The Seven Warlords of the Sea, the Four Emperors, and the Marines—
This was the balance that the World Government sought to maintain.
Any disruption to this equilibrium would create cracks, even gaping holes, that could not be ignored.
For this reason, the World Government had always taken great care to ensure that this delicate balance remained undisturbed, lest the world be thrown into unpredictable chaos.
With the news of Moria's defeat spreading, it was inevitable that the World Government would take swift and decisive action to appoint a new Warlord of the Sea.
This was a foregone conclusion, something that both Maude and Lafitte had anticipated.
Maude vividly remembered how, in the original timeline, Lafitte had gone alone to the Warlord meeting at Mary Geoise, where he had personally recommended Blackbeard as Moria's successor.
However, back then, the one who had brought down Crocodile was not the Blackbeard Pirates.
This was the fundamental difference between Maude and Blackbeard at this moment.
Taking down the Warlord Moria and then attending the meeting to propose his own succession—
Such an act carried an unmistakable air of provocation.
Even with knowledge of the original events, Maude could not guarantee Lafitte's safety.
A trace of concern flickered in his mind.
Yet Lafitte, the one entrusted with this mission, showed no signs of worry. On the contrary, he was brimming with excitement.
An hour passed.
The grand dining hall of the castle was filled with an array of nutritious dishes, specially prepared by Gaya.
The crew gathered around the long dining table.
With the Heart Pirates absent, the atmosphere at the table was noticeably quieter.
Bailey, unusually, had little appetite.
During past meals, he and Bepo would always stir up some kind of ruckus.
Now that Bepo was gone, Bailey couldn't help but feel a strange sense of loneliness.
Perona, though seated normally at the table as a prisoner, was constantly trying to minimize her presence.
"Mmm… It's delicious."
Curled up in the farthest seat, Perona cautiously ate the nourishing meal, her face a mix of surprise and confusion.
Each bite of meat, each sip of soup, sent waves of warmth coursing through her body, filling her with renewed energy.
"Yohohoho! What an exquisite meal! So delicious that even my bones feel like they're glowing!"
Brook lifted a piece of seared, juice-dripping meat with his fork, tilting his head back with a deeply moved expression.
How many years had it been since he had last tasted meat…?
And these dishes weren't just ordinary food—they seemed to invigorate his very being, reminding him of an old tale he had once heard long ago.
"Huh? You really are glowing…"
Philo, without her crow mask, covered her mouth in surprise as she stared at Brook's shining face.
The others also turned to look at the shimmering Brook in astonishment.
Meeting their gazes, Brook let out a cheerful "Yohohoho!" before swiftly devouring the feast before him like a storm sweeping through a battlefield.
By the time the meal was finished, any lingering sense of unfamiliarity from Brook's recent induction into the crew had completely vanished.
"Gaya, I have a rather bold request."
After eating his fill, Brook approached Gaya.
Gaya looked at him and said, "Go on."
"Well, it may be a bit late to ask, but… could I see your panties?"
"?"
Gaya was momentarily stunned before smiling sweetly at Brook.
"Uh…"
For some reason, Brook suddenly felt an eerie chill run through his bones—despite having no actual flesh to experience it.
"Yohohoho… Feels like the temperature just dropped."
"Joint Lock Technique…"
A voice filled with ominous intent suddenly echoed from behind.
Moments later, the hall was filled with Brook's agonized screams.
From her seat in the corner, Perona muttered under her breath, "Pervert."
Five days later.
A newspaper was delivered across the world.
On the front page—boldly displayed—was the explosive headline: "Former Warlord of the Sea, Moria, Defeated by Maude!"
"That Moria… actually got taken down by Maude?"
As the news spread, countless pirates were left in shock.
After all, the one who had been defeated was a Warlord of the Sea—not just some infamous pirate crew.
Marine Headquarters, Marineford.
Fleet Admiral's Office.
Sengoku stuffed the newspaper into the mouth of the goat squatting by his desk before turning to look at Vice Admiral Tsuru and Garp, who sat on the sofa.
"Five days ago, the shadows stolen by Moria suddenly returned to their owners. Based on this phenomenon, we could infer that Moria had likely met his end. But what we didn't expect…"
"…was that the one to take him down would be Bacardi Maude."
Vice Admiral Tsuru, hands clasped beneath her chin, picked up where Sengoku left off.
Sengoku glanced at her and nodded lightly.
"Crunch… Crunch…"
Garp, unfazed, continued munching on his senbei.
Ignoring Garp, Sengoku rubbed his temples and sighed, "And to make matters worse, the press got hold of this news before we did. This reporter… 'Dede the Turkey'…"
Hearing Sengoku's words, Tsuru glanced at Garp.
She still remembered how, previously, it was this same 'Dede the Turkey' who had published an article praising Maude while criticizing Garp.
Now, once again, this journalist had broken the news first. Clearly, they had a connection to Maude.
Tsuru didn't voice this suspicion, knowing that Sengoku had likely reached the same conclusion.
If not for this newspaper report, the World Government would have undoubtedly tried to suppress the information and quietly handle the Warlord succession.
But now that the news was out, a Warlord meeting was inevitable.
"The summons have been sent out. As for how many will actually attend…"
Sengoku trailed off, recalling how, in past Warlord meetings, getting even two to show up was considered a miracle. He shook his head.
Then, he turned toward Garp, who was still happily munching away.
"Garp, are you planning to attend this Warlord meeting?"
"Ha ha ha! Got nothing better to do, so why not join the fun?"
As he spoke, crumbs from his senbei scattered across the table.
Tsuru set down her hands and said flatly, "If you're going, then I have no reason to attend."
"Come on, Tsuru, don't be like that! Let's go together! I'll bring extra senbei and donuts."
"..."
Tsuru let out a quiet sigh in her heart.
At his desk, Sengoku massaged his temples, feeling a headache coming on.
"One more thing—about Maude's new bounty…"
Three days later.
On a certain summer island in the Grand Line—
The blazing sun hung high, and the air was hot and dry.
"Ha ha ha ha!"
Under the shade of a tree, raucous laughter rang out.
The clinking of drinking cups echoed through the grove.
"Come on, one more round!"
Shanks pushed a wooden mug filled with liquor toward a sharp-eyed man wearing a black hat adorned with white fur trim.
The man took the cup without expression and downed it in one gulp.
"Good!"
Shanks grinned, his face flushed with drink.
Just then, a pitch-black bat fluttered down beside the man in the black hat.
Clutched in its talons was a letter.
"Oh? A messenger bat… The World Government sure is quick."
Shanks glanced at the letter and then turned to the man beside him, grinning. "Hawk-Eye, if I recall, you've never once attended a Warlord meeting."
Dracule Mihawk said nothing. He took the letter, opened it, and glanced at its contents before tossing it to Shanks.
Shanks gave it a quick read and chuckled. "Interesting."
Mihawk then picked up a freshly issued bounty poster.
The figure displayed on it: 500 million.
After a moment of silence, Mihawk stood up.
"I'll go."
"Huh?"
Shanks looked at Mihawk in surprise.
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