“It’s not just Fallen Angel El himself… The one he’s nurtured with great care, Charlotte Linlin—a natural-born monster like him—has also fully matured!”
“I’ve heard that just a few months ago, Kong cshed with Charlotte Linlin, known as the ‘Blood Camity’ among the Fallen Angel Pirates, and could no longer suppress her. She’s practically a sed Fallen Angel El…”
“Indeed, although she possesses an immortal body, she’s still not as monstrously terrifying as El.”
“Then there’s Fire Camity Afar, another Lunarian survivor eared out of nowhere. Three months ago, he fought another Admiral to a stalemate after battling for aire day and night.”
“A’s not fet ‘Shinigami’ Gerd, hailed as a ‘Camity.’ She wields araordinarily strange, soul-based ability, crafting elemental Homies from her own soul. It’s said that if she deploys all four of her most powerful Homies at once, even a Navy Admiral would be forced to retreat!”
“Then there’s ‘Thunder Camity’ Cyril Oka, a Bueer sve who escaped from Mariejois and survived impriso in Impel Down, as well as ‘Wind Camity’ Irma Irene.”
“We’ve all witheir strength firsthand. They are no weaker than Navy Admirals.”
In the halls of power, the Five Elders sat with darkened expressions, their hearts filled with wariness at the Fallen Angel Pirates’ growing might. Their mood mingled frustration and anger.
For turies, as the supreme rulers of the Wover, they had only o tread carefully around Imu-sama. Never before had they felt sutense apprehension.
“It’s undeniable,” one Elder muttered. “The Five Camities of the Fallen Angel Pirates each possess strength equivalent to the Navy’s top forces.”
Saint Nasujuro, his face grim, adjusted his gsses and tinued coldly, “What’s worse, the so-called Eight Vajras and other officers in their ranks also possess formidable power. They’re far from ordinary batants.”
The realization was terrifying: the Fallen Angel Pirates’ Five Camities alone equaled five Navy Admirals, the pinnacle of naval might. And then there was Fallen Angel El, a monstrous anomaly who defied all pret.
Under his and were not only vast armies of elite soldiers, but also tless mid-level batants whose strength rivaled that of Navy Vice Admirals. In some respects, their forces even surpassed those of Marine Headquarters.
It was undeniable—turies of naval supremacy were under serious threat.
“If not for their fear of the Wover’s overarg power, Fallen Angel El might have already unched an assault on Marineford and toppled it,” someone said gravely.
“CP has begun targeting the Hell Trading pany, but those sdrels were prepared long before we acted,” said Saint Ju Peter, his expression severe. “They’ve gone underground, withdrawing from public operations. Though we’ve uncovered and dismantled several of their bases, the rest have burrowed even deeper into hiding. Worse still, they’ve begualiating. Even some CP bases have been silently wiped out.”
“We must admit,” Saint Mars said, rubbing his temples, “the Fallen Angel Pirates have grown into an enormous threat.”
“If we want to elimihat monster,” he tinued, “we must it fully—just as the Wover did with Joy Boy turies ago. We must strip them of allies and isote them.”
“But if we take that route, the energy reserves of Uranus will be pletely depleted,” he added gravely, “and the world could plunge bato the chaos of the Void tury.”
At these words, the Five Elders exged uneasy gheir faces growing even darker. They realized that unless Imu-sama personally intervened, or they risked everything in a global war, they could not decisively deal with the Fallen Angel Pirates in the short term.
At best, they could attempt to weaken them by targeting the Hell Trading pany and dismantling their intelligeworks. But the pirates had already retreated into the shadows, limiting the effectiveness of such measures. While these efforts might inveniehe Fallen Angel Pirates, they would not deliver a fatal blow.
Could they truly resolve to deploy a oedly against the Fallen Angel Pirates, even if it meant dragging the world bato the darkness of the Void tury? Without the deterrence of a ons, how would they face the ambitious figures roaming the seas? What would bee of the world if such forces ran rampant? And would the nations, subdued for turies, still follow the Wover’s ands afterward?
“This is humiliating! Utterly humiliating!” Saint Valkyrie snarled, g his fists. “In over 700 years, when has the Wover ever been this passive?”
“There’s nothing we do now; we uimated the threat,” Saint Mars said, rubbing his temples in frustration. “Who could have imagined a natural-born monster like this would appear on the seas?”
“No, it’s not just one monster,” Saint Ju Peter interjected, folding his arms grimly. “Without Charlotte Linlin—that woman—El wouldn’t have risen so quickly. At best, he’d have been another Rocks. In fact, he might already have bee with by Kong and the others.”
Before Charlotte Linlin had fully matured, her iron-like body, immerength, and Mythical Zoan Vampire franted her immortality and the ability to stand against Admiral-level oppos. Her strength gave El the security he o execute his bold pns. Without her, the catastrophic events, like the hostage exge involving Saint Howard, might never have inflicted such severe damage on the Wover.
But there was no use menting the past.
“How about we sider allying with the Rocks Pirates?” Saint Mars suggested.
“No, that’s too dangerous!” Saint Saturn and Saint Nasujuro immediately rejected the idea.
The Rocks Pirates had been growing steadily stronger, colleg figures like Golden Lion, Whitebeard, Silver Axe, Wang Zhi, and Captain John at Pirate Isnd. While teaming up with them to attack the Fallen Angel Pirates might seem feasible, Rocks himself was as ambitious as El. How could they trust that the Rocks Pirates wouldn’t turn on them, perhaps even joining forces with the Fallen Angel Pirates to strike back at the Wover? This would be a gamble with the future of their entire regime.
Moreover, the Rocks Pirates weren’t fools. They knew if the Wover defeated the Fallen Angel Pirates, the Rocks Pirates would be the arget. Why would they align with a force that threateheir own survival?
“Of course, I don’t meaing everything on a single all-out alliance,” Saint Mars crified. “What I suggest is limited cooperation with the Rocks Pirates—drawing them closer to our side while gradually suppressing the Fallen Angel Pirates.”
“That might be possible,” Saint Saturn said, his brow easing slightly. Gambling everything in one move was too risky. But pirates, with their flig ambitions, could be maniputed. As long as they didn’t rush to destroy the Fallen Angel Pirates all at ohey could chip away at their influence over time.
“Indeed,” Saint Nasujuro said, coldly fingering the First Geion Kitetsu at his side. “The Fallen Angel Pirates have risen too quickly. Their asdancy must be curtailed at all costs, their power systematically diminished. Rocks and his crew have made their motives clear by f their alliahey fear the Fallen Angel Pirates as much as we do.”
“It’s settled, then,” Saint Mars said with a nod. Seeing no further objes, he turo Saint Valkyrie.
“To hahe growing pirate threats and the increasingly unstable seas, the Wover ’t remain so servative,” he said. “I think it’s time to implement the pn you suggested, Saint Valkyrie—the one about recruiting powerful pirates to serve the Wover, dividing the pirate forces.”
“Over the past five years, our think tanks have refihat pn, drafting terms that will attract strong pirates without eroding the Wover’s authority,” Saint Mars tinued.
Saint Valkyrie raised an eyebrow but eventually nodded. “For this to work, the recruits ’t be too numerous, but each must carry signifit weight. They must be strong enough to deter others, yet not s as to threaten our trol.”
“I propose seleg seven powerful pirates—each with enough strength and infamy to and resped reizing them as the ‘Seven Warlords of the Sea.’”
“Seven Warlords of the Sea?” the others repeated thoughtfully.
“Let’s give it a try.”
“I have no objes.”
“Agreed.”
