In just half a month, over a dozen Marine officers were assassinated, most of them killed by civilians.
Open attacks are easy to dodge, but hidden arrows are hard to guard against.
The more righteous the officer, the more likely they were to be ambushed. They never expected civilians would drive blades into their hearts.
When the killers received their bounties and were published in the newspapers, the Cross Guild was immediately thrust into the spotlight!
"Thousand-Li Clown" Buggy, bounty: 3,189,000,000 Berries !
"Candle Demon" Galdino, bounty: 2,123,000,000 Berries .
"Crocodile" Crocodile, bounty: 1,965,000,000 Berries .
"Surgeon of Death" Trafalgar Law, bounty: 500,000,000 Berries !
The bounties of the four core members had skyrocketed!
At the same time, "Whitebeard Jr." Edward Weevil was captured by the Hoenn Government, and Buggy was stripped of his Warlord of the Sea title.
In a short span, the Royal Seven Warlords of the Sea had lost two members consecutively.
Another rumor was circulating: Gekko Moria of the Royal Seven Warlords had once been defeated by the Straw Hat crew.
This made the world question the significance of the Royal Seven Warlords' existence and gave the World Government a massive headache. They needed to prove the Royal Seven Warlords weren't useless.
A mandatory summons was issued once again!
Meanwhile, in Wano Country.
"Hehe, transform!"
The Chief Priest performed a transformation trick, morphing into Hancock's appearance and even mimicking her signature hair flip.
"This concubine is the most beautiful!"
"Ohhh, absolutely!"
Gurd's eyes turned into hearts, but he quickly snapped out of it.
The tone and demeanor were identical!
"Can you turn into a giant?"
"A giant? Let me try!"
The Chief Priest thought of Gerd.
"Poof!"
"Ouch!"
The Chief Priest (as Gerd) clutched her head, tears welling up in her eyes from the pain.
She had bumped into the ceiling.
But she had indeed transformed into a giant.
The Chief Priest flexed her arms, exclaiming excitedly, "Lord Gurd, I feel so strong now!"
"Huh."
Gurd was surprised.
Did the transformation grant the corresponding physical strength?
If so, the Nine-Tailed Fruit was even more powerful than imagined.
"Let's test it."
Gurd took the Chief Priest to the gym, setting up barbells and other equipment. Soon, the woman was drenched in sweat.
The Chief Priest lifted the barbell, her face full of resentment.
"Lord Gurd!"
"Now try transforming into Yamato!"
Gurd urged.
The Chief Priest set down the oversized barbell and, with a "poof," turned into Yamato, feeling even stronger.
She picked up the barbell and spun it around in her hands.
"Wahahaha, I'm amazing!"
The Chief Priest's eyes widened in disbelief at her newfound strength, but the next moment, dizziness struck, and she collapsed face-first onto the ground.
"Thud!"
The girl reverted to a small fox, lying limp like a mochi, unable to lift even a paw. Every muscle in her body ached terribly.
"Stamina's lacking, huh."
Gurd grabbed the little fox by the scruff of her neck, lifting and shaking her a few times. The fox hung like wet noodles, completely devoid of strength.
She could transform into others and gain their physical strength, but her stamina was pitifully short-lived.
However, this wasn't a flaw in the ability itself—it was the Chief Priest's own poor physical conditioning.
Even so, granting a non-combatant a brief burst of power was still incredibly impressive.
The Chief Priest weakly protested.
"Lord Gurd, please stop poking my face."
"And don't touch my waist either."
"Definitely don't squeeze my butt!"
"Eh? Why are you lifting my tail?!"
"Wuwuwu X﹏X~~"
After playing with her for a while, Gurd felt thoroughly satisfied.
Her abilities were quite interesting and largely undeveloped. According to Nine Tails legends, there should be other powers like charm and illusion techniques.
Most importantly, the texture when petting her was exceptionally good!
Chikara arrived at the training room.
"Lord Gurd, the World Government has summoned the Royal Seven Warlords of the Sea. They're likely targeting the Cross Guild."
"Hmm."
Gurd continued stroking the little fox while contemplating the Cross Guild situation.
It was inevitable that the Navy would want to eliminate the Cross Guild. The impact of bounty posters on the Navy would only intensify. Once trust collapsed, it would be fatal for them.
While marines fought on the frontlines, their own organization was stabbing them in the back - no one could tolerate that, especially lower-ranking marines.
Their faith in justice would waver.
When an organization loses its core beliefs, the consequence is complete disintegration.
Moreover, with just Crocodile and Law's strength, resisting the Navy's offensive would be difficult. They needed reinforcements.
The question was who to send.
The Cross Guild was a pirate organization, and one of the Four Emperors at that. The Beasts couldn't easily intervene, nor was it appropriate for the Hoenn Government to assist.
If Buggy truly had Four Emperor-level power, things would be simpler.
After long consideration, Gurd spoke.
"Chikara, contact Hancock and Jimbei. Have them go to the Cross Guild. If Hancock refuses, tell her it's my personal request."
"Understood."
Chikara hesitated slightly.
"But Lord Gurd, about Jimbei..."
"Have him resign from the Hoenn Navy."
Hoenn no longer lacked combat strength, and Jimbei was originally a pirate. Even with his good reputation, staying in Hoenn wasn't ideal.
He needed to shine elsewhere.
With Hancock added to their ranks, the Cross Guild would have four Warlord-level fighters - enough to stand against even a Navy Admiral.
How wonderful it would be to recruit the other Royal Seven Warlords too, especially Hawkeye. With him, the Cross Guild would reach its complete form.
Grand Line, Karai Bari Island.
Inside the castle.
"All done!"
Perona happily flew into Hawkeye's room carrying freshly made hamburgers. Seeing his furrowed brows, she paused curiously and moved closer.
"What's this?"
"A summons from the World Government."
Hawkeye closed the letter.
He'd heard about the Cross Guild situation but hadn't wanted involvement. However, this was a mandatory summons.
Refusal meant losing his title.
Another issue - currently the Royal Seven Warlords only consisted of himself, Gekko Moria, Doflamingo, and Kuma.
Very few remained.
Aside from Kuma, they hardly obeyed World Government orders. Without compulsory summons, none would probably attend.
The Cross Guild's bounty system targeting marines was too suspicious - likely having some mastermind behind it. He wanted no part in political struggles.
Hawkeye looked at Perona.
"Gekko Moria will be attending. You can return to him now."
"Lord Moria!"
Perona was overjoyed.
After being sent here by Kuma, she'd stayed temporarily, only later realizing this was Hawkeye's residence.
After the Summit War, she'd wanted to return to the Devil's Triangle to find Moria, but the island only had Hawkeye's small boat and no Log Pose.
Returning had been impossible until now.
Now, we can finally go find Lord Moria.
Perona suddenly thought of something and pointed out the window: "If we all leave, what about that idiot?"
"Don't worry about him."
Hawkeye shook his head.
He had taught him everything he could; from now on, the training was up to him.
"Let's get ready to depart."
"Eh? So soon!"
"Oh right, want a hamburger?"
"No."
"What! You're as unfriendly as ever!"
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