Seeing this, Sengoku stopped provoking Garp and slowly turned his gaze to Ivan, who was pretending to be invisible nearby. He said in a deep voice:
"Ivan, you'll come with me next to meet the Seven Warlords of the Sea.
There are some deployments and arrangements regarding the Summit War that need to be explained to them in person to unify our actions."
Ivan nodded slightly. "Understood, Fleet Admiral."
Garp, who had been standing nearby with nowhere to vent his anger, suddenly brightened at these words.
He had been fuming with pent-up rage, and since he already disliked the Seven Warlords, this was the perfect opportunity to go and "look after" them.
Immediately, Garp took a step forward and spoke up. "I'm going too."
Sengoku frowned and refused outright. "No, you stay here."
Garp raised an eyebrow, his tone defiant. "I don't care."
"You…" Sengoku was momentarily speechless, his expression darkening.
But there really wasn't much he could do about Garp.
In terms of rank, he was the Fleet Admiral, and Garp was a Vice Admiral. Theoretically, he could issue orders.
But who was Garp?
He was an old friend who had fought alongside him through life and death, and one of the Navy's spiritual symbols.
More importantly, Garp had countless opportunities to be promoted to Admiral in the past, and the position of Fleet Admiral was even within his grasp. But because he despised the Celestial Dragons and yearned for freedom, he refused time and again, willingly remaining a Vice Admiral.
It could be said that if Garp had wanted it, Sengoku would never have become Fleet Admiral.
In daily life, Garp might be lazy, but when he dug in his heels and refused to obey orders, even the Fleet Admiral couldn't force him.
Thinking about how he had spent decades cleaning up this old friend's messes, only for him to cause trouble at such a critical moment, Sengoku's expression darkened further, and he felt a wave of helplessness.
After the meeting, Sengoku, Garp, and Ivan headed together to the conference room where the Seven Warlords were gathered.
As they approached the room, even before reaching the door, they could hear intense arguing inside.
Sengoku frowned slightly, clearly displeased with the chaotic scene.
His Observation Color allowed him to easily perceive the situation inside the conference room.
The scene inside was exactly as he had expected. The Seven Warlords were not sitting quietly but were divided into factions, the atmosphere tense and hostile.
Gecko Moria stood in the center of the conference room, his massive frame like a small mountain.
He crossed his arms, his sharp voice piercing the air with undisguised mockery:
"Shishishishishi… Doflamingo, you dare mock others as cowards?
Ivan killed your family member Trebol, but what did you do? Besides throwing a tantrum on the spot, you didn't even dare to retort, let alone seek revenge. You're the most laughable coward of all!
Back when you were expelled from the Holy Land by the Celestial Dragons, humiliated and trampled underfoot, didn't you just swallow your pride?
You had no courage to resist. Instead, you begged like a lapdog to return, groveling and pleading. You've completely disgraced the Seven Warlords!
And what about the Shadow Garden? They shut down your slave trade and cut off your source of income. What did you dare to do about it?"
On the surface, they didn't dare voice even a hint of dissatisfaction, skulking like rats in the shadows to conduct their dealings, terrified of catching the attention of Shadow Garden.
"Doflamingo, you bastard, you've always been nothing but a coward who preys on the weak!
I really can't understand how a spineless, despicable wretch like you could ever awaken Conqueror's Haki."
These words struck deep, each one precisely piercing the scars Doflamingo least wanted to recall.
The humiliation of being cast out by the Celestial Dragons.
The resentment of being suppressed by Shadow Garden.
The disgrace of being defeated by Ivan.
All the pain and fury ignited in that moment.
Doflamingo's face twisted with rage as he glared at Moria, his eyes boiling with murderous intent.
"Gecko Moria, are you trying to die?
How dare you mock me?
A loser defeated by the Supernova Luffy, a worthless fool who couldn't even protect his own crew and now hides away on Thriller Bark, clinging to life—how dare you lecture me?"
Gecko Moria's expression darkened instantly, his face filled with anger.
"You're asking for death!"
In an instant, the tension between the two escalated, a clash on the verge of erupting.
The other Seven Warlords of the Sea in the meeting room watched with varied expressions, yet none were willing to step in and mediate.
Blackbeard Teach sat in a corner of the room, a table before him laden with roasted meat and fine wine.
He clutched a large piece of meat in one hand, shoving it into his mouth in big bites, greasy sauce dripping from the corners of his lips and staining his clothes without a care.
Watching Moria and Doflamingo on the brink of conflict, he set down the meat, wiped his mouth, and burst into rough laughter.
"Hahahaha!
Good, good! After being insulted like that, what are you waiting for?
Fight already! Let me see which of you is stronger!"
He relished the chaos, knowing that infighting among the Seven Warlords would only benefit him, making his next moves easier.
He hoped they'd beat each other to a pulp.
Boa Hancock leaned lazily against a nearby chair, a look of impatience in her eyes.
She frowned slightly, her voice dripping with disdain as she scoffed softly.
"What a bunch of boring men, only capable of squabbling here without any class. It's utterly tiresome to watch."
As she spoke, she brushed aside a stray lock of hair, her gaze drifting to the window, her thoughts filled with images of Fox.
Hawkeye Mihawk sat alone in another corner, a glass of red wine before him.
His expression was calm, his eyes indifferent, as if detached from the commotion. He slowly lifted the glass, taking a graceful, unhurried sip.
The surrounding arguments didn't affect him in the slightest—and he had the strength to remain unbothered.
Just as Moria and Doflamingo were about to strike, a loud crash echoed through the room as the wooden door of the meeting room was violently blown open.
The door slammed heavily against the wall with a dull thud, shaking the entire room.
Then, a hearty, booming laugh cut through all other sounds in the room.
"Hahahaha! What a bunch of brats, making such a racket! It's grating on this old man's nerves!
Come on, if you want to fight, don't pick on the weak here. I'll gladly play with you myself!"
As soon as Garp finished speaking, the entire meeting room fell into a deathly silence.
Moria and Doflamingo, who had been on the verge of a violent clash, instantly froze in place. The anger and killing intent on their faces faded away, replaced by solemnity and wariness.
Blackbeard, who had just been laughing and fanning the flames, immediately shut his mouth and unconsciously set down the roasted meat and wine glass in his hands.
Hancock also slightly raised her gaze, her eyes now carrying a hint of gravity, no longer the laziness and disdain from before.
She might not fear the other Seven Warlords of the Sea, nor the Navy Admirals, but facing Garp, the Navy hero, she dared not be the slightest bit careless.
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