It wasn't just a matter of being short one Yonko-level combatant—they also had to consider whether the Navy's Admirals would return to reinforce.
If the Admirals rushed back and held the Holy Land Mary Geoise, then in practice, it would be almost equivalent to the Five Elders' fighting power.
Right—there was also Blood Shadow, an Admiral-level assassin-type powerhouse.
Adding it all up, everyone finally understood just how terrifyingly deep the World Government's foundation really was.
Even though they'd lost Aegis and several other top figures, plus Admiral Akainu, Kong, and the Blood Shadow Four Blades, they still possessed formidable strength.
On Creed's side, even after allying with many of the strongest forces across the New World, they were still slightly inferior.
"Clap! Clap!"
Creed clapped his hands twice. Then a side door of the council hall opened, and a man walked in—wearing a white fur top hat, a black coat, and a wine-red shirt. His eyes were as sharp as an eagle's, and the massive black blade on his back radiated a chilling, murderous cold.
Everyone was stunned.
Isn't that the world's greatest swordsman—Mihawk?!
Even though in everyone's hearts, the number one spot now belonged to Creed, "Hawkeye" had once shaken the entire New World and left behind countless classic battles.
For example, his duel with Shanks—hailed as the ultimate battle of swordsmanship.
Mihawk could also be considered a Yonko-level combat force.
"My opponent is the master of Shodai Kitetsu. When the time comes, I ask everyone to leave him to me. I'll deal with him!"
Mihawk was straightforward and immediately marked his target.
With that, plus Marco, Crocodile, the All-Stars and other core fighters—and with eighty to a hundred thousand elite pirate powerhouses—there would be a certain advantage in storming the Holy Land!
The initial meeting ended quickly. They only set a rough framework. The basic plan still needed the latest intel brought back by spies and agents stationed at the Holy Land.
This wasn't something to rush—and it could not be allowed to fail!
There was only one chance!
If they failed, gathering such a force again—even for someone as strong as Creed—wouldn't be easy. It might be impossible for years.
…
Inside a spacious secret chamber, Creed was studying the Road Poneglyph day and night.
This one had been taken from Kaido, and Kaido had also told Creed the information he'd learned.
The third Road Poneglyph might be on Zunesha's back, but he wasn't sure exactly where it was hidden.
Creed, however, knew it clearly: that Road Poneglyph was hidden deep within the Whale Tree Forest, guarded by the Mink Tribe.
As for the final one… no one truly knew where it was. That would take a bit of luck.
Besides that, Creed also asked Kaido about the whereabouts of the Time-Time Fruit.
"What?! You know about the Time-Time Fruit too?!"
Kaido was shocked by the question.
But thinking about it, Creed had already replaced him in ruling Wano. It was normal that he could dig something out of Orochi.
"We couldn't find Lady Toki either. We searched for nearly twenty years—turned all of Wano upside down without holding anything back. Not a single trace of the Time-Time Fruit. It's very possible she traveled into the future!"
Kaido sighed, as if recalling something.
Creed believed most of what he said.
If it followed the original setting, Lady Toki's Time-Time Fruit could only send someone to the future—it couldn't turn back time.
But this miraculous fruit… what other abilities did it truly hide? Creed felt it was far more than that.
If it didn't violate common sense, then time and space were Devil Fruits of the same tier.
And Imu was very likely the owner of a space-related fruit. With the power of space, he could sit on the Empty Throne and rule the pirate world.
Then the owner of the Time-Time Fruit wouldn't be something ordinary.
Most likely, Lady Toki simply hadn't developed the full potential of this heaven-defying fruit.
Creed yearned for this Devil Fruit's power as well. He still had a Devil Fruit Ability Extraction Card in his hand—he wanted to use it on this fruit.
Even though he had Whitebeard's Tremor-Tremor Fruit and could shatter the void—giving him some restraint against spatial abilities—he still didn't feel fully confident.
To be honest, even without seeing Imu's abilities firsthand, after hearing Kaido and Shiki describe him, Creed felt immense pressure.
If his guess was correct, then peak Whitebeard's combat power might have been demi-god level—or even god level—and Imu was likely in that same bracket.
So Creed felt it was better to prepare as much as possible.
Because this battle… could not be lost!!
"However, I do have some related materials… about the Kozuki Clan…"
Kaido said awkwardly.
Back then, he colluded with Orochi, seized Wano, and committed countless sins. Now that he'd fallen into Creed's hands, bringing up those secrets again was inevitably embarrassing.
But he was someone who'd done big things—those emotions passed quickly.
Nothing was a big deal. If they wanted to kill him, then kill him. If not, then he'd live for now. He didn't care that much—since Creed was giving him a chance, he'd do his best to complete the orders… and along the way, complete his own—
(End of Chapter)
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