Chapter 116: Seven Warlords of the Sea

A few hours later.

Gao Wen quietly set Mira down at a port near Luo Ge Town.

After leaving her a Den Den Mushi that could contact him at any time, and a sum of money sufficient for her to return home yet not too conspicuous,

he spread his wings and departed.

Watching the giant dragon fly away into the high sky, Mira's face flushed with a layer of red; after a few foolish laughs, she turned and headed for the port to book a return ticket.

She had just reached the port when she saw a group of workers pasting a poster in the most conspicuous spot of the harbor.

"Raven Port is about to hold the East Blue's first Martial Arts Tournament!"

"We sincerely invite people from all walks of life to participate! Tickets for the first edition are free, first come, first served!"

After glancing at it briefly, Mira paid it no further mind.

She turned, found a ferry boat at the port, bought a ticket, and skillfully boarded the ship returning to Luo Ge Town.

……

Time passed in a flash; several days went by.

The port of Luo Ge Town still bore the hideous scars left by Gao Wen, but passage through the port had basically recovered.

The nobles who had originally come to participate in the auction, from top to bottom, had been stripped clean by Gao Wen.

Yet they could only curse a few times in their mouths, daring not to do anything extra, for they clearly understood what severe consequences that would bring upon themselves.

Daz Bonez and his deputy Sasha stood on the deck of a ferry.

Looking at the huge pool, hundreds of meters in diameter, that had appeared in the port, the fear that could not be concealed remained in both their eyes; clearly, they had not yet recovered from the shock of that day.

Sasha couldn't help but let out a sigh of admiration:

"Knight Gao Wen's strength has actually reached such an exaggerated degree? Is the Zoan type really that powerful?"

Daz Bonez shook his head, his gaze solemn as he said:

"It is not the fruit that is strong, but he himself."

"On that day, even if he had not used his ability, there would not have been much difference."

Sasha fell silent for a moment.

It was because she too, at this very moment, had generated the same feeling as Daz Bonez.

A few breaths later.

Sasha remembered this mission, her brows furrowing tightly:

"How do we explain this to the Boss regarding the mission?"

"Just report it truthfully. Involving a powerhouse of this level is already beyond our ability to handle; even if the Boss came personally..."

"What?"

"Nothing."

Daz Bonez turned and walked toward the cabin, saying lightly:

"I will go report the matter here to the Boss."

"Good."

……

A few minutes later, inside the ferry cabin, Daz Bonez sat in his room.

He took a Den Den Mushi from his chest; after hesitating for a moment, he dialed it.

"Boss, the Gomu Gomu no Mi... something unexpected happened..."

He relayed everything that happened in Luo Ge Town from beginning to end, in minute detail, to Crocodile; in the end, all he received was a long silence.

The air remained quiet for nearly a full minute before a man's low and hoarse laughter finally came from the other end of the phone:

"Guhahaha—!"

"If the opponent has become so formidable that they can easily crush someone like Hanafusa, then mission failure indeed cannot be blamed on you."

"However, if we can confirm the opponent is Gao Wen, then this matter might still have a turning point."

"Some time ago, Mr. 3 brought back a rumor about the East Blue."

"Raven Port is about to hold a Martial Arts Tournament, and according to intelligence from our informant in the East Blue, Raven Port can basically be regarded as Knight Gao Wen's territory."

Daz Bonez's eyes brightened slightly:

"Are you saying he will use that fruit as the champion's prize?"

As he spoke, incomprehension showed in his voice:

"Why would he do such a thankless thing?"

"Thankless?"

Crocodile's lips curled into a smile:

"Quite the opposite; this fellow unexpectedly has a brain, and even the skill to become a qualified lord."

"Once this model is established, it alone in the East Blue can bring him considerable revenue every year, after all, this model has already been personally verified by a boring bastard."

"I truly look forward to what expression Donquixote Doflamingo will make if he learns that Knight Gao Wen has completely copied his Corrida Colosseum model."

The next instant.

Crocodile's voice cooled down:

"Mr. 1!"

"Since the mission failed due to your lack of ability, you should be the one to recover it."

"You happen to be in the East Blue right now."

"Then go see what level this so-called Martial Arts Tournament actually is."

"If you confirm the prize is that fruit, then you go retrieve it."

Daz Bones said indifferently:

"Yes! BOSS!"

"Don't disappoint me."

"Yes."

At the same time.

Dressrosa.

Doflamingo sat in the highest room of the castle.

The window was open.

Letting the sea breeze blow in, it lifted the pink curtains, matching his cape, and brought a chill.

Click!

Doflamingo crossed his legs and rested them on the coffee table before him; beside his feet lay a Den Den Mushi that had already been connected.

From the Den Den Mushi receiver came Disco's panicked plea for help:

"Boss, save me!"

"Former Navy Admiral Zephyr has appeared in Loguetown; our human trafficking business has been discovered."

"They have already sealed the auction house, and next it will be my turn."

"This is a sales network we worked so hard to establish; if we lose it, the entire East Blue supply chain will be affected!"

Listening to Disco's plea, Doflamingo's smile grew increasingly cruel:

"Shh—!"

"Listen, Disco, from now on, that auction house is your property; it has nothing to do with me."

"Hehehehehe—!"

Disco was slightly stunned, then immediately understood: Doflamingo intended to abandon him.

His face instantly turned deathly pale.

Without the protection of the Donquixote Family, there was no way he could escape the Navy's grasp on his own.

What awaited him was either the death penalty or life imprisonment.

"Boss, no, Young Master, save me! Save me!

Beep—!

After a long dial tone, the Den Den Mushi withered at a visible speed.

Disco's heart, at that very moment, was in utter panic.

Trembling, he gathered the money beside him, contacted a nearby ship that could help him escape, turned around, and prepared to leave.

Bang!

The room door was violently pushed open.

A young, beautiful female officer, leading a full row of armed Marines, stared coldly at Disco.

The newcomer was Ain, who had received Zephyr's orders to come here and arrest Disco.

"I am Navy Headquarters Colonel Ain; I currently suspect you of collusion with the East Blue slave trade. Please come with me."

Instantly, Disco's legs gave way.

Ain waved her hand; several Marines stepped forward to handcuff Disco, then forcibly dragged him away.

Inside Dressrosa Castle.

After hanging up the phone, Doflamingo's expression gradually grew cold, visible blue veins bulging on his forehead.

"Truly..."

"I finally had the chance to extend my hand into the East Blue."

"Knight Gao Wen, is it?"

Saying this,

Doflamingo slowly picked up the newspaper from the table. Looking at the headline on the front page regarding the upcoming martial arts tournament in the East Blue, his smile grew even more ferocious:

"Unchanged indeed, directly copying the Corrida Colosseum model?!"

"If you have the life to earn that money, I won't let you have the life to spend it!"

In the midst of his words,

the room door was pushed open.

Creak~!

Diamante, tall and thin, wearing a red cape, walked in with a displeased expression and said:

"What's wrong, Dof?"

"The Corrida Colosseum duel just reached its climax; the atmosphere is at its peak."

"Can't whatever it is wait a while?"

Doflamingo said nothing and directly handed the newspaper in his hand to Diamante.

After glancing at it, the latter's expression suddenly turned ferocious:

"Raven Port? Are they tired of living? Dare to stick their hands into our rice bowl?!"

The Colosseum was, for him, both his current glory and his greatest achievement.

Managing it to a point where it could attract the gaze of the entire world was already something that made him immensely proud, but now someone had reached in.

How could he endure this?

"I will go there myself!"

Doflamingo shook his head:

"You cannot leave the affairs of the Colosseum."

"Send Dellinger and Onigumo. With their strength, aside from that knight of unknown depth, Gao Wen, there is no possible opponent in the East Blue."

Diamante nodded:

"I will make the arrangements."

"The Colosseum is one of our core industries. The revenue it contributes annually is second only to the underground arms trade; it must not be allowed to fail!"

"Then let those two cause a great disturbance!"

"I want to see the East Blue burn!"

"Hehehehehe—!"

Everything that happened in Loguetown was quickly reported back to Marine Headquarters through Zephyr's report.

Sengoku, Tsuru, Kuzan, and a host of other Marine Headquarters officers were now gathered in the conference room, their faces grim as they looked at the documents in their hands.

"He has grown so rapidly? How little time has passed?"

"From the time he made a name for himself in the East Blue to having a bounty exceeding one hundred million, it took less than half a year, but now to have defeated a Warlord of the Sea is simply too unbelievable!?"

"With such a growth rate, the only pirates comparable are already big shots in the New World."

"We cannot let this continue unchecked. The potential shown by Knight Gao Wen is truly too shocking!"

As white smoke rose.

The sound of the crowd's discussion grew louder and louder, until the entire conference room was as noisy as a marketplace.

Bang!

Sengoku slammed his palm onto the table.

The voices of everyone instantly stopped; they all turned their gaze to Sengoku, waiting for his next words.

"Knight Gao Wen must be taken seriously, but do not forget that with Hanafusa's defeat, a vacancy has appeared among the Warlords of the Sea."

"Who should fill this spot is also a question."

"Moreover, you are all clear that Hanafusa himself had unclear connections with Kaido."

"Allowing him to fill the spot and enter the Warlords of the Sea was controversial from the start; now is the perfect time. We can choose a relatively well-behaved pirate to fill Hanafusa's position."

(End of this chapter)