Chapter 107 The player arrives in Marineford...
"The Navy has issued a summons, requiring the Seven Warlords of the Sea to attend a meeting at Marineford?"
Cracker, who was wiping the bloodstains off his pretzel, scoffed upon hearing this: "A pirate, yet he's become a lackey of the World Government. How shameful!"
Katakuri: "The Seven Warlords of the Sea have been chosen? Who are they?"
"Hawkeye Dracule Mihawk, Empress Boa Hancock, Knight of the Sea Jinbe... Shadow of the Devil Violet..."
"who?"
The moment that familiar name appeared—a name he would probably never forget in his life—Crecker immediately stopped what he was doing and stood up.
The tall biscuit soldier strode up to the Homie, his fierce gaze making it tremble.
"You mean... Vera? Which Vera? Is she wanted?"
Although Cracker already had the answer in his heart, he still couldn't believe that Violet had become a Shichibukai.
The little cook who used to be chased all over the deck by him became a Shichibukai? This is truly the most outrageous news Cracker has ever heard in his life.
Vera... Shouldn't Vera's story be that she has excellent cooking skills but no real ability, overestimates herself and ventures out into the world, only to be severely hit by reality, finally realizes the goodness of Whole Cake Island and Lord Cracker, returns to him in disgrace and apologizes, and then is generously accepted by the magnanimous and great Lord Cracker without holding a grudge?
Although Cracker was indeed planning to make things a little difficult for Violet, it was only because he was angry that Violet was blind to his worth. He had already extended an olive branch to Violet, and not only was that little flea not grateful and vowing to be loyal to him for life, but she even dared to refuse him!
But in the end, it was just a sarcastic remark, which was extremely gentle for Cracker, who was quick to draw blood. After all, even putting aside Violet's confectionery skills, her personality was very much to Cracker's liking, and Cracker didn't mind showing some preferential treatment to those he had already designated as his territory.
Cracker even had Homies build a house and a private kitchen for Val on Biscuit Island, very close to her residence!
Contrary to his expectations, instead of being bullied and crying outside, Violet transformed herself into a Shichibukai in less than a year!
Looking at the familiar face on the wanted poster, Cracker didn't know how to describe the complex emotions he was feeling.
Homies, who came to deliver the intelligence, was so weak in the knees that he almost melted on the deck.
Who exactly is this Violet? Why did Cracker's expression turn so fierce and Katakuri's eyes become so terrifying after hearing that she became a Shichibukai?
The way Katakuri looked at the wanted poster photo—how can one describe that look? It was as if extreme hatred and extreme obsession were twisted together, as if he wanted to grind the poster to dust and also wanted to devour it whole.
Katakuri unconsciously tightened his grip, clenching the edge of the wanted poster into a ball.
He felt like an envelope with a pre-written address and stamp, still stored in the land of the world, but its future destination and final resting place were already predetermined.
It's just a matter of time.
Katakuri lowered his head, burying most of his face in his scarf.
He had to see Violet in person; he needed to know exactly what Violet had done to him.
The image that constantly appeared in his mind, and the desire to be by her side at any moment, had seriously affected his condition. Perospero and Cracker had both noticed his problem during this period, and even his mother, who didn't care much about them, mentioned it to him a week ago.
He couldn't continue to be passive like this; he had to catch Vera and ask her what tricks she had played on him.
If this problem cannot be solved, then...
Katakuri folded up the wanted poster for Violet and put it in his pocket, then stood up and looked out at the distant sea.
An invisible thread connects his soul to another entity on the other side of the sea, beyond the reach of the naked eye, allowing Katakuri to pinpoint Violet's location precisely without needing a Vivre Card.
He had to make this meeting happen while keeping his mother in the dark and the ever-present Homies in the dark.
"Cracker..."
"Huh? Katakuri-san?"
"I want to go out to sea."
"If my mother asks, I'll say I'm patrolling the area."
"Uh, okay, okay." Cracker looked at Katakuri's back with a puzzled expression, belatedly realizing the meaning of those words.
"So, Katakuri is patrolling the area... So what exactly is Katakuri up to?"
——
"Shichibukai?!"
"Uh, yes, this is an appointment document jointly issued by the World Government and the Navy."
Holding that incredibly formal hard-shell document bag, Violet stared blankly at Jinbe standing in front of her, and couldn't help but ask, "Become a Shichibukai? Me?"
Vera looked at Ginny, only to see that Ginny had the same blank expression.
It seems that this unexpected development has also shattered the plans of this intelligence officer who has always been so meticulous in his work.
Ginny quickly realized something and asked, "What happened?"
Jinbe was startled by Ginny's keen insight, but he was more impressed by Val's personal charm, noting that she had such a reliable person by her side: "Something really did happen differently."
"The original proposal to make Violet a Shichibukai was rejected, but it seems someone from the World Government spoke up and the proposal was approved." Jinbe sighed. "I'm sorry, this is all the information I have."
Ginny: "No, it's already quite difficult to know this information. Thank you for letting me know."
But when did the island lord get to know the important figures in the World Government?
"Huh?!" Violet suddenly remembered something and quickly ran back to the base, rummaging through the box to find a note and a Den Den Mushi.
After entering the string of numbers, the Den Den Mushi was connected instantly in less than two seconds after it rang.
"Vell?!"
Musgard's delighted voice burst from the Den Den Mushi: "You finally remembered to call me! I missed you so much, Violet. I was afraid of missing your call, so I always kept the Den Den Mushi by my side, even when I was sleeping or taking a bath."
"Would you like to come to Mary Geoise? I gave all the slaves a sum of money and sent them away. I haven't been to the slave auction house since I came back... Some Celestial Dragons say I've gone mad."
However, Musgard didn't care what those people said. Even someone as intelligent as Musgard only saw the true beauty of this world after leaving Mary Geoise and meeting Queen Otohime and Violet.
What do those Celestial Dragons, who aren't as smart as him or have as much experience as him, know? Pshaw!
“Queen Otohime could come along… no, Queen Otohime shouldn’t come.” Musgard thought about the number of people with mermaid fanaticism he knew in Mary Geoise and quickly said, “Let’s go to Fishman Island together to find Queen Otohime later.”
Before she could even utter a word after the call connected, Violet was bombarded with a barrage of criticism from Musgarud: ...
“Musgarud…”
"Oh? Yes! Violet, is there anything I can do for you?!"
"Do you know about the Seven Warlords of the Sea?"
"You...you already know? It seems the World Government and the Navy are finally moving a bit faster..." Musgard snorted, but quickly changed his tune when facing Violet. "Hehe, hehe, Violet, don't get too excited. Don't worry, recommending you to become a Shichibukai is just the first step in my plan!"
Violet almost laughed in exasperation: "So what is your ultimate plan?"
"You must become a sea emperor like Whitebeard... No, you must be even stronger than him, you must become a world king like Rocks!"
"...You really dare to think that way."
Even the slow-witted Musgard noticed something was off about Violet's tone and cautiously asked, "Vie... Violet, don't you want to become a Shichibukai?"
So, is she going to refuse the title?
She had already heard about the downsides of the Seven Warlords of the Sea from Jinbe: the lack of freedom, the obligation to appear when forcibly summoned, the need to become pawns for the Navy in their fight against the Emperors of the Sea, and the fact that the bigger the tree, the more the wind will blow against it...
But this is the first cool title the player has ever earned!
Having "Shichibukai" on your head is definitely cooler than having "Dog Trainer" on your head.
Trouble is temporary, but being handsome lasts a lifetime!
"I'll take it!"
"That's fine too." Although it was an unexpected event that was not in anyone's plans, the existence of Rosanne has been exposed to the Navy, and Violet's strength can no longer be hidden.
Having a relatively formal identity to back you up at this point isn't necessarily a bad thing.
You have earned the title "Seven Warlords of the Sea".
[Shichibukai]
[A fearsome title, signifying a force to be reckoned with on the high seas. Upon acquiring this title, the favorability ratings of the Navy, the World Government, and other Shichibukai factions automatically become neutral or higher.]
[After equipping this title, the effect of deterring opponents with lower combat strength is doubled, and the chance of being invited to spar with opponents of equal strength is doubled. The player's business operations change from underground to aboveground, from illegal to legal, increasing transaction profits by 10% and transaction success rate by 50%.]
[Receive Title Gift Pack, Island Transfer Agreement *1]
The title of "[Seven Warlords of the Sea]" is far more precious and prestigious than "[Dog Master]", as can be seen from the former's golden color and the latter's plain black color.
Moreover, the effects and rewards of wearing the [Seven Warlords of the Sea] title were quite satisfactory to Violet. More importantly, Violet felt that with this title, coupled with the setting of mandatory neutral or higher favorability, she might be able to urge the Navy and the World Government to quickly decide on the remaining candidates for the Sea Emperor, which would also make it easier for her to complete the [Mysterious Treasure Map] mission.
"Um..." Seeing that Violet had accepted the appointment as a Shichibukai, Jinbe did not leave but hesitated before speaking, "Actually, there is one more thing."
"The selection of the Seven Warlords of the Sea has been finalized, and the World Government and the Navy have issued a mandatory summons order, requiring everyone to go to Marineford for a meeting."
"...Is everything confirmed?"
Who was the last person selected along with her?
"It's Doflamingo. Be careful, Violet. That guy is cunning and holds grudges." Since he can't defeat Violet directly, Doflamingo might do something underhanded.
"The navy responsible for picking you up has arrived, but I don't think you want R'lyeh's location to be discovered, so I've had him wait at the entrance to the Grand Line."
The person in charge of contacting and evaluating Violet, the new Shichibukai, was an old acquaintance of Violet and Jinbe, Strawberry, with whom she had fought before.
Unfortunately, Violet was wearing a face mask at the time, so Storoberry didn't recognize her.
For the first time, all seven Shichibukai gathered together. Even though Jinbe himself wasn't one to seek the limelight, he still managed to gather all the members of the Sun Pirates, in addition to retaining the personnel who guarded Fishman Island.
Looking at that huge ship and the Sun Pirates' flag fluttering on it, it's impossible for Violet not to feel envious.
However, when Violet looked at Luo and Sabo standing beside her, and then thought of Rosinante sleeping peacefully in the Flower of Abigail—they in R'lyeh are not inferior to anyone!
"We've arrived."
Strawberry stood up and looked at the sturdy fortress that was gradually rising from the sea. The blue naval insignia was painted on the hard concrete, and various cannons were mounted on the gun emplacements pointing directly at the sea, demonstrating its superior status and powerful military strength to all who approached it.
This is Marine Headquarters, Marineford.
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Author's Note: Vera: Cracker, can't you think of me in a nice way? Six months ago, I didn't mind you calling me Little Flea, but what should you call me now? [Angry]
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