Pirate: I was just slacking off, do you really think I'm bad?

Raleigh, what are you thinking? We can't keep taking that pirate with us forever.

Gion walked in from outside the office, looking worried. She said that ever since Raleigh and Barrett had their fight, she didn't know why Raleigh chose to keep him with her instead of letting him leave on his own.

Although Barrett went into the training room after arriving on the ship, he never left the room for any of his three meals a day.

However, having such a person on board is quite unsettling.

Gion was also worried that this matter would be used against them. Although there was relatively little political infighting in the Navy, most of the time it was due to the overwhelming strength of the pirates that they were united against external forces.

However, this matter is still a bad thing. If it is reported, it may become a ticking time bomb for Raleigh's campaign for field marshal.

Raleigh took Gion's small hand and squeezed it to signal her to calm down.

He pulled Gion close, held her in his arms, and whispered gently in her ear;

"It's alright, Low Garden. Since I brought Barrett onto the ship, I was already prepared."

In fact, there's something you're unaware of, but a plan that has already begun to be secretly implemented, and I can tell you about it now.

"In order to balance the power at sea, the World Government and the Air Admiral discussed and decided to launch a plan to select seven promising new pirates and grant them the right to legally rob."

They will provide naval intelligence and military support. Barrett is one of the targets I've been secretly searching for. If all goes well, he will be one of the seven.

This is the plan of the "Seven Warlords of the Sea".

In fact, the Navy's opinions were not taken into account much in this plan; in fact, it could be said that the Navy's opinions were completely unimportant.

The World Government doesn't know what kind of people pirates are.

No, of course they know.

It is precisely because they know this that they came up with the idea of ​​having a Seven Warlords of the Sea.

Because of the Navy's strength, there are times when it is necessary to protect those promising new pirates.

As for whether these pirates will harm civilians or merchant ships, what does that have to do with the Celestial Dragons? Anyway, it won't affect the member states' payment of Celestial Gold to them.

In fact, very few of the Seven Warlords of the Sea obey orders from the Navy or the World Government to take action against pirates.

This plan naturally aroused dissatisfaction among most of the naval high command.

Their pride as marines makes them disdain cooperating with so-called pirates.

Raleigh knew that no one could defy the World Government's orders.

The Navy is merely a product of the World Government's efforts to suppress pirates; they can find any excuse to replace the person with decision-making power with someone more obedient at any time.

So when Raleigh found out, he chose to go with the flow.

He would make contact with the Seven Warlords of the Sea beforehand and recruit them into his own ranks.

What if they don't accept it?

Haha, Barrett also considered not accepting it, but in the end he gave in.

Raleigh's next target is Crocodile.

Raleigh had always been curious as to why Crocodile was able to fight Barrett to a draw when he was young.

In the story, Crocodile is defeated by Luffy, who knows nothing.

Therefore, his next goal is to find Old Sha when he was young.

Suddenly, a little kid wearing sunglasses popped into Raleigh's mind.

I can't resist the urge to call him via Den Den Mushi.

blublublublublu.

The Den Den Mushi's image quickly changed into one wearing sunglasses and sporting a wicked smile.

"Vice Admiral Christine Rowley, it's quite an honor to call me personally. May I ask what brings you here?"

An arrogant voice rang out from the other end of the phone.

Doflamingo was sitting in the tallest building in the Donquixote Family compound, sipping the top-quality red wine that had just been delivered, and looking down at the family members who were diligently forging their chains.

Doflamingo, long time no see. How have you been lately?

Raleigh had a smile on his lips.

At this point, Doflamingo felt a little annoyed.

This bastard! Doflamingo is already the undisputed king of the North Blue's underground, yet he still speaks to him like he's coaxing a child. Doflamingo wanted nothing more than to kill him.

However, he also knew that Raleigh was not someone he could afford to offend.

Back in the North Blue, he could easily defeat Doflamingo, and now he's involved in the killing of two legendary pirates, Shiki and Whitebeard, on the Grand Line.

With such a brilliant record before him, Doflamingo had no choice but to lower his stance.

Raleigh didn't bother with any more words to Doflamingo, and he said directly:

"Doflamingo, hand over your assets and intelligence network in the North Blue to the Navy. In exchange, I will nominate you for the Seven Warlords of the Sea."

"With this identity, the navy will not attack you without reason, whether in the Four Seas or the New World."

Such a thing actually happened.

Doflamingo was somewhat tempted, but quickly controlled his tone of voice.

Suppress your excitement and speak in a calm manner.

Although Raleigh didn't specify what benefits he would receive, the mere fact that the Navy wouldn't intervene without a reason was enough to tempt Doflamingo.

During the year he controlled the North Sea Mafia, he was acutely aware of just how violent underground transactions were.

His success was entirely due to Raleigh's tacit approval.

If it weren't for Raleigh's orders, the North Sea navy wouldn't have let Doflamingo go.

Therefore, he realized how important this identity was.

However, he was also very dissatisfied with Raleigh's exorbitant nomination, because he did not feel that Raleigh's nomination was worthy of the business he had worked so hard to build.

Although he didn't know who was implementing the plan, he felt that he could obtain it by exchanging benefits with the World Government, given his special status.

This might be a better deal than dealing with Raleigh. Thank you for letting me know, but I need more time to think about it.

Doflamingo carefully considered his words, but ultimately decided to delay Raleigh while simultaneously using his network of connections to investigate the matter.

Lori cleared his throat, a mocking expression spreading across his face. "Doflamingo, your tricks are useless against me."

"If you refuse my terms and become a Shichibukai through someone else, I'll show you what regret is."

"After all, you are like an ant before me."

Upon hearing this, Doflamingo's handsome face contorted into a grimace.

He hated this feeling of powerlessness. After Raleigh left North Sea, he had been doing very well, which made him mistakenly believe that no one could threaten him anymore.

Now, that familiar voice, carrying that familiar threat, has returned.

Now, Doflamingo is even less likely to resist.

When Doflamingo first set foot in the North Blue, he appeared quite naive in both his methods and his vision.

Raleigh always gave him a vague and unpredictable feeling. It wasn't until Raleigh left and Doflamingo gradually matured that he realized how terrifying Raleigh's methods were.

Before getting to know him better, he thought Raleigh was just being willful because of his strength.

After getting to know him better, I realized that Raleigh almost always teetered on the brink of turning against the World Government.

It's like a dancer performing on a tightrope high in the sky; any mistake could send him plummeting off a cliff and shattering to pieces.

What Raleigh did, if it gets exposed.

Neither the World Government nor the Navy could tolerate him, let alone pirates.

However, after Raleigh finishes his work, he always uses various means to get those who know the truth to keep his secrets.

Even Doflamingo, who has been in the North Blue for so long, has never thought of revealing what Raleigh had done.

Of course, Doflamingo wouldn't dare either.

He believed that Raleigh definitely had a backup plan, and he wouldn't be surprised if there was even a mole within the Don Quixote family.

Because of Raleigh, Vergo is still at the Donquixote Family's base. No one has ever thought of sending him to the Navy as a spy. Instead, they have thought of sending Vergo to the World Government to see if he can become an undercover agent.

After careful consideration, Doflamingo compromised somewhat;

"You're asking for too much. I'll give you half of the Don Quixote family's holdings in the North Sea, but you'll have to trade the rest for something else."

"Once our Don Quixote family has done this, we will leave the North Sea, and the North Sea will be yours."

Raleigh smiled slightly, feeling that he had achieved his goal.

"You can talk to Cleveland about those things. I haven't been involved in North Sea matters for a long time."

"However, I will mention your name to my superiors regarding the matter of the Seven Warlords of the Sea."

Raleigh was comfortable letting Doflamingo go to the New World, since if nothing unexpected happened, the guy would probably still choose Dressrosa as his base.

That was their Don Quixote family's territory.

For characters you know well, just be careful not to get hit by Sugar.

Everyone else is a pushover compared to Raleigh.

After Raleigh finished his call, Gion couldn't resist kissing the domineering Raleigh. Their lips parted only after a long while.

While the two were deeply in love, the Marine Headquarters was in an uproar over the matter of the Seven Warlords of the Sea.

Marineford Conference Room.

All naval officers of vice admiral rank and above were gathered in the conference room, engaged in a heated discussion about the matter.

He sat in the main seat, looking down at the crowd below.

"Everyone, please share your different opinions on the proposal to establish the Seven Warlords of the Sea."

Suddenly, the once quiet conference room was like a bustling market, filled with noise.

The naval hawks were among the most vocal in their arguments.

"What a joke! Pirates are pirates, how can we allow them to legally plunder!"

"Yes, our navy was established to suppress pirates. If they openly appear before us, where is the dignity of our navy?!"

"We strongly protest! This proposal is blatantly trampling justice underfoot!"

"What a lousy proposal."

Looking at the restless crowd, Marshal Kong helplessly rubbed his temples.

He had expected this outcome.

To be honest, Kong was also very resistant when he first saw this proposal.

Having served in the Navy for so many years, rising step by step from a lowly soldier to the position of Fleet Admiral, how could he not have had any relatives or friends die at the hands of pirates!

It's safe to say that any navy officer who serves for a long time will develop an irreconcilable hatred with pirates!

This is an inevitable historical trend.

Whenever the navy goes to suppress pirates, there will be casualties.

If it's not your turn this time, then next time, and the time after that, sooner or later you or your companions will die on the battlefield fighting pirates. If it weren't for the World Government's strong threats, Kong really wanted to throw the proposal in their faces.

After sighing, Sora looked at Sengoku and Tsuru, who had been silent, and asked them;

"Warring States Period, what do you think of this proposal?"

Everyone stopped talking and looked towards the Warring States period.

Now, Admiral Sengoku is almost certain to become the next Fleet Admiral. Moreover, his strength and wisdom are unparalleled in the Navy, and no one will ignore his opinion.

Sengoku pushed up his glasses and said;

Actually, the proposal to establish the Seven Warlords of the Sea was good in principle, using pirates to restrain other pirates and thus reduce the casualties of the Navy.

However, if this matter is not handled properly, our navy will undoubtedly be nurturing another tiger.

"Therefore, I believe that the system of the Seven Warlords of the Sea can be implemented, but their power must be limited."

First, I think their right to legal plunder is too vague. What exactly constitutes legal plunder? It's not like their attacks on the navy are legal plunder.

"Secondly, is their intelligence provision to the Navy regular or something else? Also, if the Navy needs to deploy them for combat, how should they be deployed?"

I didn't see any of these issues in the proposal. If we don't address these problems now before the proposal is finalized, they could become unmanageable in the future.

After hearing Sengoku's suggestion, Sora's eyes lit up.

His thinking was still misguided.

Kong's ideas were the same as those of other naval commanders; they were all trying to find a way to overturn the proposal.

Sengoku's proposal was based on the premise that the proposal could not be overturned, and aimed to limit the power of pirates as much as possible!

This forced the pirates to obediently follow the Navy's orders. Then, Sora turned his gaze to Tsuru, who was deep in thought. "Tsuru, do you have any ideas?"

After pondering for a moment, the crane raised its head and said:

"Admiral Kong, if we consider Sengoku's ideas, I suggest that the territories of these Seven Warlords be confined to the first half of the Grand Line."

The pirates of the New World are incredibly powerful; even if the Seven Warlords of the Sea were chosen, they wouldn't be able to contend with them. It would be better to use them to clear out those who have just entered the Grand Line in the first half of the journey.

Our navy can free up manpower to go into the New World and fight the pirates, firmly trapping those great pirates in the New World and limiting their development.

The others in the room nodded in agreement after hearing this.

The world's strongest people are all concentrated in the New World.

New pirates from all over the world must pass through the Grand Line. If the Seven Warlords of the Sea can cause them heavy losses in Paradise and prevent them from advancing, then the pirates in the New World will not be able to replenish their ranks.

As one side gains and the other loses, the Navy's power grows stronger and stronger, while the pirates' power diminishes.

After finishing arranging what the two people had said, Kong hurriedly got up.

"Sengoku, I'm temporarily entrusting headquarters to you. I need to go to Pangaea Castle to discuss the matter of the Seven Warlords of the Sea with the Five Elders."