The wild laughter sounded in the castle, and the Conqueror Haki dispersed the surrounding clouds, but it only lasted for a moment before disappearing abruptly.
"Ahh!"
Golden Lion groaned and stretched out his hand to press the rudder embedded in his skull. His forehead had already oozed a layer of fine cold sweat due to the intense pain, and the expression on his face was unusually ferocious at this moment: "Speed up the sailing speed!"
"I can't wait even a second!"
"Yes!"
Inside the castle hall, Golden Lion gradually calmed down, his eyes scanning the newspaper for more information.
"If the Marines have reached Alabasta, the clues to Pluton hidden there will most likely have fallen into the hands of the Marines."
"Che!"
"If Roger, that bastard..."
Although he was unwilling, Golden Lion knew better that, in his current state, he could no longer accomplish the feat of breaking into Marineford alone.
That would be no different from seeking death.
Therefore, Golden Lion could only suppress his unwillingness:
"Forget it."
"There is no point in saying this. The most urgent thing now is to heal my wounds first."
"Even without Pluton. Relying on the power of the beasts transformed by the IQ plant, I can also seize this world."
"That may not be the case."
Spandam spoke at the right time: "In addition to the clues in Alabasta, there is other information about Pluton."
Golden Lion's pupils shrank: "Are there other clues?!"
Spandine nodded: "The World Government once sent people to investigate secretly and finally found clues about Pluton in the Water 7. Tom, the shipwright who built ships for Roger, is very likely to have the blueprint of Pluton."
"Although Tom is dead, the blueprint should still be hidden in the Water 7!"
… … …
At Marine Headquarters, Marineford, a rare storm had struck here. Countless warships struggled to set sail, anchored in the harbor, rising and falling with the waves. The marines stationed there had retreated into buildings, seeking shelter from the storm.
Only the conference room on the top floor of the central building was still brightly lit. Countless high-ranking marine officers gathered here to hold a meeting concerning the sea situation.
"Crocodile was defeated by White Knight Gawain. I believe you all know about this, right?"
Sengoku glanced around and said coldly.
"In just one year, he has grown to this point. This guy's potential threat is too great. Fortunately, except for the time with Zephyr, he has not done anything too outrageous."
"Let's not talk about this for now."
"The question before us now is who should fill the vacancy at the Seven Warlords of the Sea?"
"The Five Elders have given two candidates at present."
Sengoku glanced at Garp, gauging his reaction. Seeing Garp remain expressionless, he continued.
"One is a newcomer who has risen recently..."
"Fire Fist, Ace!"
"Rose in the East Blue at the same time as White Knight Gawain, he has been unstoppable since entering the Grand Line. His current bounty has exceeded 300 million. Previously, he fought with Jinbe for five days and five nights without a clear winner."
"In terms of both strength and reputation, he is qualified to suppress an area of the sea alone."
"What do you think?"
"The other candidate is… Whitebeard Jr, Edward Weevil!"
As the voice fell, the room instantly became quiet.
Everyone's eyes were focused on Sengoku.
They just thought they had heard it wrong.
Fire Fist Ace, for most people here, is just a super newcomer who has just risen recently.
But Whitebeard Jr is so familiar to them that they can't be more familiar.
But this familiarity is accompanied by a hatred that makes them want to eat him alive.
"Ridiculous!"
A Vice-Admiral in the corner stood up suddenly, his eyes red: "What do they mean? Rubbing salt into Mr. Zephyr's wound?!"
"That's right!"
The Vice-Admiral's words immediately aroused everyone's response, and everyone's emotions were out of control at this moment.
"Is there anyone here who doesn't know what this guy did?!"
"He attacked the trainee recruits led by Mr. Zephyr and almost slaughtered a whole ship of newly graduated newcomers!"
"Letting this guy become a Warlord is forcing Mr. Zephyr to death!"
Akainu, who was sitting next to Sengoku, raised his hand to suppress his cigarette, and the lava flowing next to him fell on the desk, making a harsh burning sound.
Obviously, even Akainu could hardly suppress his anger at this moment.
Although Sengoku had expected such a situation, he still couldn't help frowning slightly at this moment.
Zephyr's influence in the Marines is still too great.
No matter what, he should never have been treated this way. But the fact that the Five Elders specifically included Weevil's name… could it be that Zephyr's words had already reached them?
"In that case, our nomination will be Fire Fist Ace."
After that, Sengoku skipped this topic and talked about several other important matters.
Half an hour later.
The meeting ended, and everyone dispersed.
Sengoku, Garp, Tsuru, and Akainu, who stayed in the headquarters, still sat steadily in the office and held a small meeting of the core decision-making circle of the Marines.
"The matter of the Seven Warlords of the Sea may be intentional on their part."
Sengoku thought of his judgment just now, and his tone became a little serious at this moment: "Even if we nominated Fire Fist Ace, the person who will eventually become the Warlord of the Sea will not be him."
He has dealt with the Five Elders for decades and knows that they will never do anything without a purpose.
There is no need to say more about Zephyr's status in the Marines. They will know it.
But even if they knew, they put Whitebeard Jr's name among the candidates for the Seven Warlords of the Sea, which is enough to explain the problem.
"This is a warning to Zephyr."
"His previous behavior has crossed the line."
"Alas..."
Tsuru sighed, and for a moment, she felt choked up. Garp, who was standing beside her, showed disdain on his face.
Anyone can see that Zephyr is getting better and better these days.
This is enough to prove that he has completely walked out of the haze and returned to justice.
Even if the justice that Zephyr upholds is different from what it used to be, no one thinks it is a bad thing.
After all, the core figures of the Marines are now either students trained by Zephyr or comrades who have fought side by side with him, such as Sengoku and Garp.
"Then this matters..."
"Don't let Zephyr know before the results come out."
"I'm worried that with his strong temper, he will do something irreparable."
"Yeah."
… … …
In Alabasta, at Nanohana city.
More than a month has passed, and this place has gradually recovered from the war.
Buildings have sprung up on the ruins, and there are merchant ships and people here again.
Only the ferocious slash left by Golden Lion has become two rivers that almost divide the entire Nanohana city into four parts.
Soon, a warship slowly docked in the harbor.
Aokiji, who was sleeping soundly on the deck, slowly took off his eye mask and yawned. When he was about to get up, Zephyr threw a newspaper in his face.
"Take a look at this."
Aokiji was stunned. He opened the newspaper, and his eyes swept across the information and finally fixed on the news of Robin's death. For a moment, Aokiji lost all his sleepiness.
He stared at the photo of a woman who bore an uncanny resemblance to the Robin he remembered, and his emotions churned.
"She's… Dead?!"
"Should I be surprised… Or was this inevitable?"
"Ah."
Zephyr raised his hand and patted Aokiji's shoulder.
As a teacher, how could he not see that Aokiji had special feelings for Robin?
Not a lover, not a friend, but he was very concerned about Robin's every move…
"Were you trying to prove something through her?"