"Brat, you just wait!"
As the meeting concluded and everyone began to leave, Moria didn't forget to throw a threat at Renji before he left.
Moria was well aware that being praised so highly by Sengoku on the spot essentially solidified Renji's unshakeable future position in the Marine. As long as Sengoku remained in office, anyone who wanted to touch Renji would have to weigh whether they could withstand the wrath of a Fleet Admiral.
But in this world, who doesn't make a few threats? At least, one's pride must be maintained.
"Renji, I look forward to your performance."
Kuma tucked his book away, and slowly departed. After today's events, he had a general impression of Renji.
His assessment was: if he doesn't fall prematurely, he will surely be a pillar capable of supporting an era.
"Zehahahahaha! Renji, mere warlord... Zehahahaha!"
Blackbeard, with his large belly, had been drinking and eating heartily throughout the entire banquet, truly having his fill.
Renji's gaze swept towards him. At this distance, those eyes made him extremely uncomfortable. This world's biggest ambitious man, was about to reveal his sinister true colors.
As a shrewd individual, Blackbeard naturally saw the undisguised disgust in Renji's eyes, but it didn't matter. What if he was disgusted?
In his opinion, as long as there were common interests, they could become partners.
The phrase "mere warlord" was particularly to Teach's liking.
What were warlords? Even the Four Emperors were not his, Teach's, final destination.
He, Blackbeard, wanted to be the only king of this world.
"Only short-sighted fools would be constrained by a title like warlord, Zehaha!"
With wide eyes, Blackbeard smirked. "How about it? Want to join me?"
"Get lost, you're not worthy." Renji's words were ice-cold.
Even if he chose to become a pirate, he disdained associating with someone like Blackbeard.
"Zehaha, what a pity..." Blackbeard showed a cruel smile, then left.
"Fufufu! Kid, you're really high-profile."
Doflamingo, clad in a flamingo feather coat and pink high heels, strolled past Renji with his hands in his pockets and an exaggerated gait.
Renji was somewhat speechless about this guy. When it came to being high-profile, who could be more high-profile than Doflamingo?
Doflamingo said, "Out of goodwill, I'll give you a piece of information for free."
"Oh?" Renji raised an eyebrow.
He was quite curious about a message from the Underworld's Joker.
"Fufufufu! ..."
Doflamingo slowly walked up to Renji, leaned in close to his ear, and said in a low voice, "Someone's already got their eyes on you. You'd best be careful."
"Who? There should be quite a few people eyeing me right now." Renji's expression remained unchanged.
"Fufufufu... CP0, have you heard of them?" Doflamingo said mysteriously.
Renji's expression hardened at the words, and the dangerous aura he exuded made Doflamingo feel a slight discomfort.
After a moment of thought, Renji slowly said, "They want to kill me?"
"Fufufufu, I thought a fearless guy like you wouldn't believe me. That's all I can tell you. Just don't say I'm the one who told you."
Leaving those words, Doflamingo swaggered away.
Watching his arrogant stride, Renji resisted the urge to draw his sword and cut him down.
"Your intelligence is useful to me. I'll consider sparing your life in the future."
Hearing this, Doflamingo paused. He turned his head slightly, a vein seemingly throbbing on his forehead.
"Fufufufu! What an arrogant brat!"
With that, he left without looking back. In his opinion, although Renji was strong, it would be many years before he could grow to a level that could threaten him.
He had climbed out of piles of dead bodies, experienced true mountains of corpses and seas of blood, and was now the largest arms supplier in the entire Underworld. On the surface, he had the status of a Celestial Dragon, and in the Underworld, he was backed by one of the Four Emperors, Kaido.
Want to touch him?
Who the hell is that brainless?
A tall, slender figure slowly approached. Feeling the sharp and incomparable aura emanating from the person behind him, Renji knew without guessing who it was.
Mihawk, who usually maintained a cold expression, showed a hint of a smile. "Renji, your sword is very interesting. I hope you don't dishonor it."
Renji returned a smile. "That's natural. I will take this sword and stand at the pinnacle of the world."
Mihawk was startled by the words. He stared at those azure blue pupils. From Renji's tone and eyes, it was as if he was stating an everyday fact.
Take this sword and stand at the pinnacle of the world.
Renji's words startled everyone around him.
To say such a thing in front of the world's greatest swordsman, its meaning was self-evident.
"Very good, I look forward to it." Mihawk's smile grew wider.
Besides Shanks, he hadn't encountered an opponent worth giving his all against in a long time.
...
"The Seven Warlords of the Sea are special pirates selected through discussions and layers of screening by the government's high-ranking officials, precisely to deal with situations like the current one."
Sengoku approached, his voice serious, with Tsuru following behind him.
Renji greeted, "Fleet Admiral Sengoku!"
"Renji, your potential is immense, but this opponent is different from before."
"Marine must face the most powerful pirate crew in the world today. Their captain, Whitebeard, if left unchallenged, could overturn Marineford with his strength alone."
"You might think I'm joking, but true top-tier powerhouses possess such destructive capabilities."
Looking at the serious Sengoku, Renji knew how much pressure he was under at this moment.
Yet, Sengoku still believed in him, and despite immense pressure, he wanted to forge him into a benchmark for the new era's Marine.
Of course, risk and reward coexist. In the future, he would inevitably receive more attention from various forces, but he presumed no one would refuse his demands.
Sengoku looked at Renji with hope, speaking earnestly, "In this war against the Whitebeard Pirates, you will only be responsible for pirates below the captain level. The Vice Admirals and Admirals will handle the rest. What you need to do is gain experience during the war, don't be too eager."
"The future is your stage to perform on."
Renji returned a military salute. "Understood, Fleet Admiral Sengoku!"
Sengoku was very satisfied with Renji's demeanor.
Finally, a reliable successor!
At least not like Garp and Kuzan, those scoundrels who love to cause trouble and are a headache.
"Whitebeard... If it's war, then let it be war. What do we, the Marine, fear from you?"
Purururu... Purururu...
Yamakaji's voice sounded. "Hello, Fleet Admiral Sengoku, Morgans has been contacted..."
Hearing this, Sengoku revealed a mysterious smile and asked, "Are you ready, Renji? On tomorrow's headlines..."
...
New World sea area.
A colossal ship resembling a giant whale drifted on the sea.