Lancelot glanced at them.
"Ulti will come with me to Onigashima. Page One, you'll follow Denjiro's group to raid the quarry. It's happily decided then. Hehehehe..."
Ulti: "..."
'If only I could beat him, I'd really love to punch him twice.'
Page One. "..."
'Happily? Do I look happy to you?'
Truly siblings, they shared the same internal complaints.
But even if Lancelot knew they were definitely complaining internally, he didn't pay it much mind.
Because he already had them under control.
Moreover, given their nature of respecting strength, as long as he remained undefeated, the likelihood of their betrayal was low.
Unless someone else was equally shameless, using the siblings' lives to threaten each other.
Of course, even if that happened, Lancelot wouldn't give them the opportunity.
...
Denjiro didn't disappoint Lancelot either.
He returned a day later, accompanied by two others—Kikunojo and Ashura Doji.
At this moment, Denjiro [Kyoshiro], Kikunojo, and Ashura Doji stared at the thoroughly deceased Kurozumi Semimaru and Kurozumi Orochi, their expressions growing increasingly agitated.
After all, Kurozumi Semimaru and Kurozumi Orochi were key figures of the Kurozumi family.
With their deaths, the remaining Kurozumi clansmen were mere small fries—hardly worth their effort.
The former retainers of the Kozuki family, hidden throughout Wano, could easily wipe them all out.
There was hope for restoring the country!
Then their gazes shifted back and forth among Black Maria, Ulti, and Page One.
These three were high-ranking officers of the Beasts Pirates stationed in Wano.
How could they not know them?
But... Black Maria already lay beside Kurozumi Semimaru and Kurozumi Orochi.
That was expected.
So why were these two standing beside Lancelot?
Could it be...?
A sudden speculation surfaced in their minds.
As if seeing through their thoughts, Lancelot stated bluntly: "Ulti and Page One have joined my ranks... Ulti will come with me to Onigashima. Page One will lead you to the quarry. Since they're members of the Beasts Pirates, having them guide us will save us a lot of trouble."
That much was true.
Denjiro [Kyoshiro], Kikunojo, and Ashura Doji all acknowledged this.
However, still harboring doubts, Denjiro asked directly: "But... what if they're only pretending to surrender?"
Lancelot couldn't help but laugh upon hearing this:
"They're siblings who depend on each other for survival. When fighting me, they valued each other's lives more than their own. So rest assured!"
His meaning couldn't be more clear.
Denjiro, Kikunojo, and Ashura Doji were no fools - how could they miss the implication?
Page One was both their guide and their hostage.
If anything went wrong with Ulti's side, they would immediately eliminate him.
The reverse was equally true.
This was actually a good method... The three of them no longer had any objections.
But Lancelot smiled as he examined Kikunojo and Ashura Doji, then turned to Denjiro.
"Since you've brought them here, I assume you've made my conditions clear to them?"
Denjiro nodded.
Lancelot then shifted his gaze to Kikunojo and Ashura Doji: "So what are your thoughts?"
Though their arrival with Denjiro already indicated their stance, it was still best to have them confirm it directly.
Kikunojo and Ashura Doji exchanged glances, then looked at Ulti and Page One, before shifting their gaze to Black Maria, Kurozumi Semimaru, and Kurozumi Orochi.
Finally, their eyes settled on Lancelot, their expressions growing resolute.
"We swear as samurai of Wano Country... If you fulfill all the promises made to Denjiro, we will join your ranks alongside him. From then on, you shall be our master. Whomever you command us to strike, we shall strike."
"Excellent, excellent..."
Lancelot was overjoyed upon hearing this.
"Buru buru..."
Just then, the Den Den Mushi in Lancelot's pocket began ringing. His eyebrows raised in surprise before he immediately answered.
The Den Den Mushi transformed into Violet's appearance, and her seductive voice came through.
"Master, I've successfully consolidated Doflamingo's underground forces. Although we lost some, about seventy percent remain under my control."
"Also, regarding Vergo whom you asked me to find - we have leads. He's on a small green island in the New World..."
"And about the rookie pirates you wanted me to monitor."
"That straw-hat kid attacked CP9 for a woman named Robin, managed to defeat the entire CP9, and successfully escaped... He's predicted to reach Sabaody Archipelago around the same time as other rookie pirates."
"What the hell..."
Lancelot was utterly stunned.
He had already eliminated Crocodile. Given Robin's personality, he assumed she would have fled long ago.
So he hadn't bothered pursuing the matter.
After all, Robin was naturally opposed to the Marines, with blood debts between them.
The possibility of recruiting her was virtually zero.
Yet he never expected that even without Crocodile, Robin and Luffy still ended up together.
Could this be the protagonist's plot armor?
But this might be for the better. With Luffy back on his destined path, combined with the upcoming Summit War he was planning... everything would return to the original storyline.
This way, he could maintain his advantage of foresight.
Not bad at all.When the time comes, we can even go have some fun on Sabaody Archipelago.
Hehehehheh...
By then, another batch of Devil Fruits will be in our hands... Just thinking about it makes me happy!
And then there's Vergo - this guy is someone he values extremely highly.
As long as we make him eat that artificial Dragon Serpent Fruit and then feed him a dango,
From that point onward, within the Marines...
He now officially possessed a high-level hidden chess piece... coupled with Gin, who was already being heavily utilized by the Marine Headquarters.
Plus the soon-to-be-integrated G-5 branch and all the Marine outposts across the New World.
His status and authority within the Marines were rapidly expanding both openly and covertly... He glanced again at Denjiro, Kikunojo, Ashura Doji, Ulti, and Page One.
To be joined by Kawamatsu from the quarry.
He immediately gained a foundation to establish himself in the New World... With them, he could fortify G-5 into an impregnable fortress.
Even if an Emperor's pirate crew came, they'd have to kneel.
At this thought, Lancelot ended the call and immediately waved his hand: "Let's move... We'll split into two groups now... Let's wreak havoc on the Beasts Pirates and strip them of their control over Wano Country forever."
Denjiro, Kikunojo, and Ashura Doji: "Yes!"
Ulti and Page One were quite perceptive; without needing Lancelot's instruction, they exchanged a glance before Page One directly joined Denjiro, Kikunojo, and Ashura Doji.
They then swiftly departed.