"Then, Aeridar-dono, please remain after the meeting to formally sign the Warlord of the Sea agreement," said a Marine officer standing beside Fleet Admiral Sengoku.
The Warlord agreement, more a formality than a binding contract, was something both sides could break at any time. Still, for the outside world, it served as the legal foundation for the legitimacy of the Seven Warlords of the Sea.
"Ah, no problem at all," Aeridar replied with an easy smile, nodding politely to the other Warlords seated nearby.
"Then let me say just one more thing," Sengoku said sharply, eyes sweeping across the room. "Stop losing. If this continues, I'll have to question whether the Warlord system should even exist."
Sengoku had never fully supported the Warlord initiative in the first place. But since the World Government had sanctioned and enforced it, the Marines had no choice but to comply. True, the system could stabilize the seas, but it also risked nurturing even greater threats.
"Fufufufufu~ Fleet Admiral Sengoku, that's not for you to decide," Doflamingo sneered, lounging in his seat with amused disdain. After all, the plan had been approved by the Five Elders themselves. Sengoku, for all his rank, couldn't defy their will.
"But the Marines can influence the decisions made by the World Government," Vice Admiral Tsuru interjected, her tone cool but edged with unmistakable threat.
"What exists is what must be, Fleet Admiral Sengoku, Vice Admiral Tsuru. This is the world's tide, and it's not changing anytime in the next ten years," Aeridar said, casually toying with the golden ring hanging from his ear, his expression laced with contempt.
"This sea allows for anything. All we can do is make sure we don't get swallowed by the tide." Crocodile exhaled a slow puff of smoke, quoting Aeridar's earlier words back at him.
"Hmph. See that you do," Sengoku grunted. He steered the conversation back on track. "There's another matter. You're probably already aware that during the recent war in the New World, many pirate crews were broken apart. Some even retreated all the way back to the first half of the Grand Line."
"We know. What's your point?" Crocodile asked with clear impatience.
"You want us to help clean them up? Fufufufufu~" Doflamingo burst out laughing, his voice dripping with sarcasm.
"Not for me. For you," Sengoku said, scanning the room with a faint, calculated smile. "These pirates are brutal and dangerous. If you run into them, I suggest you eliminate them. It's in your best interest. I'm sure none of you want your territories disrupted or damaged."
Of course, Sengoku was secretly hoping those remnants from the New World would cause as much trouble for the Warlords as possible. Anything to weaken their power.
"Doesn't matter to me," Aeridar said with a shrug. "As a Warlord, my duty is to use my strength and reputation to suppress piracy. If I run into them and can take them down, I will."
He didn't have a permanent base anyway, and he had full confidence in his abilities. Those so-called "failures" from the New World weren't enough to intimidate him. At most, they were on par with a typical Vice Admiral, hardly a threat.
"Fufufufu~ same here. If they cross my path and I can crush them, I will," Doflamingo said with a twisted grin, fingers twitching with a faint glimmer of stringlight.
"I doubt any of those New World idiots would be dumb enough to pick a fight with me in the desert," Crocodile said coldly, shooting Sengoku a dismissive glance.
He had reason to be confident. In the desert, his Sand-Sand Fruit powers reached their peak. That was his domain. Even defeated New World pirates knew better than to provoke him there.
"If a skilled swordsman shows up to challenge me," said Mihawk, eyes narrowing slightly, "I'd welcome the fight."
Bartholomew Kuma closed his Bible and looked up calmly. "If I encounter them, I will erase them."
"Do as you like," Sengoku replied flatly. "Just consider this a heads-up, so you don't get yourselves killed by accident. With that, this meeting is adjourned."
"Fufufufufu~ I'll be the one laughing last," Doflamingo chuckled, rising from his seat and strutting toward the window. Without another word, he leapt out and soared away.
"If I die, then it means that's all I was worth," Crocodile said with a deadpan tone, standing and striding out of the room.
Kuma vanished without a trace.
Mihawk, carrying the world's strongest black blade on his back, moved toward the door. But as he reached the threshold, he paused and turned back.
"Aeridar," he said, voice low but deliberate, "that swordsman on your crew... he's not bad."
"Oh?" Aeridar turned his head with a grin. "I think so too."
"I look forward to his challenge." With that, Mihawk walked out.
"Heh... That day will come," Aeridar thought, watching Mihawk's retreating figure disappear from view.
He didn't need to ask how Mihawk knew. Oliver had been waiting just outside on the small boat. Mihawk, being the last to arrive, had surely crossed paths with him. With his keen eye and unmatched skill as the world's greatest swordsman, it made perfect sense that he would see Oliver's current level at a glance. For Mihawk to say something like that, it meant he saw real potential in Oliver.
"A swordsman from the Chris Pirates, huh?" Sengoku narrowed his eyes. "The Slayer, Oliver. Looks like another dangerous one."
Being well-versed in the members of the Chris Pirates, Sengoku knew exactly who Mihawk was referring to. Anyone acknowledged by Dracule Mihawk couldn't be underestimated.
Just then, a bearded Marine officer stepped forward and handed Aeridar a document. "This is the standard Warlord of the Sea agreement. Please review it. If there are no issues, sign at the end and affix your fingerprint," he added, offering a red ink pad.
"Thanks," Aeridar said politely, taking the document with a smile.
His sunny demeanor and courteous words made it hard for these seasoned Marine officers to reconcile him with the man they knew to be a notorious pirate with a 300 million bounty on his head.
The agreement itself was short, barely two pages. Its terms were simple: rely on your own power and reputation to deter and strike down pirates, respond to compulsory summons from the World Government, and contribute a portion of your earnings to help maintain order on the seas.
In return, the World Government and the Marines would drop all previous charges, halt any outstanding bounties, and overlook most privateering activities—as long as tribute was paid and requests made to the government weren't too excessive.
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