"Mr. Ulquiorra, this is the World Government's Marineford!"
"Get to the point."
The tone on the other end of the Den Den Mushi was slightly respectful, but Cifer had no interest in listening to his polite words.
"Clear!"
"Regarding Crocodile's arrest in Alabasta, Fleet Admiral Sengoku will convene a meeting of the Shichibukai in Marineford in three days to discuss the next successor!"
"Please arrive as scheduled, Mr. Ulquiorra!"
The person on the other end seemed afraid that Cifer would hang up, so they finished speaking in one breath.
"I understand. Tell your Fleet Admiral Sengoku to prepare some food and drink for me."
"If I don't enjoy the meal, I might just throw a tantrum in Marineford!"
Cifer didn't give the other person a chance to speak again; he hung up the phone immediately after he finished speaking.
"The Shichibukai meeting... Will my dad be attending too?!"
Bonney was somewhat excited. Although she knew that the man was no longer Shichibukai, she still held onto a sliver of hope.
"Who knows? Just come along when the time comes!"
"Real?!"
Bonney was overjoyed; if she could go along, she might have a chance to meet Kuma.
Although the Shichibukai Conference is nominally only open to the Navy and the Shichibukai, Cifer didn't believe they would dare to object if he brought someone in.
After all, if even the smallest insect dares to speak at this meeting, what kind of strict occasion could it be?
"Great, Bonney! You get a chance to see Bear Cub!"
The uncle was also very excited; what they had been pursuing finally had a chance to come true.
"You should stay with them for a few more days. Once we get to Marineford, I'll have the Navy arrange for them to leave through the government gates."
Since they're afraid of encountering trouble at sea, they might as well let the overlord of the sea escort them.
Anyway, he's not some bad pirate, so I believe Sengoku would be willing to give him face.
"Learn!"
Bonney finally stopped crying and started laughing, her two little tiger teeth showing in the sunlight, and Cifer couldn't help but raise the corners of his mouth as well.
Because at this moment, she was like a lively and happy little girl, not a pirate burdened with worries.
"Let's go! Heading to the Sabaody Archipelago!"
Cifer returned to the Little Ul and issued the orders.
"Aren't we going to Marineford?"
Chopper was puzzled, since he had heard everything that was being said on the Den Den Mushi from that distance.
"No, no, no! Only Bonney and I are going to Marineford."
"You guys, go to Rayleigh and learn about Haki systematically!"
Although there isn't much time and the other party seems to be an incompetent teacher, it's still better to let them get in touch. Maybe their talent is much better than I imagined.
"Eh~"
Robin and Enel had no objections, but Chopper and Nolan clearly wanted to go and see the Marineford.
"Listen to me, all of you!"
Cifer was also having a headache. They wouldn't object to bringing just one person, but bringing the whole team would be going too far.
Besides, he didn't think Sengoku and the others would take him sightseeing around Marineford, which was the Marineford!
Okay~
The two responded listlessly.
The next two days of the journey were uneventful. Bonney spent most of her time on her own boat, occasionally making a guest appearance on the Little Ul to get used to the food she would be eating.
Until...
"Huh? Someone's riding a bicycle on the sea?"
Enel was completely bewildered after hearing Chopper and Nolan's description. In his mind, wasn't a bicycle just a reduced version of the Waver that could only be used on land?
Cifer remained calm, but Robin's expression was clearly a bit off.
"Ara ara~ Finally, there's a place where I can rest."
A man in a white and blue suit carried his bicycle and jumped onto the deck of the Little Ul, which conveniently blocked the Cifer from Xifa, who was sunbathing.
"An enemy?!"
General Chopper, as always, took the lead and stood in front of him.
"Huh? What's that raccoon dog?"
"Damn it! I'm not a raccoon dog, I'm a reindeer, look, I have antlers!"
Chopper is still troubled by being mistaken for a tanuki.
"You, Aokiji, are you really that free?"
"It's alright. Since you became Shichibukai, Paradise has indeed become much quieter. I've been pretty free most of the time when I'm not going to the New World."
Aokiji scratched his head, leaned the bicycle aside, and then walked up to Nolan.
"Oh my gosh~ There's a stunningly beautiful lady here who can make anyone swoon. Shall we have dinner together tonight?"
"Where did this weird old man come from?!"
She quickly hid behind Robin, unaware that he was already covered in sweat.
"You bastard, do you have a death wish?"
Lightning flickered faintly in Enel's hand.
"He is one of the Marineford' top combat forces, Admiral Aokiji! What brings you here!"
Although Robin was panicked, she did not lose her composure and quickly pulled Nolan behind Cifer.
After all, their captain's strength was in no way inferior to that of the person in front of them.
"How indifferent. I heard Ulquiorra was going to Marineford, so I rode this route here."
"I came here just to see you. After all these years on the run, are you finally planning to settle down, Nico Robin?"
Seeing that he was not popular, Aokiji did not care and found a comfortable position to lie on his side on the deck.
"Ulquiorra, I'm telling you beforehand, this woman is going to cause you a lot of trouble."
Aokiji picked at his ear and looked at Cifer, who was lying on a beach chair wearing sunglasses.
Robin didn't speak. She also turned her gaze to Cifer. If this man was willing to accept her, she hoped to have a place where she could be accommodated.
"Aokiji, do you think she'll cause more trouble than I do?"
Cifer didn't give a direct answer, but one sentence shut Aokiji up.
The latter recalled Cifer's deeds: destroying a small island, fighting Admiral, fighting the Four Emperors, replacing the Shichibukai, and most importantly, he even dared to kill Celestial Dragons!
"Seriously, I've ended up on the ship of a really troublesome guy! Oh well, whatever!"
Aokiji didn't want to dwell on the issue any longer; if she could stay by Ulquiorra's side, it wouldn't be a bad thing.
At the very least, Sauron's most desired outcome can finally be achieved.
Robin finally breathed a sigh of relief, because Cifer did not choose to abandon her like the others.
"By the way, whose ship is that following behind you? It doesn't have a flag, but it looks like a pirate ship."
"Speaking of which, could you do me a favor?"
Cifer asked Aokiji to send them back to the South Blue, but unsurprisingly, the request was rejected.
"I'm not using my precious vacation time to be your babysitter."
"But since we've run into each other, I'll hitch a ride back with your boat. I'm a bit tired from cycling anyway."
As if being unreasonable, Aokiji ignored the other person's reply, put on his eye mask, and went to sleep.
"This is... Admiral?"
To Nolan's bewilderment, several hours later, the two ships finally arrived at the Sabaody Archipelago.