Time continued to pass.
It had been over ten days since Marco's capture.
The battle had taken place at sea, leaving no one aware of it. The Whitebeard Pirates, too, had no idea what had happened.
"It's strange. It's been quite some time, and Marco should have already returned with the remaining members of the Sun and Moon Pirates."
"Don't call them 'remnants.' They're our new companions now."
The other division captains weren't concerned that Marco would encounter any danger; they were just curious about when he would return.
"What's the rush?" Whitebeard rolled his eyes at his sons, who seemed eager for Marco's return.
After all, Marco had only been gone for a month. In the vast ocean, even a quick trip usually took several months, sometimes even up to a year.
But as time dragged on, with no word at all, Whitebeard started to feel uneasy.
The hundred-day commemoration of Kuke's supposed death was only a week away, and Marco had been gone for three months with no updates. Whitebeard was beginning to lose his patience and finally asked his sons for updates on the current situation at sea.
Izo reported, "The remaining members of the Sun and Moon Pirates were last seen outside our territory two months ago, but they've mysteriously vanished since then. No one has spotted them anywhere on the seas."
Whitebeard's brow furrowed.
It had been a long time. At their pace, they should have arrived by now. Could something have happened?
"And what of Marco?" Whitebeard asked, his worry evident.
"We don't have any word from Captain Marco either," Izo replied, equally concerned. "I've tried contacting him with the Transponder Snail, but he didn't take one with him before he left, and there's been no trace of him on the sea."
Everyone started to feel that something was off.
Both Marco and the remaining members of the Sun and Moon Pirates had mysteriously disappeared. Given that Marco had gone in search of them, it was easy to suspect that something might have happened to both sides.
"You don't think… the Sun and Moon Pirates might have captured Captain Marco, do you?"
"Impossible."
"That's the least likely scenario."
"Setting aside whether the Sun and Moon Pirates would dare attempt such a thing, they wouldn't be able to pull it off even if they tried."
"Marco is probably still trying to persuade the remaining members of the Sun and Moon Pirates to join us," the captains speculated one after another.
With no concrete clues, Whitebeard had no choice but to consider other topics. "What about the other forces? What's their status?"
"That madman Kaido is still on the hunt. He's been growing more agitated and even destroyed a Navy branch after clashing with a large naval force."
"The Big Mom Pirates have also dispatched teams to search for them, but there's no indication that they've found or joined up with the Sun and Moon Pirates."
"The Red-Haired Pirates are in a similar situation."
"The Navy, however, has reportedly sent two admirals along with a substantial fleet to the New World. Their presence seems aimed at both curbing Kaido's rampage and warning others not to interfere with the upcoming Seven Warlords gathering."
"The Revolutionary Army, aside from voicing opposition, hasn't taken any concrete action."
Having reviewed all the information, Whitebeard breathed a sigh of relief.
As long as no other faction had found the Sun and Moon Pirates and clashed with Marco, then things should be fine.
"It's nothing to worry about. We just need to wait; I trust Marco."
"Yeah, after all, it's Marco."
Everyone shared in the reassurance.
As the second-in-command, Marco held the highest respect among the Whitebeard Pirates, second only to Whitebeard himself.
The Sun and Moon Pirates had been out of sight for two months, and attention across the seas had shifted from them to the establishment of the Seven Warlords. The Navy and the World Government had begun heavily promoting the event, determined to bring the Seven Warlords to the forefront of the world's attention.
Every day, the World Government's newspaper carried updates on the Seven Warlords institution. For instance, they addressed concerns over what kind of responsibilities the Seven Warlords would hold, but the biggest intrigue remained the identities of the seven members.
Up to this point, the names hadn't been revealed—none of them. Even the Warlords themselves didn't know the identities of the other six, with the Navy maintaining strict confidentiality.
Today, however, the newspaper finally featured some tantalizing hints about the seven members.
"The Seven Warlords are actually supposed to be the strongest in their fields? That's impossible," Shakky said in disbelief aboard the Radiant Eclipse as they sailed toward Dressrosa, staring at the day's newspaper.
The paper showed seven silhouettes, each representing a Warlord, with titles above their heads—"Strongest" in each one.
"The Seven Warlords are mostly trash, yet the Navy dares to tag each with the title 'Strongest' just to undermine the titles of the Sea Emperors? It's laughable." Kuke saw through the Navy's scheme.
They were trying to inflate the Warlords' prestige to subtly weaken the Sea Emperors' reputation.
Before this, the title of "Strongest" belonged solely to the Sea Emperors—Whitebeard as the Strongest Man, Kaido as the Strongest Creature…
"The Strongest Swordsman!"
Everyone crowded around to examine the first silhouette. The shadow didn't reveal much, but it was labeled "Strongest Swordsman."
"Is it Red-Haired Shanks, or maybe Hawkeye Mihawk? The two haven't settled their score, so we can't be certain who holds the title of Strongest Swordsman."
"Humph, our captain is the strongest swordsman," Kuina exclaimed. "And so is Teacher Gion!"
"Don't get too excited; the title of Strongest Swordsman isn't something you can just claim," Kuke said, ruffling Kuina's hair. "I'll help you claim that title, so in the future, you won't have to search far and wide to challenge the strongest swordsman."
"Deal!" Kuina agreed, giving Kuke a high-five.
"Poor Kuina," Gion said sympathetically, also ruffling Kuina's hair. Pursuing the title of Strongest Swordsman was a dream that could never be realized.
They moved on to the next silhouette.
All the shadows looked the same, with no clues as to their identities.
"The Strongest Underground Emperor!"
Everyone looked over at Stussy, as she had once been an underground emperor herself.
If anyone deserved the title of "Strongest," it was the current version of her.
"Underground Emperor?" Stussy shook her head, unsure of the identity.
"Doflamingo," Kuke guessed.
"Him?"
"That weakling? He doesn't deserve it," Gion scoffed. "The guy couldn't take a single blow before fleeing in disgrace, and they're calling him the Strongest?"
"We're about to deal with Doflamingo anyway. He's barely claimed the title, and his Donquixote Family headquarters is already going to be wiped out—how unfortunate," Kuke smirked as they continued to the third silhouette.
Kuke, too, was intrigued.
"The Strongest Connections?"
His immediate thought was Luffy.
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P/S: If you are interested, you can read up to chapter 144+ at patreon.com/Emik01.
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