Two days later, more than a dozen nautical miles from Alabasta, a massive warship was speeding through the waves.
Vivi, Igaram, and the others looked back toward the huge room behind them.
Inside, Dorry and Brogy were drenched in sweat, supporting themselves with both hands against the deck. Their entire bodies trembled with pain, and their faces had turned somewhat pale.
Two days ago, after the two giants had been defeated by Marine Admiral Glutton Lucas, they had chosen to board the Marines’ warship.
There was just one condition.
The two giants demanded that Lucas fulfill his promise and help them master the two standard forms of Haki within a short period of time.
Originally, in Vivi and Igaram’s eyes, mastering both forms of Haki was extremely rare even in the New World.
To truly master them, it would surely take at least a year or two.
Yet what they had never expected was that after the two giants entered this strange room, awakening and mastering both forms of Haki had become almost ridiculously easy.
It was so smooth that it was almost unbelievable.
They watched as the pitch-black Armament Haki covering the two giants’ bodies rapidly faded away.
If they hadn’t witnessed it with their own eyes, they absolutely wouldn’t have believed any of this was real.
Vivi, Igaram, and even Gaca couldn’t help feeling an inexplicable sense of envy.
"Don’t overthink it."
Lucas took a gulp of strong liquor and smiled.
"Dorry and Brogy have lived for more than a century. Their foundations have long since been sufficiently tempered. What they lacked was merely an opportunity to break through after years of accumulation."
"Even without me, they would’ve mastered both forms of Haki within a year or two."
"All I did was send them through the gates of death and back, forcing their potential to awaken ahead of time."
"Of course, if you want to give it a try too, I can help you take a trip to the afterlife."
Vivi and the other two immediately shook their heads like rattles.
Thinking back to everything that had happened on Little Garden, they could still feel a chill running down their spines.
If mastering both forms of Haki required going through an experience like that, they would much rather improve step by step.
"Admiral Lucas, we’ve received word from Marine Headquarters."
Vice Admiral Doll quickly stepped forward.
"The two special combat forces that Fleet Admiral Sengoku proposed recruiting have both refused."
"Fleet Admiral Sengoku just asked about the status of our recruitment efforts, but I haven’t told him anything yet."
By the time she finished speaking, Doll herself didn’t know why she’d acted on impulse and told Sengoku that she would keep the matter confidential for the time being.
Before Little Garden, Doll was absolutely certain she would never have done something like this.
Was it because she had personally witnessed the strength of the two giants?
Whenever she recalled the devastating damage caused by Dorry and Brogy’s combined Hakoku on Little Garden, a chill still ran down her spine.
If, as Lucas had said, the two giants combined their mastery of Hakoku with Armament Haki: Ryuo...
Just how terrifying would the power of that single strike become?
Doll didn’t even dare imagine it.
At the very least, if she chose to take such an attack head-on, she would probably either die or suffer severe injuries.
"Both of them refused?"
Lucas took another gulp of liquor and smiled.
"Looks like this important task has fallen on my shoulders again."
"Admiral Lucas, have you already thought of the next special combat power target?"
Doll quickly recovered and asked.
Marine Headquarters had already issued a full mobilization order.
Elite forces from all Marine branches were being transferred to Headquarters, and there were now only forty days remaining until the public execution.
In Doll’s eyes, if the Marines were declaring war against only one of the Four Emperors, Marine Headquarters’ forces would indeed be able to handle it.
But if they had to declare war against two Four Emperors at the same time, the Marines’ current strength would clearly be stretched to the limit.
More importantly, Marine Headquarters couldn’t afford a battle that merely ended in a fifty-fifty outcome.
They needed absolute confidence in victory.
Otherwise, the Marines would be walking straight toward their own destruction.
Now, even Fleet Admiral Sengoku himself had failed to recruit the special combat forces he had sought.
By contrast, the two giants Lucas had recruited had completely overturned Doll’s understanding of what was possible.
That result made her even more eager to know who would be placed on Lucas’s list of special combat forces next.
"The next combat power target?"
Lucas took another drink and smiled as he looked toward Nanohana Port.
"Don’t worry. I’ve already chosen the target."
"I just didn’t expect us to be this lucky. The bonus has practically delivered itself to our doorstep."
The bonus had delivered itself to their doorstep?
Everyone present was stunned.
They all followed Lucas’s gaze.
What they saw was nothing more than a chaotic port. There was no obvious sign of any special combat power anywhere.
"Princess Vivi, Nanohana Port has come under attack by pirates. A large number of travelers passing through the port have been surrounded."
"Can we request the Marines’ assistance?"
One of the guards couldn’t help asking.
They, too, had been fortunate enough to witness the destruction of Little Garden with their own eyes.
In their minds, this seemingly unreliable new Marine Admiral gave them an inexplicable sense of security.
If an Admiral took action, these pirates would be completely helpless.
"Igaram, didn’t we already request that the Marines station forces at Nanohana Port?"
"Why are there still pirates causing such a large disturbance?"
Vivi didn’t immediately ask the Marines for help. Instead, she turned toward Igaram beside her.
As the princess of a great kingdom, she understood very well that even if Lucas was willing to intervene, he could only solve the immediate crisis.
He couldn’t protect Alabasta forever.
Otherwise, she wouldn’t have risked going to recruit the two giants in the first place, hoping they could come to Alabasta and serve as its guardian force.
"Princess Vivi, I just received a report from the Royal Army troops stationed at the port."
Igaram’s expression became troubled.
"They said that Marine Headquarters has requisitioned the elite forces from the branches and transferred them to Headquarters."
"As a result, the Marine forces stationed at Nanohana have become extremely weak."
"At the same time, the pirates causing trouble this time aren’t ordinary pirates."
"They’re members of the Donquixote Family, under Donquixote Doflamingo, one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea."
"They claim that the people at our port stole their cargo, so they’re demanding to conduct a forced search."
"Another Warlord of the Sea?"
Vivi’s expression changed slightly.
She had never expected that immediately after one Warlord of the Sea had left the Kingdom of Alabasta, another one would arrive—this time with the Donquixote Family.
Faced with these Warlords of the Sea, who possessed special privileges, Vivi was momentarily at a loss.
After all, Marine Headquarters had not only issued a full mobilization order.
They had also mobilized the Seven Warlords of the Sea.
The purpose was to secure enough strength to guarantee victory in the coming great war.
But if the Marines intervened in a dispute involving one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea, would that undermine the Warlord mobilization order?
At that thought, Vivi couldn’t help looking toward Lucas.
A trace of urgency appeared in her eyes.
She desperately wanted to know what choice Lucas would make.
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