The time for the Seven Warlords of the Sea meeting had arrived as scheduled.
However, Marine Headquarters paid little attention to the arriving Warlords, focusing instead on the public execution of Edward Weevil and his mother, Miss Bakkin.
Around the towering execution platform in the center of Marineford Plaza, Marine officers and soldiers of various ranks steadily gathered, forming orderly lines on both sides of the platform. The lines extended all the way to the gates of the Marine Headquarters prison, ensuring no disruptions would occur during the proceedings.
Meanwhile, staff from the Marine Headquarters' news department were busy setting up Visual Den Den Mushi equipment to broadcast the execution. Gradually, they opened permissions to connect the signal to the outdoor screens located on Sabaody Archipelago.
Before each of these outdoor screens on Sabaody, journalists from major news agencies had already gathered early. Once the live feed from Marine Headquarters was successfully connected to these screens, they would use their own Visual Den Den Mushi and regular Den Den Mushi to broadcast the execution globally.
The preparations for the public execution were proceeding smoothly, awaiting only the scheduled time and the start of the broadcast.
Marine Headquarters Port.
Several Marine warships tasked with transporting the Seven Warlords slowly docked.
The first to arrive was the warship carrying Bastille.
Before the ship even stabilized, Bastille and Donquixote Doflamingo leaped off the deck and landed on the pier.
Shortly afterward, Jinbe and Kazha, who had traveled aboard the same warship as Strawberry and Noah, also disembarked.
As the three Warlords gathered, a swarm of Marine soldiers immediately emerged, lining both sides of the road leading to Marineford Plaza. Their piercing gazes were full of killing intent, fixed firmly on the trio.
Faced with this, even Doflamingo and the other two Warlords had grown numb to the hostility. Each harbored their own thoughts as they silently followed Bastille, Strawberry, and Rear Admiral Noah, ascending the steps at a steady pace.
Just then, two more warships arrived at the port.
Having just stepped onto the stairs, Doflamingo, as if he had eyes on the back of his head, immediately turned to look at the newly docked warships.
Upon spotting the figures on the decks of these ships, his lips curled into a grin. "It seems we're not the only ones here!"
Arriving aboard these two warships were Crocodile and Gecko Moria, two more members of the Seven Warlords.
The appearance of Gecko Moria, with his nearly seven-meter-tall obese frame, was slightly different from what they remembered. Not only did Moria possess a massive, rotund body, but his visage was terrifyingly grotesque.
Yet at this moment, Moria seemed unusually subdued, his head drooping like a wronged wife standing quietly beside Vice Admiral Hounds. Clearly, like the others, Moria had been cowed into submission by the Marine soldiers eager to earn military merit.
In contrast, Crocodile remained as arrogant as ever. Standing alone on the deck, draped in a black fur coat, his slicked-back hair and cigar exuded an air of dominance. He gazed down imperiously at Doflamingo and the others who had disembarked before him.
"Doflamingo, your expression right now is really unsettling."
As Crocodile's gaze swept over to Doflamingo, he suddenly burst into laughter. "Have the Marines who escorted you threatened you? If that's the case, you've truly opened my eyes. The Heavenly Yaksha who dared to attack the Celestial Dragons and extort the World Government into making you a Warlord, now tolerating such treatment? Guhahaha~"
"Well, you don't seem to be faring much better yourself."
Doflamingo turned around, hands in his pockets, grinning as he said, "How about a bet? If you can turn around and look at the soldiers behind you without being threatened, I'll admit defeat."
Hearing this, Crocodile's lips twitched slightly before he quickly turned to look behind him.
"What are you looking at?!"
As soon as Crocodile turned, an officer stepped out from the ranks of the Marines behind him and barked fiercely, "Get off the ship now!"
"Hmph!"
Crocodile took a sharp drag on his cigar, his eyes briefly flashing with cold light before returning to normal.
Watching this unfold, Doflamingo's mood instantly improved. "Fufufufu~ Crocodile, you're no different from the rest of us."
"Doflamingo, Jinbe, Kazha!"
Before Crocodile could respond, Noah suddenly turned around, his fiery gaze fixed on the three Warlords. "Keep up! If you make me late, I'll request permission from the Fleet Admiral to hunt all of you down after this meeting!"
Even Strawberry couldn't help but intervene at this point, speaking up to stop him. "Noah, that's enough."
Doflamingo seemed immune to Noah's scolding, paying him no mind. Instead, he watched as Crocodile and Gecko Moria disembarked and approached, a sly grin forming on his lips. He then sidled up to Crocodile and whispered sinisterly, "Crocodile, this meeting isn't going to be simple. If anything happens, how about we team up to escape?"
"Surely you've noticed how different the Marines are now compared to before. Even ordinary soldiers dare to boss us around. This new Fleet Admiral's purpose for convening this meeting is far from straightforward. My intuition tells me he might use this opportunity to eliminate us all!"
Crocodile ignored Doflamingo, silently walking past him alongside Gecko Moria.
As one of the more seasoned Warlords, how could Crocodile not be aware of the dangers surrounding this meeting?
From the moment his warship was intercepted, he had keenly sensed the blatant hostility from Marine Headquarters toward him as a Warlord. The accompanying Marine soldiers, in particular, seemed as if they had overdosed on expired stimulants, maintaining a state of high alert from the moment they stopped him. It gave him the unsettling impression that any unusual move on his part would prompt them to immediately swarm and tear him apart.
Of course, Crocodile wasn't afraid of these soldiers. If he wanted, not a single person aboard the warship that stopped him would leave alive—not even Vice Admiral Steelstress.
But he didn't want to, nor did he dare.
Firstly, any attack on the accompanying Marines would undoubtedly provoke the most frenzied retaliation from Marine Headquarters. He might even find himself the next target of a public execution.
Secondly, the new Fleet Admiral of Marine Headquarters had seized power through a coup. His ambitions surely extended far beyond merely commanding the Marines.
To uncover the true extent of this Fleet Admiral's ambitions, Crocodile needed to bide his time and observe.
If the Fleet Admiral's ambitions were grand enough, Crocodile could use this perilous meeting as an opportunity to create a mutually beneficial situation.
After all, danger and opportunity go hand in hand.
The bigger the storm, the pricier the fish.
Under the escort of several vice admirals and rear admirals, the group of five passed through the Marine soldiers' imposing formation and entered Marineford Plaza.
As they stepped into the plaza, they were immediately struck by an overwhelming sense of hostility, causing even seasoned veterans of the Grand Line like them to widen their eyes in surprise.
Before them stood a towering execution platform, surrounded by thousands of soldiers whose faces were filled with murderous intent. On the surrounding fortresses, guards were stationed every few meters, standing beneath the fluttering flags bearing the Marine insignia. From their elevated positions, they kept a watchful eye on the Warlords entering the plaza.
On the other side of the execution platform, a high stage had been set up.
Atop the stage was a long rectangular table covered with a white tablecloth.
Standing on either side of the table were more than ten rear admirals from Marine Headquarters, all maintaining identical postures: hands clasped behind their backs, standing tall and straight.
Though the plaza was filled with tens of thousands of people, not a single voice could be heard. The air was thick with a suffocating sense of hostility, making even the Warlords feel an unexplainable tension.
Amidst the silence and killing intent, the only sound was the fluttering of Marine flags in the sea breeze, symbols of Justice and honor.
~~~❃❃~~~~~~~~❃❃~~~
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