Joining the Shichibukai

"Stop..."

At the critical moment, Smoker rushed into the hundred-meter range. The moment he entered, he immediately sensed something was wrong, and his expression changed drastically.

"Ugh..."

Tashigi, who had followed close behind, also rushed in. She quickly clutched her throat with both hands and collapsed to the ground in agony.

"Ha!"

Naturally, Moke saw all of this. Although he had used Yubashiri as payment to ask her to teach him swordsmanship, no matter what, she had still been his guide on the path of the sword.

There was still some bond between them. He couldn't possibly kill her too, could he?

In the end, Moke withdrew his power.

"Phew..." Doberman and Momonga finally seemed to be freed, breathing deeply and comfortably.

Smoker and Tashigi also recovered.

By then, the way they looked at Moke had completely changed. They understood that he and they were no longer on the same level.

Especially Tashigi.

However, she was extremely stubborn. Still furious, she rushed up to Moke. "How could you kill Colonel Wild Dog? He was a Marine colonel..."

At the end, her gaze fell on the Sandai Kitetsu in Moke's hand. "What you did dishonors it!"

Moke's mouth twitched.

He had to admit, this girl was far too naive.

So he did not indulge her and said bluntly, "So only you Marines are allowed to do whatever you want in the East Blue? Before you accuse me of disgracing Sandai Kitetsu, why don't you look into what kind of man Colonel Wild Dog was!

"A man like that wore justice on his back. What a ridiculous joke!"

"What do you mean?" Tashigi looked confused.

Smoker's expression shifted slightly, and his gaze became complicated. Unlike Tashigi, he understood much of the darkness in the world.

But he was also secretly relieved.

This meant Moke had not truly killed someone merely because he coveted a Devil Fruit.

There was goodness in his heart.

On that point alone, having him take a seat among the Shichibukai was far better than letting other pirates do so.

"Phew..."

Smoker took a deep drag from his cigar, then slowly exhaled.

At last, he looked at Doberman and Momonga with a hint of warning. "Fleet Admiral Sengoku has ordered Tashigi and me to invite Moke to join the Shichibukai."

As he spoke, his gaze shifted to Moke. "Are you willing?"

"The Shichibukai?"

Moke looked surprised. He truly had not expected Sengoku to play this card.

Having read the original story, he had long known that the Shichibukai would eventually be abolished. The Marines would even target and hunt them down one by one.

In the end, the Shichibukai would band together and form a new Four Emperors force. If he joined the Shichibukai, could he use that status to recruit one or two of them?

Could he even bring them all under his command?

Especially the Pirate Empress... At the thought of that woman, Moke suddenly felt that slowing his sword down by a few moments might not be so bad.

Seeing Moke remain silent, Tashigi immediately tried to appeal to their feelings. "For the sake of the time we spent together, think it over carefully. Colonel Smoker and I don't want the day to come when we have to cross blades with you."

Moke had already made his decision, so he went along with it. "I was targeting Colonel Wild Dog himself, not the entire Marine force. Besides, you taught me swordsmanship... so I agree to join!"

"Good... That's wonderful!"

Smoker and Tashigi were both overjoyed.

Doberman: "..."

Momonga: "..."

The two of them suddenly felt that the fight just now had not been worth it at all.

They had suffered those injuries for nothing.

They exchanged looks, and the atmosphere became rather awkward. Should we leave?

Moke, however, glanced at the swords in Doberman and Momonga's hands. He could tell that neither of them was ordinary.

They were definitely no worse than the Sandai Kitetsu in his hand, especially Momonga's blade.

Ha!

What a pity!

If Smoker had arrived a little later, those two swords might have become part of his collection.

Smoker took a Den Den Mushi from his coat and held it out to Moke. "This Den Den Mushi connects directly to Fleet Admiral Sengoku. Every Shichibukai has one."

Moke accepted it. The moment he took the Den Den Mushi, he officially became a member of the Shichibukai!

Smoker then handed him a bounty poster.

Moke's pupils contracted. He understood that this was his pledge of allegiance. But the person on that bounty poster was truly no ordinary target...

One month later, Ata said in amazement, "Captain, your talent for swordsmanship truly puts Ata to shame!"

Over the past month, Moke had sought Ata's guidance in Two-Sword Style.

His progress had been so rapid that Ata had doubted her own life several times.

Ata held Kashu out before Moke. "Captain, now that you use Two-Sword Style too, this Kashu..."

Before she could finish, Moke interrupted her. "That was your gift for joining the pirate crew. How could I take it back? Besides, I'll have my second sword soon enough."

"Still, we should complete the task Marine Headquarters assigned us. Now that I'm a Shichibukai, I should at least put on a show."

Ata chuckled. "That's right. If we delay any longer, it really won't make sense."

At this point, not only had the wounds on her face healed, but she had also become even more beautiful. Her confidence had returned once again.

Then she added, "After Captain deals with this guy, are we going to recruit powerful people and strengthen the pirate crew?"

By the end, her eyes were shining.

She understood that she and the captain alone were not enough to defeat Doflamingo's group. Only by joining forces with more and stronger companions could they wipe them out.

Moke nodded. "A month has passed. The intelligence I asked for should be arriving soon. When it does, I'll take you to recruit two powerful companions."

But then his tone shifted. "Before that, I need to get my second Meito."

As a Swordmaster, he naturally loved fine blades.

Ata's eyes lit up. "I'm curious. What Meito could make Captain value it so highly?"

"You won't be disappointed." Moke rose to his feet and gazed into the distance.

The corner of his mouth lifted slightly. "They're finally here, those bastards..."

Ata followed Moke's gaze, and her expression changed at once. The killing intent in her eyes was completely undisguised.

Through gritted teeth, she said, "Those bastards are finally here."

Moke chuckled. Hadn't they specifically waited here because he had bought intelligence from the underworld and knew they were coming?

So don't get worked up!

Their ending had already been decided.