The Gathering
Marineford, the Marine Headquarters, has been quite lively lately.
The elite naval personnel, drawn from branch bases across the country, gathered here, making this massive fortress feel crowded for the first time.
The navy has indeed made many preparations for this war.
Today, the place has become even more lively, because the execution is tomorrow.
Yellow sand, seemingly drifting from nowhere, fell from the sky and gathered in the square of Marineford.
A tall figure emerged from the yellow sand.
The newcomer glanced around at the naval soldiers bustling about the square, then looked back at the incredibly crowded fleet of naval warships in Crescent Bay, and couldn't help but let out a soft snort, "It's certainly quite lively."
Who exactly is the Navy preparing to deal with?
Wasn't the Whitebeard Pirates wiped out? The remaining pirate crews are just a bunch of worthless bastards, nothing to worry about.
Surely the navy wouldn't have made such a large-scale deployment just for them?
Are they absolutely certain that someone will take action?
The newcomer's lips curled into a smirk.
That's really interesting.
"It's Mr. Crocodile!"
A group of marines approached and said respectfully, "Please follow me to the lounge to rest. Fleet Admiral Sengoku will receive you all once all the Shichibukai have arrived."
Crocodile's lips twitched slightly.
How arrogant, Navy!
However, he didn't say anything.
He personally experienced that battle four years ago.
He knew what was behind the navy, and what kind of monster lurked deep within the government.
Following the navy personnel, we entered the headquarters building and wandered around before arriving at the outside of a room.
Crocodile pushed open the door and went inside.
The people inside the room immediately turned their heads, their eyes meeting Crocodile's.
"Hehehe, Crocodile! You're way too slow!"
The first to speak was Muscular Moria, whose physique had become extremely robust, and whose long neck had even disappeared.
"Tsk, Moria, you're still alive?"
Crocodile casually found a chair and sat down, putting his feet on the table in front of him. "I thought you were already dead at Kaido's hands."
During those four years, Crocodile and Moria were both active in the New World and had many interactions with each other.
He knew, of course, that Moria had been searching for Beasts Kaido for the past four years, seeking revenge for what happened back then.
But we haven't found it yet, and we don't know whether to call it good luck or bad luck.
"But then again,"
Crocodile's gaze wandered, passing over Bartholomew Kuma, who remained silent and still, flipping through a book like a stone, before finally settling on the last person in the room. "Even you came?"
Wearing a top hat, with his signature Black Blade laid aside, the man with eagle-like sharp eyes raised his head. "I want to witness the end of an old era, no matter what."
"Hahaha! The old days, huh?"
Crocodile laughed heartily. "Isn't that funny?"
The oldest of times may still be ruling this world.
Soon, the others arrived.
"A bunch of disgusting men huddled together, it makes me want to vomit."
The door was simply pushed open, but no one came in. "Give me a room to myself."
"Yes! Yes! Lady Hancock!!"
Then came enthusiastic responses.
"Oh, what a bad-tempered woman."
Although he didn't see it, Crocodile knew who had come.
"Hehehe, she's no ordinary woman." Moria chuckled strangely.
"She's amazing."
Hawk Eyes's words were concise and to the point.
The group chatted casually, since there wasn't much entertainment to do, so they just chatted to pass the time.
Then, more people came.
"Mom, there are so many awesome guys!"
A man carrying a naginata and with a crescent-shaped mustache arrived here, led by his elderly mother.
"Hehehe, these are all your colleagues, Weevil!"
The rather short old woman had a very strange laugh. "Come on, quickly say hello to them."
Hello.
The stunned man followed his mother's advice and immediately greeted her loudly.
Hawk Eyes remained calm, Kuma remained silent, Moria's smile widened, and Crocodile sneered.
When the government chose this guy to fill the vacancy of the Shichibukai, it caused quite a bit of controversy.
After all, everyone knows that Edward Weevil has always claimed to be the son of Whitebeard.
The coldness of the others had no effect on the mother and son. They found a place to sit down and didn't talk to anyone, just talking to themselves.
Ironically, the man who claims to be Whitebeard's son is here to ensure that the execution of Whitebeard goes smoothly.
A little while later, more people arrived.
"Thief, hahaha!"
The person hadn't appeared yet, but the sound of the exhaustion had already penetrated the door and reached everyone's ears.
Then, a fat, dark-skinned man pushed open the door and entered, "Sorry to keep you all waiting! I am the new Shichibukai!"
In an instant, everyone looked at him, Crocodile's eyes especially dangerous.
A newcomer to the Shichibukai.
He betrayed the Whitebeard Pirates and joined the government! The culprit who caused the Whitebeard Pirates' downfall!
Blackbeard, Marshall D. Teach!
"Hahaha, am I too eye-catching?"
Teach laughed heartily and casually found a place to sit down.
Immediately afterwards, Fleet Admiral Sengoku walked in from outside the door.
"Now that everyone's here, stop making a fuss and listen carefully to what I have to say without missing a single word. Do you understand, you scum?"
The Navy's supreme commander was extremely impolite.
"Is everyone here?"
Crocodile recounted the number of people; even including the woman next door, it wasn't enough. "Jinbe?"
Although there are already eight Shichibukai, is it really necessary to remove one person just to maintain the title of "Seven"?
"That bastard refused to participate in the execution, so the government has decided to strip him of his Shichibukai position and has already thrown him into Impel Down."
The Sengoku was very calm.
"What a idiot! Hahaha!"
Blackbeard sneered, "Nothing will change; you'll only be doomed."
Crocodile glanced at him sideways.
They both called the man "Dad," but their actions were completely different.
"Alright, you scum, now's not the time for your nonsense!"
The Sengoku reprimanded him mercilessly.
He then assigned the Shichibukai their tasks for the upcoming executions.
Essentially, they form the first line of defense when enemies arrive.
The Shichibukai didn't care; they had already made preparations. The government hadn't given them so many privileges for nothing.
All forces have been assembled and are awaiting tomorrow's execution.