Marineford War: I Will Stand in the Sky

Or rather, the emergence of organizations like the "Seven Warlords of the Sea" is a product of the World Government's desire to maintain its control over pirates while simultaneously preventing the Navy from growing stronger.

It possesses considerable independence, yet is obligated to obey the Navy's emergency mobilization orders and operational commands.

This irrational and distorted organizational product stems from the mindset of the world government.

Otherwise, the World Government could easily increase the size of its navy by increasing military spending and supporting combat capabilities, which would be less costly, in order to deal with this turbulent Sea Swamp Era.

"Hey, wait a minute..."

The Warring States Marshal suddenly seemed to remember something and spoke softly.

"Tsuru, what about the Seven Warlords of the Sea? If those Seven Warlords are willing to cooperate with the Navy in combat and exert their own combat power, the problem of lacking high-end combat power can be perfectly solved."

Vice Admiral Tsuru frowned slightly and muttered, "The Seven Warlords of the Sea?"

In fact, Vice Admiral Tsuru almost never placed his hopes for maintaining peace on the seas on the "Seven Warlords of the Sea," who were essentially pirates as well.

That group of guys are always more of a deterrent than a practical force.

It was precisely for this reason that Vice Admiral Tsuru proposed holding the "First Shichibukai Conference" to leverage the influence of the Shichibukai to intimidate the seas.

However, truly utilizing the fighting power of the Seven Warlords of the Sea...

Vice Admiral Tsuru frowned as he pulled out the information on the "Seven Warlords of the Sea" and placed it in front of himself and Fleet Admiral Sengoku.

"Pirate Empress" Hancock, "Holy Cry Mantis" Corazon, "Tyrant" Kuma, "Thunder God" Enel, "Great Hero" Tiger, "Great Pirate" Gecko Moria, and "Hawkeye" Mihawk.

These are not simple characters...

Every time Lieutenant General Tsuru looked at the files of these seven people, he felt this sentiment and instinctively became wary of them.

It can be said that each of these seven people possesses the ability to disrupt the seas and destroy peace, making them extremely dangerous.

"Sengoku, do you mean you want to issue a forced mobilization order?" Vice Admiral Tsuru asked tentatively.

"Do not……"

The Warring States Marshal shook his head and said.

"A forced summons is far too blatant. What's the difference between this and declaring war on both the Beasts Pirates and the Red-Haired Pirates at the same time?"

"So, contacting each other in secret?"

After a pause, Lieutenant General Tsuru said without any hope.

"Without a mandatory summons order, given the greedy and cunning nature of these pirates, the outcome may not be as we hope, or they may simply ignore us."

[Chapter 468. The Secret]

Listening to Lieutenant General Tsuru's words, Marshal Sengoku also fell into deep thought.

This war between the Red-Haired Pirates and the Beasts Pirates, vying for the title of "Emperor of the Sea," presents an opportunity for the Navy if both sides suffer heavy losses, rather than if the Navy launches a simultaneous frontal attack on both pirate crews.

Therefore, secrecy is extremely important for the navy.

If the Navy takes the initiative to contact the Seven Warlords of the Sea, and the Seven Warlords choose to leak this information, what difference is there between that and the Navy simultaneously declaring war on both the "Beasts Pirates" and the "Red-Haired Pirates"?

"How about summoning the Seven Warlords of the Sea again for another reason?" Fleet Admiral Sengoku asked uncertainly.

Lieutenant General Crane pondered for a moment, then shook his head in reply.

"The success rate is very low. Now that the Red-Haired Pirates have declared war on the Beasts Pirates, the Navy's every move will be watched by many people with ulterior motives. Recruiting the Seven Warlords of the Sea again during this sensitive period will also arouse suspicion."

After a pause, Lieutenant General Tsuru suddenly seemed to remember something, picked up the file on "The Crying Mantis" Corazon, flipped through it, and asked.

"Speaking of which, wasn't Corazon your adopted son in the past, Sengoku?"

Upon hearing this, the Warring States Marshal's originally serious eyes revealed a hint of sadness as he replied.

“Rosinante has betrayed justice. I have secretly sent naval intelligence personnel to contact Rosinante many times in the past, but all of them have been in vain. It is almost impossible to win Rosinante over by relying on past kinship.”

"No, I mean..."

Lieutenant General Tsuru paused in his work, flipped to the latest page of Corazon's file, placed it in front of Fleet Admiral Sengoku, and said.

"According to intelligence personnel, during the 'First Shichibukai Conference' while Corazon was away from Dressrosa, something secret of the Donquixote Family accidentally entered the black market, attracting the covetous eyes of the 'Beasts Pirates'."

"In the following few months, Kaido of the Beasts sent his subordinates to the Dressrosa Kingdom to contact Corazon several times, but the results of the contacts were not good, and several small-scale conflicts were discovered instead."

Fleet Admiral Sengoku picked up the documents in front of him and quickly scanned them, then said in surprise, "Hmm? Is that so? Do you know what it was in the Dressrosa Kingdom that attracted the attention of 'Beasts' Kaido?"

"It's unclear. The Donquixote Family wields immense influence in the underground black market. Before the Navy could investigate further, the Donquixote Family quickly erased all traces of that thing. Only some information leaked to Kaido's ears," Vice Admiral Tsuru replied.

"So, the Donquixote Family and the Beasts Pirates are currently at odds?" Fleet Admiral Sengoku asked.

"That doesn't seem quite right either. Kaido of the Beasts suffered a defeat in the Dressrosa Kingdom incident seven years ago, and even lost an arm. Perhaps because he was wary of that incident, Kaido of the Beasts did not have the inclination to launch a full-scale attack on the Dressrosa Kingdom."

After a pause, Lieutenant General Tsuru recalled the latest intelligence and replied.

"However, Kaido, the 'King of the Beasts,' is, after all, known as the 'Emperor of the Sea.' His influence in the 'New World' is far greater than that of the Donquixote Family, which is only famous in the underground black market. Therefore, he is now suppressing the Dressrosa Kingdom in every way, trying to force the Donquixote Family to submit."

Upon hearing this, the Warring States Marshal's expression fell into a slump.

Kaido, the monster known as the "strongest creature in the sea, land, and air," has been causing quite a stir over the years. He has even arrogantly attacked the Navy on several occasions to hone his physique, keeping many of the Navy's combat forces busy. Fleet Admiral Sengoku himself is also extremely troubled by Kaido's madman-like behavior.

I never expected that someone like him would actually use cunning to try to subdue his opponent.

Of course, Fleet Admiral Sengoku was also well aware that Kaido, the "Beasts," was not afraid of the Donquixote Family, but rather of the powerful member of the "Hollow Hollow Organization" who had made a fleeting appearance seven years ago and evaporated the entire seawater of the "New World" with his unknown and terrifying abilities.

Where exactly is that powerful figure hiding?

The question resurfaced in the mind of the Warring States Marshal, and it was also the question in the minds of countless powerful figures across this vast sea.

If it weren't for the fact that the ocean evaporated and Kaido lost his arm, the World Government and the Navy would undoubtedly doubt whether the powerful figure who had searched the ocean countless times without any success truly existed.

Otherwise, given the World Government's control over this ocean for over eight hundred years, it would be impossible that they wouldn't have found even the slightest trace after searching with all their might.

"However... perhaps this is a good opportunity to win over Corazon!"

After setting aside his emotions and quickly adjusting his stance, the Warring States Marshal realized that this seemed to be a rare opportunity.

"If we can win Corazon over, then given Corazon's relationship with 'Great Hero' Tiger and 'Great Pirate' Gecko Moria, it's practically equivalent to bringing those three guys under our control..."

After a pause, Fleet Admiral Sengoku remembered Perona, the monster who always followed Moria and controlled the mysterious explosive phantom, and said.

"These four combatants have been recruited at the same time!"

Vice Admiral Tsuru continued, "Then the remaining ones are 'Pirate Empress' Hancock, 'Tyrant' Kuma, 'Thor' Enel, and 'Hawkeye' Mihawk."

"Hancock doesn't need to worry. As long as Yann speaks up personally, Hancock's stance will definitely be aligned with the Navy. And 'Tyrant' Kuma is one of the kings of the World Government's member states, so we can win him over in the name of the World Government."

Fleet Admiral Sengoku continued speaking, finally fixing his gaze on the files of "Thor" Enel and "Hawkeye" Mihawk, his eyes filled with hesitation.

Compared to the other five Shichibukai, the Navy knew the least about "Thunder God" Enel. They only knew that he was arrogant, capricious, and cruel, but they knew very little about his network of relationships and his exploitable weaknesses.

And "Hawkeye" Mihawk was even more feared by the Warring States Marshal.

As the "world's greatest swordsman," Mihawk is undoubtedly one of the men who sits on the "throne of the strongest." He is arrogant by nature and enjoys wandering the seas in search of worthy opponents.

Most importantly, according to naval intelligence, Mihawk and "Red-Haired" Shanks have sparred and fought each other many times, and seem to have an unusual relationship.

"We'll consider those two troublesome guys last. Let's try contacting Corazon first..." Marshal Sengoku muttered.

[Chapter 469 The Dongtata Clan]

New World Seas, Council Chamber of the Royal Palace of Dressrosa.

On the throne, Corazon sat casually. To his right stood a row of Don Quixote family executives, while to his left were Prime Minister Riku, the Kingdom's Army Commander Cyrus, Princess Violet, and three Tontatta, a race of tiny people smaller than a normal person's fist, also known as "fairies" in the customs of Dressrosa.

They are Ganjo, the chief of the Tontatta tribe; Mansherry, the princess of the Tontatta tribe and a user of the "Healing Fruit" ability; and Leo, the army commander of the Tontatta tribe and a user of the "Sewing Fruit" ability.

The Tontatta tribe is extremely small in size, but the tribe possesses amazing strength and moves very fast. They are also very honest and kind-hearted. More importantly, they have the nickname "Green Managers" and are said to have the ability to cultivate any plant in the world that they cannot.

Today, the Tontatta clan has officially joined the Dressrosa Kingdom. In addition to being responsible for the "artificial Devil Fruits," the entire Dressrosa, under the protection of the Tontatta clan, is so beautiful that it is almost like a paradise on earth, gradually earning the title of "World Garden" and attracting countless tourists.

Furthermore, the Tontatta clan, with their small stature, secretly formed a patrol force that played a significant role in maintaining order in Dressrosa.

However, as the native inhabitants of the islands near the Kingdom of Dressrosa, the Tontatta clan has harbored a hostile attitude towards the Donquixote clan for eight hundred years. In the end, Corazon was able to successfully recruit the Tontatta clan thanks to the friendly relationship between King Riku and the Tontatta clan.

Of course, Corazon also knew that the Tontatta clan was willing to lend him their power mainly because of their pure hearts and their naturally honest and kind nature.

In short, they are easily fooled...

Corazon rested his cheek on his hand, recalling the tricks Yann had taught him to fool the Dontata tribe. He still felt ashamed and even had the feeling of having fooled honest people.

'Sigh, it's all Yann's fault, it has nothing to do with me...' Corazon thought to himself.

Meanwhile, King Riku, as Prime Minister, was reporting on the economic losses suffered by the Dressrosa Kingdom over the past few months due to the influence of the "Beast Pirates".

"...In conclusion, with a large number of trading partners being threatened by the 'Beasts Pirates,' the kingdom's export trade volume has nearly halved, tourist numbers have dropped significantly, the tourism industry is on the verge of collapse, and even transactions in the underground black market have been severely hampered, resulting in extremely serious losses."

Corazon nodded slightly, his expression unchanged, while the cadres who remained in the Kingdom of Dressrosa looked ashamed and guilty.

"I apologize, young master. It was our carelessness that led to the theft of the 'artificial Devil Fruit,' which leaked into the black market and attracted the covetous eyes of the 'Beasts Pirates.' Please punish us, young master."

Monet, the "Snow-Snow Fruit" user who was now Corazon's secretary, knelt down, filled with remorse, because she admired Yann's competence as Robin back then.

Corazon glanced sideways at Monet beside him and noticed that in this pose, Monet's tank top could barely cover her ample bosom, making it appear especially white and alluring, like an abyss constantly tempting Corazon to explore further.

This made Corazon subconsciously look away, pick up the wine glass placed to the side, swirl it slightly, and then take a sip of red wine to moisten his slightly dry throat.

'No, I used to despise Arn, how can I become the person I used to hate the most?'

Corazon thought to himself, but outwardly remained calm and silent, which made the atmosphere in the conference hall even more tense.

Upon seeing this, the other Don Quixote family members felt a sense of oppression and also followed suit in apologizing.

"that……"

Princess Mansherry, the princess of the Tontatta clan and the person in charge of cultivating the "artificial Devil Fruit" project, couldn't help but whisper as she saw this.

“Mr. Corazon, could you please not blame Miss Monet and the others too much? The Tontatta clan also bears some responsibility for this, as they had no idea when the ‘artificial Devil Fruit’ was stolen.”

As Mansherry, whose appearance was almost identical to that of a legendary elf, spoke, Corazon, who had previously been expressionless, finally smiled and said.

"Don't worry, Princess Mansherry, I also know that simply assigning blame and punishment cannot undo the damage."

Upon hearing this, Princess Mansherry couldn't help but smile and spoke.

"Thank you, Mr. Corazon. I will definitely have my people cultivate more 'artificial Devil Fruits' this month to make up for Mr. Corazon's losses as much as possible."

Corazon nodded and thanked her. "Then I'll trouble you, Princess Mansherry."

After a pause, Corazon turned to Monet and the other cadres and spoke.

"Get up. Let's figure out how to deal with the 'Beasts Pirates' first."

"If the Beasts Pirates continue to use their influence to block the Dressrosa Kingdom's foreign trade, then perhaps the people can still be self-sufficient in basic necessities, but the economy will completely collapse, reverting to the dire situation before the family took over seven years ago."