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Tsuru's voice was calm but carried an edge of steel.
Doflamingo smirked, his tone dripping with mockery.
"Oh, we're really something special, aren't we? After all, the Seven Warlords are made up of pirates feared across every sea."
The implication was clear: If the Marines are so strong, why do they need us pirates?
He didn't say it outright sometimes leaving words unsaid was more dangerous than speaking them.
Everyone in the room caught the meaning.
Tsuru's eyes narrowed. She gave him a sharp look, and Doflamingo shut his mouth without further protest.
She gave a pointed cough, prompting Sengoku to continue. He pulled two bounty posters from a thick stack and laid them on the table.
One belonged to the "Tyrant" Bartholomew Kuma. The other… to Aero, captain of the Hurricane Pirates.
"You all know Kuma," Sengoku began. "A pirate with tremendous power, more than qualified for a Warlord seat. But his brutal reputation has made some in the Marines uneasy."
Tsuru explained further for the Warlords present. "Kuma is infamous for his cruelty. If we select him, there will be no shortage of protests within the ranks."
Sengoku nodded, then tapped the second poster.
"The second candidate is Aero of the Hurricane Pirates. He's not widely known yet the newspapers haven't spread his name across the Grand Line."
Doflamingo leaned forward, reading the bounty.
"Seventy-five million berries? Less than the Desert King? Sengoku, have you lost your mind? This kid as a Warlord? Fuffuffuffu… Hahahaha!"
Sengoku ignored the laugh. "Normally, he wouldn't qualify… but Aero escaped from Garp himself. Yes, Garp may not have fought at full strength, but he still got away."
That made Doflamingo stop laughing instantly. "Garp…? Hm. The rookies these days are getting more impressive."
Crocodile spoke up. "So, we're choosing between these two?"
"That's right," Sengoku confirmed. "Unless any of you have other candidates." He set both posters in the center of the table. "Let's vote."
---
Outside Marineford, Crocodile exhaled a puff of smoke.
Behind him, Doflamingo grinned. "How about teaming up?"
"Not interested," Crocodile replied flatly.
"Fuffuffu, don't be so cold." Without warning, Doflamingo kicked at him.
But Crocodile was ready. His golden hook shot up to block the strike with a metallic clash.
Crocodile's eyes went dark. "What do you think you're doing?"
"Just testing your strength," Doflamingo said casually, stepping back. His grin widened. "One day, I'm sure we'll work together."
With that, he leapt into the air and vanished into the sky.
Crocodile snorted, adjusted his black fur coat, and walked away.
In the shadows, a tall man in a black wide-brimmed hat, with a massive sword strapped to his back, watched them leave. His golden eyes narrowed.
"Aero… interesting."
Then Dracule Mihawk turned and left as well.
---
Back in the meeting room, only Sengoku, Tsuru, and Sengoku's white goat remained.
"Have we decided?" Tsuru asked.
"We've chosen," Sengoku said, picking up one poster. "Doflamingo was right about one thing times are changing. Even the Warlord seats are falling to the younger generation."
Tsuru sighed at the youthful face on the poster. Sengoku fed it to the goat, along with four less-important posters.
She said nothing more, but the thought lingered: The world is moving on, whether we're ready or not.
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