Capítulo 102: Chapter 102: The Grand Seven Warlords - The Seven Strongest
Out on the seas…
Who could possibly have a stronger background than Luffy?
His father is the leader of the Revolutionary Army, his grandfather is a Navy hero, his mentor is Red-Haired Shanks, his older brother is Ace, son of Roger, his other brother Sabo, and in the future, he even has Rayleigh, the Dark King, as his teacher.
There was no one with a stronger background.
But, of course, it couldn't be Luffy, who was still young and not involved in any of this yet.
So who was it?
Everyone turned, naturally, to Kuke—their captain, who seemed to know everything.
Kuke pondered.
Was there anyone in the original Seven Warlords line-up who matched such a background?
No, there wasn't.
But in later iterations of the Seven Warlords, was there someone who fit this description?
There might be one possibility.
"It could be Whitebeard's son," Kuke guessed, though he wasn't completely certain.
"What?"
"Whitebeard's son? Someone from the Whitebeard Pirates might join the Seven Warlords? That doesn't make sense—the Seven Warlords were created to counterbalance the Sea Emperors."
It was hard to believe.
Kuke looked at Shakky. "Shakky, does Whitebeard actually have a son?"
His curiosity was genuine.
In the original story, Edward Weevil claimed to be Whitebeard's son, but he only appeared after Whitebeard's death. He wielded the same weapon, had a similar beard, and even exhibited strength reminiscent of a young Whitebeard.
But his foolish demeanor made it hard to believe.
And given his mother Bakkin's small stature, Kuke found it hard to imagine how the six-meter-tall Whitebeard could've fathered a child with her.
"Back when we were on the Rocks Pirates, there was no mention of Whitebeard having a wife or a child," Shakky recalled.
"So that means it's probably fake."
"Not necessarily," Shakky continued, thinking back. "On the Rocks Pirates, there were two crazy women whose dream was to gather the genes of the strongest men and create the ultimate next generation."
Kuke's ears perked up, sensing some juicy gossip.
One of these women was undoubtedly Big Mom.
But who was the other?
"One was Charlotte Linlin. She was incredibly talented, a top officer in the Rocks Pirates, and her strength and status weren't much lower than Whitebeard's. In her youth, she looked nothing like she does now, and most people on the ship would've been more than willing to share her bed, unable to resist her allure."
The women on the ship wrinkled their noses in disgust at such a wanton nature.
"And the other was Bakkin. She was a low-level officer, unremarkable in appearance and small in stature, so no one took an interest in her. Since she couldn't achieve her goals in the same way as Charlotte, she chose a different approach: science… particularly, obtaining Whitebeard's genes."
Kuke understood now.
Edward Weevil was Whitebeard's son—and also not.
Who would've thought Whitebeard would have such an embarrassing story tied to him?
He probably didn't even know about it.
Kuke couldn't help but feel a bit sympathetic for Whitebeard.
Suddenly, everyone's gaze turned to Kuke.
"What?" he asked, a bit confused.
"Captain, your genes are probably the strongest in the seas. Don't you think a lot of people might be eyeing you?" Belo Betty boldly voiced everyone's thoughts.
Kuke: "…"
"Which is why we shouldn't give anyone the chance," Stussy teased, seductively tracing her lips.
Gion instinctively nodded in agreement.
"Let's get back to the paper," Kuke said, pointing to the newspaper to deflect.
The next silhouette had an intriguing title.
"The Strongest King."
There were nearly two hundred allied nations in the world, not to mention those unaffiliated. It was difficult to pinpoint who it could be.
Unable to find an answer, everyone looked to Kuke.
"Bartholomew Kuma," he said.
As a former king of the North Blue, Kuma's strength could indeed qualify him as the strongest among kings.
"The Strongest Sea Warrior."
"Jinbe!"
"The Strongest Talent."
Kuke paused.
Only two possibilities remained: Crocodile or Gecko Moria.
Both had incredible potential when they were younger and were once on the path to becoming true powerhouses. But after severe defeats, they each fell into decline, their strength stagnating or even regressing, turning the title of Seven Warlords into something of a joke.
"It's probably Crocodile," Kuke deduced.
"How absurd—Crocodile as the Strongest Talent?" Everyone laughed at the thought.
"The Most Bizarre Ability."
"Gecko Moria."
Clearly, the Navy couldn't find any attribute of Moria's that was the strongest, so they had to go with "Most Bizarre."
"These seven titles of 'strongest' are nothing but a farce," Gion declared proudly.
None of these titles were truly deserving of the word.
"The higher the Navy lifts them, the harder they'll fall," Kuke smirked, hoping the Navy would elevate the Seven Warlords to the highest point so he could bring them crashing down himself.
The greater the influence, the more achievements he could collect.
"Captain, Dressrosa is just thirty kilometers away."
This newspaper quickly circulated around the world.
"Seven of the Strongest?" The seas were in an uproar.
Previously, only Whitebeard and Kaido held such titles, one as the Strongest Man and the other as the Strongest Creature.
Even Big Mom, one of the Sea Emperors, wasn't universally recognized as the strongest.
Some claimed Big Mom had the strongest physique or the strongest defense; others called her the strongest woman. But none of these titles had unanimous approval.
"Strongest" wasn't a title one could claim for oneself. It had to be acknowledged by all.
"Ha! Now there are seven with the title of 'strongest'—the Seven Warlords must be powerful!"
"With the Seven Warlords around, it'll be tougher for pirates, but better for us."
"Remember, the Seven Warlords are pirates too."
"What's there to fear? Didn't the paper say that the Seven Warlords must follow the World Government's orders? They're essentially legalized, and if they step out of line, the Navy will handle them."
"Right, the Seven Warlords do more good than harm."
When the news of the Seven Warlords' formation first broke, many nations were uneasy.
But thanks to relentless propaganda from the World Government and the Navy, who promoted only the benefits of the Seven Warlords while concealing the drawbacks, the perception began to shift.
Gradually, many nations and citizens stopped viewing the Seven Warlords with resistance.
Instead, they began to look forward to them.
They hoped that the Seven Warlords, as allies of the government, could make a difference and bring an end to the age of piracy.
This unprecedented institution had sparked new hope.
But the monsters of the New World weren't as easily convinced. They couldn't help but feel the pressure.
Especially with two Admirals stationed in the New World.
Unless they united, it would be difficult for any one emperor crew to break the Navy's blockade.
"It's all Kuke's fault. Even dead, he's helping to bolster the Seven Warlords, giving the Navy a perfect chance to promote them," someone cursed Kuke.
If it weren't for him…
The Seven Warlords' influence couldn't have spread so widely in just a few short months.
They could only imagine the scene a week from now.
On the day of its official establishment, built upon Kuke's grave, the Seven Warlords would rise to an unprecedented height of fame.
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P/S: If you are interested, you can read up to chapter 144+ at patreon.com/Emik01.
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