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Chapter 868: This Time, I'm Not Playing Fair
Chapter 868: This Time, I’m Not Playing Fair
After stabilizing Dracule Mihawk, Kuro resumed making calls, this time to ‘Snake Princess’ Boa Hancock.
As usual, his call went unanswered several times before finally connecting.
“What do you want from me now, Kuro!” Boa Hancock snapped. “I’ve already fulfilled my duties as a Seven Warlord of the Sea!”
“This is about a meeting regarding the Seven Warlords of the Sea themselves,” Kuro replied coolly. “You know, now that I’m officially overseeing the entire Seven Warlords of the Sea, I’m your superior.”
“Hmph! I don’t acknowledge that arrangement.”
“Whether you do or not is your problem, Boa Hancock. You’re coming to this meeting. That’s an order.”
With a sharp click, Kuro hung up and immediately dialed again.
“Unforgivable!!!”
Back at Kusnake Island’s palace, Boa Hancock’s temple twitched furiously as she hurled the Transponder Snail across the room.
Biting her thumb, she muttered, “That Kuro again… Why can’t I ever refuse him? Ah! Luffy Officer…”
Suddenly hugging a large pillow to her chest, she blushed deeply, whispering, “Hurry up and become the One Piece already!”
“Boa Hancock.”
A short, elderly woman entered, coughing lightly. “So Golden Lion’s now officially the officer overseeing the Seven Warlords of the Sea?”
“Don’t mention that name to me!” Boa Hancock’s face darkened as she released the newspaper, sitting up straighter. Crossing her long legs elegantly, she smoothed her hair and added, “Yes. That Kuro’s been granted new authority to control the Seven Warlords of the Sea.”
“Not unexpected.” Gloriosa nodded. “He’s Lucius Kro’s subordinate. Since Lucius hasn’t retired, Kuro couldn’t become an Admiral. But granting him control over the Seven Warlords is like making him an Admiral by another name. Boa Hancock, you should take this man seriously—there’s something unsettling about him.”
For once, Boa Hancock fell silent.
“You don’t need to tell me that.”
After a pause, she bit her thumb again, her nail clicking audibly as her expression turned grim.
“Graegar,” Gloriosa continued. “The battlefield where the Navy and Seven Warlords of the Sea ‘jointly’ defeated Bartholomew? What did you see there?”
“Hmph! That ‘joint victory’ is just a convenient story for outsiders.” Boa Hancock’s voice chilled. “Kuro single-handedly crushed Bartholomew. But I saw it clearly—that Laugh Tale.”
“L-Laugh Tale?!” Gloriosa’s eyes widened. “The One Piece?!”
Boa Hancock nodded. “Bartholomew had the Log Pose pointing to Laugh Tale, but Kuro took it. Contrary to his earlier claim about destroying it, he used his ability to send it skyward. Why would a Navy officer keep the Log Pose to Laugh Tale? That bastard…”
This had puzzled her. Kuro hadn’t reported the pointer to the World Government—he’d kept it hidden. Otherwise, he’d have admitted destroying it when Rob Lucci previously questioned him.
Was he after the One Piece too?
Boa Hancock frowned. She personally cared little for that title. Her priority was securing Amazon Lily’s stability—her duty as its queen.
“Whatever his reasons, Kuro has his own agenda. I’ll just watch and wait. Eventually, I’ll understand.”
---
At G-3, Kuro continued making calls.
This time, the Transponder Snail’s image showed a familiar red nose.
“Who Dares Call ME ‘Red Nose’?!!” The familiar voice roared before Kuro even spoke.
“Buggy?” Kuro leaned back, amused.
“Eh? Who’s this?!”
“It’s Kuro. I’m officially inviting you to a G-3 meeting… as your superior officer. Shouldn’t be a problem, right?”
“N-No problem at all!” Buggy stammered.
“Good. I’ll be waiting at the G-3 fortress.”
Kuro hung up and turned to Lida. “Find Klah. Have him contact the World Government to deploy the message bats for Crocodile. Tell him to come to G-3.”
“Are you reappointing that sand-bastard as a Seven Warlord of the Sea?”
Kuro nodded. “If that crocodile doesn’t do something soon, he’ll sink into obscurity. We’ll use him as a temporary replacement. That’ll give us four Seven Warlords.”
“Four?” Lida blinked. “With Crocodile, shouldn’t that make six?”
“Trafalgar Law’s been removed after Dressrosa, and Doflamingo’s gone too. That leaves five. Add Crocodile, and it’s six.”
Kuro scoffed. “Remove Bartholomew. That idiot’s lost his consciousness. Keeping him’s pointless—he’ll never leave Mariejois.”
“And that so-called Whitebeard II?” His eyes narrowed dangerously. “He’s not in the picture.”
Edward Weibull—the self-proclaimed Whitebeard II—had become a headache for the Navy. Intelligence reported he’d eliminated all former Whitebeard Pirate captains who escaped during the Marineford War, causing massive civilian casualties. The World Government had reluctantly granted him Seven Warlord status, but that decision led directly to Zeff’s tragedy.
“This man who claims Whitebeard’s youth strength…” Lida murmured.
“Hmph!” Kuro smirked contemptuously. “Strength means more than brute force. If he truly had Whitebeard’s youth power, he’d be clashing with Marshall D. Teach in the New World.”
Kuro had once doubted Whitebeard’s true strength—until he recently battled Gol D. Roger himself. Back then, they fought to a draw. That level of power, even without Devil Fruits, was unparalleled in the Grand Line.
This ‘Whitebeard II’? Likely half the legend. No reports of Conqueror’s Haki—reportedly still under his mother’s thumb. A man without conviction won’t wield such power.
Without Conqueror’s Haki, he lacked the ‘Encasement’ pressure that troubles admirals. And as a genuine enemy of the Navy—especially those like Zeff’s proteges—this was the perfect chance for revenge.
“Let’s see who’s free,” Kuro mused, stroking his chin. “Last time I got carried away fighting alone. This time? No mercy. For Edward Weibull… I’m not playing fair.”
(End of Chapter)
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