Storm Clouds Gather

"Old Shi! Don't be so stiff. Eat, drink—starting today, we're crewmates in the same pirate crew!" Fuckyou said, raising his bottle as he walked over to Shiryu and casually slung an arm around his shoulders.

"Take your filthy hand off me!" Shiryu frowned and said coldly.

"Look at you, what are you embarrassed about? We'll be close partners who entrust our backs to each other in the future! Shouldn't we get acquainted while we can?" Fuckyou seemed not to feel the chill emanating from Shiryu at all. His eyes constantly swept over Shiryu's body. Suddenly, his eyes lit up as he spotted Shiryu's sword.

"Huh? The aura of a famous blade?" Fuckyou stared enviously at Shiryu's sword. As for how he could tell it was a famous blade? Please, back at the Sabaody Archipelago, Fuckyou had been beaten countless times for stealing other people's famous blades! He would never forget the aura of a famous blade for the rest of his life!

"Hm? Are you a swordsman too?" Shiryu immediately perked up. He raised his head and looked at Fuckyou with burning eyes.

Shiryu had once been the chief warden of Impel Down. Because he was bloodthirsty and often took pleasure in slaughtering prisoners indiscriminately, he had ultimately been sentenced to death with a stay of execution and imprisoned on the lowest level of the great prison, Level 6!

As a bloodthirsty and exceedingly powerful swordsman, how could he possibly pass up the chance to fight a powerful swordsman?

"A swordsman? I'm not one!" Fuckyou took a careless swig of wine and shook his head. "I'm just sensitive to the aura of famous blades! Back then, I stole so many famous blades! Ah, although I only succeeded once, selling it afterward earned me enough Beli to live carefree for quite a while!"

A nostalgic look appeared on Fuckyou's face, making the veins on Shiryu's forehead bulge.

"Get lost! If I find out you've got designs on my Raiu, I'll throw you into the sea to feed the Sea Kings!" No matter what, Shiryu was a swordsman! As one, he treasured his sword dearly, even regarding it as his second life!

"Zehahaha! Don't be so hot-tempered, Shiryu! I know you like challenging the strong. Once you're on my ship, you'll have more opportunities like that than you can count!" Teach said indistinctly as he wolfed down Cherry Pie, one in each hand.

"Hmph! Fine. Since you were the one who rescued me, I'll join your pirate crew! But let me make this clear: if you fail to meet my standards, I'll leave this pirate crew without hesitation!" Shiryu finally picked up a glass of wine and slowly blended into the group.

"Zehahaha! Don't worry, I'm Blackbeard! Come on, boys, a toast to our new companion!" Teach and the others raised their glasses and clinked them together forcefully. The spilled wine slowly evaporated, making the sunset on the horizon seem even more intoxicating...

Meanwhile, at Marine HQ.

Before the enormous conference table, countless senior Marine HQ officers were holding a meeting. At first glance, Fleet Admiral Sengoku still sat in the main seat. Close by on either side sat Marine HQ Vice Admiral "Great Staff Officer" Tsuru, Marine HQ Vice Admiral "Hero" Garp, the three Admirals of Marine HQ, along with the other elite and regular Vice Admirals. The lowest-ranking person in the entire room was still a Marine HQ Vice Admiral!

"Blackbeard's actions have already violated the dignity of the Marines! In my view, we should eliminate him directly and prevent future trouble!" Marine HQ Admiral Sakazuki said coldly. In his eyes, pirates were evil! He upheld Absolute Justice!

As the representative of the hawks, his words naturally gained considerable support!

"Ara ara, Admiral Sakazuki is being a little too decisive! If we eliminate him outright, how will the rest of the world view Marine HQ? I think a warning will suffice. Given the current situation, we cannot go to war with him directly!" Marine HQ Admiral Kuzan said. Unlike Sakazuki, he followed Lazy Justice and represented the doves!

A group of supporters chimed in, and the atmosphere in the meeting hall quickly became tense.

"So we're just going to let Blackbeard's contempt for Marine HQ's dignity slide? What kind of joke is that? He's merely one of the Shichibukai!" Sakazuki rose in fury, glaring angrily at Kuzan across from him.

"Enough! Stop arguing!" Sengoku rubbed his head with a headache and loudly stopped their quarrel. "Kuzan is right. Blackbeard is, after all, one of the Shichibukai. If we try to eliminate him, the other Shichibukai may cause unrest! We aren't prepared yet. If unrest breaks out now, something serious could happen! Besides, the World Government would never agree to it!"

After hearing Sengoku's words, Sakazuki gave a cold snort, folded his arms over his chest, and said nothing more.

"Sengoku, how has the World Government decided on that matter?" Tsuru asked solemnly.

"They believe we should hold a public execution, use it to trigger a war, and wipe out the Whitebeard Pirates in one stroke!" Sengoku said with a complicated expression. "If it truly comes to that, I'm afraid many people will die again!"

"There's nothing we can do about it! Since the World Government has already made its decision, nothing we do will change it! All we can do now is make careful arrangements, increase our chances of winning the war, and minimize casualties as much as possible!" Vice Admiral Tsuru said slowly.

"As Marines, we must be prepared to sacrifice! Their sacrifices will be glorious! The Marines will remember them!" Sakazuki said coldly.

"Every Marine has a family. Every one of them is the pillar of their household. As Fleet Admiral of the Marines, I naturally have the responsibility to minimize the losses of this operation!" Sengoku rebuked him sternly. In the end, the meeting broke up on bad terms. Faced with Sakazuki's Absolute Justice, even Sengoku had little he could do...

"Sengoku, don't think so much! We'll deal with the future when it comes! Munch munch!" Once the meeting ended, Garp finally woke up. Sitting in his chair, he spoke to Sengoku with the air of someone experienced.

"I know, but I can't shake this ominous feeling!" Sengoku pondered. The next second...

"You bastard, Garp! Those are my rice crackers! Buy your own if you want some! And don't steal my tea leaves!"

"Sengoku, you're so stingy! Hey, hey! Don't pull off my clothes! My tea leaves! Sengoku, listen to my explanation!"

"You bastard, Garp! Die!"