"Stainless, Doberman, Yamakaji… them too…" Garp knew exactly how strong those Vice Admirals were.
"How… how the hell did this happen?! Over on Lulusia… how is that even possible?!"
More than anyone, Garp understood what a Marine Vice Admiral meant. They were the backbone of Marine force projection.
Losing three hard-hitting Headquarters elite Vice Admirals in one go—this was a catastrophic blow the Marines hadn't suffered in decades. The balance in the New World could be shaken, and the Marines' deterrence would plummet.
Sengoku looked at Garp's shocked face and let out a heavy sigh. As for his old friend never paying attention to news or HQ bulletins, he'd long since become numb to it.
He massaged his brow and began telling this old partner—who'd just finished taking a stroll back from the New World—what had happened in Lulusia and at Mary Geoise.
Garp listened in silence. The donut in his hand had long since been put back into the bag, and his expression shifted from initial shock into a complicated, grim heaviness.
He didn't feel satisfied anymore.
The deaths of nineteen Celestial Dragons might have made him feel some release… but the fall of three elite Vice Admirals brought only weight. This wasn't justice winning. This was a tragedy with no winners.
"That brat Ronan… what's his background?" Garp muttered to himself. He realized he couldn't see through that young King of Lulusia at all. From Sengoku's account, Ronan also had Vice Admiral-level strength—and he was only around twelve years old! A monster. Those two words surfaced in Garp's mind.
And it wasn't just Ronan's own strength.
It was the powerful guards he'd gathered around himself. This wasn't a level of force a child should be able to command. Why would that group obey his orders?
"Talking about that doesn't matter anymore." Sengoku opened his eyes; bloodshot veins were visible. "What matters is the result: Lulusia has proven to the entire world that they possess power enough to shake the very foundation of the World Government's rule!"
He took a deep breath, his tone carrying a kind of helplessness. "From here on, in the Grand Line's first half, we Marines won't have the final say anymore. I'm afraid we'll all be watching Lulusia's face."
Garp fell silent for a long time, then let out a heavy sigh. "The more this goes on, the more I'm worried about the New World. Whitebeard is already reigning there, and even Kaido and Charlotte Linlin have been rising fast. Now the Marines have taken this kind of loss—our position in the New World is going to get ugly too!"
"Sengoku, the Marines can't keep obeying the World Government unconditionally. We protect civilians—not those Celestial Dragons sitting up high. If this continues, our situation will only get harder and harder!"
Sengoku understood Garp's words, of course. Ever since he became Fleet Admiral, he'd been handling the relationship between the Marines and the World Government. But the Marines had been attached to the World Government for centuries—this wasn't something that could be changed overnight. Facing his decades-long friend, Sengoku didn't even know how to argue back. In the end, it all became a long sigh.
The Holy Land, Mary Geoise—inside Pangaea Castle, in a grand conference hall.
A massive circular conference table was large enough for dozens to sit around it. The domed ceiling bore a gigantic mural of "the Twenty Kings founding the World Government," carrying an unquestionable sense of authority.
At this moment, seated around the table were the kings of the World Government's fifty member nations. They represented the most powerful group on the seas—outside the World Government's inner core.
And today's focus, without question, was the figure by the round table who looked exceptionally young.
Ronan.
The eleven-year-old King of Lulusia sat quietly in the seat that belonged to him.
Yet despite him looking so young, every gaze in the room carried a hint of ingratiation.
After all, he had executed nineteen Celestial Dragons in full view of the world—and could still sit here as if nothing had changed. That alone proved his strength.
More than that, he possessed a privilege no one else present had: for any decision made at this conference, he held a one-vote veto. That kind of power was anything but small.
It meant that at future Levely (World Summit) sessions, any major motion requiring a vote of all member nations—so long as the Lulusia Kingdom cast an opposing vote—could not pass.
What a terrifying authority.
So when these kings looked at Ronan, every one of them wore the friendliest smile. No one dared to look down on him, and no one wanted to offend a ruthless figure who could make the World Government choke on its own pride.
At this time, Cobra—King of Alabasta—served as the rotating chair of this session. He stood, lightly tapped the small silver hammer before him, and spoke.
"Kings-heika, please settle down." Cobra's voice carried through the hall. "This Levely now formally begins. As is customary, you may present and discuss proposals beneficial to the shared development of all nations."
The hall quickly quieted, and the kings or their representatives began speaking in turn.
Just as Ronan had anticipated, most proposals were soaked in self-interest. A nation from West Blue complained that the Heavenly Tribute burden was too heavy and requested a reduction; a nation from South Blue accused a neighboring country's fishing boats of crossing borders and asked the World Government to arbitrate; a nation from East Blue boasted of discovering a rare new mineral and hoped to secure more favorable trade terms…
To Ronan, most of these were trivial and unoriginal—kings operating under the World Government's framework, scrambling for more benefits for their own countries.
Ronan listened quietly, his expression not wavering in the slightest. While others spoke, their eyes kept drifting toward Ronan, as if gauging the reaction of this privileged exception.
Ronan's presence was like an invisible boulder pressing down on everyone's chest, making arguments that might have turned sharp instead become instinctively cautious.
Then it was Cobra's turn to speak. He cleared his throat, his face carrying a serious warmth.
"Kings-heika, my Alabasta Kingdom has in recent years been committed to maintaining domestic stability and the safety of our people. As everyone knows, pirates run rampant on the Grand Line. Even with Marine protection, remote regions are still often harassed."
"But in recent years, we've found a cooperative model that may be worth considering."
Cobra continued, "We have established a positive cooperative relationship with one of the Ōka Shichibukai—Crocodile."
The moment the name "Crocodile" was spoken, a stir ran through the hall.
The Ōka Shichibukai—legal pirates recognized by the World Government—were, by their very nature, controversial.
After all, they were pirates to begin with. In the eyes of many kings here, pirates were inherently untrustworthy. Even if the World Government recognized them, they still felt dangerous.
Cobra had expected this reaction. His tone remained steady.
"Through cooperation with Crocodile, he has promised—and has indeed fulfilled—the duty of protecting Alabasta's primary sea lanes and coastal towns from pirate attacks. In return, our kingdom has provided him certain conveniences and support in commerce and resources."
As he spoke, a relieved smile rose on his face.
"I can responsibly tell you: in the past few years, thanks to this cooperation, pirate attacks suffered by the Alabasta Kingdom have dropped by more than eighty percent. The people's sense of security has risen dramatically."
"Therefore, I propose that under the Levely framework, we consider exploring and establishing a more standardized mechanism—encouraging and guiding member nations to cooperate with suitable Ōka Shichibukai. This would serve as a beneficial supplement to Marine power, jointly building peace across the seas. It may effectively reduce the pressure on some kingdoms—especially those that are not major powers—when responding to pirate threats."
Once Cobra threw out this proposal, the hall fell into a brief silence.
Expressions varied. Some sank into thought, some showed doubt, and some looked unimpressed.
Cooperate with pirates? Even if they were "legal" Ōka Shichibukai, to many traditional kings this still reeked of uncertainty. After all, before becoming one of the Ōka Shichibukai, Crocodile's reputation had hardly been clean.
Of course, some weak kingdoms long tormented by pirates showed a glint of interest. If, as Cobra said, trading some benefits for peace really worked… maybe it wasn't unacceptable.
As whispers spread, Ronan looked up toward Cobra on the dais, a faint curve lifting at the corner of his mouth.
Crocodile—protecting Alabasta?
Ronan knew perfectly well what that Ōka Shichibukai's true scheme in Alabasta was.
That so-called "protective cooperation" was nothing more than a lie Crocodile had woven to seize the Ancient Weapon, Pluton, and overthrow Alabasta's regime.
The proposal might carry real-world considerations, but its foundation rested on a massive conspiracy.
Ronan didn't speak immediately. He simply watched Cobra calmly—and that silence alone made the atmosphere in the hall even more delicate.
Cobra felt Ronan's gaze and his heart tightened slightly. He was also curious what this young king thought of the proposal.
"Ronan-heika, what do you think?" Cobra asked first.
Ronan hadn't expected the question to be thrown at him so quickly. Even if he knew what would happen in the future, he couldn't exactly announce here that Crocodile was aiming to seize Alabasta's throne.
Not only would Cobra not believe it—no king present would believe it. Besides, Ronan had no obligation to help Alabasta.
"Cobra-heika's proposal… the intent behind it is good," Ronan said slowly.
(End of Chapter)
[200 Power Stones = 1 Extra Chapter]
[Check out my Patreon to read 20+ chapters ahead]
[[email protected]/Zukooo]
[Thanks for your support!]