Takuro paused for a moment. He looked at everyone in the room, his eyes sweeping over their faces. He wasn't usually one to talk much, but he decided to explain his thoughts. His voice was calm, but it held a warning that showed he wasn't just being reckless. He was being smart about the power he knew existed in this world.
"I have plenty of confidence in my own strength," Takuro began. "But over the years, I've learned that Devil Fruit abilities are very strange. They are diverse and can have bizarre effects that don't make sense. The World Government has been around for eight hundred years. They have deep roots and lots of secrets. Who knows what kind of trump cards they are hiding? It's possible they have people with abilities that don't care about how much Ki you have. Some powers work on strange rules or mechanisms just to annoy people."
As he spoke, he thought back to things he had learned in his past life. He knew about "gimmick kills" or "mechanic kills." Even though he was sure his absolute power as a Saiyan could crush almost anything, he didn't want to be careless. He didn't want to run into a weird rule-based ability and lose in a way that would be embarrassing. It would be like getting caught in a Mafuba—the Evil Containment Wave—when you are much stronger than the person using it.
"To put it simply," Takuro said, using a metaphor he liked, "I'm like a monster with absurdly high stats. I just don't want to be unlucky and run into a 'mechanic monster' that uses cheap tricks. So, to be safe, I want more people involved. It makes it easier to control the battlefield. That way, I don't have to worry about the small fry distracting me while I deal with the real threats."
Everyone in the room was stunned. The way he talked about "stat monsters" and "mechanic monsters" was a bit confusing, but they got the main point. This man, who seemed to fear nothing, was actually being very careful about the World Government. He was worried about their strange tricks, so he decided to call for backup!
"I get it!" Fisher Tiger shouted. He thumped his chest hard with his fist. "I'll go and gather the brothers from the Fish-Man District right away. I'll get Haku, too. The Fish-Man Race will give you everything we've got!"
Whitebeard took a breath and spoke slowly. His voice was deep and rumbled like distant thunder. "I still have many pirate crews who follow my flag. They are scattered all over the New World right now, so it will take some time to get them all together. But if you need them for a real fight, they will be there." Even though he was getting older, he still had the confidence of the man once known as the strongest in the world.
Nico Robin gave a polite and elegant nod. "Inside the Golden Group, Gild Tesoro and I will make sure everything is ready. We can mobilize all our resources at a moment's notice."
While the others were ready for action, King Neptune, his wife, and Gion felt like a heavy weight had been placed on their chests. Neptune and the Queen were simply terrified of a war they couldn't understand. But Gion, who was a Marine Vice Admiral, felt a storm of panic inside her soul.
'He... he's actually serious! And he's being so cautious about it...' Gion thought. She tried to keep her face calm, but her fingers were trembling as she gripped the edge of her skirt. She hoped no one would notice how scared she was.
'He's bringing together the remains of the Whitebeard Pirates, the best of the Fish-Man Race, and this mysterious Golden Group... This isn't just a small gang anymore. This is a massive force! If they all join together and launch a surprise attack on Mary Geoise...'
She didn't want to imagine how bloody that would be. It would change the entire world forever. The power balance would be destroyed.
'I have to... I have to get this news out!' she screamed inside her head. 'I need to tell Sister Tsuru! I need to tell Fleet Admiral Sengoku!' The thought spread through her mind like wildfire. She looked around the room out of the corner of her eye. She needed to find a way to leave and send a message without anyone getting suspicious.
Takuro saw that everyone was reacting, and he smiled. He looked satisfied, but then his eyes changed. A glint of mischief appeared in his red pupils. He looked like someone who wanted to watch the world go up in flames just for fun.
"That's very good. But it's still not enough," Takuro said. His tone was light, as if he were just talking about ordering more food for dinner. "Since we're going to cause trouble, we should do it right. We need to make sure those 'gods' up there hear a proper greeting from the people down here."
He looked around the room again and dropped a piece of news that was even more shocking than the last. "I'm going to inform Kaido. I'll have his Beasts Pirates join the fun, too."
"Kaido?" Whitebeard asked, his thick white eyebrows bunching up. He knew his old rival well. He spoke in a deep, warning tone. "Takuro, Kaido of the Beasts is a total madman. He is arrogant and only believes in violence and chaos. You can't just talk to him. Getting him to follow orders won't be easy at all."
In Whitebeard's mind, asking Kaido to help was like trying to pet a wild tiger. It was dangerous and likely to end badly.
However, Takuro just waved his hand dismissively. He acted like it was a tiny problem. "Don't worry about that. He's already my subordinate."
"What?!"
This time, even Whitebeard lost his cool. His massive body leaned forward in his chair. His eyes were wide with shock as he stared at Takuro.
Kaido was known as the "Strongest Creature in the World." Even Whitebeard found him hard to handle. And yet, this young man was saying that Kaido had already given up and started following him? When did that happen? Whitebeard had spent decades building a spy network across the seas, and he hadn't heard a single word about this!
Takuro didn't care about how shocked Whitebeard was. He just kept dropping bombshells.
"Besides him, there is also the Charlotte Family from Totto Land. Big Mom—Charlotte Linlin—and I have a bit of a deal going on. So," he said, looking directly at Whitebeard with a look that said he wouldn't take 'no' for an answer, "I'm going to the New World next. I'm going to personally make sure that fat old woman joins us. I don't know the way, so you're going to lead me there."
Whitebeard sat there, completely speechless.
Kaido was his subordinate... Big Mom was working with him... Those two, along with Whitebeard himself, were the three greatest pirates on the ocean. They were the ones who ruled the New World.
If Takuro actually united the forces of all three... he wouldn't even need to find the One Piece. He wouldn't need a treasure to prove anything. He would already be the Pirate King just because he had all the power and influence in the world!
The realization made Whitebeard feel like he was in a dream. The world was changing so fast. He was a man from the "old era," and even he couldn't keep up with how quickly things were moving.
Meanwhile, Gion felt her heart racing. She was at the limit of her patience. Her fingers clutched the fabric of her kimono so hard that her knuckles turned white.
The Beasts Pirates... the Big Mom Pirates... the survivors of the Whitebeard Pirates... the Fish-Men... the Golden Group... All these dangerous groups were coming together under one man! This wasn't just a force that could take over a country. This was an alliance that could destroy the entire World Government and the Marines.
In her eyes, Takuro wasn't just a man with the strength to beat the strongest person on Earth. He was a man who had secretly taken control of the world's most dangerous armies. If he decided to use that power, the world would fall into a nightmare.
She couldn't wait another second! Every moment she stayed here was a moment the Marines stayed in the dark. It made the world more dangerous.
Gion decided to move. She forced her emotions down and tried to look calm. While Takuro was busy talking to Whitebeard, she stood up and bowed slightly. She tried to make her voice sound natural. "Mr. Takuro, I'm feeling a bit sick. I would like to go back to my room and rest for a while."
Takuro looked at her briefly. His face didn't show any emotion. He just gave a small nod. "Hmm."
Because he gave her permission, Gion felt like she had just escaped a death sentence. She turned around and walked out of the hall. She tried to walk steadily, but her steps were a little too fast. She had only one goal now—she had to find a way to contact Sister Tsuru immediately. She had to tell Marineford about this earthquake of news!
Takuro watched Gion as she practically ran away. A slow smile appeared on his lips. It was a playful, knowing smile. He knew exactly what she was doing, and he felt like everything was going exactly according to his plan.
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