At the royal palace in Dressrosa, Doflamingo kicked a wall to pieces, a vein throbbing on his forehead from pure rage.
"Doffy," Trebol said, his voice snotty and angry. "That little brat Law is looking for a death wish. Let's send someone to kill him right now!"
Doflamingo shook his head. "No, it's useless to send anyone. Not even me."
"Doffy, are the Straw Hats really that powerful?"
"Trebol, don't get so close!" Doflamingo backed away from the snot-nosed man. "You heard it before. Straw Hat Luffy went toe-to-toe with Big Mom.
I also checked with my underground connections, and the Straw Hats were blocked by Kizaru before they even entered the Grand Line and escaped unharmed. Then they fought Akainu and Aokiji, defeated Katakuri and Cracker, and even pushed Kaido back once!"
He wore an expression of disbelief. It was too hard to imagine. The Straw Hats were mostly under twenty years old but were already this strong. There were other reports as well. In Water 7, when Diamante attacked the Straw Hats, Luffy and the Lightning Swordsman Carl weren't even there, but the crew members defeated Diamante and the others anyway. It was terrifying!
"Doffy, what should we do? Should we agree to Law's terms?" Trebol asked, looking hesitant.
"What else can I do?" Doflamingo said seriously. "Do you want me to abandon Diamante and the others? They are my family!"
It was hard to tell if Doflamingo truly cared about Diamante, but in front of his other crewmates, he had to act like he did. They were his family, so he had to care about their safety. Otherwise, the others would probably leave.
However, resigning as a Warlord would be a terrible thing for Doflamingo. Normally, he could use his status as a former Celestial Dragon to fabricate a false report to trick Law. But not now. The Marines were summoning the Warlords to Marine Headquarters; war was about to break out!
"Law, you bastard, you know how to pick your timing," Doflamingo said, gritting his teeth.
As soon as the Marines' summoning order was issued, the Warlords had to go. Otherwise, they would be stripped of their status and would become a target for the Marines. Dressrosa was not far from the entrance to the New World and was very close to Marine Headquarters. Without his Warlord status to protect him, his family business would be in great danger!
"This is a brutal move, Law! But do you really think I'll let you have your way? Just you wait and see!" Doflamingo laughed sinisterly, picking up a special Den Den Mushi and dialing. "Hello? Is this the Five Elders?"
At Marine Headquarters, all the Marine executives gathered at the port, silently watching two warships return.
The news of Zephyr's death in battle had already reached Marineford. Countless Marines cried, and those who had been trained by him were beside themselves with grief. When his body was carried out by Aokiji and the others, everyone at the port burst into tears.
Fleet Admiral Sengoku personally presided over Zephyr's funeral. Even in this critical period, he postponed everything to make the funeral a priority. The World Government had their objections, and even Kong called to scold Sengoku, but this time Sengoku was firm: the funeral had to be the first priority.
In the end, the World Government had no choice but to ask Sengoku to complete the funeral within a time limit. The World Government also issued a Marine hero medal to Zephyr, a rare act of kindness, as a funeral object.
Zephyr had no family, so many of his students handled the funeral. The Marine Admirals carried his body, dug the grave, filled the soil, and erected a monument for him. It was the highest-standard funeral the Marines had ever held.
At the funeral, Sengoku swore that he would inherit Zephyr's will of justice and destroy all pirates. The Marines, who had lost their spirit, suddenly had their morale boosted and screamed that they would kill all pirates. Zephyr's students, in particular, were seething with murderous intent.
Sengoku had achieved his goal. He knew that Zephyr's death would be a blow to the Marines, but he could also use it to boost their morale. He wasn't using the dead; Sengoku believed that Zephyr would have agreed with this. At this critical moment, the Marines' morale had to be solid!
"Next, we will call all the Warlords to Marine Headquarters. We will publicly execute Fire Fist Ace," Sengoku said firmly at an office meeting.
Garp remained silent, his fists clenched under the table. He knew that Sengoku had made up his mind and it was impossible to change it. Ace couldn't escape his fate of being executed, and a war between the Marines and the Whitebeard Pirates was now unavoidable. The battle to decide the fate of the sea was about to begin!
"Hmph! Those seven are pirates, too. Can you really trust them?" Akainu said, dissatisfied with the Warlord system.
"Our opponent is known as the strongest man in the world. We can't underestimate him," Sengoku said. "Akainu, if we don't have the Warlords fight at a time like this, then the entire Warlord system is meaningless."
"Anyway, their strength is decent, and they should be able to help," Kizaru said lazily.
"I agree," Aokiji said, changing from his usual lazy tone.
The three Admirals were so enthusiastic that Sengoku felt much better. Garp didn't say a word or fall asleep, so the meeting was a success.
"What about the Straw Hat Pirates?" Vice Admiral Tsuru asked. "Will they get a new bounty? Straw Hat Luffy just defeated Charlotte Linlin, and the other crew members also defeated Doflamingo's commanders. Their strength is extraordinary. Calling them the Five Emperors is no exaggeration!"
The topic of the Straw Hat Pirates gave Sengoku another headache. Their strength was so ridiculous that no one knew what to do. Sengoku wanted to scold Garp, but Garp wasn't in the right state, so it was better not to provoke his old comrade.
"We won't issue a new bounty for now," Sengoku said. "The Straw Hats are too famous, and their bounties change every day. It's affecting our reputation and fueling the arrogance of other pirates. So let's wait a bit. For now, we'll focus on Whitebeard's movements. Leave the Straw Hats alone."
The Vice Admirals nodded in agreement. The Straw Hats were so strong they were a huge problem, and it was better not to cause any more trouble. Aokiji glanced at the silent Garp, feeling uneasy. Since Ace was Garp's grandson, it was likely he had a good relationship with Luffy. If the Straw Hats got involved…
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