Marineford Port.
Momonga, walking ahead glanced at Strawberry and Bastille beside him. After hesitating several times, he finally mustered the courage to speak.
"Bastille, should we switch? I'll go deliver the summons to Doflamingo, and you go to Amazon Lily?"
"No, no, no, no" Upon hearing that, Bastille quickly waved his hand.
"Doflamingo is likely in the Kingdom of Dressrosa, which is quite a distance away. I'm worried your small frame might not handle the journey, so it's better if I go! After all, I'm much stronger than you, and most importantly, Doflamingo is no easy opponent—he's still technically a Celestial Dragon!"
Hearing this, Momonga mouth twitched slightly.
Bastille words sounded considerate, but in truth, he was just afraid of going to Amazon Lily. The reason was simple: Boa Hancock, the Empress of the Amazon Lily and one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea, was the one he was supposed to summon.
Not only did she possess the power of the Love-Love Fruit, but she was also hailed as the most beautiful woman in the world. Any normal man who laid eyes on Hancock would inevitably be captivated, and once that happened, they risked being turned into stone statues by her Love-Love Fruit ability.
What's more, Hancock was not only extremely arrogant but also had a tyrannical demeanor. The slightest misstep could result in the soldiers accompanying him being petrified.
After a brief silence, Momonga turned his head to the side and tentatively asked. "Strawberry?"
"Goodbye!"
Before Momonga could finish his sentence, Strawberry suddenly sped up, uttered those two words, and leaped onto a warship.
At that moment, Yamakaji and Stainless walked over. Yamakaji was one of the veteran Vice Admirals of the Marine Headquarters, not only powerful but also known for his gentle personality, making him a role model for many Marine soldiers.
Although he had sensed something was amiss on the night of Orion coup, he didn't expect things to escalate to this point.
Of course, none of that mattered now.
What truly shocked him was that on the night of the coup, Doberman and Onigumo had been the first to fall, gunned down by a group of soldiers and officers. Both Doberman and Onigumo were veteran Vice Admirals like himself, and while they had some ideological differences, he found it hard to accept that they had died so disgracefully.
When he learned of this news, he had mentally prepared himself for the inevitable purge that would follow.
In his view, even if he didn't participate in the coup, Orion wouldn't let them remain in the Marine Headquarters. But to his surprise, Orion not only spared those who hadn't participated in the coup but also allowed them to stay in their original positions and even granted them a year salary.
Now, he was even being directly involved in such a significant operation, which shifted his initial disbelief at the deaths of Onigumo and Doberman into a sense of unease.
"Momonga, we've grown distant lately" Yamakaji said as he approached, glancing around before lowering his voice.
"Has the Fleet Admiral mentioned anything these past couple of days? For example, about Stainless and me, who didn't participate in the coup?"
"Why would he mention you?" Momonga blinked in confusion. "You haven't done anything to betray the Fleet Admiral."
At this, Momonga seemed to relax and shook his head with a smile.
"Yamakaji, the fact that the Fleet Admiral entrusted you with his first major task since taking office shows he doesn't distrust you… By the way, which of the Seven Warlords are you responsible for?"
Without hesitation, Yamakaji replied. "Hanafuda."
"Hanafuda?" Momonga blinked.
"He's on good terms with Kaido now, which means this mission will be extremely dangerous. Given our years of comradeship, let me go in your place!"
"That might not be appropriate" Yamakaji glanced back at the headquarters building and whispered.
"If the Fleet Admiral finds out..."
"That's why you don't understand the Fleet Admiral!" Momonga spoke with an air of seniority. "You should have joined us when I invited you back then. Let me put it this way, with the Fleet Admiral, our rules are the rules! All those old restrictions are gone!"
"Alright then..."
Before he could finish, Yamakaji suddenly changed his tone and asked.
"Which of the Seven Warlords are you in charge of?"
"Pirate Empress, Boa Hancock." Before Yamakaji could react, Momonga quickly added.
"Hancock is the closest among all the Seven Warlords... Hey, hey, Yamakaji where are you going? Come back, I haven't finished talking, you jerk!"
Without waiting for Momonga to finish, Yamakaji had already boarded a warship and sailed away.
Seeing this, Momonga let out a long sigh and reluctantly turned to Stainless.
"I bid you farewell!"
Stainless had originally intended to stay and gather some information about Orion from Momonga to prepare for their future interactions.
However, upon hearing that Momonga was in charge of the Pirate Empress, he uttered these words and fled like a mouse seeing a cat.
...
Meanwhile.
In the Calm Belt, Amazon Lily.
On the balcony of a wooden house built halfway up the mountain outside the city of Amazon Lily. A gaunt old woman sat alone on a wooden chair, engrossed in a hard-to-come-by newspaper.
Gloriosa, the former, former, former Empress of Amazon Lily, once a member of the Rocks Pirates, returned alone to Amazon Lily thirty-two years ago after the Rocks Pirates' defeat at the God Valley.
To atone for the mistakes of her youth and out of respect for the current Empress, she chose to live alone outside the city of Amazon Lily.
After years of weathering, the once graceful former, former, former Empress of Amazon Lily, Gloriosa had transformed into the image of an old woman. Even the name Gloriosa was remembered by few, and the younger generation referred to her as Elder Nyon.
Since Amazon Lily is located in the Calm Belt, almost isolated from the world, news birds rarely visit, so Elder Nyon cherishes every hard-to-come-by newspaper.
"Another month-old news!" After reading the newspaper, Elder Nyon sighed, then shakily stood up from her chair.
At that moment, a bird cry suddenly echoed from the sky.
Immediately after, a news bird flapped its wings and landed on the balcony.
"Finally, you're here!" Seeing the news bird arrive on the balcony, Elder Nyon excitedly hurried forward.
After skillfully paying the fee and retrieving the newspaper, without waiting for the news bird to fly away, Elder Nyon quickly returned to her chair and eagerly opened the newspaper.
"Huh?" The moment the newspaper was unfolded, a visually striking headline abruptly and unexpectedly assaulted Elder Nyon eyes.
"Marineford Vice Admiral Orion Launches a Coup!"
"This... this—" Just from reading the headline, Elder Nyon pupils constricted, and she exclaimed in shock.
"When did this happen?" Glancing at the publication date of the news, Elder Nyon didn't dwell on it and quickly skimmed through the content.
The more she read, the more alarmed she became.
By the time she finished the article, she looked as though she had just survived a calamity, slumping back into her chair in exhaustion, her expression one of utter disbelief.
"To fully take control of the Marine in just one day—what an extraordinary feat! Orion? How have I never heard this name before!"
Puzzled, Elder Nyon casually picked up another newspaper. This one didn't contain news articles but instead featured a large group photo of Marine Headquarters officers and soldiers, occupying more than half the page, along with a densely packed list of Marine personnel.
"Marines Fleet Admiral—Orion?" Looking at the young fleet admiral seated prominently in the center of the group photo, Elder Nyon eyes widened in surprise once again.
"He's so young!"
Though curious, Elder Nyon didn't continue reading. Instead, she picked up another newspaper and opened it.
"!!!!!!"
After finishing the article in this newspaper, Elder Nyon could no longer remain seated. She immediately jumped up from her chair, her face filled with horror.
"The Mary Geoise Treaty? The rotation system for the Five Elder Stars' seats in the Chamber of Power? The Marines occupies two seats? Has the World Government compromised with Orion?"
"Huh? What's this... the Seven Warlords... the authority to summon the Seven Warlords now belongs to the Marines?!"
After a moment of incoherent muttering, Elder Nyon suddenly looked up.
"This is bad—Hancock is in danger!"
With the wisdom and foresight of a former empress of the Amazon Lily Kingdom, she keenly sensed that this young fleet admiral might soon target the Seven Warlords. And the current empress of Amazon Lily, Boa Hancock, was one of the Seven Warlords.
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