In the past few days, Sakazuki stayed in the Fleet Admiral's office and instructed Hibari on the clerical work he needed to manage.
Hibari gradually became familiar with the tasks.
During the evenings, he conducted intense special training on Bon clay in the basement of his home.
It wouldn't be long before Hibari would be able to effectively assist another "Sakazuki" in leading the Marine headquarters.
One day, Sakazuki received a report from the intelligence department with the location of Edward Weevil.
He was located on an island under the jurisdiction of Whitebeard in the New World.
Weevill was hunting down the crew members of the Whitebeard Pirates.
Mentioning the Whitebeard Pirates brought to mind the recent tragic fate of their captains and crew.
Not only were countless pirate groups vying for the position of the new Four Emperors and plundering the Whitebeard Pirates' territory, but they were also being hunted by Edward Weevill, the so-called Whitebeard II, who was neither fully aware of the truth nor the lies surrounding him.
There used to be 43 pirate fleets, but now only a few remained.
Blackbeard, the one most intent on seizing Whitebeard's power, was relentlessly pursuing the remaining captains of the Whitebeard Pirates.
Recently, Blackbeard's crew had engaged in a battle against 14 of Whitebeard's captains.
This battle, known as the Battle of the End, ended in Blackbeard's victory.
The defeat accelerated the disintegration and collapse of the Whitebeard Pirates.
The battle also cemented Blackbeard's reputation and strength.
Blackbeard now possessed the power of the Logia-type Darkness Fruit and had stolen another powerful Devil Fruit, making him a rare dual-fruit user.
He had led his crew, including former Impel Down inmates, in defeating the 14 captains, showcasing his strength to the world.
There was no doubt that Blackbeard's power was already at the level of an Emperor.
It wouldn't be long before Blackbeard's forces completely annexed Whitebeard's territory, fulfilling his rise to becoming one of the Four Emperors.
As for the remnants of the Whitebeard Pirates, who were already severely weakened after the Battle of the End, they were now either dead or incapacitated.
Marco was the only one confirmed to have survived.
He had retired to Whitebeard's village and now worked as a doctor.
Other once-famous figures, such as Diamond Jozu and Foil Vista, were missing.
Perhaps they, too, had retired to an island like Marco, or they had perished at sea, joining Whitebeard in the depths.
The remnants of the Whitebeard Pirates had no chance of avenging their fallen brothers.
Sakazuki had no time to focus on the Whitebeard Pirates, who were on the brink of becoming a forgotten chapter in history.
After receiving the report, Sakazuki considered which Marine general would best accompany Zephyr to eliminate Weevill.
At that moment, another guard arrived with a message.
"Report to Fleet Admiral! The captain of the Heart Pirates, Trafalgar Law, has arrived with 100 pirate hearts to replace the Shichibukai."
When Sakazuki heard that Law was coming, he immediately became interested.
Suddenly, a flash of inspiration struck him.
"Go and bring Law over!"
Sakazuki ordered the guards.
"Hibari, call Mr. Zephyr to the office now! Just tell him I have a surprise for him!"
A quarter of an hour later, Law and Zephyr arrived at Sakazuki's office at the same time.
They looked at each other, their unfamiliar faces causing a slight confusion.
Everyone's attention shifted to Sakazuki.
"Sakazuki, what's the surprise for calling me here?"
Zephyr couldn't hold back his curiosity and had some ideas in his mind.
"Teacher Zephyr, you have met my expectations. First, there's news about Weevill, and now there's another surprise. Don't worry!"
Sakazuki said to Zephyr.
Then he turned his gaze to Law, examining him from head to toe.
He looked just as Sakazuki remembered.
Law was wearing a furry winter hat with leopard print dots.
His eyes had deep, distinctive dark circles.
Two small gold earrings adorned each ear.
A beard covered his chin.
Black tattoos marked the backs of his hands, as well as between his elbows.
Large heart-shaped tattoos decorated his chest and shoulders.
On his back, there was a tattoo of his heart and the Pirate emblem.
Each finger on both hands bore letters that together spelled out DEATH.
It was autumn, and Law wore a windbreaker.
The back of the windbreaker had the capital letters CORAZON printed on it.
Sakazuki glanced at the letters, recalled them, and suddenly understood.
"You want to take the place of a Shichibukai?"
Law felt a chill under Sakazuki's sharp gaze.
Yet, he responded bravely.
"Yes, I've gathered the hearts of 100 powerful pirates as proof of my loyalty!"
Sakazuki smirked inwardly.
Becoming a Shichibukai isn't that simple.
Moreover, this system must be abolished!
It must be used wisely.
"Oh? Just 100 hearts won't be enough!"
"Um!?"
Law was confused.
Logically, it should be sufficient.
And now the Marines were short on Shichibukai to fill.
They should be "thirsty for talent!"
"What else needs to be done?" Law asked, his anxiety growing.
If he failed to secure the Shichibukai position and showed up at Marine headquarters as a pirate—especially with the Fleet Admiral present—it would be suicidal!
"I need your help with an operation! And to assist the Marines in killing a pirate!"
Sakazuki pointed to Zephyr.
"If you cut off someone's arm, can it be reattached?"
Sakazuki's words shocked everyone present.
The idea of losing an arm was terrifying!
"Sakazuki, there's no need! I'm used to my robotic arm."
Before Law could speak, Zephyr quickly interrupted.
He feared Sakazuki might order the removal of someone else's arm.
It seemed Sakazuki's second surprise was to replace Zephyr's arm with a new one!
"Teacher Zephyr, don't worry, I didn't mean now! And if I do remove it, it will be the arm of the enemy."
When Zephyr heard Sakazuki's words, he immediately understood.
"You mean to attach Weevill's arm to mine? Impossible!"
"I will never accept a pirate's arm!"
Zephyr was adamant.
The idea of merging with an enemy's body made him uneasy.
And their body types were incompatible.
"Teacher Zephyr! You've felt Weevill's powerful arm strength. In your youth, you could have been called the Whitebeard!"
"Now, the Marines need you, not just for your training abilities, but for your strength too!"
Sakazuki spoke earnestly.
Finally, the stubborn old man was convinced.
Law, who had been listening, understood the plan.
Sakazuki wanted to kill Weevill, cut off his arm, and use it to replace Zephyr's.
This wouldn't be a challenge for him, a user of the Surgical Fruit.
"By the way, their body shapes are different. Will that be an issue?"
Sakazuki suddenly recalled that Weevill's lower limbs were small, while his upper limbs were large, creating a strange image.
"It's no problem. I'll just make a few adjustments with my knife!"
Law said confidently.
As the top surgeon in the pirate world, he could handle it.
Sakazuki nodded, reassured.
Then he looked at the windbreaker Law was wearing, lost in thought.
"CORAZON?"