One Piece: King of the World

Not long after, Tsuru entered the room.

She cast a calm gaze over the seven powerful pirates seated before her and spoke with professional politeness.

"On behalf of Naval Headquarters, thank you for coming and offering your assistance."

Doflamingo leaned back, his trademark grin stretching across his face.

"Well, of course~" he drawled.

"We are the Seven Warlords of the Sea, after all."

His tone was casual, almost playful. But beneath it, Tsuru knew there was a hint of calculation.

After all, Doflamingo was smart enough to understand the shifting power dynamics.

He could see that after this war, Marine Headquarters would play a pivotal role and maintaining a good relationship now might give him leverage later.

Tsuru gave him a faint smile and nodded in acknowledgment.

Suddenly, Hancock spoke up.

"Where is Saint Claudius?"

Tsuru's expression remained composed.

"His Highness is currently in a strategy meeting with Fleet Admiral Sengoku. I will be overseeing this session instead."

Hancock's face immediately fell into a pout.

"Hmph."

She had expected Claudius to personally welcome her to Marineford.

After all, she was Boa Hancock, the world's most beautiful woman.

She hadn't seen him in so long…

And he didn't even bother to come and say hello.

"Tch. Men," she thought irritably.

---

Tsuru spent a few minutes going over the general situation, occasionally pausing for questions.

Most of the Warlords responded with polite nods.

Finally, she handed out thick folders to each of them.

"These documents outline the battle assignments for each of you in the upcoming war. Please review them carefully."

"If you have any concerns or objections, feel free to raise them now, we value your input as partners in this operation."

The seven pirates opened their folders and began skimming through the contents.

For some of them, this was merely a formality.

Doflamingo, Crocodile, Enel, and Hancock who were deeply connected to CP-X had already seen most of this information.

Bartholomew Kuma was also well-informed.

He had worked closely with the Marines for years.

In fact, the PX Pacifista project had been modeled after his own body.

The Marines had come to trust him as their go-to problem solver, calling on him for everything from bounty hunting to high-risk missions.

Kuma barely glanced at the papers before setting them aside.

The remaining two, however, took the documents much more seriously.

Mihawk read with detached curiosity.

He wasn't particularly invested in the outcome, he just wanted a chance to test his blade against Whitebeard's legendary strength.

But Teach?

Teach was glued to the pages.

He flipped through the documents once… then again… then a third time.

His expression grew darker with each pass.

When he finally put the file down, his face was tight with frustration.

"The hell is this…?" he muttered under his breath.

The plan wasn't complicated but the positioning was a nightmare.

The Seven Warlords of the Sea were expected to stand at the very front of the defensive line.

The very first to engage with the Whitebeard Pirates.

The first wave.

The moment Whitebeard's forces landed, the Warlords would be there to greet them with swords drawn.

Teach's mouth went dry.

"So we're just... cannon fodder?"

He'd expected the Marines to be cautious about trusting the Warlords.

But this was practically a death sentence.

That old man would rip him apart.

"This is crazy," Teach thought.

"Surely the others see it too? They must object."

He looked up, expecting to see grimaces and shaking heads around the table.

Instead, everyone else seemed… relaxed.

Doflamingo finished skimming the papers first.

He smirked, tossed the folder onto the table, and casually rubbed his chin.

Then he turned and gave Teach a pointed look.

Teach's heart skipped a beat.

"What the hell was that? A warning?"

The other Warlords followed suit.

One by one, they closed their files and pushed them aside without so much as a raised eyebrow.

Hancock even let out a bored sigh.

Mihawk leaned back in his chair, a faint smile on his lips.

He's probably just excited to fight Whitebeard, Teach realized.

That lunatic.

Enel raised a hand lazily.

"Looks fine to me."

Crocodile snorted in agreement.

"Hmph. No problem here."

Kuma simply nodded.

Even Hancock gave a disinterested, "No objections."

Teach felt a cold wave of dread wash over him.

"What… the hell…?"

"They're all just going along with it?"

"Don't they realize how dangerous this is?"

His eyes shifted between them.

Crocodile… Mihawk… Kuma…

None of them seemed the least bit concerned.

And then it hit him.

"Wait… are they all… Claudius's people?"

The thought sent a chill down his spine.

"Did Claudius intentionally put me here? In the front row? Is this… a trap?"

Teach's mind raced.

"Am I the only outsider in this entire group?"

"Am I just… bait?"

The more he thought about it, the more sense it made.

After all, Claudius was no fool.

He had practically hand-delivered the Dark-Dark Fruit to Teach.

And now here he was—front and center in the war.

"That bastard planned this, didn't he?"

"He's using me as bait to lure Whitebeard in!"

Teach broke into a cold sweat.

He wanted to speak up, to object.

But before he could, Tsuru cleared her throat.

"Does anyone have any concerns or suggestions?"

Silence.

Teach's gaze darted around the room, hoping—praying—that someone would back him up.

No one did.

Doflamingo gave Teach another mocking grin.

"I have no objections," he said cheerfully.

"If no one else does either… let's finalize this plan."

Hancock crossed her arms.

"I agree."

Enel raised a hand.

"Yeah, sure. Whatever."

Kuma nodded.

Mihawk gave a faint shrug.

"Sounds good to me."

Teach's heart sank.

They were all in on it.

"These bastards… they've set me up!"

For a brief moment, he considered protesting.

But with six against one, it would make him look weak.

And if Claudius really had laid this trap… then showing fear now would only confirm his suspicions.

With a sinking feeling, Teach forced a grin onto his face.

"Ah… yeah. No objections here either."

Doflamingo clapped his hands.

"Well, well… that's some real courage, Teach!"

"I admire that."

Teach's fists clenched beneath the table.

"Damn it… I've been played."

"I knew this was too good to be true…."

***

This book is completed so you can read all chapters on: /Blownleaves