Chapter 2

World Economic News Headquarters,

"What, Akainu is dead? Killed by the new Fleet Admiral in combat?"

"Find out! Find everything you can about the new Fleet Admiral!"

"We need a background check! Put people on it! Do we have his picture?"

"How did the Five Elders agree on this? Do we have details?"

As he watched the bevy of reporters under his command run around like headless chickens, 'Big News' Morgans, the editor-in-chief of the journal was deep in thought. As one of the six leading figures of the Dark world, he was one of the big movers and shakers in the world, and his intelligence network was as vast and in certain cases, better than that of the Cipher Pols themselves.

And yet, this news had hit him like a thunderbolt out of the blue. He, one of the few people in the world, who prided himself upon having the greatest insight into the events of the world had been completely blindsided. When the World Government had passed a press release indicating that they had appointed a new Fleet Admiral, and that this person had bested and killed the feared Admiral Akainu in single combat for the position, even his stout heart had skipped a beat.

There was no one in the world who was not aware of how feared and dangerous Akainu was. The just ended war in Marineford was prime proof of the man's strength and ruthless character. To single-handedly survive everything that an enraged Whitebeard even if he was not at his peak inflicted upon him, and continue to battle was proof of the man's resilience. How then did such a man fall to an unknown character like this?

And if he had indeed killed Akainu like the World Government had said, then this indicated that this Sephiroth was stronger than Akainu. But he had no knowledge of such a man. No one in the world did, he was sure of that. Where did he come from? Who was he? And most important, how strong was he really?

Suddenly, Morgans paused for a moment as he recalled a bit of intelligence that he had received some time back. It was indicated that Sengoku had nominated Aokiji for the post of Fleet Admiral to Commander-in-Chief Kong, and it was known that Akainu had protested that nomination and filed his own claim to the World Government in return. But contrary to all expectations, it was Akainu who was killed by the newcomer, and Aokiji did not come into play at all. And since this Sephiroth was clearly not a Marine, then the only place where he could have come was from … "The World Government," Morgans mused as he drank from a snifter of brandy as he considered the point.

Was the world government finally moving in to take the reins of the Marines directly in hand? The war in Marineford had brought a great amount of prestige to the Marines for getting rid of both Whitebeard and the hidden son of Gol D. Roger. Was the World Government worried about the possibility of the Marines going out of their control? By having their own candidate kill Akainu in combat, was the World Government sending a message to the Marines to show who was in charge? Akainu was the strongest representative of the Marines in this generation, and by having a single member from the World Government kill him in open combat like this, something which even Whitebeard could not do, is this the Five Elder's way of showing to the Marines and the World that no matter what happens, they are the ones to call the shots?

As these thoughts ran through his mind, Morgans' pulse quickened and he began to laugh crazily as his conjectures began to solidify in his mind.

"Regardless of truth, the fact is that this move by the World Government indicates a tectonic shift in their thinking and approach towards the handling of the Marines. The world and consequently, all the seas will change drastically! Men, get me a piece of paper and ink, I have an article to write, and quadruple the print copies for tomorrow's release!"

Cake Island, Totland, The Territory of one of the Four Emperors, 'Big MoM' Charlotte Linlin,

"Haahr! Who is this Sephiroth? Where in the hell, did he come from?" Big Mom asked in an incredulous tone as she looked at her children who seemed pensive and terrified. Fools, what were they all doing if they could not even find out such a little thing, she snarled as her temper began to rise in irritation.

"Mama, our spies inside the Marines tell us that this man is not a Marine, but an agent of the World Government. He is not a Marine, and he has never appeared in public before, so no one knows who he is," Perospero spoke out quickly, even as Big Mom considered her eldest son's words.

"And he killed Akainu? Hmm, then he has some capabilities," Big Mom mused, even as she gobbled up a plateful of pastries, as she looked at the article in the World News Journal.

"There seems to be a lot of unrest in the Marines," Katakuri spoke out as he too glanced at the article. "Apparently, Sengoku wanted Aokiji to take his place, but Akainu objected. But what none of them seem to have understood is that the World Government seems to have had its own plans. They simply dangled the post of Fleet Admiral like bait in front of Akainu and he jumped on it and paid the price. This means that …" Katakuri continued while the eyes of Big Mom narrowed.

"Those five old farts in Mariejois knew that this would be the outcome. They dared to sacrifice someone like Akainu to make a point. They are once again actively involving themselves in the affairs of the Marines, the last time they did that was during the incident in the Valley of the Gods," Linlin spoke out, even as she subconsciously rubbed her palms together. Some events leave a mark on even the strongest people, and the battle she mentioned was one such event.

"For now, pull back our activities in the New World and focus on securing our territories first, and see if you can take a slice of Whitebeard's territories as well, if possible. That brat Marko is not going to be able to hold on to it. Let's wait for the seas to stabilize. Now is not the time to antagonize the Marines," she ordered, while all her children nodded in agreement.

Wanokuni, the territory of one of the Four Emperors of the Sea, Kaido, Governor-General of the Beast Pirates,

"What do you think?" Queen the Plague, one of the three all-stars under Kaido asked his fellow compatriot, King.

"I have no idea, but the fact that this fellow managed to kill Akainu means that he is strong, and he is dangerous," King, Kaido's right-hand man and known as the conflagration replied.

"Guha…" Kaido belched as he took a deep swig from a huge jar of Sake even as he looked at his two deputies, "You are forgetting the main thing. This guy is not a Marine, and yet the old geezers in the World Government appointed him as the head of the Marines! Do you understand what that means?" Kaido the Beast asked in a guttural growl, while the two men frowned as they considered their captain's words.

"Those old geezers are moving to take charge of the Marines directly. The last time they did this, was during the period of my old captain more than thirty years ago," Kaido growled, while King and Queen became dumbstruck at the implications.

"Then … boss Kaido…" Queen began only to be waved off by their captain, "Order Jack to contact that brat Doflamingo. Tell him that I accept his deal. If he can double the deliveries of the SMILES, I will place him under my protection. The seas are now becoming unpredictable," Kaido ordered in a harsh tone, while King nodded in agreement and went out to contact Jack.

The Red Force, Flagship of Red-Haired Shanks, one the Four Emperors of the Seas, and the captain of the Red Hair Pirates

"What do you make of this, Shanks?" Benn Beckman asked his captain, even as the core members of the crew gathered around to discuss what was printed in the newspaper.

"Unexpected, I did not anticipate the World Government to make such a move," Shanks admitted as he gazed intently at the face of the new Fleet Admiral.

"I don't like the look of his eyes, it looks like a predator hunting its prey, waiting for the kill," Yasopp pointed out as he looked at the photo of Sephiroth.

"He does have unpleasant eyes," Shanks acknowledged as he tried to rationalize the new moves by both the Marines and the World Government.

"This man is going to be trouble," he admitted after a moment, while Beckman nodded in agreement.

"The old generation has been thrown out of the Marines completely. Sengoku, Zephyr and Garp are gone, and Crane does not have the heft to maintain the status quo. Of the three Admirals, each of them was influenced by Sengoku and the others respectively, but none of them have been chosen. This indicates that the World Government does not want the Marines to be influenced by the ideology of the previous generation. We know nothing of this new Fleet Admiral, and what motivates him, and how he will deal with pirates as a general matter of course. The future is now … uncertain," Beckman pointed out, to which Shanks nodded.

"Let's take a trip to Sabaody, I need to speak with Mr. Rayleigh," Shanks decided and the Red Hair pirates set sail immediately.

Somewhere in the New World, The Blackbeard Pirates

"Zehahaha … I did not expect this at all! Akainu got his ass killed! Doesn't it mean that if we had stayed there, we would have gotten to watch the new Fleet Admiral kick the shit out of the Red Dog?" Blackbeard guffawed while his crew laughed along nervously.

"It was fate," Van Augur gave his patented response again, while Burgess cursed in shock.

"Captain! I know this guy! He was in level six in Impel Down! He was one of the guys we released! Hey Lafitte, back me up!" Burgess exclaimed in a high pitch while everyone turned to look at him sharply.

"Now that you mention it, he does look familiar," Vasco Shot admitted as he scratched his chin, as the others crowded the paper.

"Yes, we did release him from his chains, but then we lost track of him as the fighting started," Lafitte admitted, as everyone looked at each other in shock.

"Hmm … this is the brat that they brought in 20 years ago," Catarina Devon pointed out, while the rest of the crew identified Sephiroth from the photo as well.

"He was arrested for breaking into Mariejois when he was 12 years old, and that too was to try and kill Akainu. He was suspected to be from Ohara, which had been destroyed by a Buster Call, and Akainu had killed all the civilians who had been evacuated from the island. He was caught by Cipher Pol and sent to Impel Down to be imprisoned for life. I had actually forgotten that he even existed," Shiryu grunted, while the others considered his words.

"Is that so?" Blackbeard spoke out softly as he looked at the photo, "I thought that I was a patient monster, who could endure for decades. I did not know that there was one even more patient and determined than me! Interesting … very interesting … Zehahaha," Blackbeard laughed out loud as he threw away the paper.

"Let's go, guys. The position of an Emperor is out there, waiting for me to claim it!" Blackbeard roared out in a savage tone, while his men cheered and began to follow him.

The Office of the Fleet Admiral, Marineford

"Forget it, it is not like he is a great threat anyways, he has spent half his childhood as well as his entire youth in Impel Down. What kind of trouble can he cause anyhow?"

These words were ringing in the ears of Sengoku like an exploding cannonball ever since the news of Akainu's death, and the subsequent appointment of his replacement had been promulgated by the World Government. How could he have miscalculated someone to such an extent? And now, Akainu was dead as a result and Sengoku was cursing himself for this monumental lapse ever since.

Navy headquarters and the personnel inside were still in a state of shock, as the fact that someone had managed to kill Akainu of all people had percolated through headquarters like one of the shockwaves of Whitebeard's Quake-Quake fruit. Its impact was no less than that of an earthquake on a scale of 12 on the Richter scale.

The man may have been irascible, arrogant and aloof, but he had been immensely respected in the Navy as one of its top combatants. He was an extremist, but still, his actions had created a cult of personality around him, and a faction had coalesced around Akainu, which advocated his beliefs being implemented throughout the whole Navy. Likewise, Sengoku himself was more of a realist and a moderate, and he had cultivated Aokiji as his replacement.

If one could look at it from an outsider's view, Akainu was from the faction of the Hawks and Aokiji from the moderates. Kizaru had deliberately pulled himself out of contention to avoid being caught in this mess, and now Sengoku was left trying to calm the agitated members of Akainu's faction who were upset at their leader being killed like this from acting out.

This indicated to Sengoku that the World Government was displeased at the forming of said cliques within the Navy. And now, the simmering discontent between the various cliques had finally overflowed in the aftermath of the war. Last time such an event had occurred was during the aftermath of the defeat of Rocks, and at that moment, Garp had declined vociferously to become an Admiral, while Zephyr lacked the clout and heft to make a play for the top spot leaving Sengoku as the only available successor to Kong. In a deep corner of his heart, Sengoku knew that if Garp had decided otherwise, then it would be Garp and not him in the top spot, but thinking these thoughts would be a grave disservice to his oldest and dearest friend.

"Sengoku, they are here," he was brought out of his musings as Tsuru's voice cut into his thoughts. He collected himself as both he and Tsuru in her capacity as the Chief of Staff of the Navy were in their chambers awaiting the arrival of one of the five elders as well as the new Fleet Admiral.

Soon, the door opened and one of the Five Elders walked in followed by two guards from Cipher Pol Aigis Zero, and then by the man who had been chosen to replace him. Sephiroth was already wearing a Marine uniform with a cloak bearing the golden epaulettes indicating his position as a Fleet Admiral. On his back hung a huge sword, nearly seven feet long and with a hilt about three feet in length. The fact was that the new Fleet Admiral was tall enough to easily carry such a blade on his back, indicating a physique honed over the years.

"Well, let's get this done with, Sengoku," the 2nd Elder spoke as amiably as he could, as both he and Sephiroth settled in the chairs opposite Sengoku while Tsuru sat at the side.

As he finally sat down in the chair of the Fleet Admiral for the last time, Sengoku reflected on everything he had done in his life, when an epiphany struck him out of the blue. Since the battle with Rocks thirty years ago, with the presence of himself, Garp, Zephyr and Aokiji, Akainu and Kizaru carrying it forward later on, the Marines were running high with a level of prestige not seen in the last two hundred years, and only the fact that Roger had inspired the current generation of piracy had it been blunted somewhat. And now, with the death of Whitebeard, the World Government had had enough. The Marines were first and foremost a tool of the World Government to enforce its rule over the world. With the formation of the cliques of Akainu and Aokiji and the others, the Marines were at a risk of forming independent thoughts and doctrines which were contrary to the position of the World Government. The Marines had become too powerful, and the Five Elders did not want someone with dubious ideologies and tainted thoughts to continue leading the Marines.

And that brought them to this point. As he looked at the young man in front of him, Sengoku wondered how this young man had convinced the Five Elders of his suitability to lead the Marines despite his past and then decided that it was not worth pondering over. Either way, he was leaving on a high, and having achieved the most he could out of his life, Sengoku was more than content. It was time for the next generation to take over anyways. He was tired and he had no more patience for the politics and skulduggery that came with the post. It was time to leave with dignity.

As the call for assembly came in the afternoon, all the remaining officers above the rank of Commodore made their way to the main conference room in Marineford with a heavy heart. Fleet Admiral Sengoku had retired in the noon and now the new Fleet Admiral had called for an assembly to talk and explain how the Marines would work going forward.

Silently, many of them threw sidelong glances at both Aokiji and Kizaru, who seemed tight-lipped and looked stone-faced. Regardless of the dynamics of inter-personal relationships, those two and Akainu had been a team that had held the Marines together for more than two decades, and his loss would have stung. But neither of the two men said anything.

Silently, all the members called for the conference came in and sat down in their respective places. At the head of the room, the new Fleet Admiral stood with his back to them and was keenly gazing at the boards where the bounty posters of the top pirates were placed. Standing by his side was Vice-Admiral Tsuru, the last of the old guard who had remained and notable for their absences were Sengoku and Garp.

After everyone had sat down, the new Fleet Admiral turned around to face them.

"I am aware that my appointment to replace Fleet Admiral Sengoku has caused quite a bit of consternation among all of you. I accept that fact," he began as he looked at them all. "I am aware that some of you are very displeased by how I came to my position. I accept that as well. You are perfectly justified in having your opinions about me. You are free to hate me, despise me, or even curse me, that is your individual right and I will not gainsay it," Sephiroth continued, while the rest of the room looked at him in shock and surprise at the usage of such blatant words. Aokiji and Kizaru narrowed their eyes as they looked at their new superior in a new and more apprehensive gaze.

"But," the new Fleet Admiral continued with a hint of steel appearing in his tone, "What I will not tolerate is insubordination. I am your Fleet Admiral and you will obey my orders like the soldiers you are. The Marines are first and foremost a military organization, and you are all, despite what you believe, soldiers. And soldiers are required to obey orders given to them, regardless of their nature. Your personal opinions and morals and judgment are immaterial and irrelevant, you will obey any orders given and if any of you dissent or try to subvert it, you will be dealt with as mutineers. I will not tolerate disobedience in military discipline," he concluded and looked at them all, daring them to challenge his words.

Indeed, a ripple of discontent spread through the ranks and some of the Vice-Admirals, especially the ones from Akainu's faction seemed to be reddening in their face. Even Aokiji showed a hint of displeasure in his face, while Kizaru maintained a stony silence. As she beheld all this, Tsuru shook her head despondently. All these people were about to get a rude awakening, too used as they had been to Sengoku's accommodating nature. She was proven right, as Sephiroth turned around and glared at the assembly.

A mountainous pressure, stifling everyone, to the point of breathlessness emanated as the Fleet Admiral released his Haki into the surroundings. The pressure of the Conqueror's Haki emanated by Sephiroth took a silvery hue, and the intensity rose to the point where the very room began to shake and cracks began to emanate upon the walls and the ceiling even as the pressure began to intensify.

"That's enough, I believe they understood your point," Tsuru spoke out sharply, as she looked at Sephiroth who reeled in his Haki, even as many of the Vice-Admirals heaved and took in deep breaths, while few of the Rear-Admirals were still shivering in terror. Aokiji and Kizaru had a deep look of contemplation on their faces as they looked at Sephiroth and finally they gave a curt nod of acknowledgment, indicating that they understood the implied message of their new superior.

"Very well, this conference starts now. Commodore Brannew, what are the main points in consideration for today's agenda? Lay it out in detail," Sephiroth ordered as he sat in his chair, while the room settled down, even as many people threw subtle glances at the new Fleet Admiral, with unease rankling in their eyes.

"Sir," Brannew jumped to his feet with alacrity, even as he tried to hide the tremors in his legs to prevent them from shaking.

"The main points in consideration are in this order. First, the reconstruction of Marineford and replenishment of the personnel lost during the war. Second, the reactions of the major forces in the New World due to the death of one of the Four Emperors of the Sea, and lastly, it is to fill the vacant spots in the Seven Warlords of the Sea, in that order," the man quickly spoke out, even as Sephiroth tapped his fingers on his desk.

"With regards to the reconstruction of Marineford, the Five Elders have assured me that all possible assistance will be given, with regards to funds, resources and labour required. Vice-Admiral Tsuru, you will be placed in charge of this task. Make a complete list of everything required to rebuild Marineford to its former glory, and I will forward it to Mariejois," Sephiroth ordered, while Tsuru nodded in agreement. She had already expected the same and was not disappointed.

"With regards to the reaction of the pirates in the New World as well as replenishing the depleted ranks of the Marines, I have spoken with the World Government and we have decided on a new course of action, which will be implemented over a course of two years," Sephiroth spoke out as everyone looked at him in surprise.

"I have proposed to hold a worldwide military conscription and the Five Elders have agreed to my proposal," Sephiroth announced, while everyone looked at him in shock, Tsuru included.

"A worldwide conscription?" Tsuru asked in a disbelieving tone, while Sephiroth nodded in agreement. "With the death of Whitebeard still fresh in the minds of the people worldwide, this is an ideal time. We will launch a worldwide recruitment drive, and the main point will be that those who will be recruited will be allotted ranks respective to their battle strengths. If proven, those with the appropriate strength will even be appointed as Admirals," Sephiroth concluded, by dropping a bombshell of an announcement.

"What? Admirals?" even Kizaru was broken out of his habitual reserve and blurted out in shock, while everyone looked dumbstruck at hearing the announcement. Even Tsuru seemed taken aback.

"I have spoken with the Five Elders and they have agreed with my reasoning," Sephiroth continued in a calm voice as he looked at everyone in the room. "With the death of Whitebeard, one of the Four Emperors of the Sea is gone, and there will be a wide scramble to fill in his place. The most obvious candidate is Marshal D. Teach, the man who has done the impossible by showing the ability to wield two devil fruit abilities at once, and he has supplemented his crew by multiple violent offenders who have escaped from level six of Impel Down. At the same time, the current generation of Supernova pirates are the worst generation ever recorded in history, and their activities are not small either," he pointed out, while everyone considered his words carefully.

"With regards to all this instability, I pointed out to the Five Elders that having three Admirals is insufficient. And there is a certain symbolism at play here. The world is divided into the four blues, East, West, North and South, and there are Four Emperors at sea. To counter it, we shall have four Admirals as well. Each of the Admirals will be allotted one of the Blues as their primary responsibility, with two Vice-Admirals acting as their deputies. In this conscription, we believe that we will recruit at least two individuals with the capabilities and strength of an Admiral, and they will take their places beside Aokiji and Kizaru. In case, we do not find any, then the alternate Admiral candidates from the existing Marine roster will also be considered," he concluded, while everyone looked at him pensively.

Kizaru's eyebrows were twitching, while Aokiji was frowning in contemplation. Tsuru just looked at the youngster in front of her and just shook her head in resignation.

"Well, the modalities of this all needs to be still worked out, so we will table this for further discussion. Now, Brannew, give us an outlook on the current status of the Seven Warlords of the Sea and where we stand," he ordered as the flustered Brannew picked up a sheaf of documents and stood up immediately.

"Ahh … yes sir, I have the details here," the man quickly replied as he went through the stack of documents in his hand. "As you all know, we enacted the clause of mandatory service in the warlord agreement and compelled the warlords to fight in the war. Dracule Mihawk, Don Quixote Doflamingo, Boa Hancock and Gecko Moria obeyed the commands and participated in the war, though their performances varied in the battle. Bartholomew Kuma has volunteered to the scientific research department under doctor Vegapunk, and his participation and performance was beyond reproach. The trouble came with the refusal of the 'Knight of the Sea' Jinbe and 'Blackbeard' Marshall D. Teach, who for differing reasons opposed us in the battle".

"Hmm," Sephiroth mused as he tapped his fingers on the desk as he looked at the posters of the various warlords on the sea. "With regards to Mihawk, Hancock, and Doflamingo, they did participate in the battle on our side and they held their side of the bargain, so their positions will remain unchanged. While Moria participated, his performance was less than satisfactory," Sephiroth grunted as everyone looked at Moria's poster and considered the words of the Fleet Admiral.

"He lost at the hands of a rookie supernova like Monkey D. Luffy who later went on to become a major disruptive force in the battle. If he had contained the boy first, much of the trajectory of the war which occurred afterwards could have been changed. Not only did he fail once, he then failed again to defeat the boy in the war and this time in front of the eyes of the world, and then lost again to Jinbe later. This kind of weakness and incompetence is not to be tolerated. By their name and presence, the warlords are meant to act as a deterrent force, and Gecko Moria is no longer qualified to be one of the seven warlords. Brannew, reactivate the bounties for Gecko Moria and his crew and have Morgans announce it in the next news cycle, that Moria has been expelled from the Seven Warlords."

"Yes sir, it will be done as ordered," Brannew saluted and made a note in his records.

"It does leave us with three vacant seats in the warlords," Tsuru pointed out, to which Sephiroth nodded in agreement.

"Brannew, bring up the posters of the current supernova among the worst generation," Sephiroth ordered as he looked at the projector screen at the end of the hall while Brannew complied.

"You intend to recruit the new replacements from them?" Tsuru asked again with a look of confusion on her face, while Sephiroth replied with a grunt, "I intend to reduce the available pool of talent for the Four Emperors instead."

"Ahh," Tsuru nodded in comprehension as the intent of the Fleet Admiral became clear.

As the posters of the supernova came up, Sephiroth looked at them intently to see how he could disrupt the flow of canon events even further going forward. The retention of Aokiji was already a game changer and he wanted to extend it further.

"Brannew, send out invitations to those two people," he indicated towards the posters of Trafalgar Law and Capone Bege as he quickly decided on a new course of action.

"These two, are you sure?" came the drawling voice of Aokiji, as everyone looked at the Admiral in surprise. They had not expected Aokiji to speak at all and were surprised.

"Oh, I believe these two will work out just fine. Call it a hunch if you will," Sephiroth replied with a smile, while Aokiji conceded the point and did not speak further.

"Brannew, once the meeting ends, send out the invitation letters with the seal of my office," Sephiroth ordered the commodore who nodded in agreement.

"And who are you choosing to fill in the last place, Fleet Admiral?" this time it was Kizaru who spoke out, to which Sephiroth stood up and began to pace around the room. Inwardly, he was smirking, but he had to make an effort to sell this charade.

"To perhaps one of the most dangerous pirates in existence, and one who revealed himself during the war. A former trainee under Gol D. Roger himself and a fellow trainee alongside Red-Haired Shanks. I am talking of course about Buggy the Clown."

"Him? He is a nobody, sir‼ He has been loitering around the East Blue for two decades since the death of Roger‼ His bounty has not crossed even ten million for crying out loud‼!" Brannew protested, as did many others, while Sephiroth raised his hand to stall all arguments and turned to Tsuru.

"Vice-Admiral, you are the only in this room who has the most experience with Roger and his crew, barring Mr. Sengoku and Mr. Garp. Tell me, would Roger have taken him aboard unless he saw something of worth in him? Men like Roger and Silvers Rayleigh do not make mistakes. Otherwise, they would not have taken those two boys aboard as trainees. And Shanks is evident as an example, and now stands atop the seas as one of the Four Emperors! As his fellow trainee, Buggy must have the same potential as that man. Am I correct in my assessment?" he asked, as a heavy silence fell in the room.

As one, everyone turned to look at Tsuru, who sighed and looked at Sephiroth and nodded in agreement. "Roger never did anything without reason. If he took Buggy aboard his ship as a boy, then it stands to reason that he saw something of worth in him," she admitted, as chatter spread throughout the conference room.

"For some reason, since the execution of Roger, unlike his friend, Buggy the clown has opted to remain in the East Blue as a low-ranked, no-name pirate and kept himself out of the gaze of the Marines, the Cipher Pols and the pirates of the New World. This kind of perseverance and discipline is very rare," Sephiroth pointed out, as he looked at the poster of Buggy.

"And yet, according to the jailers of Impel Down, he had already escaped his cell, even before the infiltration of Monkey D. Luffy, and was able to sway many of the pirates from the 1st to 5th floor who had been freed to rally in his banner almost effortlessly, and that too without revealing his background," Brannew read out the reports in hands with growing surprise in his tone, as even Aokiji and Kizaru began to pay attention.

"Brannew, play the recordings of the battle on the screen," Sephiroth ordered, as everyone turned towards the screen. Various montages of the battle played out, and at a certain point Tsuru of all people made an exclamation of shock, at which Sephiroth indicated Brannew to pause the recordings.

"You observed it as well?" Sephiroth asked the old Vice-Admiral who looked at him in surprise and nodded out.

"Whitebeard took the initiative to contact Buggy and recognized him, and soon after that, the men under his command began to co-ordinate with Whitebeard's crew effectively. Even though he tried to downplay it and his performance was farcical, Buggy effortlessly parried a blow from Mihawk of all people," Tsuru pointed out in disbelief even as the screen replayed the incident of Mihawk slicing Buggy to ribbons, only for the man to effortlessly recover.

The murmurs in the room began to increase as everyone began to pay attention to this heretofore unknown player in the shadows.

"And yet, the first person Shanks initiated contact with, when he stepped into Marineford, was not the Whitebeard pirates or the Marines, but with Buggy, and again, you can see their interaction yourself," Sephiroth pointed out as the screen played out the meeting between Shanks and Buggy.

"They are like old friends meeting after a long time," Vice-Admiral Doberman spoke out in shock as he beheld the scene. "Any other pirate would find it difficult to even speak with Shanks, let alone as an equal ... and this clown … he," Doberman just stared at the screen in unflattering disbelief as a ripple of concern spread throughout the room.

"For reasons unknown, this man has not chosen to go out to the New World, and has remained as a low-key pirate despite having the potential to become an Emperor. Now that his existence has been revealed, we must entice him into the Seven Warlords, before he moves to join Shanks in the New World. Fortunately, it seems that he is easily swayed by wealth, so we can make some concessions. It is better to keep such a man under our observation rather than let him roam around freely. We cannot afford the consequences of him acting again like he did in Impel Down," the Fleet Admiral declared, and everyone nodded solemnly in agreement.

"Brannew, send out the last invitation for the Seven Warlords of the Sea to Buggy the Clown immediately."