Hiroto said leisurely, "The Marines can't catch me. I think you've already understood that piece of intel. If I can kill a Warlord like Moria, I can kill a second one."
"Right now, it's you Marines who need me to fill a vacancy and need me to stop attacking other Warlords."
"But if you can't figure that out... right now, there are two vacancies among the Seven Warlords of the Sea. It won't be long before it becomes three."
"With nearly half of them gone, can the Warlord system even continue to be maintained?"
"..."
Tsuru didn't answer, but the den den mushi in Hiroto's hand took on a sharp expression, clearly her way of showing anger. However, Hiroto didn't care at all.
"You just mentioned a lot of additional conditions, but I don't accept them. On the contrary, you Marines must first accept one of my conditions before we talk about becoming a Warlord."
"Do you really think you can keep acting so arrogant?" Tsuru's voice sounded low.
"You finally have an opportunity to become a Warlord, yet your actions might make that opportunity vanish."
"Then let's see. Will your Marine Headquarters Vice Admiral be beheaded by me first, or will you catch me first?"
Hiroto hung up the phone, he absolutely couldn't allow Tsuru to continue leading him by the nose.
Tsuru was a tactician like Sengoku, famous for her strategic mind. It would be perfectly normal for her to turn hostile at any moment or dig a hole for Hiroto. After all, their positions were inherently opposed.
Previously, because his strength was insufficient, he could only show some goodwill and had to let Tsuru hold the initiative.
By doing so, he gave Tsuru the illusion that she could handle or even manipulate him, preventing her from noticing any issues caused by his rapid progress. Otherwise, she might have summoned Garp to the East Blue for a classic battle royale.
At that time, Hiroto really wasn't confident he could escape from Garp, who frequently visited home.
But things were different now. After befriending Issho, obtaining [Shadow Exchange], and killing Moria, he had some bargaining chips.
In the original story, Boa Hancock, as one of the Warlords of the Sea, also had privileges negotiated with the World Government.
His goal was simple: the "failed" Devil Fruit inside the Punk Hazard island research facility.
The one Momonosuke ate.
Hiroto had a bold idea regarding that fruit. If successful, it would give him a significant margin for error.
And incidentally, he wanted to delay becoming a Warlord.
If nothing else, Crocodile in Alabasta was, in Hiroto's eyes, a "fish that escaped the net" that would be a waste not to catch.
Plus, there was someone there who could provide at least an orange entry.
Nico Robin.
In any case, his time to become a Warlord would have to be after killing Crocodile.
After reviewing and clearing his thoughts once more, Hiroto stood up and left the Going Merry, heading for Moria's base. That ship-island as massive as an actual island.
...
In the branch commander's office in Loguetown, Dalmatian lit a cigar and sat on a sofa chair, puffing out clouds of smoke.
On the table before him was a large amount of data handed over by Smoker.
He looked very strange, not like an ordinary person. The upper half of his face was that of a Dalmatian dog, while the lower half was that of a rugged man, with thick yellow facial hair on his chin.
This was Dalmatian's habit. Because he had suffered losses in the past, he now habitually remained in the hybrid form long-term. This was to avoid any accidents that might catch him off guard.
Likewise, because of this, having stayed in his hybrid form for so long, his development of this form was extremely high.
Compared to the Dalmatian form which should have been larger, his hybrid form was actually bigger, possessing the strong body of an animal, agile speed, and claws and teeth that could tear anything apart. Yet it also had the convenience of a human form, allowing him to use the Six Powers' Soru and Shigan in conjunction.
"That kid is dedicated enough, but unfortunately his strength is lacking, leading to consecutive defeats. However, Zephyr-sensei has told him to go back for further training."
"Presumably, this setback should allow the kid to make some progress."
"As a Logia type user, he shouldn't be stuck in the mere East Blue. The New World is his stage."
Dalmatian shook his head and set those thoughts aside for now.
After all, Smoker had already left on a Warship, and he had temporarily taken over Loguetown. He would wait to see the Headquarters' arrangements.
However, Dalmatian knew he was here specifically to prevent Moria from doing anything he shouldn't.
As for that Sea-Cleaving Swordsman Hiroto who had shaken the East Blue, he would likely die at Moria's hands.
Afterward, he would have to mobilize the East Blue Marines to help Moria find the powerhouse who had attacked his base. Cooperating with the Warlord was also the Marines' duty.
But before that, he'd let Moria run wild for a while.
Thinking of this, Dalmatian opened a drawer containing many invitations and various letters of visit.
As a Vice Admiral of the Marine Headquarters, he was far too high-level for a region like the East Blue.
Many people wanted to use this opportunity to get to know him, and Dalmatian intended to take the chance to understand the situation in the East Blue and see if there was anything he could do.
After all, belonging to Akainu's faction, his view on pirates had always been to exterminate them all.
After rummaging around for a bit, Dalmatian suddenly paused and picked up an invitation.
It wasn't an invitation for a meal or anything like that, but an invitation from an auction house. The most eye-catching parts were the several illustrations on it.
They were illustrations of one strange-looking fruit after another.
Of course, Dalmatian could recognize them—these were pictures of Devil Fruits.
Especially the first one: half-black and half-white, with swirling cloud-like patterns on it, and the patterns had many small raised motifs. Looking closely, one would find that although these motifs were all different, they were highly symbolic.
Raised motifs resembling lightning, raised motifs resembling swirling wind, and raised motifs resembling raindrops...
It was quite complex, but for that reason, extremely recognizable.
"Logia type, Cloud-Cloud Fruit?"
(End of Chapter)
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