Marine Headquarters.
Marineford stood tall and imposing, the very center of the world, a symbol of absolute Justice.
The iconic navy flags snapped in the crisp morning air.
Three massive warships sailed slowly into the port, their sheer presence making the air feel heavy.
Bartholomew Kuma, Sir Crocodile, and Donquixote Doflamingo each stepped off their ships and strode into the grand hall of Marine Headquarters.
Inside, a massive round table dominated the room.
The atmosphere was heavy and dignified.
The Marine's Chief of Staff, Vice Admiral Tsuru, was already seated, her expression as calm and unreadable as ever.
At the head of the table sat Fleet Admiral Sengoku, his hands clasped before him.
He watched the three Warlords of the Sea enter and spoke, his deep voice dripping with contempt.
"Welcome to Marine Headquarters, you scum of the sea."
"Fufufufufu!" Doflamingo's wild laugh echoed through the hall.
He strolled in with his hands in his pockets.
"Fleet Admiral Sengoku… arrogant as ever, aren't you?"
Crocodile just frowned slightly while ignoring the taunt.
He walked directly to his seat and sat down.
He was only here for one reason: to collect the 100 billion Belly they were basically giving him for free.
Everything else was just noise.
Kuma, as usual, sat down without saying a single word.
The hall fell silent.
After a few moments, Doflamingo was clearly getting bored.
He tilted his head, his signature laugh ringing out again.
"Fufufufu! Crocodile."
Crocodile turned his head slightly to look at the man addressing him—the towering figure with the pink feathered coat and sunglasses.
"Doflamingo," he replied, his voice a low rumble. "What is it?"
"Tell me, Crocodile…" Doflamingo leaned in, his voice a low, curious whisper.
"What kind of threat did you use on King Cobra to pull this off?"
A flicker of surprise crossed Crocodile's face before it was replaced by a deep, cold smile.
"Threaten?" he scoffed, his tone dripping with disdain.
"I'm above such lowly tactics these days."
'He has no idea', Crocodile thought, amused.
'When Cobra found out that a single thank-you letter could trick the World Government into coughing up 100 billion Belly, the old fool was ready to write a thousand of them.'
'I had to stop him before he actually did it!'
"You and I both know the truth, Crocodile," Doflamingo continued, a confident, provocative smile on his face.
"You don't seem like the type to genuinely help a country. Your motives aren't exactly pure, are they?"
Doflamingo was sure he had it all figured out.
Crocodile was obviously trying to steal Alabasta, just like he had done with Dressrosa.
He had to admit, the thank-you letter was a genius move.
Getting praised by the World Government before the takeover was brilliant.
Even if his plot was exposed later, the Five Elders would have to cover it up to save face.
It was a flawless strategy.
"Doflamingo…" Crocodile narrowed his eyes, exhaling a slow stream of cigar smoke.
"No comment."
Doflamingo's grin only widened. "I'm starting to admire you more and more, Crocodile," he purred.
"How about you and I join forces—"
Before he could finish his proposal, the steady, rhythmic sound of footsteps echoed through the hall.
—Tap… Tap… Tap—
All eyes turned to the entrance.
A man in a wine-red coat strode into the room, the massive Black Blade resting on his back.
The world's greatest swordsman, Dracule "Hawkeye" Mihawk, had arrived.
"Mihawk…" Sengoku's brow furrowed. "I didn't expect you to show up."
"Fufufufufu!" Doflamingo burst into another wild laugh.
"The one person we never thought would come is actually here!"
"I just happened to be well-rested," Mihawk replied with a faint, unreadable smile.
"And I came to find someone."
'Where is that kid?' he wondered, scanning the room.
'Still out fooling around somewhere? Seriously…' He sighed inwardly, remembering his promise.
'I'll have to send that wine over to Kizaru's office later.'
He took his seat and calmly looked around the table, completely unbothered.
Sengoku was a little unsettled.
Four of the Seven Warlords were in attendance—far more than he'd expected.
He noted the empty seats belonging to Boa Hancock, Jinbei, and Gecko Moria.
They clearly weren't coming.
"Well then," Sengoku said, his voice booming with authority.
"It appears everyone who is coming is here. Let the meeting begin."
*****
Skypiea—Angel Island.
"Yahahahaha!"
Enel threw his head back and laughed, the sound booming across the sky.
He stood on a high perch, his arms spread wide as he stared down at Mike, who was slowly walking towards him.
"You're going to kick my ass?" he sneered, his laughter shaking the clouds again.
"By yourself? Such arrogance!"
At that exact moment, the Shandian warriors were stealthily approaching the outskirts of Angel Island.
They froze when they saw the scene unfolding above them.
"Wiper, look!" a warrior shouted, pointing towards the sky.
Wiper and the others all looked up, their eyes widening in shock.
There, facing off against their sworn enemy, Enel, was a single man.
"That's..."
"It's the God…"
"Enel..."
The Shandians exchanged stunned glances. Enel, the "God" of Skypiea, had ruled over them with absolute, terrifying power for years.
And now… someone was actually about to fight him?
'Who is that?' Wiper thought, his brow furrowed with confusion and a hint of unease.
'Who is this man… who dares to challenge God?'