The remains scattered across the ground crumbled into dust at the slightest touch, dispersing silently into the wind.
Xiao had only used a fused Devil Fruit ability casually—almost carelessly—yet Banaro Island had already been pushed into irreversible destruction. The once-lively land now resembled a hellscape of desolation, a scene worthy of the phrase "no roosters crow for a thousand miles, bones exposed across the wilderness."
Faced with this vision of living hell, Xiao felt the restless life force within his body stir. He frowned slightly, shook his head, and sighed softly.
"This power is too harmful to the natural order… It seems it should only be used when devouring an entire planet."
He raised a finger casually.
"My divine soldiers, clean up the battlefield. This is… too tragic."
Without waiting for a response, Xiao turned away. He covered his eyes with one hand and walked slowly toward the Queen Anne's Revenge, as though unable to bear the sight.
Mr. Xiao was kind-hearted, after all.
He truly couldn't look.
Divine Soldiers: "..."
"So cool… Captain!"
Badgers' face was flushed red with excitement. He clenched his fists, his blood boiling.
That suffocating pressure born of darkness had made his soul tremble—but also ignited a fierce exhilaration within him.
Only such a being was worthy of following to the end.
Only such a being could lead him to the summit of the world.
Marineford
Not long ago, following Crocodile's defeat, Fleet Admiral Sengoku convened a Seven Warlords of the Sea Conference at Navy Headquarters to discuss the issue of replacement personnel.
That meeting produced no meaningful results.
Now, just a few months later, the Navy had summoned the Seven Warlords once again—
This time, to participate in the annihilation of the Whitebeard Pirates.
Excluding Crocodile, the current Shichibukai lineup was:
Dracule Mihawk, the World's Strongest SwordsmanJinbe, former captain of the Fish-Man PiratesBartholomew Kuma, former tyrant of the Sorbet KingdomGecko Moria, ruler of the Thriller BarkDonquixote Doflamingo, king of the underground worldBoa Hancock, supreme empress of Amazon Lily
And this time—
The Navy issued a mandatory mobilization order.
Refusal meant immediate revocation of Shichibukai status and privileges.
Under such pressure, no matter how unwilling they were, every Warlord boarded a Navy warship and arrived at Marineford one after another.
Inside the bright and spacious Shichibukai conference room—
Vice Admiral Tsuru sat in the second seat.
Her wrinkled fingers supported her chin as her sharp, slightly weary eyes occasionally drifted toward the man seated directly opposite her.
Xiao.
At this moment, he was lounging casually, legs propped on the conference table, idly tossing a pink Zoan-type Devil Fruit in his hand—completely absorbed in his own thoughts.
The room was silent.
Only the faint sound of breathing…
And the soft tap of Devil Fruit against his palm.
Finally, the silence was broken by a broadcast from Navy Headquarters announcing the official convening of the Warlords.
Xiao immediately pocketed the Devil Fruit, stood, and walked to the window.
Looking down at the neatly assembled naval officers below, he curled his lips into a mocking smile.
"Hahahaha… The Navy really gives you stinking pirates a lot of face, Vice Admiral Tsuru."
Tsuru didn't rise to the bait.
She replied coolly, "Oh? Aren't you also a stinking pirate, Blackbeard? Don't think what you did on Banaro Island can just be brushed aside."
Xiao laughed loudly.
"What can you do about it? The Seven Warlords answer directly to the World Government."
"Our very existence is to restrain the Navy."
"How dare you—mere lapdogs—bite the hand that holds your leash?"
He spoke openly and without restraint.
After all, his Shichibukai title hadn't come from the Navy at all.
Ace had been handed directly to the World Government, and the appointment order was personally issued by the Five Elder Stars.
Xiao didn't need to curry favor with the Navy.
He was here for one reason only—
To personally step onto the grand stage of the War of the Best.
And perhaps… to have some fun.
In Xiao's eyes, the true function of the Seven Warlords had never been "balancing pirates."
Their real purpose was far more important:
To restrain the Navy itself.
Over the past few decades, the Navy had grown far too fast—so fast that even the World Government felt uneasy.
For over eight hundred years, the Navy having two Admirals and a Fleet Admiral simultaneously was already considered a golden age.
Then came the previous generation—
Sengoku.
Garp.
Zephyr.
Plus Fleet Admiral Kong.
Four top-tier figures at once.
The Navy's power reached an unprecedented historical peak.
The Five Elder Stars believed that was the absolute limit.
They were wrong.
Zephyr wasn't just powerful—
He was a monster of a teacher.
He trained three future Admirals, all wielding top-tier Logia Devil Fruits.
For a time, the Navy possessed seven Admiral-level combatants in the same era, with even more candidates waiting in reserve.
A single Yonko crew would be crushed in a frontal clash.
Even two Yonko joining forces would struggle to defeat the Navy alone.
Yet—
During this era, when the Yonko were boxed in and barely able to move in the New World—
The World Government declared:
"Pirates are too powerful. The Seven Warlords of the Sea are necessary to stabilize the balance."
...
Heh.
People actually believed that.
To weaken the Navy, the World Government moved swiftly.
First, they transferred Kong to the Red Line as Commander-in-Chief of the Three Forces.
Then, Zephyr's family was "coi ncidentally" slaughtered by pirates, driving him into despair and resignation.
Garp was elevated as a symbolic "Hero of the Navy," stripped of real authority and turned into a mascot.
Finally—
They allowed the Seven Warlords to run rampant, forcing the Navy to waste manpower and resources constantly monitoring and containing them.
A perfect leash.
And the Navy never even realized who was holding it.
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