Secret Talks

"It seems we don't need to wait any longer. I thought we'd have to wait several more years!"

In Impel Down, in his own Chief Warden's room, Lawrence felt a surge of excitement.

He longed for sunlight, but didn't want to stay in the darkness forever.

He had grown accustomed to Impel Down, but it wasn't the place he wanted.

The Night Pirates gave him thirteen years, but now he can leave Impel Down three or four years earlier than the predetermined timeframe.

It would be great to be able to leave early, since working in Impel Down is extremely tedious and boring.

For him, besides exercising and patrolling, his daily routine consisted of delivering meals to Bullet and occasionally chatting with Magellan about Impel Down or what was happening at sea.

Chief Warden, he was naturally well aware of the situation outside.

The war between the Marine Headquarters and the Whitebeard Pirates is about to begin.

His chance to truly make a name for himself in the world has arrived. He just received a message from his colleagues at headquarters, which included the Night Pirates' next instructions to him. These were secret codes specially formulated by the Night Pirates, and outsiders would never be able to decipher them.

It's actually quite simple: after the war begins, release "the Heir of the Devil" Douglas Bullet, and then you can leave Impel Down.

Take Douglas Bullet directly to Marine Headquarters, where someone will escort them and Marine Headquarters other colleagues away.

That was a grand stage where he could make a name for himself; but to the Navy, that stage might make him a traitor.

But in the Night Sea Domain, within the Night Empire, he was a hero who had remained hidden in the navy for many years without being discovered, and had even become the Chief Warden of Impel Down.

This news thrilled and excited him, but aside from the fact that releasing Douglas Bullet was a must, he said nothing.

In other words, he was completely free to act as he pleased, and after that, throughout Impel Down.

The Night Pirates won't directly intervene; Whitebeard is destined to die, and the Navy will undoubtedly be the victor in this battle, but they certainly won't fare well either.

Douglas Bullet was Teach's trump card for the Navy.

Not only did the Night Pirates show him gratitude, but Douglas Bullet had also been looking forward to proving his strength honed over the past eight years in Impel Down.

They desperately need a big fight to vent their frustrations.

Get up from where you fall.

Taking a deep breath, Lawrence calmed himself. He'd survived so many years; what was a few days to him?

Especially in situations like this, it's crucial to remain calm, even if one has absolute confidence.

Isaac's departure greatly reduced the defensive strength of Impel Down, but the atmosphere within Impel Down as a whole improved.

Magellan, the warden of Impel Down, generally doesn't visit Level 5, the Extreme Cold Hell, or Level 6, the Infinite Hell.

Unless it's for escorting important prisoners.

Take, for example, the prisoner who was just sent to Infinite Hell, the one who will be publicly executed this time: Thatch, the Captain of the Fourth Division of the Whitebeard Pirates.

It's not safe right now. Admiral Aokiji is guarding Impel Down and will be escorting Thatch to Marine Headquarters tomorrow.

This is also a precaution against a possible attack from the Whitebeard Pirates, since there are two highly mobile Mythical Zoan Fruit users, and such an attack has a certain probability of happening.

In response to this situation, the escort of Thatch will be handled by the Admiral himself. Currently, the strongest defenses in Impel Down are Magellan and Lawrence, which is still somewhat insufficient.

"Doflamingo, you're definitely going to accept the Shichibukai summons, right?"

"Baboon! Of course, how could I possibly miss something like this?"

Doflamingo laughed excitedly. He had witnessed Roger's death, and he was also present when Golden Lion Shiki died. With this latest death, Whitebeard would most likely die as well.

Based on this, it seems that Doflamingo could win a Grand Slam.

"Then be prepared. The Shichibukai system will soon be obsolete after this battle," Teach kindly reminded him.

"Oh?" Doflamingo was somewhat puzzled, pondering the implied meaning in Teach's words.

He was sorry, but he hadn't guessed it; he had no idea about the Night Pirates' next plan.

However, he did not believe Teach was lying.

He'll have to think about it carefully then.

Without his status as Shichibukai, the Navy certainly won't let him go.

After all, he knows exactly what he's done, and if he exposes too many things, the Navy will definitely be watching him.

He believed the Navy must have obtained some evidence against him, perhaps not much, but enough to convict him.

After all, as a middleman in the Underworld and a dark king, he was involved in every illegal business imaginable.

But given his current strength and status Affiliated Nation, the World Government will certainly protect him.

The acquisition of Dressrosa was also a perfectly legitimate "transfer of power".

Under these circumstances, it's simply impossible to bring him down.

Suddenly, Doflamingo's eyes narrowed. Teach wasn't referring to the status of the Shichibukai, but rather that the Seven Warlords of the Sea system had lost its effectiveness.

In that case, it relates to the World Government.

Is the World Government being targeted by the Night Pirates?

The thought crossed his mind, and Doflamingo's heart skipped a beat.

Thinking about it this way, it's quite possible that the Whitebeard Pirates could delay the Navy's forces and prevent them from supporting the World Government.

However, since Teach didn't say, Doflamingo didn't ask either; he'd find out eventually.

If his status as Shichibukai is removed, he will need to strengthen his own side, which means bringing Vergo back.

After all, he placed Vergo in the navy to gather intelligence and facilitate certain operations.

If the Navy really intends to take action against him, there's no point in Vergo remaining in the Navy. His base of operations is in Dressrosa, where he has transformed the kingdom's underground into a transit point for the Underworld, possessing a vast amount of cargo.

The manufacturing plant for Artificial Devil Fruit is also located in Dressrosa.

Therefore, he cannot leave. If he loses Dressrosa, his power and influence will decline by more than half, although he still has a way out, such as the North Sea.

He won't give up easily unless he's completely cornered.

It seems we need to continue expanding our influence, and Vergo no longer needs to stay in the Navy.

If Vergo were to be exposed, arrested, or killed, he would be heartbroken and vomit blood; it would be better for him to come back sooner rather than later.

Since we're leaving, we can't let the navy have it easy; they'll definitely take action when the time comes.

This was something he understood to some extent with the Night Pirates; he guessed that the Night Pirates had quite a few spies within the Navy.

Based on his intelligence, a careful investigation revealed some clues.

After all, many of the slaves in the Night Pirates were transported by slave traders controlled by Doflamingo, so they naturally had some relevant intelligence.

He discovered that several slaves he had a record of had appeared in the Navy; these slaves were all ones he had arranged to be transported to the Night Pirates.

He generally doesn't care about the slaves, so he doesn't have much intelligence.

However, these few individuals alone are enough to illustrate a point: the Night Pirates have undoubtedly already begun infiltrating the Navy with a considerable number of spies.

The individuals he was focusing on had all risen to the rank of general or colonel, making one marvel at the extraordinary abilities of the Night Pirates.

The Navy has begun recruiting the Shichibukai.

These are all powerful combat forces designed to minimize losses to the navy itself; bringing them over would alleviate the pressure on the navy.

A mandatory conscription order cannot be refused; to refuse would mean being hostile to the World Government and the Navy.

At that time, they will no longer enjoy any rights and will become wanted criminals again.

Dracule Mihawk pondered for a moment before agreeing. This didn't mean he was afraid of the Navy; he simply had his own motives.

Amazon Queen Boa Hancock, the "Pirate Empress," wanted to refuse, but now that the Calm Belt's natural barrier was gone, the Navy had the ability to sail freely in Calm Belt, making the Amazon Kingdom no longer safe.

In light of this threat and for the sake of the people of the Amazon Kingdom.

Hancock had no choice but to agree to the conscription, since although she was powerful, she was still no match for the behemoth that was the Navy.

Any Marine Admiral could take her down.

This doesn't mean she lacks ability; it just means she's too weak and isolated.

Besides, the Navy sent Marine Vice Admiral Mole, and she doesn't have much of an advantage against Mole. It might be better in a few years, but right now she's still young, and there's not enough time for her to grow.

Crocodile also accepted the summons. The power granted by the World Government would be of considerable help to him, and besides, he had lost an arm at Whitebeard's hands, so this was a perfect opportunity.

However, it won't be so easy for the navy to utilize them.

This relieved the Marine Vice Admiral was there to help. Crocodile's aura was terrifying. As someone who could fight Bullet in his youth, even if there was some exaggeration, it was enough to show his strength. He also had a powerful record of challenging Whitebeard.

Over the years, it has certainly grown further.

Tyrant Bear also boarded a Navy warship. As a collaborator with the Navy and the World Government on research, he maintained more contact with them than the other Shichibukai, and secretly stole countless valuable research materials for the Revolutionary Army.

"The Withered One" Post also agreed to become Shichibukai, but he was significantly inferior to the other members in both status and strength.

They were even less able to resist the navy.

The last "Knight of the Sea," Jinbe, refused the Navy's conscription order. As a resident of Fish-Man Island, Whitebeard protecting Fish-Man Island for many years, how could Jinbe possibly agree to let the Navy deal with the Whitebeard Pirates?

Jinbe believed in righteousness, could not possibly agree to this.

Ultimately, he was arrested by the Navy and imprisoned in Impel Down. It was Admiral Akainu who invited him, having considered this possibility beforehand.

Arrest Jinbe immediately if he refuses.

Jinbe is very strong, but he is far inferior to Sakazuki and was easily defeated with little ability to put up a fight.

The Shichibukai have gathered six of them, which is not bad.

What surprised them most was that "Hawk Eyes" Mihawk would actually come; they had already prepared for him to refuse.

Mihawk is extremely powerful, and even if he refuses, the Navy can't do anything about him.

As the "world's World's Number One Swordsman," a top-tier fighter, a friend of the Sea Emperor "Red-Haired" Shanks, and a super VIP in the Night Sea Domain.

It also represents the powerful appeal of the swordsmen as a group, and many of their methods are actually ineffective against Mihawk.

The Navy's influence in the New World has shrunk, and they are even preparing to abandon it. Their top combatants Garp, Sakazuki, and Vergo, who is guarding the G5 Branch, have all been recalled.

The Marine Headquarters was prepared to fight with all its might because they needed a major victory.

The entire elite force of the navy, each Marine General or colonel, numbered a full 60,000.

This number isn't that large: the Golden Sea Battle, the dark years after the Golden Sea Battle, the war with the New World, the war Flying Pirates and the World Government, and countless other wars, both large and small.

Over the years, the navy has suffered extremely heavy losses in numerous major battles and encounters.

More than half of the officers and colonels were lost, and only those who were retrained and promoted in recent years have survived.

A decade or so ago, the navy could have mustered 90,000 to 100,000 elite officers and colonels.

To prevent other enemies from using terrifying attacks like the Star of Ruin, the Marine Headquarters even prepared a targeted ability: the Paramecia Transfer Fruit, which is similar to teleportation.

Moreover, it can deliver targeted information over a wide area.

Although it can't teleport you too far, it's enough to help the navy avoid this attack.

However, the chances of Dark Emperor attacking Marineford are slim, unless he intends to wipe out the Marines along with the Whitebeard Pirates.

This is inconsistent with the Dark Emperor's usual style.

The Night Pirates will not fall silent; this is a consensus among the core members of the Navy.

Since it wasn't an attack on the Navy, it's very likely the World Government, since the Night Pirates only have a few targets.

The navy could guess this, but they didn't say anything; they had their own plans.

They requested military assistance from the World Government, which did not refuse and will send two top-tier fighters, namely two of the Four Holy Guards of Revelation.

Unlike the attack by the Beasts and the Dark Night, the World Government didn't care about the minor casualties. To them, the destruction of the two islands was no big deal; they could simply find another island.

However, the World Government attaches great importance to this great war. If the navy encounters problems, the World Government will be directly affected. The foundation upon which the World Government can dominate the Grand Line is the navy.

To ensure victory in this battle while minimizing losses, sending reinforcements is essential, and it's also to prepare for potential attacks from the Night Pirates or other forces.