Chapter 297: What Kind of Day Is This?!

Marine Headquarters first received news that Maude had arrived at the Sabaody Archipelago.

Shortly afterward, Gion, also known as "Momousagi," voluntarily requested to take on the mission to subdue Maude.

However, not long after Momousagi and her team set out, Marine Headquarters received another shocking update regarding Maude—

Within half an hour of arriving at the Sabaody Archipelago, Maude had eliminated five Supernova pirates lingering on the islands.

The five Supernova captains he took down were:

Oliver "Sharp Eye," with a bounty of 110 million berries.

Gant "Flying Axe," with a bounty of 120 million berries.

Jeff "Ripper," with a bounty of 160 million berries.

Haus "White Fist," with a bounty of 190 million berries.

Borsy "Fanged Sword," with a bounty of 200 million berries.

Additionally, there were unconfirmed reports that Cavendish, the "Kamaitachi of Rommel" with a bounty of 380 million berries, had been captured by Maude.

Such an astonishing feat would have made waves in the Marine ranks if it had been accomplished by a high-ranking officer below the Admirals.

But the one responsible for this feat was Maude, himself a Supernova pirate.

This made things all the more intriguing.

After all, in the long-standing tradition of Supernovas, when had anything like this ever happened before?

Pirate skirmishes were common, but even Marine Headquarters, stationed just a stone's throw from Sabaody, had never been able to completely halt the arrival of new Supernovas each year.

Yet Maude's first move upon arrival was to shatter that norm.

For seasoned figures like Garp, Aokiji, and Vice Admiral Tsuru, this development was unusual but not shocking.

However, considering that it was Maude who had done this, they couldn't help but reflect on what they knew of him.

Aokiji had originally stopped by Garp's place to slack off, but suddenly finding himself uninterested, he downed his cup of hot tea in one gulp and took his leave.

Garp put down the intelligence report and watched Aokiji walk away.

Afterward, he murmured to himself, "Tomorrow, huh..."

The next day.

Crocodile, Donquixote Doflamingo, and Bartholomew Kuma arrived at the Red Port aboard a Marine warship.

The Red Port, located at the base of the Red Line, was one of the access points to the Holy Land, Mary Geoise.

Upon arrival, Marine escorts led them to a bubble lift that functioned like an elevator, transporting them to the meeting venue in Mariejois.

"Fufufu..."

As he revisited familiar ground, the former Celestial Dragon Doflamingo tilted his head slightly, gazing at the distant silhouette of Pangaea Castle with a smirk tinged with an unspoken cruelty.

Crocodile's sharp eyes remained fixed forward, unwavering.

Kuma, expressionless as ever, held a book in his hands, reading in silence.

The three of them walked side by side down the grand corridor leading to the conference room.

Soon, they arrived at an expansive and lavishly decorated chamber.

A large round table sat at the center, surrounded by twenty high-backed chairs. In front of each seat, stacks of paper detailing the agenda for the meeting were neatly arranged.

Doflamingo, hands in his pockets, strutted into the room with his usual arrogance, not even sparing the meeting table a glance before heading straight for the outdoor balcony.

There, he casually perched himself on the railing, crossing one leg over the other in a posture that exuded defiance.

Kuma, on the other hand, made his way to a couch near the balcony, sat down, and resumed reading his "Bible."

Crocodile, taking note of the two finding their own seats before the meeting even began, scoffed silently before pulling out a chair at the round table and sitting down.

His gaze dropped to the documents before him.

With a slight movement of his fingers, he conjured a small wisp of sand and manipulated it to flip through the pages.

Near the entrance stood three stern-looking Marine Vice Admirals, each with a sword at their waist.

Their eyes swept over the three Warlords, their bodies subtly tense.

Even though they weren't enemies at this moment, the mere presence of these infamous figures exerted an undeniable pressure.

Noticing the wary gazes from the Vice Admirals, Doflamingo, still perched on the railing, let out a quiet chuckle.

His fingers twitched slightly, and without a sound, he sent out an invisible "Parasite String," latching it onto one of the Vice Admirals.

He then shifted his gaze back to the distant scenery, his fingers rhythmically tapping against his knee.

"Huh?"

One of the Vice Admirals, Mozambia, suddenly stiffened. Without warning, he unsheathed his sword and swung it at his unsuspecting colleague, Vice Admiral Stainless.

Hearing the blade slice through the air, Stainless instinctively dodged back, narrowly avoiding the attack.

"Mozambia, have you lost your mind?!"

Stainless's eyes widened in disbelief at his fellow officer's sudden aggression.

Mozambia, drenched in cold sweat, blurted, "It's not me! My hand... it's moving on its own!"

"Don't be ridiculous!"

Stainless bellowed, but Mozambia's blade came slashing at him again.

"You...!"

Stainless hastily drew his own sword, blocking the strike with a resounding clang.

The sharp clash of steel echoed through the room.

Kuma, momentarily distracted by the noise, closed his book and glanced sideways at Doflamingo, who remained perched on the railing, as if none of this concerned him.

Crocodile, ceasing his sand manipulation, also looked up at the struggling Vice Admirals with a hint of disdain in his eyes.

The rank of Vice Admiral was only one step below an Admiral.

Yet, while Marines like Garp stood at the pinnacle of this rank, others, like these two, were utterly powerless against Doflamingo's whims.

The gap in strength was difficult to quantify.

Just as Mozambia and Stainless exchanged several more blows, the conference room doors suddenly swung open.

A large sack of senbei snacks in hand, Garp strode in, followed closely by the serene-looking Vice Admiral Tsuru.

At the sound of the door, Doflamingo, Kuma, and Crocodile turned their gazes toward the entrance.

"Well, isn't this lively?"

Garp remarked, shoving a hand into his nose absentmindedly as he walked in.

"Oi, oi, what's the occasion? The legendary Marine hero actually bothering to attend a meeting as boring as this?"

Doflamingo smirked, amused, as he continued manipulating Mozambia, even increasing the speed of his attacks.

Crocodile and Kuma also looked mildly surprised.

Garp, seeing the chaotic sword fight, casually flicked the speck of nose debris he had just picked out.

With pinpoint precision, the tiny projectile severed Doflamingo's Parasite String, immediately halting Mozambia's involuntary attacks.

Having resolved that matter effortlessly, Garp walked toward his seat.

"Not much of a reason. Just wanted to drop by and take a look at all you ocean-scum."

Ironically, Garp had just stolen Sengoku's planned opening line.

"Fufufu... How high and mighty, Marine hero."

Doflamingo chuckled darkly but showed no emotional reaction.

Ignoring him, Garp plopped down and tore open his snack bag, beginning to munch loudly.

Vice Admiral Tsuru, before taking her seat beside Garp, cast a brief glance at Doflamingo.

Noticing this, Doflamingo chuckled softly but restrained himself.

Crocodile, maintaining a calm demeanor, silently observed as Garp and Tsuru took their seats, showing little reaction.

At the front entrance, with the arrival of Garp and Tsuru, the pressure on Vice Admirals Mozambia and the other two eased considerably.

With the legendary hero Garp present, Doflamingo would surely think twice before trying any tricks.

The room fell into silence, with only the sound of Garp chewing on his rice crackers filling the air.

Half an hour passed.

The doors swung open once again.

Fleet Admiral Sengoku walked into the room with his hands in his coat pockets. His eyes first swept over the assembled Warlords of the Sea, and he muttered to himself, "Jinbe still hasn't arrived..."

"Jinbe? I didn't expect that whale shark to come to a place like this."

Doflamingo locked eyes with Sengoku and sneered. "I'm really worried for him. If he gets taken out on the way here, or worse, captured by a slaver crew, does that mean this meeting will be canceled?"

"That's none of your concern, Doflamingo."

A deep voice echoed from beyond the balcony. Moments later, a large figure vaulted onto the balcony railing—it was Jinbe, the whale shark Fish-Man.

"Fuffuffu."

Doflamingo glanced sideways at Jinbe, who had made such a dramatic entrance, and remarked with a knowing smirk:

"Back during that big incident, your Fish-Man hero, Fisher Tiger... I wonder if he also climbed the Red Line in such a sneaky, underhanded way?"

His words were laced with derision.

Jinbe, unfazed by Doflamingo's deliberate provocation, strode toward an empty seat at the massive round table.

Seeing Jinbe ignore him, Doflamingo quickly lost interest.

Fleet Admiral Sengoku watched as Jinbe took his seat and said flatly, "Let's begin. There's no point in waiting any longer—no one else is coming."

"Then let's get this over with. The sooner we finish this boring meeting, the better."

Doflamingo hopped down from the balcony railing and strolled toward his seat.

Tap. Tap.

Just then, the sound of measured footsteps echoed from outside the doors.

Dracule Mihawk, the world's strongest swordsman, entered the meeting room, the legendary black blade, Yoru, strapped to his back.

Everyone instinctively turned their gaze toward him, surprised by his last-minute arrival.

"Fuffuffu... The most unpredictable man has shown up as well. What kind of day is this, exactly?"

Doflamingo, who had just slouched into his chair, looked genuinely surprised.

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