"Those foolish Marines! I offer aid in the form of my most prized creations, and how do they repay me? By letting those pirates brutally kill you all!" Stated Vegapunk with an unsightly expression, walking in circles with his hand behind his back, only to turn and glance at seven children.
"We simply lost." Said S-Hawk softly as he folded his arms and glanced at Vegapunk, who scoffed in response before shaking his head.
"It would be one thing if you had lost, but that foolish Fleet Admiral had let you seven face Chaos Kong himself! Such shamelessness to let children fight that man!" Declared Vegapunk in slight anger as he kicked the ground while suppressing his urge to curse, though the mention of Diddy's name caused the seven children to flinch in fear.
"Chaos Kong." Muttered S-Snake fearfully as she subconsciously observed her surroundings, seemingly searching for someone.
"He's not here, S-Snake… If he were, we'd already be dead." Said S-Hawk firmly as he glanced at S-Snake before shaking his head, behaving the most composed compared to his siblings, though even he felt a slight fear tug at his heart at the mention of Diddy's name.
"I-I don't want to fight him again. H-He's scary." Said S-Bear softly as he shook his head, his words causing every seraphim to nod in agreeance while S-Hawk bit his lip.
"I don't understand… H-How did he even kill us? H-He never dealt a finishing blow. There were no signs of haki, nor did he use his lightning… I-It's like if he just wanted us to die, all he had to do was think about it." Remarked S-Shark in both confusion and fear as he glanced at his fellow siblings before shifting his focus to S-Hawk, who, despite lasting arguably the longest against Diddy, was just as confused as them.
"I-Is it possible he's secretly eaten a unique devil fruit? I-It would be the only way to explain how he killed us with seemingly but a thought." Asked S-Flamingo as he rubbed his head with a thoughtful expression, his words seeming to spark life into his sibling's eyes.
"There has been no information about Chaos Kong eating a devil fruit, but maybe he has recently? He could definitely be hiding it… I mean, how else could he have killed us? It just wouldn't make any sense." Added S-Croc as he glanced at S-Flamingo, nodding with growing enthusiasm, causing the six to to speculate about Diddy's supposed devil fruit.
"Does anyone have the devil fruit encyclopedia?" "Right here." Said S-Shark and S-Hawk, respectively, as the latter tossed the large book onto the table, prompting them to rapidly flip through the pages while S-Snake silently watched from a distance.
"Here! The Death Death fruit! It says right here, capable of killing people with but a touch." Stated S-Bear in slight excitement as he pointed at the inky black fruit in the shape of a pear, causing them to nod, only for S-Croc to shake his head.
"Chaos Kong never touched me." "... Or me." Said S-Croc and S-Gecko, respectively, as they glanced at S-Bear, whose smile slowly vanished.
"W-Well, maybe he awakened it?" "When you say that, we can't fully rule out its possibility." Said S-Bear and S-Flamingo, respectively, as the latter glanced at the former, only for S-Hawk to continue flipping through the pages.
While the six seraphim searched for whatever devil fruit Diddy may have eaten, Vegapunk spoke to one of the five elders through a transponder snail.
"You require more pacifista? A-And the use of the Seraphim? I can offer more pacifistas but not much more as I didn't have many, to begin with; as for the Seraphim that isn't possible. They were, unfortunately, killed during the war at Marineford; Chaos Kong faced them battle himself and swiftly dispatched them." Replied Vegapunk respectfully as he spoke through the transponder, keeping his composure despite speaking to the second-highest authority in the world.
"Do not fool me, Vegapunk. A man as intelligent as you will have created several redundancies in case of the worst; the Seraphim are still alive. A ship is already en route to Egg-Head Island as we speak to pick them up; they will return to Mariejois, and if you decide to disobey, your island will be destroyed after the war." Stated Saturn sternly, his voice exiting the mouth of the transponder snail within Vegapunk's hand, causing him to release a deep sigh before reluctantly nodding.
No more words were discussed between the two as Saturn promptly hung up, having many important things to tend to, considering the final war was just around the corner. Setting the transponder snail down, Vegapunk exited the room and approached the table where the sixth Seraphims enthusiastically spoke with each other.
"S-Bear was correct. None of the recorded devil fruits could possibly fit the description of what Chaos Kong inflicted on us." Stated S-Shark with a nod as he gazed at his siblings, only for them to turn around when they heard approaching footsteps.
"Unfortunate news, young ones. Under the orders of the Five Elders, you all will be required to aid them in the war against the pirates." Stated Vegapunk with an obvious frown, his words causing S-Snake to shiver in fear, though, only for him to raise an eyebrow when he noticed the encyclopedia on the table.
"Hmm, what were you seven doing? Death-Death fruit?" Asked Vegapunk curiously as he gazed at the book in slight confusion, only for S-Hawk to point at it with a faint smirk.
"We just figured out Chaos Kong's major secret." Stated S-Hawk with a faint smirk while the other five seraphims nodded in agreement, causing Vegapunk to raise an eyebrow in curiosity.
___
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"Will we really assist the pirates in fighting against the World Government?" Asked Lindbergh with a slight frown as he fixed his goggles while glancing at his fellow commanders, prompting them to nod.
"Pirates are terrible, but the World Government is no better. Besides, Pirates aren't nearly as organized as the World Government; they will be easier to deal with." Remarked Betty as she puffed out smoke while propping her feet onto the table and glancing at Lindbergh, who rolled his eyes.
"Someone still upset at allowing Chaos Kong to escape two years ago?" Asked Karasu with a raised eyebrow as he glanced at Lindbergh, whose expression twitched in annoyance while Morley suppressed his laughter.
"Haha, very funny, Karasu. But seriously, having been the only one amongst us four to face Chaos Kong, I advise everyone not to take him lightly; he is highly adaptable during combat." Stated Lindbergh with a monotone laugh, only for his gaze to harden, his words causing them to nod.
"He is an Emperor of the Sea, Lindbergh; of course, we'll take him seriously." Said Morley in a deep voice as he glanced at Lindbergh, who sighed before shaking his head.
"Chaos Kong isn't a mere Emperor of the Sea; he fought two Emperors of the Sea and won, managed to stop that island destroying attack… Twice! To top it all off, he's efficiently defeated the pirate's worst enemy! Giving him the title Emperor of the Sea is a vast understatement of his degree of strength… Emperors are walking calamities, but he's a walking apocalypse." Remarked Lindbergh solemnly as he leaned back in his chair and folded his arms, his words causing Sabo to nod in agreement.
"Yep, I completely agree with Lindbergh. I've never faced Chaos Kong in combat, but I did manage to catch a glimpse of his fight against two admirals after the pirate fest. He is a monster and not to be underestimated in the slightest; not to forget, he can enter his sulong state whenever he pleases." Declared Sabo firmly as he sat at the table and glanced at the four commanders, causing Lindbergh to clap his hands, only for a peal of thunder to gather everyone's attention.
"Even so, this is a chance we can't pass up. A full-on war with the World Government was bound to happen; with the Marines having been defeated, a large portion of their strength had been lost. There is no better time than to attack now." Said Dragon as he entered from the balcony and gazed at his four commanders and vice-supreme commander.
"Pirates may not be our ideal allies, but with so many of them and the strength that they offer, it more than makes up for it." Added Dragon, his words causing Lindbergh to reluctantly nod in agreement.
"If that so, Supreme Commander, when shall we leave for Marineford?" Asked Sabo curiously as he glanced at Dragon, who shook his head, confusing them.
"We will not meet them at Marineford; instead, we will use the opportunity of their invasion to attack them from their flanks." Replied Dragon solemnly, his words prompting them to nod with faintly eager expressions.
"Huh, after so long, we're finally going to openly fight the World Government; it seems a little fast." Muttered Betty lightly with a puff of smoke as she stared out into the ocean, causing the others to nod in agreement while Sabo chuckled.
"Not that long for me; it's only been 13 years." Said Sabo, his words serving to lighten the mood slightly.
"Get everyone prepared, but don't let anyone else know of our plan; the World Government will know we will be coming; they just don't know from where." Remarked Dragon as he glanced at his subordinates before turning around, his figure vanishing with a clap of thunder.