Xi Yan, Ignored

"He's all show and no substance."

Xi Yan, who was staring at the Rock Giant, shook his head inwardly.

Although this guy looks pretty big, his attack power is too weak.

And they don't even wrap Haki around it... Is it because they don't have enough Haki reserves?

Fujitora, on the other hand, frowned and stared at the distant sky, seemingly lost in thought.

"Commander Issho," a Marine said, "Those infamous pirates who escaped from the Colosseum are currently heading towards Doflamingo's Royal Palace with Straw Hat."

"I see."

Coming to his senses, Fujitora said in a deep voice, "I thought those heinous criminals wouldn't be able to work together, but I never expected them to be so in sync..."

At this point, Fujitora paused, then turned to look at Xi Yan, who was staring at him, and said, "So this is the Straw Hat Pirates. I've certainly learned something from them today."

He also knew about some of the events that occurred two years ago during the Marineford War, so he naturally knew that the Straw Hat had turned the people from Underwater Great Prison into his allies.

It has to be said, this Straw Hat does seem a bit different.

"Our abilities are far more Lihai than you imagine," Xi Yan said with a chuckle.

To be honest, he wasn't surprised at all by the current situation.

After all... the Straw Hat Pirates had done something similar before.

Fujitora simply nodded in response, saying nothing more.

"Aren't you going to continue?"

Sitting on the rock, Xi Yan looked at Fujitora curiously. Fujitora had stopped attacking the moment Pica made his move, and then turned back to his subordinates, seemingly not caring about him at all.

When faced with this question, Fujitora did not answer, but instead lowered his head and fell into deep thought.

After a moment, he looked up and said, "Give me that."

"This and that" naturally refers to the Den Den Den Mushi) in the hands of the subordinates.

"Yes, Commander Yixiao!"

Although he didn't know what his superior wanted to do, the navy officer obediently handed the Den Den Mushi to Fujitora.

After receiving the Den Den Mushi, Fujitora dialed the Navy's dedicated channel in front of Xi Yan.

"Commander Yixiao?"

The Vice Admiral in other areas looked at the Den Den Mushi in their hands with surprise. At this moment, the Admiral contacted them...

"Kaga ~"

"I am Issho," Fujitora said in a deep voice, "The pirates who escaped the Colosseum are now acting in unison..."

"Ah, I see that," the Vice Admiral said. "If they all go berserk and cause trouble together, it will be even harder to control the situation."

"No, this is more advantageous for us."

"Ha?"

"What's the meaning?"

The Vice Admiral looked completely bewildered. What did he mean by "this is more advantageous to them"?

If pirates cause trouble, they'll be in real trouble.

But Fujitora didn't explain anything; he simply gave the order directly.

"Have the Vice Admiral scattered throughout the island quickly dispatch reinforcements and assemble them at the foot of the Royal Palace!" Fujitora said in a deep voice, "Now is the time for us to begin our operation."

"Yes!"

Although they didn't know what their Admiral meant, the Vice Admiral faithfully carried out the order.

"Kaga ~"

After ending the call with Den Den Mushi Fujitora calmly returned Den Den Mushi to his subordinate and turned his 'gaze' back to Xi Yan's face.

"Is it really okay to give orders right in front of me like this?" Xi Yan asked.

For some reason, he felt that the Marine Admiral in front of him exuded a strange aura.

But if he had to explain it, he couldn't.

"Hehe."

Fujitora didn't answer that question, but simply smiled and asked in return, "Young man, what do you think is the purpose of the Shichibukai?"

This statement is not only a question, but also seems to be a confirmation of something.

What exactly are you trying to say?

Xi Yan frowned. Why would this guy ask such a strange question?

Could it be that this person has developed some other idea about Doflamingo?

'It's not impossible,' Xi Yan thought to himself. 'After all, Doflamingo's actions were extremely heinous; it would be abnormal if the Navy didn't take action against him under these circumstances.'

Even if it's because the other party is a former Celestial Dragons, the Navy shouldn't have remained completely indifferent.

So... this blind old man might really have some other ideas.

"It's nothing, just a casual question," Fujitora said calmly.

That's true, but Xi Yan always felt there was something more to what the guy was saying.

Just then, as if sensing something, Xi Yan subconsciously looked up at the sky.

Then, a plume of white smoke rushed toward them.

"Smoker...?"

Knowing who the other person was, Xi Yan frowned subconsciously, wondering if this guy had Observation Haki two years ago.

If I possessed Observation Haki, the other party would probably recognize me immediately.

With this in mind, Xi Yan decided to leave for the time being.

But then I thought, if I fight Fujitora, he'll find out about me sooner or later, so there's not much point in leaving now.

Having realized this, Xi Yan gave up the idea of leaving and just stood there watching.

A moment later...

"A smile!"

Smoker, who had landed steadily on the ground, stared intently into Fujitora's eyes and said, "What exactly are you trying to do?"

At this moment, Smoker was filled with anger, looking like a lion that was about to explode.

As for Xi Yan?

He completely ignored it.

A nobody with a bounty of 100 million Beli isn't worth his attention.

"Mr. Smoker, you look very angry."

"Of course!"

Smoker roared, "That bastard Doflamingo has already gone this far, what are you waiting for if you don't make a move?"

"Because he's Shichibukai?"

"But don't forget he's already broken a taboo. In this situation, even if he were Shichibukai, he couldn't protect him!"

Smoker was furious. Putting aside the fact that Doflamingo turned people into toys, just the fact that this guy used his abilities to manipulate the people and the Navy into killing each other deserved to die!

So he was very curious: what exactly was that bastard Yixiao thinking?

"He is a former Celestial Dragons," Fujitora said.

"So what?" Smoker's eyes widened. "Don't tell me you're afraid to act for that reason."

"If that's really the case, then I'll do it!"

If this bastard is really afraid to attack Doflamingo for that reason, then he'll despise him.

To Smoker's surprise, Fujitora laughed after hearing Smoker's words.

"Why are you laughing?"

"It's just the joy of seeing one's own kind," Fujitora said.

Smoker:???

What on earth is this guy talking about?

"I think I know what you're going to do," Xi Yan suddenly said.

"Um?"

Smoker glanced at Xi Yan subconsciously, then frowned.

This guy not only didn't run away when he saw the two of them chatting, but he also dared to interrupt.

Does he really not know how to write the word "death"?

With that in mind, Smoker decided to strike first and eliminate Xi Yan.

Before he could even make a move, Fujitora gently pressed down on his shoulder.

At this moment, Xi Yan seemed to realize something and showed a surprised expression.

"This is..."

Without saying anything more, Xi Yan vanished from the spot with an Instant Body Technique.

Seeing that Xi Yan had left, Smoker temporarily abandoned the idea of pursuing him and turned to look at Fujitora.

Why did you stop me?

Could it be that Fujitora has really fallen from grace?

"Mr. Smoker, don't you think the existence of the Shichibukai is a disaster for the common people on the sea?" Fujitora asked.

Upon hearing this, Smoker fell silent.

He now seemed to understand why that pirate had said that, and he also knew what Fujitora was up to.

"You want to abolish the Warlord System?"

Fujitora nodded, indicating that Smoker was right.

"You should know how much resistance there is to this," Smoker said with his arms crossed in a deep voice. "I proposed this back when the Alabasta incident happened, but unfortunately it was rejected by the higher-ups."

"And the reason is simple: the World Government needs the Shichibukai to keep the Four Emperors in check."

"Ha, to keep the Four Emperors in check..."

As Smoker uttered this last sentence, a mocking expression appeared on his face.

He genuinely didn't know how the Shichibukai could balance the Four Emperors.

Relying on strength?

How many of the Shichibukai can actually fight against the Four Emperors?

Aside from Hawkeye, there's only the Pirate Empress left, right?

As for whether they are willing to put in the effort?

This was evident in the Marineford War two years ago; the other side was clearly unwilling to contribute.

Otherwise, their navy wouldn't have needed to pay such a high price.

"I know this is difficult, but someone has to do it, right?" Fujitora turned to look at the sky and said, "Having spent some time in this country, you should be aware of its darkness."

"If the Shichibukai continue to exist, such darkness will likely continue to occur."

Judging from what Doflamingo and Crocodile did, the Shichibukai were no good people.

Therefore, to prevent similar incidents from happening again, the Shichibukai must be eliminated!

"That's true."

Smoker said in a deep voice, "Let's take Doflamingo for example, for instance."

"If this guy really gets through this crisis, he'll definitely try to seize another country."

He believed that with Doflamingo's abilities, he was absolutely capable of doing such a thing!

As for whether their navy will be aware of this?

With that little girl named Sugar around, Who Knows what might happen.

Therefore, to avoid such a thing from happening, let's take down Doflamingo.

"That's right," Fujitora said. "That's why I never intended for Doflamingo to leave Dressrosa unscathed."

"That's good."

Smoker secretly breathed a sigh of relief upon hearing this. Since the other party had said so, it meant that this guy had not fallen into depravity.

This is good news for him.

Then Smoker said, "Then what are we waiting for? Let's get going!"

"If you don't want to take action, leave it to me. I'm not afraid of the Celestial Dragons."

Having spent two years with Garp, he could understand some of the difficulties faced by Admiral and why the old man Garp chose to refuse promotion to Admiral.

So... he can understand why Fujitora isn't taking action.

But he had no such concerns; he just went for it!

"You?"

"You can't make a move either."

Smoker:???

Smoker looked at Fujitora with a puzzled expression. What did he mean that even he couldn't make a move?

The other naval personnel exchanged glances. Was this a conversation they could afford to listen to?

After thinking for a moment, these people cleverly walked away, leaving the space to the two of them.

Smoker didn't care about such things; after all, everyone present was one of his own, so he just listened.

"What exactly do you mean?" Smoker said. "Tell me everything at once."

"I roughly know what Doflamingo is up to," Fujitora said, "But if we want to completely abolish the Shichibukai, it can't be us."

After speaking, Fujitora paused for a moment, then explained, "You should remember what happened in Alabasta, right?"

Of course.

Smoker gritted his teeth and said, "I experienced that myself, so of course I know."

He was even promoted because of this incident, but to him it was an insult, since it was Straw Hat Luffy who defeated Crocodile, not him.

But there was nothing he could do; the World Government forced the credit onto him without giving him a chance to object.

"That's exactly the point," Fujitora said firmly. "To prevent the World Government from rewriting the truth and whitewashing the Shichibukai again, the pirates must defeat Doflamingo themselves."

"Firstly, it confirms that the Shichibukai are weak and unable to even suppress newly promoted pirates, thus completely undermining the claim that they are meant to counterbalance the Four Emperors."

"Secondly, to expose all of Doflamingo's crimes—enslaving the people, usurping the country, plotting rebellion, and colluding with the Black Market— to the public, igniting global public opinion."

After saying this, Fujitora paused for a moment, then continued, "Ultimately, maritime power still rests in the hands of the King of the Member States."

"These nobles have always been self-serving. Only when they see firsthand how easily the Shichibukai can destroy a country and threaten the monarchy will they become wary and cast a vote to abolish the Shichibukai at the Reverie."

Having lived for decades, Fujitora had long seen through the true nature of the World Noble.

He would only stand idly by if it didn't concern him, but would act decisively if his own interests were harmed. This is the reason he made this decision.

In short, if we want to completely bring these nobles onto our side, we must make them truly see how much of a threat the Shichibukai pose to them!

"So this time, our navy can't be the one to intervene?" Smoker frowned.

He understood what Fujitora meant, but why did he feel so uncomfortable?

Moreover... this plot development also made him quite unhappy.

That's how Alabasta was back then, except that the person who wanted to abolish the Shichibukai wasn't Admiral at the time.

"Yes." Fujitora nodded. "So... to prevent this from happening again, Mr. Smoker, please cooperate with me in this act."

He was well aware of how strong this Admiral Candidate was; otherwise, he wouldn't have sent him to capture Fire Fist Ace.

But in order for this plan to proceed smoothly, he needed the other party's cooperation.

Smoker paused for a moment upon hearing this. He had originally planned to deal with the Straw Hat Crew after defeating Doflamingo.

But now... how can we fight like this?!