Kizaru was slightly surprised when he heard Marco say that. Recently, the Phoenix Pirates had been sending him newspapers every day. Aside from his lack of freedom, as long as he made a request, the Phoenix Pirates would do their best to fulfill it. Because of that, he was already aware of Sakazuki's death.
However, as an Admiral, understood the foundation of the far better than most. The Marines were nothing more than the World Government's public military force. Even though the Marines were its strongest armed organization, they were only one part of a much larger system. Beyond the Marines, the World Government possessed terrifying power of its own.
The and the were all monsters who stood at the peak of the world.
Even if the Three Emperors Alliance had gained certain advantages against the Marines and the World Government, it was still impossible for them to truly overthrow the World Government.
"I admit it," Kizaru said calmly. "Not just me, but all of us underestimated the strength of your Three Emperors Alliance. You could say it is the greatest threat the World Government has faced in eight hundred years since its founding. But you are still pirates. You are not supported by the world. Even if you manage to rule the New World, you will never defeat the World Government in the end."
He paused briefly before continuing, his tone sharpening slightly. "And besides, your alliance may not be as solid as it appears."
Marco listened quietly. Then he grinned.
"Even if you hadn't said it, we already know," Marco replied. "That's why our next move is to actively attack Marineford. War is the best way to redirect internal conflicts."
Kizaru fell silent.
He understood that Marco was right. War was the fastest way to suppress internal disputes. As long as the three captains reached a unanimous decision, any cracks within the alliance would be temporarily sealed, all in order to face the Marines together.
Kizaru could already imagine the immense pressure the Marines were under. He himself had been captured. Sakazuki had fallen in battle. Kuzan had left the Marines entirely. In a short span of time, the Marines had lost three combatants with Admiral level strength.
Fighters on the level of the Four Emperors all possessed Conqueror's Haki. No matter how many ordinary soldiers were sent, they would only become cannon fodder. Only those with Admiral level strength could stand against them.
Even so, there was nothing Kizaru could do. He was a prisoner now, unable to escape. Thinking further was meaningless.
"If things truly reach that point," Kizaru said at last, "there's nothing I can do about it. I'm just a captive. I'll promise you this, if you really manage to defeat the World Government, I can join you. But if you fail, you are not allowed to vent your anger on me."
Marco smiled faintly. "Don't worry. We won't."
Hearing that, Kizaru relaxed slightly. A pirate's promise might not mean much, but at least his life would be safe for the time being. He stood up and stretched.
"Well then, I'm going to the toilet. Are you still planning to watch?"
Marco said nothing as Kizaru left. Despite everything, the man was still an Admiral, one of the strongest figures in the world. Even as a prisoner, he deserved a certain level of respect.
More importantly, Marco had absolute confidence in himself.
Even without forming an alliance with Kaido and Big Mom, he believed he could eventually overthrow the World Government. Given enough time, it was inevitable.
After all, he was not an ordinary man. He could not revive, but aside from that limitation, he was like the arrival of a calamity upon this world. Against the natives of the One Piece world, as long as he was allowed to grow, defeat was not an option.
"Remember what you said," Marco murmured softly.
His current strength was still not enough to topple the World Government, but time was on his side. When that time came, overthrowing the World Government would no longer be a distant dream.
Egghead Island
On Egghead Island, a woman with short golden hair, clear blue eyes, and striking beauty walked through the laboratory corridor. After passing a door that opened through facial recognition, she entered 's laboratory.
Vegapunk did not turn around. He remained focused on the experiment in his hands as he spoke.
"Stussy, you're here. Take a seat for now. Let me finish this experiment first."
The woman was , the Queen of the Pleasure District. At the same time, she was also a CP0 agent of the World Government.
Her mission was to rise as one of the underground emperors of the New World and gather intelligence on the Four Emperors through seduction.
However, both of those identities were merely disguises.
Her true identity was a clone of Buckingham Stussy, a former member of the Rocks Pirates and a successful subject of the MADS cloning experiment aboard the 3AD research ship.
Above all else, she was loyal to Vegapunk.
"Yes," Stussy replied softly.
Seeing that Vegapunk was still occupied, she walked over to the row of petri dishes in front of her. Inside were seven figures. Their appearances closely resembled the former Shichibukai, though they looked far younger.
Each of them had brown skin and black wings sprouting from their backs.
"Doctor," Stussy asked calmly, "have the Seraphim been successfully created?"
Without looking up, Vegapunk answered while continuing his work. "They are basically complete. We only need to finish the final tests. If everything passes, they can be deployed in real combat."
"I understand," Stussy said, nodding gently.
More than ten minutes later, Vegapunk finally completed his experiment. He turned around and looked at Stussy, who was calmly sipping her coffee.
Walking over to her, he asked, "Stussy, did you come here this time because the World Government has issued a new order?"
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