why're you riding with Jinbe? Your rickety dinghy finally sank? Hahaha! And hey, Jinbe—long time no see. Looks like you've gotten even fatter!"
Garp was still the same mischievous, irreverent old rascal as ever.
"Mm."
Mihawk couldn't be bothered to trade jabs. He'd wanted to give a frosty "hmph," but remembering that this was Creed's grandpa, he decided to leave the man a little face and answered with a cool nod.
Jinbe, on the other hand, offered a polite bow. "Jinbe greets you, Garp-san."
Back when Garp hounded pirates across the New World, he'd looked out for the fish-men more than once; Jinbe respected him for that.
"Right—now that you're here, stay put and behave yourselves. Don't go wandering around like those few brats."
Garp grumbled, accidentally letting slip a tidbit.
"Wandering around? Who left the base?"
Mihawk asked, curious.
"Who else? Those cocky little Supernovas…" Garp waved it off. "Anyway, forget that. Jinbe, let's go eat meat and drink. Mihawk-brat, you coming? I heard you spent some time with my good-for-nothing grandson?"
He guided their ship into berth, then invited them warmly.
"Mm."
Mihawk didn't refuse.
"The Empress of Amazon Lily is here too?"
Jinbe lowered his voice as he eyed the massive ship pulled by two giant Sea Kings.
"She arrived half a day before you—and she already smacked a few fellows who were bad-mouthing my grandson in private."
Garp pointed to several human-shaped statues nearby.
"The Mero Mero no Mi (Love-Love Fruit) is terrifying, as expected."
"Eh? Isn't that the twin-blade 'Black Hand' with a 150 million belly bounty?"
"And that one—the quick-blade 'Puro,' 120 million belly?!"
Jinbe gasped. Looking more closely, he realized just who had been turned into stone—and was stunned.
Every one of them was a Supernova-class pirate with a bounty over 100 million!
They'd all been petrified by Hancock's Mero Mero no Mi powers—most likely lured here by the Warlord title Sengoku dangled, a dream for pirates.
Could it be that Sengoku thought five Warlord candidates weren't enough—and wanted to draw in more strong pirates as auxiliary force?
Just then, a Marine Rear Admiral rushed up, speaking anxiously to Garp. "Vice Admiral Garp, Bartholomew Kuma has left HQ without permission. We don't know where he went."
"What?!"
Garp's smile vanished; his face tightened.
Jinbe and Mihawk might not know Kuma's true identity, but Garp had his suspicions.
No—truthfully, the Marines already had suspicions, and had even communicated with Kuma, reaching a certain agreement.
Yet now he'd slipped away without a word. That made Garp think of one person—Dragon!!
"Damn it!"
A cold sweat beaded on Garp's brow.
If the Revolutionary Army stirred the pot right now, things could get ugly.
"And Trafalgar Law and the Heart Pirates have also—" The Rear Admiral wanted to say more, but Garp was already gone. Only Jinbe and Mihawk stood there, staring at each other.
…
On a dark sea bordering Totto Land, Creed stared at the pirate ships blocking the Creed, a bit speechless.
He hadn't expected that even after becoming the Fifth Emperor—and defeating Big Mom, his name echoing across the seas—there would still be blind pirates daring to provoke him, hollering at the top of their lungs.
(End of Chapter)
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