After receiving confirmation that Admirals Kizaru and Aokiji would be there shortly, the messenger gave a hurried salute and practically fled from the office, eager to be away from the overwhelming presence of three of the Navy's most powerful figures.
"Oh?" Mike raised an eyebrow, casually flicking the long ash from the end of his cigar.
"Fleet Admiral Sengoku calling a high-level meeting at a time like this? Something's definitely brewing."
"..." Kuzan tilted his head slightly, a thoughtful expression on his face as he silently agreed.
"Ah…" Kizaru suddenly smacked himself on the forehead, a look of comical realization dawning on his face.
"Look at my memory! I got so caught up with all that Belly, I nearly forgot to mention the most important thing." He grinned at the other two.
"Mike-kun, Kuzan, I've got some huge news for you."
"Oh?" Mike arched a brow. "What news?"
Kizaru's grin widened. "The Whitebeard Pirates' Second Division Commander—'Fire Fist' Ace—has been captured!"
"!!!"
The lazy, relaxed atmosphere in the room shattered in an instant.
Mike's expression froze, the casual smirk wiped clean from his face.
His pupils contracted to pinpricks, and the cigar in his hand halted mid-air as a wisp of ash drifted silently to the floor.
"Ace was captured?! Already?!" His mind raced. "Was it Blackbeard's doing?"
"Correct," Kizaru confirmed with a nod.
He then quickly laid out the rest of the situation.
"Fleet Admiral Sengoku is convening this meeting to discuss how to deal with the Whitebeard Pirates… and, more importantly, the public execution of Ace."
The air in the office immediately turned heavy, so thick with tension it felt like you could cut it with a knife.
A public execution for Ace? That wasn't just dropping a bomb into the sea; it was dropping a nuke.
The tsunami that followed would reshape the entire world.
"Heh," Kuzan broke the silence with a dry chuckle, a meaningful curl to his lips.
"How impatient. Is Fleet Admiral Sengoku really planning to use Ace's life to make a statement and intimidate the pirates?" His gaze shifted to Mike.
"But… didn't you ask Whitebeard about Ace's whereabouts before we left? You saw this coming, didn't you?"
"I already said everything that needed to be said back then," Mike scoffed, shaking his head.
He brought the cigar back to his lips and took a long, deep drag, letting the smoke swirl in his mouth before exhaling a slow, thoughtful plume.
"Some people just won't listen to reason. They're determined to leap headfirst into the fire." He shrugged.
"What's done is done. Everyone has their own fate."
"Will this affect the gold-digging operation in the New World?" Kuzan asked, his focus shifting to the practical side of things.
The salvage operation in Whitebeard's territory was a cornerstone of the New Marine's funding.
If war broke out, that income stream might dry up.
"It won't," Mike replied, completely unconcerned.
"As long as Admiral Akainu agrees to join us, at worst, we'll just build one of our new fortresses right in Whitebeard's territory. After a war of this magnitude, the entire landscape of the New World is going to change anyway. This is the perfect opportunity for the New Marine to step in and reshape it to our liking." He smirked.
"Plus, it'll give Admiral Akainu a grand stage to perform on. Let him get 'friendly' with our New World 'friends.'"
"That's good," Kuzan said, a hint of a smile on his face.
"You always seem to have a solution for everything." He stood up. "Then we'll head to the meeting. Admiral Zephyr and Sakazuki should both be there. It's the perfect chance to push our recruitment plan forward. We can discuss the details when we get back."
"Alright!" Mike nodded, watching as Kizaru and Kuzan left the office.
As the New Marine's shadow financier and, on paper, a mere Marine Captain, he had no place in the old guard's high-level meetings.
Not that he cared.
With Kizaru and Kuzan now brimming with motivation, he knew he'd get a full report later.
"The Summit War… it's really coming…" Mike murmured to himself.
He took another satisfying drag from his cigar, the rich tobacco aroma filling his lungs as his gaze deepened.
For now, there was nothing for him to do.
He could finally enjoy some well-deserved downtime.
With a loud yawn, Mike stretched his arms high above his head, his joints cracking audibly.
He'd been at Marine Headquarters for a while now but hadn't actually seen any of it.
He turned to Kuro, a carefree look in his eyes.
"Kuro, let's go. Time to unwind a bit and take a look around."
"Yes, Captain!" Kuro replied, respectfully adjusting his glasses.
....
Meanwhile, in the grand conference room of Alabasta's royal palace, a delicate balance of power was being maintained.
Dracule Mihawk, Donquixote Doflamingo, and Sir Crocodile—three Warlords of the Sea—sat around a massive table, discussing the future of their joint venture, the Triangle Syndicate.
This fragile truce was abruptly shattered by a sudden, insistent ringing.
As if on cue, the Den Den Mushi carried by all three men began to chime at once.
"..." Mihawk answered first.
As he listened, his sharp, hawk-like eyes narrowed, and a barely perceptible ripple disturbed his usually calm expression.
Next was Doflamingo.
His iconic "fufufu" laughter died in his throat as he listened, his playful demeanor melting away into a serious, thoughtful silence.
Finally, Crocodile answered, his expression cold as he held the receiver, a cigar clenched between his teeth. His brow gradually furrowed.
"Fufufufufu!" Doflamingo was the first to break the silence after hanging up, his trademark grin snapping back onto his face.
But this time, it was laced with a thrilling, dangerous excitement.
He tapped his long fingers on the table in a rhythmic beat.
"A mandatory summons from Marine Headquarters… demanding all Seven Warlords head to Marineford immediately. It seems something big has happened."
Crocodile exhaled a thick cloud of smoke, obscuring his face.
"Crocodile, Mihawk, what do you two think? What's the Navy up to?"
"Hmph—" Crocodile snorted, his voice dripping with disdain.
"What else could it be? Just those old fools putting on another one of their shows. They see us as nothing more than tools. They're probably just summoning us to be used as cannon fodder to intimidate some pirates."
"This time might not be so simple," Mihawk countered, shaking his head. His voice was a low, serious rumble.
"To force all seven of us to gather… a mobilization of this scale is anything but ordinary."
"How about…" Doflamingo mused, stroking his chin thoughtfully, "we call Captain Mike first and get his opinion? Chances are, he already knows the inside story."
Crocodile remained silent, but his eyes betrayed his agreement.
The entire Triangle Syndicate was now inextricably linked to the young Marine Captain.
"Fine," Mihawk nodded. "That kid definitely knows something. Let's hear what he has to say."
He picked up his Den Den Mushi and dialed the familiar number, the three powerful men waiting in silent anticipation.
"Bruru bruru… Bruru bruru…"
A moment later, the snail picked up, and Mike's lazy voice, tinged with a hint of contentment, came through the line.
"Hello? Mihawk?"