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Hanafuda had been delivered courtesy of Shanks, saving Jin the trouble of hunting him down for his Devil Fruit later.
After hearing that Hanafuda had lost to Ace, Jin had guessed the Five Elders would move to tie up loose ends and eliminate him.
First, in the original story, Hanafuda did, in fact, die.
Second, even without that foreknowledge, one could infer his fate from the downfall of other Warlords like Crocodile, Moria, and Doflamingo.
The Warlord system was the World Government's check against the Four Emperors. Its members had to possess sufficient strength and reputation.
Once you were defeated, your reputation plummeted. You would naturally be stripped of your title and replaced by someone stronger.
Otherwise, the World Government wouldn't have secretly approached Ace to gauge his interest in joining.
If Ace hadn't refused, Hanafuda would have been dead long ago.
Another Devil Fruit acquired. Nice.
Jin opened the ship's interface.
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[Primary Authority: Captain Jin]
[Abilities: Munch-Munch, Mushroom-Mushroom, Candy-Candy, Hell's Red Serpent, Calm-Calm, Triceratops, Bomb-Bomb, Ton-Ton, Spring-Spring, Kraken-Kraken, Castle-Castle, Kilo-Kilo, Barrier-Barrier, Tone-Tone, Chain-Chain, Steel-Steel, Slow-Slow, Rumble-Rumble, Cat-Cat: Leopard, Silver Spider, Tyrannosaurus]
[Next Evolution Requirements: Soul Crystals (6,207/10,000) | Refined Steel (0.1/10,000 tons) | Gold (4,420/100 tons) | Silver (86/500 tons) | Rare Earth Metals (68/2,000 tons) | Biological Matter (10/30)!]
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"The Biological Matter requirement for the next evolution is one-third complete."
"As for the rest... I can get the steel and silver from Alabasta."
"And the soul crystals... now that I have the title of Warlord, doesn't that mean I can do whatever I want in Paradise?"
"Go wherever I please?"
Jin stretched languidly.
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Shanks and Yasopp stayed in Hannabal for a few more days. After saying their goodbyes to Uta, they prepared to head for the East Blue.
After getting an earful from Uta and being subtly mocked by Jin, Shanks's pride had taken a hit.
So he was having Yasopp escort him—a convenient excuse to visit his home.
Mihawk had also departed.
He was used to traveling alone and had only come because Shanks had personally invited him.
Just as Jin was about to leave, he received a piece of intelligence from Cipher Pol.
He postponed his departure.
A massive ship, flying a pirate flag, was docked at the shore.
The flag's emblem was a skull wearing a bicorne hat, surrounded by flowing pink hair and lipstick, one hand waving.
Anyone with half a brain would recognize it.
It belonged to the Big Mom Pirates.
The flag of Charlotte Linlin, one of the Four Emperors of the New World.
As a pirate force powerful enough to rival the World Government, they could effortlessly annihilate any nation in Paradise.
The moment their flag appeared, everyone—pirates and Marines alike—had to be on high alert.
The common folk could only tremble in fear.
"Hannabal?"
At the ship's prow, Charlotte Galette let out a bored yawn.
She had pink hair, yellow eyes, and wore bright lipstick that contrasted with her pale skin. A purple cape was draped over her red minidress and high heels, and a brown ornament adorned her head.
She was the 18th daughter of the Charlotte Family, the Minister of Butter for Totland.
"Hey, Galette," a voice drawled. "That's no way to talk about Mama's last husband—our last father. It's not very polite, you know! Hehehehe!"
A tall, slender man with a pointed face and heavy makeup let out a strange laugh.
Charlotte Perospero, the eldest son of the Charlotte Family and Totland's Minister of Candy.
He chuckled, then turned to a tall woman who was standing with her arms crossed and her eyes closed. "Isn't that right, Smoothie?"
Smoothie, the Minister of Juice and one of the Three Sweet Commanders, was a half-Longleg with a pair of astonishingly long legs.
She opened her eyes and gazed at the docks.
"Cut the chatter," she said coolly. "Let's just get Mama's task over with."
Charlotte Linlin's hobbies included finding husbands, having children, hosting tea parties, and collecting rare and exotic creatures.
Jin, as a rising star in Paradise—handsome and powerful—had naturally caught her eye.
She had dispatched Smoothie, Perospero, and Galette, along with five hundred pirates, from the New World to Paradise.
It was a show of force.
They were here to deliver a tea party invitation to the Winter Blossom Kingdom, to "invite" Jin to be a guest in Totland.
Of course, the unspoken message was clear:
'You don't have the right to refuse.'
Like a summons from the Five Elders, it was a mandatory draft notice.
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"The Big Mom Pirates."
Jin sat in his chair, his chin resting on his hand, and looked at the three standing before him.
It was a polite invitation on the surface, delivered with smiles.
But it was an undeniable threat.
As core members of a Yonko crew, Smoothie, Perospero, and Galette all carried themselves with an air of arrogance, a hint of contempt.
They knew that Jin had defeated Hanafuda and Doflamingo, but so what?
They were just Warlords.
Did anyone really think a single Warlord could stand against a Yonko's crew? How naive.
And so, they were confident.
"Is something wrong, King Jin?" Perospero asked, his voice deceptively genteel as he held out the invitation. The king had yet to accept it, and his patience was wearing thin.
"Surely you're not thinking of refusing Mama's tea party? That would be a shame, wouldn't it?"
The Charlotte children varied in strength.
The weak ones were still young.
Or they were like Perospero and Galette, who relied on their Devil Fruits but had failed to develop them properly.
The strong ones... were like the woman standing before him now. Smoothie.
There were still two years until Luffy set out to sea. Jin didn't know how strong Smoothie was at this point in time. But given her age and her status as a Sweet Commander, even if she wasn't as powerful as she would be in the future, she was still a force to be reckoned with.
Jin nodded slowly. "My schedule is already full. I can't say for sure if I'll be able to attend the tea party. I'll have to see when the time comes."
He had other things to do. He planned to consolidate the powers and resources of Paradise first. He didn't have time to deal with the New World.
It was a polite refusal.
A strange look flashed in Perospero's eyes.
"King Jin," he said, his voice low, "an invitation from Mama is a rare and precious thing. And it is not to be refused... Are you refusing?"
Jin scoffed. "And what if I am?"
Smoothie and Galette both looked surprised, incredulous.
"Do you have any idea what will happen if you refuse?" Galette demanded.
"What will happen?" Jin countered. "Will the Big Mom Pirates come charging into Paradise to fight me? I'd welcome it. I can guarantee you this: I might not die, but the Big Mom Pirates will be wiped from the face of the earth."
It wasn't a bluff. The Four Emperors were confined to the New World for a reason. Did he really think they didn't want to expand their territory?
The moment they dared to leave the New World, never mind the other three Emperors watching like vultures, the full might of the Marines would descend upon them.
Even a powerhouse like Whitebeard had been defeated at the Summit War—and that was with several high-ranking Marines holding back.
"Big Mom? So what? You're just hiding behind her name. If Charlotte Linlin herself were here, I might have to think twice. But you..."
"Go back to where you came from. And if you want a fight, I'll be happy to oblige."
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