Chapter 047
The arrival of Admiral Aokiji was, by any standard, not good news.
After all, Kuzan, known as Aokiji, was one of the Three Admirals of the Marineseach of them considered the top echelon of combat strength in the world. Rin was confident, but not arrogant enough to believe he could defeat such a monster of a man.
Of course, that didn't mean Rin was afraid. There were four capable fighters on his side.
Artoria, now at her peak, had even mastered Armament Haki. Though a straight-up victory wasn't guaranteed, she could hold her own. However, even if they survived the battle, someone would definitely be injured perhaps severely so. It just wasn't worth the risk unless absolutely necessary.
——
The four of them stepped onto the deck, and sure enough, a tall man was seen in the distance, pedaling a bicycle across the sea.
The ocean beneath the bike was freezing over with each rotation of the wheels, forming a path of ice clear proof of the user's incredible mastery of his Logia-type Devil Fruit, the Hie Hie no Mi (Ice-Ice Fruit).
Soon, Aokiji reached the Pandora Pirates' ship and leapt casually onto the deck.
"Pandora Pirates, huh? I didn't misread it then," Aokiji said lazily, glancing at Rin and the others before yawning, his usual nonchalant demeanor present.
"That's right," Rin replied cautiously. "I assume you're not here for pleasantries, Admiral Aokiji? Are you planning to arrest us?"
Behind Rin, Casa, Enel, and Artoria were all ready for a confrontation.
Aokiji examined the group before him.
Even though there were only four of them, their aura and presence were extraordinary. He could sense that all of them had above-average strength if they'd mastered Haki, they were easily at a level comparable to Vice Admirals, maybe even higher. A confrontation would not end cleanly.
After some thought, Aokiji finally spoke. "Relax. I'm not here to arrest anyone."
"Then why are you here?" Rin asked, not dropping his guard.
"Just came to inform you of something."
Aokiji stretched slightly and continued. "You've heard of the Seven Warlords of the Sea Shichibukai—right?"
"Of course," Rin nodded.
"Well, the World Government has chosen you as a potential candidate. Nothing's final yet. The Shichibukai must number seven, but there are currently ten candidates. If you're not interested, you can refuse. If you are, you're free to challenge the others and claim your place."
"The final seven will be decided by battle. Defeat the others, and you'll be officially appointed."
With that, Aokiji tilted his head and asked casually, "So, Rin interested in becoming a Warlord?"
Rin frowned, contemplating the offer.
He hadn't expected this to be the reason for Aokiji's visit. But thinking deeper, perhaps becoming a Shichibukai wouldn't be a bad idea.
It would give them time time to grow stronger without constant pursuit by the Marines.
Once they were strong enough, they could abandon the title and move freely.
Still, this selection process was clearly a clever ploy by the World Government to use the candidates to cull the strong pirates themselves. After all, anyone worthy of being a Warlord candidate wasn't a weakling.
"Who are the other candidates?" Rin asked.
Aokiji, sensing Rin's growing interest, replied. "The current top contenders are Dracule 'Hawk Eyes' Mihawk, Boa Hancock of Amazon Lily, Gecko Moria, and Crocodile..."
These were the names of pirates who, in the canon timeline, became Shichibukai.
There were also others pirates Rin had read about in the newspaper recently who had bounties surpassing 100 million berries.
Keep in mind, this era was prior to the start of Luffy's journey. Back then, a 100 million bounty was an immense threat. Pirate activity was rampant, but not as inflated as during the peak of the Great Pirate Era.
Bounty numbers weren't handed out like candy. Back now, a bounty was a reflection of true strength and danger, unlike early in the canon, where even a small island raid could earn 20 to 30 million.
Pirates of this generation with even 10 million could be more dangerous than those with 50 million in Luffy's time.
After calculating his odds, Rin finally nodded. "I understand. Anything else?"
Aokiji sighed. "You don't seem too happy to see me."
"Hmph," Rin scoffed. "Have you ever seen a pirate throw a welcome party for a Marine?"
"Heh. Fair enough," Aokiji shrugged, leapt off the ship, and resumed pedaling across the frozen sea.
The group watched as he disappeared over the horizon.
Casa turned to Rin. "Captain, what's the plan?"
Rin didn't hesitate. "We return to Alabasta. Our target is Crocodile."
"Are we really going to become one of the Shichibukai?" Enel asked curiously.
"Yes," Rin confirmed. "We're not yet strong enough to clash head-on with an admiral and walk away unscathed. If becoming a Warlord buys us the time to grow, then we'll use it. When the time is right, we'll discard the title ourselves."
Artoria nodded in agreement, understanding his reasoning clearly.
Casa turned the ship's rudder and set course back to Alabasta.
As for why Rin picked Crocodile.it was simple. Of the known Warlord candidates, Crocodile was the most vulnerable. His Suna Suna no Mi (Sand-Sand Fruit) had a glaring weakness to moisture something Rin was well aware of. Crocodile also hadn't mastered Haki yet, which made him easier to deal with.
The others were far more troublesome. Moria, for instance, commanded an army of zombies created using the powers of the Kage Kage no Mi (Shadow-Shadow Fruit). Defeating him would require large-scale countermeasures.
Boa Hancock had not only mastered Haki but was also supported by a crew of Kuja warriors who were all proficient in Haki.
As for Bartholomew Kuma and Mihawk they were in a league of their own. The former wielded the powers of the Nikyu Nikyu no Mi (Paw-Paw Fruit) and was affiliated with Vegapunk. The latter, Mihawk, was the world's greatest swordsman.
Rin wasn't suicidal.
He'd pick his battles carefully.
———
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