Bab 114: Chapter 115 : Abolishing Shichibukai System!!
"Shanks, what the hell are you planning?"
Hearing Doflamingo's words, Buggy frowned deeply. From what he knew about Shanks, the man wasn't someone who would let others manipulate him easily!
If Shanks was staying at Marine Headquarters now, he definitely had his own schemes!
As for the credibility of the inside information Doflamingo mentioned, Buggy had no doubts. After all, Vergo, currently a Marine Vice Admiral, was Doflamingo's undercover agent within the Marines!
Getting information of this caliber would be a piece of cake!
After some thought, Buggy said, "Have your people keep a close eye on the movements at Marine Headquarters, especially on Shanks and his group! Also, keep an eye on the World Government!"
"I understand," Doflamingo said after a brief silence, then suddenly added, "There's another unconfirmed piece of information. This time, it's really unverified, even my internal channels haven't confirmed it. Want to hear it?"
Buggy didn't refuse, replying, "Go ahead, let's hear it."
Doflamingo continued, "I've caught wind that the old geezers in the World Government are considering abolishing the Shichibukai system!"
Buggy was taken aback. He didn't expect this to happen so soon!
In the original storyline, two years later at the World Summit, led by Princess Vivi of the Alabasta Kingdom, several kings whose countries had been harmed, either directly or indirectly, by the Shichibukai, proposed an agenda to abolish the Shichibukai system!
The World Summit passed this resolution, and with the World Government having developed the third-generation humanoid weapons, the 'Seraphim,' they viewed the Shichibukai as something no longer necessary and agreed to abolish the system!
This also led to the Shichibukai banding together to form the Cross Guild, ultimately leading to Buggy taking a seat as one of the Four Emperors!
Doflamingo went on, "Although this information hasn't been confirmed and hasn't spread widely, I think it's pretty likely to happen!"
Buggy asked calmly, "Why do you think that?"
Doflamingo laughed and explained, "Fufufufu, because the Shichibukai system is already practically dead!"
"Crocodile was stripped of his Shichibukai title months ago, and Blackbeard, who replaced him, betrayed the Marines and lost his title as well!"
"Boa Hancock was also stripped of her title for betraying the Marines, and that useless Moria was slapped to death by Sanjuan Wolf at Marineford!"
"As for Kuma, that guy vanished after the Summit War, and his fate is still unknown to this day!"
"Before the Summit War, Jinbe was stripped of his Shichibukai title and imprisoned in Marineford for opposing the war against the Whitebeard Pirates and pleading on Ace's behalf."
"However, the guy was lucky enough to survive and escaped during the chaos. He reunited with Ace in the New World, guarding the remnants of Whitebeard's territory."
"So, if you think about it, the only active Shichibukai left are me and Mihawk!"
"As for me, it goes without saying—I'm just playing along with the Navy for appearances! Mihawk, on the other hand, only shows up when he feels like it. The Navy has no control over him!"
"Looking at it this way, the so-called Shichibukai system doesn't really hold much value anymore. It's no surprise that those old guys in the World Government want to abolish it."
Buggy nodded, agreeing with Doflamingo's reasoning, but he knew things weren't that simple.
The World Government originally established the Shichibukai system to maintain balance on the seas, creating a power triangle between the Navy, the Four Emperors, and the Warlords of the Sea.
Now, with all three sides—Navy, Four Emperors, and Warlords—having suffered heavy losses, pirates are fighting amongst themselves, competing to become the new Four Emperors.
Meanwhile, the Navy is conducting a global draft to quickly recover its strength.
If the World Government wants to restore the previous balance, they should be recruiting new pirates to form a brand-new Warlord system, not abolishing it outright!
In the original storyline, the World Government only disbanded the Warlords after they had found a new source of power.
Could it be that the World Government has already found a replacement force?
Or perhaps Vegapunk's research has made a breakthrough?
Buggy pondered for a moment and asked, "Doffy, do you know about Zephyr? What's he been up to lately?"
In the original plot, around this time, Zephyr, the former Navy Admiral, left the Navy after feeling betrayed.
The World Government had recruited the pirate who cut off his arm and slaughtered his students as a new Warlord. Disillusioned, Zephyr abandoned the Navy and formed the 'Neo Navy.'
Buggy had a strange feeling that the abolition of the Shichibukai system by the World Government might be connected to this Navy instructor, which was why he asked the question.
He also wondered, now that his enemy had become an ally, if Zephyr would still leave the Navy.
Doflamingo pondered for a moment, then recalled, "That old guy hasn't shown up in a long time. He's been out at sea hunting down pirates."
"But about a month ago, shortly after the Summit War ended, Zephyr returned to Marineford with his men. After a huge argument with the Navy's top brass, he left again."
"The Navy higher-ups have kept a tight lid on the situation. Very few people know what actually happened, and I didn't pay much attention to it."
Buggy nodded seriously and said, "Look into what really happened that day and track Zephyr's recent movements. This matter is important."
Doflamingo nodded back, "Got it."
Buggy didn't linger on the topic and moved on, "How are things going with our own operations?"
At this, Doflamingo laughed heartily, "Fufufufufu, everything's going smoothly! Buggy, I must say, the people you brought out of Impel Down are top-tier fighters. So far, we haven't encountered any serious resistance. We've been crushing everything in our path!"
"At this rate, in another month or so, we'll have completely taken over the businesses of Umit and Giberson!"
Buggy smiled at this but wasn't surprised.
After all, most of those people had bounties exceeding 100 million. If they couldn't even take over the territory of two underworld figures, they wouldn't be worth bringing out in the first place.
But Buggy still cautioned, "Don't get too overconfident. Anyone who manages to become a leader in their field is not to be underestimated. They've got some cards up their sleeves."
Doflamingo nodded, "Of course! In fact, those two guys have contacted me several times these past few days. From their words, they've hinted at some connections they have."
"It's highly likely that Umit has Kaido of the Beasts backing him. As for Giberson, while his backer hasn't shown their hand yet, I suspect it's the World Government."
Status Power Mingguan
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Power 
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