[Achievement Reward: 5000 Bounty points]
Oh? The system is really on point, there's a reward for this too.
Renji's lips curved into a smile, which in the eyes of the others was like the mockery of a victor.
The Marine soldiers looked at Renji in shock. They hadn't expected him to suddenly attack Gekko Moria, and with such formidable strength at that.
With a single flying slash, he sent Moria flying.
That was a Warlord! Known as the third power on this vast sea!
Such a person was actually sent flying by Renji with one slash?
He couldn't be dead, could he?
As the Marine soldiers wondered—
"Cough, cough… Bastard! A mere Marine Petty Officer dares to attack me! I am a warlord!"
A giant claw propped itself out from the bricks. Moria coughed up blood, but still didn't forget to curse loudly.
"How dare you treat me like this? Believe it or not, I'll just quit, leaving your Marine without a huge fighting force when you face the Whitebeard Pirates." Moria continued to roar, but no one in the banquet hall responded.
"Fufufufu!"
Doflamingo leaned back in his chair, covering his face with his hand, and burst into laughter.
"What are you laughing at, you bastard?!" Moriah roared in fury.
His chest heaved violently, his hands still trembling uncontrollably, and a large amount of blood flowed down his arm. A gruesome, bone-deep wound was left on it.
At this moment, he already believed that Renji absolutely possessed the strength to defeat the Straw Hats.
When he looked at Renji again, his eyes had become filled with dread.
It seemed that after being defeated by Luffy, Moria's former strong heart was returning, and even his lost Haki had come back. Otherwise, that single slash just now would have been enough to sever both of his arms.
Renji calmly said, "You think too highly of yourself, don't you? You're just a mere warlord. If you dare to leave, Marine can hunt you down any day."
His gaze swept over Moria, and the sword in his hand flashed with an eerie cold light, reflecting on the latter's face.
Renji's words sent a shock through the Marine soldiers in the banquet hall.
Yes, wasn't a warlord just a pirate?
Without the World Government's recognition, they would be hunted by Marine. Marine was the true overlord of this vast sea.
A mere warlord, what right did he have to act so arrogantly in such a setting?
For a moment, the Marine soldiers stood tall with chests puffed out, revealing pride.
Sengoku noticed this scene and smiled knowingly. This was exactly the effect he wanted.
And this kid Renji, what he said really hit home. Moria was just a tool recruited by the World Government, a mere pirate, what was there to be arrogant about?
Sengoku looked at Renji. He was a rare talent, unlike the monstrous Admirals of the past, who were all either ugly or fierce. He and Garp could be considered the handsome ones.
The more he looked, the more satisfied he became with Renji. He had already made up his mind to promote Renji as the benchmark for the new era of the Marine.
"You bastard! Are you looking for death?!"
Moria's eyes were wide with rage, clearly on the verge of exploding, but he was also very wary of Renji's strength. Otherwise, he wouldn't care about any meeting and would have already started fighting.
He was a world-renowned warlord, how could he be trampled upon by such a guy?
"A guy who can't even block one of my slashes still dares to spout such nonsense. A huge fighting force? You don't even qualify?" Renji's tone was calm, as if he were stating a fact lightly.
Tsuru intervened, "Cough, cough! Alright, let's end this matter here."
Doflamingo, fearing no chaos, continued to fan the flames, "Fufufufu! It would be so much better if they fought. I actually think Renji makes a lot of sense."
Renji glanced at the man in the pink flaming feather coat. He wasn't surprised that Doflamingo knew about him.
"Gyahahaha..."
Blackbeard tore off a chunk of meat from a large leg, clearly also looking forward to them fighting here.
Mihawk looked at Renji, his eyes showing intense interest. He had originally thought Zoro, whom he had met in East Blue, was a rare genius. Now it seemed, this guy named Renji had even more astonishing potential.
"End this here? Bastard! Look at my arm, this guy almost cut it off!" Moria was still blustering.
"I said… enough! This matter ends here, do you understand or not?" Tsuru's eyes fixed on Moria, a cold glint flashing in her cloudy pupils, revealing a strong warning.
As an elder Vice Admiral, Tsuru, who was once ranked among the Marine's Three Great Powers with Garp and Sengoku, her authority was not to be challenged.
Moria quickly quieted down, but his gaze towards Renji became malicious and sinister.
"Fufufufu! Tsuru-san, don't get so worked up." Doflamingo, seeing there was no more show to watch, said with some disappointment.
"This must be the Marine rookie who made a name for himself in Sabaody Archipelago, cutting down three Supernovas of The Worst Generation. Seeing him today, he truly is extraordinary."
Renji did not respond to Doflamingo's praise. There was a high probability that Moria's attack on him was instigated by him.
Just like Crocodile, a guy who likes to manipulate people and use fools as pawns.
To everyone's surprise, Sengoku suddenly stood up and walked towards Renji.
Under the shocked gazes of the crowd, he looked at Renji with a slight smile.
"Welcome back, Marine hero, Renji."
"Whoa!"
Instantly, the banquet hall fell silent.
Sengoku personally stepping forward to greet a Petty Officer, what was going on?
Envy, jealousy, admiration—all sorts of gazes fell upon Renji, who was also a bit surprised.
He humbly said, "Fleet Admiral Sengoku, this is what I should do."
With countless eyes watching and the atmosphere already set, Sengoku felt the time was right. His expression became solemn.
"Renji, I hereby officially appoint you as a Marine Captain in my capacity as Fleet Admiral."
"Whoa!"
The Marines gasped again. From Petty Officer to Captain, how many ranks did he jump at once?
Sengoku placed his hands on Renji's shoulders and continued, "Your performance on Sabaody Archipelago was outstanding. You saved countless civilians from dire straits and cut down three Supernovas."
"Not only did you severely impact the morale of pirates, but you also set an example for the vast Marine. From now on, you will be the benchmark of the new era of the Marine. All Marines will learn from you. Marine is proud of you."
Tsuru's eyes flickered. The pressure Sengoku had to endure with this move was considerable. If Renji performed poorly in the upcoming war with the Whitebeard Pirates, it would deal a huge blow to his authority.
This sudden turn of events caused varied expressions among the warlords present, but none of them were foolish.
Sengoku's actions at this critical juncture were certainly not without purpose. This meant that Renji was truly seen by him as the future of the Marine.
…
After a brief interlude, the Warlord Meeting began. Its primary purpose was to discuss the combat matchups. With Renji's deterrence and Sengoku's actions, this meeting went more smoothly than Tsuru had anticipated.
The originally tense atmosphere, after Renji's intervention, had strangely eased considerably, as if a vent had been opened, and it was no longer so strained.
And among them, the most well-behaved was Moria, who had been thoroughly disciplined by Renji.
As the meeting neared its end—
"Fufufufu! Fleet Admiral Sengoku, I have a question."
Looking at Doflamingo's mischievous face, Sengoku could only brace himself and reply, "Ask your question quickly."
"Fufufufu! Fleet Admiral Sengoku, I really want to know, this opponent is different from usual. Even if you gather a hundred thousand Marine elites, your opponent is Whitebeard. Do you think you can win?"
Hearing this question, everyone present began to assess which side had a greater chance of winning, and at the same time, they all turned their gaze to Sengoku.
After a moment of contemplation, Sengoku slowly raised his head, his expression serious. "In this battle, Marine will surely win!"