A ladder was lowered down the side of the Golden Lion ship, and Kuro, with a cigar in his mouth, led a group of subordinates down, his cloak swaying in the wind behind him.
The navy personnel responsible for welcoming them stood in two rows below, heads held high, giving a naval salute as they greeted Kuro and his group.
"Kuro".
As soon as Kuro stepped out of the port, a voice rang out beside him.
"Um?"
Kuro turned his head and saw Tina walking over with her arms crossed, her ample bosom prominent, a cigarette dangling from her lips, leading a group of people. Beside her was Smoker.
"You two, it's been a long time."
“It has indeed been a long time,” Tina nodded and said.
“You’re attending a meeting like this? I thought you wouldn’t come?” Smoker said to Kuro, biting into a three-cigarette puff.
The three walked side by side, with Kuro in the middle, as the group headed towards the main headquarters building.
Kuro shrugged. "I really didn't want to come, but the old man insisted. What could I do? As for you, Smoker, were you bored staying in G-5?"
Smoker paused slightly and said, "I didn't want to come originally, but this time, something Fujitora mentioned really interested me. I can't do it, but he can."
Tina slowly said, "The Seven Warlords of the Sea...? Kuro, what's your opinion?"
Smoker is also a veteran Marine, so it's normal for him to dislike the Seven Warlords of the Sea, but he wouldn't be as direct as Fujitora in wanting to abolish the Seven Warlords.
But he wouldn't stop Fujitora's proposal.
"Nonsense."
Kuro's words silenced Smoker and Tina.
Yes, he has always been against this proposal.
"We'll talk about that later, anyway, I don't agree." Kuro walked forward, cigar in mouth, and soon the main building of headquarters came into view.
The three of them went up together and arrived at the conference room.
The conference room was already quite full.
The conference room had a row of chairs at the back, mostly occupied by colonels and major generals, while there were five chairs on each side at the front, with small round tables next to them, on which were placed drinks and cigarettes.
Several familiar faces were already sitting in the chairs.
Stromberg, Darmesia, Gumir, Flying Squirrel, and Ghost Spider are positioned on the left and right respectively.
"Oh~ Kuro, you've come."
Beside the main seat, Kizaru sat in a large chair. Seeing Kuro enter, he greeted him and pointed to the first chair on the right, saying, "Sit down."
Kuro didn't actually want to sit in that chair a second time.
Last time I sat down there, I almost suffered social death.
Kuro clicked his tongue in annoyance and sat down in the chair, while Lida and Kuro stood straight behind it.
In this situation, they knew what to do, and Lida understood what she was supposed to do; this was no place to joke around.
"It's been so long."
Kuro greeted the lieutenant generals sitting there, and they nodded in return.
"Kuro, what do you think of the new Admiral Fujitora? You had contact with him in Dressrosa," Onigumo, who was sitting below him, asked.
"Brother is doing well."
Kuro leaned back slightly, adjusted his position, and said while chewing on his cigar, "As a Marine, he did his duty, but as Vice Admirals, we're not qualified to talk about Admirals, are we, Onigumo?"
Onigumo exhaled a puff of smoke and said, "Kuro, you know we don't agree with Fujitora's proposal, and you don't agree with it either, right? In comparison, we prefer the plan you proposed. Why don't we get involved and submit the proposal to include the Seven Warlords of the Sea in the Navy selection directly, instead of waiting until the end?"
“The outcome is still uncertain, isn’t it too early to say?” Momonga said. “I’m inclined to believe Kuro’s last resort. Once Fujitora brings it up, we can raise the proposal, and the king who is on good terms with us will agree.”
This was a standard internal meeting, the kind where neither the navy, nor those recruiting worldwide, participated, which is why they spoke without any regard for others.
"Why treat such a good plan as a last resort? We should take the initiative! If we are selected as one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea, those disgusting pirates will understand that our justice cannot be underestimated!" Onigumo said with unwavering determination.
Hawks and doves have different ideas.
Given that the old-school Navy disagreed with the proposal to abolish the Seven Warlords of the Sea, they naturally knew about the plan that Kuro had mentioned to the old man, and implemented it accordingly.
Onigumo was a hawk; he believed that controlling the Seven Warlords of the Sea was a very good idea and didn't need to be used as a precaution against Fujitora.
The flying squirrel is a dove; although it also thinks this method is good, it will act much more gently.
"Alright, alright."
Seeing that the two seemed poised to escalate their argument, Kuro waved his hand with a headache. "Hey guys, isn't this the topic of our meeting? We're here to see which country will be the protector of this world conference. We can talk about some things later; there's no need to argue now."
"What is not worth arguing about in the name of justice?"
Onigumo snorted coldly and said, "Only by firmly grasping justice can we deter evil from taking action. We must personally intervene and seize the initiative!"
"I agree with that, but don't be too radical. We are the Navy, not the World Government. You'll cause misunderstandings if you do this, Onigumo," Momonga warned.
"You're just too cowardly! We should stop at nothing to uphold justice!" Onigumo retorted.
Kuro rolled his eyes, picked up the bottle next to him, poured himself a drink, and let them argue.
This is all part of everyday life.
"Marshal Sakassky has arrived."
Just as Onigumo and Flying Squirrel were arguing, Strawberry across from them said something that immediately stopped the argument.
Sakazuki strode in from the inside, wearing a red shirt under a white military uniform, and sat down in the main seat with an imposing air, like a yakuza boss.
He glanced at the people below and said, "Is everyone here? Never mind, it's okay if not everyone is here. It's just a meeting. Let's begin."
"Yes, Tina will be in charge."
Tina walked to a large screen to their side, where a projection Den Den Mushi (a type of electric scoop) in front of her shone brightly and projected its image onto the screen, instantly turning it into a giant map.
A comprehensive map encompassing the four seas, including the first half of the Grand Line and the naval-controlled areas of the New World.
The World Conference is about to be held, but before that...
Sakazuki said, "I have some news for you to look at."
Soon, a naval officer handed them a newspaper and an arrest warrant.
Kuro picked it up and glanced at it. On the wanted poster was a familiar face, a face wearing a straw hat and radiating a smile.
The matching newspaper was the World Economic News, which had a huge headline.
Upon seeing the title, Kuro couldn't help but burst out laughing.
"The fifth emperor?"
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