In the waters of Cape Twins, a large warship was positioned. On the deck a renowned female Marine, Vice Admiral Tsuru, stood facing the wind. Two other women wearing 'Justice' cloaks stood at the bow: one was an old woman with a short ponytail, and the other was a tall woman with a bun and a peachy, pink-themed uniform.
"Gion, our contact this time is mainly for observation," Vice Admiral Tsuru said, her arms crossed. "That guy Garp hasn't fought them much, and he hasn't tested their true strength, so we can't be arbitrary." Tsuru believed that seeing was believing, and while the eyewitness accounts from Loguetown were exaggerated, they couldn't dismiss the possibility that the pirates' strength was close to that of Hawkeye Mihawk.
A female soldier in the watchtower suddenly called out, "Vice Admiral Tsuru, we've found their ship!"
"Then speed up," Tsuru ordered, and the warship's speed increased.
Rodin's ship, having just emerged from Reverse Mountain, spotted a large warship ahead.
"Captain, there's another one behind us! It looks like Garp's ship!" Baki, perched on the mast, shouted down. From her time as a Warlord in her world, she recognized Garp's iconic ship.
"Are they trying to outflank us?" Rodin said, his gaze fixed on the approaching ships. He was surprised by how fast the Marines were. He noted they weren't firing their cannons.
"They have no intention of attacking," Mihoko confirmed, stepping forward.
"Hmph, Marines are still the same, bullying the weak and fearing the strong," Crocodile said with disdain. "The strong have a capital for conversation; the weak don't."
Tashigi also noticed the two ships. "Are they here to save me?" she whispered, feeling conflicted. On one hand, she wanted to become stronger and learn from Mihoko. But on the other, she felt she'd be a traitor if she didn't return to the Marines.
As Tsuru's ship drew closer, Rodin and his crew stood their ground, waiting to see what the Marines would do.
Once the two ships were close, Tsuru spoke first. "Excuse me... which one of you is Captain Rodin?"
"Rodin is not a woman's name," Rodin said, smiling at the bow. "Besides me, is there anyone else here?" He was curious as to why the Marines had only sent two female Vice Admirals, Tsuru and Momousagi, and not Garp. It seemed they weren't planning a full-scale battle.
Tsuru nodded. "Captain Rodin. I'll get straight to the point. I was wondering if you'd be interested in joining the Seven Warlords of the Sea." She had observed that Mihoko and Crocodile seemed to defer to Rodin, which meant his strength needed to be re-evaluated.
"Isn't the Warlord position full?" Rodin asked.
"It is, but it's not impossible to remove one," she replied. "If you agree, you could completely replace one of them." Tsuru explained that a weak Warlord was useless to the Marines. As long as they could find a legitimate excuse, a weak Warlord could be replaced, and Rodin's crew was qualified for the position. Tsuru was confident she could arrange it instantly.
"I see... but I can't make a decision right away. I need to think about it," Rodin said. He considered the benefits of joining the Warlords, such as the freedom to travel the seas without being hunted by the Marines and the World Government's acquiescence to their plunder.
However, he knew that becoming a Warlord now would give him a temporary boost in fame, but it wouldn't last. By contrast, if he continued his journey and caused one shocking incident after another, his fame would grow rapidly, increasing his strength and allowing him to summon more powerful allies. He wanted to form a unique super-crew that would shake the world and surpass the Four Emperors.
"Is that so?" Tsuru seemed to have anticipated his response. "We'll give you three days to think about it. I hope you won't make the wrong judgment." She preferred not to start a war, as catching a crew with strength equal to Mihawk's would be extremely difficult, and they didn't want them to join another powerful force.
"Of course, those who know the current affairs are the best," Rodin replied, finding Tsuru's confident and decisive tone interesting.
Tsuru then said, "Actually, I'm curious about the true strength of your crew. Would you mind letting Gion next to me have a small test?" She was more curious about Rodin's strength, but it would have been too direct to say so.
Crocodile stepped forward, a smirk on her face. "Marine, you're quite arrogant."
"No... just wanted to try my hand," Momousagi replied, her eyes flickering with anticipation. She tightened the Konpira around her waist. She wanted to test the woman rumored to have defeated the world's greatest swordsman.
Rodin, however, was not listening. A system notification had just popped into his head.
[Ding! Congratulations, Host, for triggering the main mission, 'Shichibukai's Attraction.' You now have the following two options! ]
[1. Agree to the offer. Remain in office for more than three consecutive months to complete the task. Reward: a Female character summon of self, chance! ]
[2. Refuse the offer and make 'Shichibukai' disappear from the world. Complete the task for a Super Ten Consecutive Draw! (Killing or convincing a Warlord to abdicate can reduce the character extraction time by two days.)]
[You have three days to think about it! ]
Option 1 was simpler but had a reward Rodin had no interest in. He didn't want to become a "female" himself, nor did he want to join the Warlords.
Option 2 was difficult, but the reward was amazing. He could make the Warlord system disappear by either killing them or getting them to abdicate. The reward was a Super Ten Consecutive Draw, far richer than a single sign-in. He didn't need to wait three days to decide.
System, I choose option 2, Rodin thought.
[Successfully selected task 2. You have 30 days to complete. Please hurry! ]
"Captain," Mihoko's soft voice brought Rodin back to reality.
"Kitty Hawk, keep an eye on Garp in the rear," Rodin said with a smile. "You want to test my crew's strength? Alright... Madam Baki, it's all you." He glanced at Baki, curious to see what his new crew member could do.
Baki obediently stepped forward, her eyes gleaming with a light of pure greed. "Captain, let's steal their ship while we're at it. It must be full of valuable things," she whispered. "Wait a moment and cooperate with me."
Rodin grinned. "As long as you can pull it off, you can do whatever you want." Taking a warship wasn't too much, right? As long as she didn't steal the people.
"Her?" Momousagi scoffed. "Captain Rodin, are you being perfunctory? She looks like she just got on board." She felt insulted that he was sending such a seemingly insignificant girl to fight an Admiral candidate.
"Gion is a Marine Admiral candidate; please take this seriously," Tsuru coughed, hinting that Rodin should send a stronger opponent.
Rodin just shrugged. "I am being very serious."
Momousagi and Tsuru exchanged a look. With a smooth motion, Momousagi drew her sword, a flash of her spider-patterned legs. She disappeared and reappeared in the air, bringing her sword down in a ferocious slash.
Swish!
A peachy-colored slash hurtled toward Baki. Baki, with a crack of her ankle, shot forward, pressing one hand against the attack. In the next second, the slash shattered into countless small slits, which flew past Baki and splashed harmlessly into the sea.
Momousagi's expression shifted. Her foot instinctively propelled her forward, and she swung her sword at Baki's waist. She held back, afraid of going too far.
To her surprise, Baki didn't even try to dodge.
Tear!
Momousagi's sword sliced through Baki's body without any resistance, separating her upper and lower halves.
"Huh? She's dead?" Momousagi was stunned. The girl was supposed to be strong, but she went down in a single hit?
"No, there's no blood!"
"You're a bit slow, little swordsman," Baki said, catapulting her hands forward with a smile. "Split!"
Momousagi's eyes widened. She subconsciously coated Golden Piro in Armament Haki and slashed at Baki's hands. But the moment the blade connected, it shattered. Momousagi was left holding the hilt, which also broke and slipped from her fingers.
"Impossible!" she gasped. This was a renowned sword! Even a Devil Fruit user couldn't break it so easily after she coated it in Haki. The only explanation was that Baki's Haki was superior. But how was that possible for such a young girl?
"Gion, be careful! Don't touch her hands!" Tsuru yelled. She had read about the Chop-Chop Fruit, but she never imagined it could be developed to this extent.
"Fight seriously, Momousagi," Baki said. She loved fighting swordsmen the most.
With Momousagi disarmed, the fight quickly became one-sided. She was an Admiral candidate, but without her weapon, she was like a soldier on a battlefield without a weapon. She was forced to retreat, eventually falling back onto her own warship.
"Enough, enough!" Tsuru cried.