"As expected of the Marine's Chief of Staff. That's exactly what I was thinking," Aeridar said, slightly surprised, turning to Tsuru.
"Fuffuffuffuffu~ Interesting! Truly interesting!" Doflamingo cackled.
Mihawk narrowed his eyes slightly, scrutinizing Laffitte.
As Red-Haired Shanks' friend, Mihawk was intimately familiar with Shanks' strength. He never expected that the three scars over his friend's left eye were left by this 'Blackbeard,' and that he had wounded Shanks when he wasn't being careless. This was truly an unforeseen development.
"I never thought that Aeridar-sama would know so much about my Captain. I am deeply honored," Laffitte said, looking at Aeridar with a hint of gravity.
"If all of that is true, then his strength is not an issue." Sengoku looked at Laffitte, frowning. "But with no reputation, he still won't be able to keep the other pirates in check."
For Sengoku, regardless of what schemes this 'Blackbeard' was up to, even as a carrier of the name 'D,' as long as he could be recruited, it was fine. After all, the Navy was still the strongest force on the seas.
As for his relationship with Whitebeard, since he could injure Shanks and had managed to escape after defecting, he clearly had the skill and confidence to evade the Whitebeard Pirates' pursuit.
"Yes, Your Excellency is correct," Laffitte said with a grin. "For that, our crew already has a flawless plan in place. Please grant us a little more time!"
"Fuffuffuffu Interesting." Doflamingo chuckled, looking at Laffitte with interest, then smiled at Sengoku. "Let him give it a shot, Fleet Admiral Sengoku. Fuffuffuffuffu~"
"That's not a bad idea. Blackbeard Teach, huh…" Aeridar smiled broadly. "Fleet Admiral Sengoku, if they fail to provide a satisfactory answer, let me take responsibility for eliminating him. After all, we can't afford to have such a dangerous person running around unchecked."
Laffitte's heart tightened, but he maintained his composure and said, "The name of our pirate crew is the Blackbeard Pirates. I hope all you dignitaries will remember it well."
"Very well. For now, we shall leave it up to your Captain Blackbeard Teach's ability," Sengoku nodded, agreeing to the proposal.
Vice Admiral Tsuru moved her lips but remained silent.
....
The next morning.
Skypiea.
A battered, sheep-headed three-masted ship was anchored in the White Sea, seven thousand meters up.
"Cough, cough, cough~"
"Huff, huff, huff~"
The Straw Hat Pirates all lay on the wet deck, looking terrible.
"Ugh, that was rough. What happened? Is everyone still here?" Zoro asked loudly, gasping for breath with a pale face.
"Hurry up and look! Look off the ship!" Luffy, however, was full of life and looking out at the water.
"Where are we?"
"It's all white!"
"Is that cloud?"
The others also got up and looked out.
"We're on a cloud! Why aren't we falling?" Nami asked in surprise.
"Why not? You can sit on clouds," Luffy replied matter-of-factly.
"No, you can't!" Zoro, Sanji, and Chopper vehemently shook their heads.
Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!
Just as the Straw Hats were fussing, a series of muffled thunder-like cannon shots could be heard in the distance.
"There's a pirate ship!"
Chopper, who was looking around through a pair of binoculars, suddenly screamed.
"Chopper! What's wrong?" Zoro quickly asked.
"A pirate ship! It's a pirate ship!" Chopper dropped the binoculars, terrified and at a loss.
"A pirate ship?" Nami was confused. Were there other pirate crews who had managed to climb up here?
Nami picked up the binoculars Chopper had dropped on the deck and looked toward the source of the cannon fire.
"Hiss… What is that?"
Nami drew a sharp breath.
In the distance, three large pirate ships with black wolf-head figureheads were continuously firing blistering cannonballs at another pirate ship flying a Jolly Roger. White streams of air were being jetted from the stern of the three black wolf-headed ships, increasing their speed and maneuverability, making it extremely difficult for the opposing pirate ship's cannonballs to hit them accurately.
"What is it, Nami-swan!" Sanji rushed over and asked.
"It's pirate ships. Three large black wolf-headed pirate ships are attacking another pirate ship." Robin, seemingly out of nowhere, produced a pair of binoculars as well.
"No way?" Zoro felt completely confused. "Is it that easy to get up to Skypiea?"
"I don't think so. The three black wolf-headed battleships look a bit different. The devices at the stern seem to be designed for this White Sea. They must be Skypiea-based ships," Robin replied, shaking her head.
"Amazing! Skypiea ships!" Luffy's eyes sparkled. He snatched the binoculars from Nami's hand. "Let me see!"
"Wait, that flag is…" Seeing the flag and the emblem on the sails of the black wolf-headed ships, Robin's expression changed.
"What's wrong with the flag?" Luffy also looked at the battleship's flag. "It's a Jolly Roger. It's a pirate flag. Wait, are there pirates on Skypiea too?"
"No, that is the flag representing the ruler of the World Neutral Zone," Robin said gravely.
"The World Neutral Zone?"
The Straw Hats looked at Robin in confusion.
"The World Neutral Zone… That name sounds familiar. Wait a minute, no way!" Nami's eyes went wide, and she stammered, "R-Robin, it couldn't be…"
"That's right. It's the man you saw near Crocodile," Robin said sternly. "The Warlord of the Sea, Golden Ring Chris T. Aeridar, Captain of the Chris Pirates, King of the Clifford Kingdom, and the ruler of the World Neutral Zone!"
"So many titles! A pirate can be a king?" Chopper was bewildered.
"It's that man's flag..." Luffy frowned.
"Wasn't he from the East Blue? Is the Clifford Kingdom on Skypiea?" Zoro asked, confused.
"Damn it, is this his territory?" Sanji silently lit a cigarette.
"I, I think I've caught a disease that prevents me from going to Skypiea!" Usopp trembled, shrinking back by the stairs.
"No, the Clifford Kingdom is in the second half of the Grand Line. It appears his influence extends to Skypiea now." Robin gazed at the three pirate ships in the distance.
"What is the World Neutral Zone? I heard that name back in the East Blue," Luffy asked, bewildered.
"Yeah. I saw that man back in the East Blue and heard he was some 'Ruler of the World Neutral Zone,'" Zoro replied.
"Are you even from the East Blue? How do you not know about the World Neutral Zone!" Nami snapped, showing her teeth.
"The World Neutral Zone refers to the Clifford Kingdom ruled by Golden Ring Aeridar. It's one of the world's largest entertainment cities. It's a neutral zone recognized by the World Government, the Navy, and even pirates. Fighting is strictly forbidden there, and anyone who violates the rules is executed by the Chris Pirates," Robin explained. "However, it is also considered one of the most prosperous nations in the world. There's even a rumor that the citizens there are richer than the nobles of most other countries."
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