The last meeting they were referring to had actually been the very first time the Warlords had been summoned.
Back then, Marine Headquarters had held a strategy meeting.
The general content had been to execute Ace in order to draw out Whitebeard, then borrow the power of the Warlords to deal with him.
Neither Ren nor Hancock had attended, though someone had called afterward to fill them in on the details.
However, what Teach was bringing up now was probably what had happened after Jinbe objected.
"Sounds like I missed something.
But whatever. In other words, this is chatting time now, right?"
Ren lazily turned his head and looked toward Dracule Mihawk at one side.
"Long time no see, Mr. Mihawk."
"Almost two years, I suppose?"
Mihawk looked over when he heard that and gave a courteous nod.
"Where is Roronoa Zoro?"
"Marine Headquarters only summoned the Warlords, after all."
"Hah. What a lax fellow. You did not even bring your crewman along."
Mihawk shook his head, then said calmly, "I heard he showed some ability at Dressrosa?"
"Well, roughly around the level where he can fight King, I suppose. But if he wants to grow to the realm you're expecting, he still has quite a long way to go."
"At his current speed, he is already surprisingly promising. Perhaps there will be results within a few years.
I hope that when the time comes, his Three-Sword Style will make my eyes light up. Then these years of waiting will not have been wasted."
As he spoke, Mihawk's gaze fell to Ren's waist.
"As for you, have you already abandoned the sword? Or is the sword at your waist merely a disguise?"
"It's not really a disguise. I can still be counted as a swordsman to some degree. I can do things like Cutting Steel, too.
But my style isn't pure. You probably wouldn't be interested in it. As for the sword itself… right now—it's up in the sky."
Ren pointed toward the ceiling and revealed a mysterious smile.
Following that gesture, the seemingly idle Warlords present all felt their eyelids twitch.
As expected, the thunderstorm over Marine Headquarters was this guy's doing.
'Just like the legends say. And he's still so young. It would be best not to give him time to grow, or he'll definitely become a major enemy in the future.
Mm, we'll do as Augur said. Once the plan succeeds, we'll make him a hunting target.
Maybe we can obtain an extremely powerful Devil Fruit ability. I just don't know what his Devil Fruit actually is.
Or could it be one of those special fruits whose existence has been erased by the World Government?'
Teach silently calculated to himself, quietly observing the others' reactions at the same time. He had no intention of cutting in.
"Pointless theatrics."
Mihawk frowned slightly, made that comment, and then stopped responding.
He closed his eyes, showing an attitude that refused further conversation, though he did not leave the meeting room either.
'Though he's the world's greatest swordsman, he isn't someone who looks down on absolutely everything, huh?
That makes sense. In the original first meeting, Mihawk had once hidden in the shadows and listened to Doflamingo and Sengoku's conversation.
Only afterward did he appear by taking advantage of Doflamingo's verbal clash with Sengoku. He isn't purely someone who cares only about the sword.
In later events, after losing his Warlord status, Mihawk also agreed to cooperate with Crocodile and formed Cross Guild.
Well, although the absurdly lucky Buggy ended up becoming chairman.
In other words, there's a chance to win him over, huh…'
Ren withdrew his gaze and then swept his eyes across the entire meeting hall.
What entered his sight were basically extremely familiar faces, along with a few Marine officers he did not recognize.
Sitting at the head was Fleet Admiral Sengoku the Buddha. Ever since saying that earlier line, he had remained silent, his arms crossed before his chest, no one knew what he was thinking.
Rather, that was the general atmosphere in the meeting room.
However, there were also some differences.
For example, no one could deny the Empress's beauty.
This woman, who possessed the world's greatest beauty and was beautiful to an unbelievable degree, was currently leaning back in her chair with a frown, displaying a disgusted expression while every gesture revealed impatience.
Even so, the Warlords in the room were all paying some portion of their attention to her. Even the standing Marine officers kept glancing her way.
'One should not look at what is improper.'
Urouge chose to close his eyes, seemingly reciting something.
"Ah, I'm as handsome as ever today."
Nearby, Cavendish was striking all kinds of dashing poses. He probably wanted to show off his handsome appearance and match himself against Hancock.
However, given Cavendish's personality, there was a high chance this was not because of her beauty.
Rather, he likely felt that winning over Hancock would be more beneficial for raising his fame.
Hancock, however, ignored him completely, because of the matter of being forced to change from red high heels into red flat shoes.
At present, she was in a man-hating state… the very serious kind!
The meeting room was silent.
This left Teach, who had planned to collect intelligence, somewhat unable to sit still.
"Zehahahaha! We're clearly all on the same side, yet you can actually be this cold to one another.
If that's the case, there's no need to continue this meeting, is there?"
Teach was the first to lay the situation bare.
Sengoku, arms crossed over his chest, said coldly, "The Marines will not interfere with the Warlords. The requirement has already been stated. As long as you do not start fighting among yourselves, that is enough."
"If you can start a fight even under these circumstances, then this meeting might as well not be held."
Mihawk, who had originally been resting with his eyes closed, calmly cut in.
"Exactly."
Teach seized the opening and turned toward the Empress.
"So this is the legendary world's most beautiful woman, one of the Warlords, the Empress?
Looking closely, you really do shake a man's heart and leave him at a loss, unable to know what to do.
I heard that anyone who falls for you will be turned to stone. I wonder if I'd be hit by it. Most likely, huh?
To be honest, no man could possibly resist your ability. Zehahahaha, that really is somewhat—"
Crack.
Before Teach could finish speaking,
Hancock expressionlessly crushed the armrest of her chair.
If not for that incident and that person, she might have treated those words as praise and dismissed them with disdain.
But now… no matter how she listened, they grated on her ears and made her recall that man sitting right in front of her!
"Zehahahaha! That expression, that reaction… Could it be that someone—"
Teach seemed to realize something, but he still had no chance to finish the second half of his sentence.
Because Hancock had already leapt into the air and, in an extremely irritable manner, kicked straight toward Teach.
He just had to poke the sore spot, did he?!
"Go die for me, you fool!"
Clang!
An Armament Haki-covered arm collided with a red flat shoe, and a fierce gust of wind surged through the meeting room.
"Have you gone mad?!"
Teach crossed both arms to resist Hancock's long leg pressing down on him, his expression turning gloomy and ugly.
"Hey! What are you doing?!"
"Stop right now!"
The Marine officers' expressions changed as they drew their blades. However, their blades subconsciously pointed toward Teach, making it hard to say whether their sense of right and wrong had followed their eyes.
"Enough! Do you intend to start a forbidden internal war at this critical moment?!"
Veins bulged on Sengoku's forehead as he instantly experienced what it felt like for his blood pressure to soar.
It was only a meeting. Why had it turned into a fight?!
Why was a woman like Hancock still this troublesome?!
"Indeed, fighting now would be inappropriate."
Urouge stood as he spoke, but he did not make a move. Instead, he pulled away to create distance.
As for Cavendish, he drew his sword with a face full of righteous anger. It was not pointed at Hancock, who had attacked, but at Teach!
"You ugly fellow. To think you would dare make such a beautiful lady angry. I wouldn't mind opening a few holes in you to help clear your head!"
Cavendish's expression was hostile.
This made Teach's face grow even uglier as he observed the situation. What was the meaning of this? Just because she was beautiful, she was in the right?
"What a boring direction for things to develop."
Mihawk shook his head, showing no intention of making a move.
"Indeed. All of you, stop."
Ren frowned slightly. He had not expected the order he had given before leaving to make Hancock like a bristling cat now.
This chain of statements had all occurred within a very short period.
Teach, who had been taking the beating, reacted quickly. He slackened the strength in his hands, and his entire body was sent flying by Hancock's forceful kick.
Then he smashed through the wall, collapsed amid a pile of rubble, and climbed back up again.
Finally, with a sinister and ugly expression, he glanced toward the head seat at one side.
"Zehahahaha! I didn't expect to have to fight one of our own as soon as I arrived. Is that really all right?"
"It is not!"
Sengoku, whose expression had become even uglier, had already stood up, blocking the path forward.
"Enough! Empress, do you intend to have your Warlord title stripped from you?!"
"I came here, and that means I have already fulfilled the agreement.
You filthy men should be grateful, not allowing some crude oaf to disrespect an emperor!"
Hancock sneered as she withdrew her leg.
"I have already given you plenty of face. A rude man like this would usually be kicked to pieces by me."
"That's right. Miss Hancock has already been very merciful."
Cavendish took a few steps toward Hancock, his expression serious as he raised his sword.
"As a knight escorting a flower, I cannot allow you to oppress such a beautiful lady."
At that, the Marine officers actually nodded along, though the movement was extremely slight.
"Cavendish, what does this have to do with you?"
Sengoku took a deep breath, his headache worsening.
Hancock's beauty could indeed cause this kind of situation. It was just that no one had expected Teach to make her explode with a single sentence.
He also had no idea what point in that question had made Hancock so sensitive.
As expected, gathering all these Warlords in one place was a mistake. If a problem happened on the battlefield… better it happened now than then!
"What a damn pain."
At that moment, a heavy sigh rang out.
"I said—"
As everyone subconsciously shifted their attention over, black-red light erupted from Ren's crimson eyes.
"—can you all quiet down?"
Bzzzt—!
A piercing scream accompanied the rampage of Conqueror's Haki across the entire room. A terrifying pressure like a mountain smashing down fell upon everyone present.
The Marine officers fainted almost instantly.
Cavendish and Urouge swayed twice with pale faces, their expressions somewhat incredulous.
Captain, when did you become this strong?!
Hancock's thoughts instantly fell into disorder.
Under that bone-chilling dread, she instinctively retreated several steps, unable to stop herself from recalling that pitch-black night.
The black blazing sun hanging high above. Absolute destruction that allowed not even the slightest resistance!
'It's this again. Is he angry? But I already changed my shoes, so I don't look taller than him… Or is it because I didn't listen to him just now?'
Unavoidably, Hancock instinctively and swiftly examined what she had done wrong.
(End of Chapter)