"Marshal Kuro".

Rudolf smiled and said, "It's been a long time."

Kuro walked to the round table, sat down in a chair, glanced at them, and said, "I hope I will never meet you. You do your thing, I do mine, and we won't bother each other. But sometimes I have no choice. With your fighting strength, I'm not too comfortable leaving you outside."

“Hey... are you being so blunt? I did sign a contract with you, after all,” William said.

"That thing is just a piece of paper, right? No one can stop you if you don't want to be one, but..."

Kuro glanced at Mihawk, Hancock, and Buggy. "The fact that all seven Shichibukai could attend the meeting I chaired is a big favor to me."

"Enough with the nonsense, Kuro, what do you mean by this!"

Hancock said directly, "I have no objection to you executing Shanks, but your purpose in executing Shanks is to lure out Luffy, right? Why are you doing this!"

"Why would the Navy need to deal with pirates...?"

Kuro looked directly at Hancock and said, "What, last time at Marineford, Jinbe went in. This time you want to go into Impel Down and experience what it's like for Jinbe?"

When he summoned the Seven Warlords of the Sea, he actually felt that these three were unlikely to come. Buggy's chances were a little lower, but Mihawk and Hancock's chances were very high.

Although Bucky and Shanks have parted ways for many years, they were once good friends and even friends of the same age who were on the same boat.

Hancock is a Straw Hat fan, and there's a high probability she'll work against herself.

As for Mihawk...

That's even more Muggle-like.

Shanks is his friend, and Roronoa Zoro, a member of the Straw Hat crew, seems to be his apprentice.

Kuro had already prepared for these three pirates to not obey the summons and had begun to deal with them, but he didn't expect them to actually come.

"you!"

Hancock's face darkened. "If it's Lord Luffy, then I..."

"Think carefully before you speak, Hancock."

Kuro interrupted Hancock abruptly, his tone growing increasingly serious, "Choose one: either a Shichibukai or an ordinary pirate. At this juncture, I don't have time to play games with you. Since you're here, you only have two choices."

He held up one finger and said, "Either join this war."

"Either..."

The fingers contracted, forming a fist.

"I'll beat you to death."

"Ha ha ha ha."

Crocodile let out a high-pitched and strange laugh: "Of course I'm very interested in something this big."

Mihawk sat up, his hat brim pulled up to reveal his eagle-like eyes, and slowly said, "This is the destiny of the sea."

"Oh? You don't seem to care much?" Kuro asked with some curiosity.

Of all the Seven Warlords of the Sea, Kuro knew in his heart that Rudolph and William were the least likely to rebel.

Katakuri might become a Shichibukai, but the probability is very small. He accepted the Shichibukai position to protect his family, but Big Mom was killed by him. It depends on his personal wishes.

Crocodile is a smart man. He couldn't possibly be unaware of the current situation in the New World. The Four Emperors are no longer in demand, but the Pirate King title is still viable, provided that Crocodile isn't killed in this war. Even if he were to rebel, it would be after this war.

Of the remaining three, if we're talking about Bucky, Kuro can actually be disregarded.

However, the two most powerful are actually the two most likely to rebel, especially Hawkeye.

"You've already captured him... there's no stopping him, especially since you're so determined. As for that man who's now earned the title of 'King of Hell'..."

Mihawk smiled slightly: "I'd also like to test my skills against him."

Kuro gave him a deep look, then took out a cigar case from his pocket, lit a cigar, exhaled a puff of smoke, and then looked around at everyone, saying:

"You've been Shichibukai for some time now, and the contracts I've given you are extremely generous. Since the Shichibukai system was established, no one has ever given you a more lucrative contract than me, and we've had a very pleasant working relationship. So please get your bearings straight. Whether you want to be a pirate or a partner of mine is the choice you make."

"But I must remind you that my main battlefield is in the New World. If there are any people who want to take advantage of the situation and become one of the so-called Four Emperors again, they'd better go now, because I can't spare any time right now. Once I can spare some time, I will take care of all the Four Emperors and the Fifty-Six Emperors."

"Of course, there's no need to worry about you becoming useless after the war. I keep my word. No matter what, your system will remain. The sea is cruel and dangerous, and pirates... will never disappear. That's all."

After saying that, he didn't waste any more words with these people and left directly.

The Seven Warlords system was originally preserved by Clow Reed to counterbalance the Four Emperors and keep an eye on the pirates on the Grand Line.

But as of today, this system is no longer effective.

Out of consideration for past relationships, Kuro will still keep him, because pirates will not be completely wiped out, and he can serve as a role model for pirates after the war.

As long as he doesn't hold back on the battlefield, Kuro won't care about so much.

After Kuro left, the atmosphere in the hall fell silent again.

"Tch, boring."

Crocodile stood up and left.

"Then, I'll take my leave now."

Rudolf bowed to the crowd and left in another direction.

Immediately, William also stood up and left.

"A straw hat...?"

Katakuri thought for a moment, then a smile appeared on his lips: "I look forward to seeing you again."

Then he left.

Bang!

Buggy, still eating, slammed his fork on the table and gritted his teeth, saying, "Damn Shanks, damn Straw Hat! We'll see you on the battlefield!"

With Bucky gone, only Mihawk and Hancock remained in the hall.

"Still thinking about it? If that's the case, we'll talk about it on the battlefield."

Mihawk tossed out a sentence, picked up the large black sword beside him, and left.

Only Hancock, biting her thumb, had a completely somber expression.

She definitely doesn't want to fight Luffy; in fact, she might even want to team up with him to fight the Marines.

but...

She is the emperor of Amazon Lily.

Although Kuro is despicable, his contract has indeed brought convenience. Now, Amazon Lily can obtain resources without plundering, and because it controls a shipping route, Amazon Lily has also developed. She has seen all of this.

She cannot give up this position for the sake of Amazon Lily, unless the Navy abandons the Seven Warlords of the Sea without her consent.

But Lord Luffy...

Hancock was certain that Luffy-sama was no match for Kuro, not even if she were to join the fight.

There are indeed rumors that Luffy defeated Kaido, but even if he did defeat Kaido, so what?

Although it had been a long time since they last met, Hancock knew that Kuro had become increasingly terrifying!