Ash naturally had no intention of avoiding Law and the others. The entire reason he had come to Reverse Mountain in person was to make arrangements for them.
After announcing his decision, Ash turned his gaze toward Law and the eight probationary recruits, including Three Blades.
After a brief moment of consideration, he continued.
"The military forces currently available to the World Government consist of the Gorosei, the God's Knights made up of Celestial Dragons, the old and new Admirals of the Marines, and the Seven Warlords of the Sea who nominally serve the World Government."
"The Gorosei and the God's Knights will be dealt with by the Dawn. We can set them aside for now."
"As for the three current Admirals, they're already tied down near Beehive Island by the Three Emperors. They won't be able to move for some time. Meanwhile, members of the older generation such as Sengoku, Garp, and the others are currently rushing toward Beehive Island. Based on estimates, they'll arrive in three to five days."
"However, Sengoku, Garp, and several others have always shown a certain degree of goodwill toward the Dawn because of our efforts to eliminate pirates and because they are aware of many of the World Government's actions. That is both an advantage and a complication."
"The advantage is obvious."
"The complication is that once those veterans are forced to confront the Dawn and the truth behind the World Government's eight-hundred-year rule, they will inevitably hesitate."
"As all of you know, I dislike using force against people who have helped me or treated me with goodwill."
"Therefore, this war must be concluded within the next three to five days."
"Once we exclude the Celestial Dragons and the Marines, the only remaining force is the Seven Warlords."
As he spoke, Ash glanced at Three Blades before continuing.
"Besides ourselves, only four Seven Warlords remain. That idiot Dracule Mihawk possesses Shanks' Vivre Card and already knows that the real Red Hair Pirates were wiped out by us. Because of that, he traveled all the way to Beehive Island seeking revenge for Shanks. He's currently locked in battle with Dicken and won't be getting away anytime soon."
The moment Three Blades heard that his ultimate goal was currently fighting Dicken in the New World, his eyes immediately lit up.
"Hawkeye..."
Unfortunately, the moment he opened his mouth, Ash shot him a glance.
Three Blades instantly froze in place, unable to move.
"Don't interrupt."
After immobilizing him with his spatial ability, Ash continued speaking.
"Jinbe's whereabouts beneath the sea remain unknown. I originally expected him to appear during the operation against Whitebeard, but he never showed up. Since we may need the Ryugu Kingdom on Fish-Man Island in the future, we'll leave him alone for now."
"As for the remaining two, Heavenly Yaksha Doflamingo and the Pirate Empress Boa Hancock, both have fixed territories and established power bases."
"We simply need to go and capture them."
Ash swept his gaze across the group.
"Now I'll give you a choice."
"Who is interested in dealing with Pirate Empress Boa Hancock of Amazon Lily in Paradise?"
"And who wants to deal with Heavenly Yaksha Doflamingo in Dressrosa of the New World?"
"No matter which target you choose, I have only one requirement."
"A swift victory."
Only then did Ash release Three Blades from his restraints.
The green-haired swordsman immediately gasped for air.
His eyes were filled with shock as he looked at Ash.
This man was even more terrifying than White Lion Sali, the strongest person he had encountered since arriving here.
In Three Blades' mind, there was no clear distinction between the God's Knights, the Four Emperors, or Marine Admirals.
He only knew one thing.
They were all monsters.
The things he truly cared about were swordsmanship, becoming stronger, and one day claiming the title of World's Strongest Swordsman.
Only after arriving at Reverse Mountain and studying under Sali and the others for several months had he officially broken through and become a true swordsman of the highest caliber.
Afterward, he learned both Armament Haki and Observation Haki.
Then, after witnessing the battle between Sali and Aokiji, he finally understood just how terrifying the world's strongest fighters really were.
Because of that realization, Three Blades had abandoned his original plan of immediately challenging Hawkeye and instead decided to remain here to continue training and accumulating experience.
Yet now, within only a few minutes, he had learned countless unbelievable pieces of information.
Most importantly, he learned that Dicken, who had only recently broken through to the level of a top swordsman before his eyes, was currently battling Hawkeye.
Three Blades immediately became restless.
Then he had been completely immobilized by the terrifying Heavenly Emperor Ash for nearly half a minute.
Even so, he had no time to dwell on it.
Faced with the choices Ash had just presented, he found himself at a loss.
He didn't want to challenge the Pirate Empress.
Nor did he care about Heavenly Yaksha Doflamingo.
He wanted to challenge Hawkeye.
"Um... can I choose Hawkeye?"
Ash looked at him as if he had heard something ridiculous.
"Are you serious? Beehive Island may soon gather a dozen, perhaps even twenty top-tier powerhouses. In a battle of that scale, you probably wouldn't even know how you died."
"And you still want to go?"
Three Blades scratched his head awkwardly.
"But I once promised someone that I would become the World's Strongest Swordsman. So I have to..."
"Enough."
Ash immediately cut him off.
"I've noticed something."
"You're really stubborn, aren't you?"
"Huh?"
Ash folded his arms.
"Let me ask you something. Who is the current World's Strongest Swordsman?"
"Hawkeye!"
"If Dicken defeats Hawkeye, then who becomes the World's Strongest Swordsman?"
Three Blades paused.
"...Dicken?"
"Exactly."
Ash nodded.
"So after this war is over, the World's Strongest Swordsman will be right beside you."
"You can challenge him whenever you want."
"Doesn't that sound convenient?"
Three Blades blinked.
Then his eyes widened.
"...That actually makes sense!"
Law immediately looked away.
He couldn't bear to watch.
How could Dicken and Hawkeye be considered the same thing?
Dicken was a powerful fighter who combined Devil Fruit abilities with swordsmanship.
Hawkeye, on the other hand, had reached the summit through pure swordsmanship alone.
Even if Dicken defeated Hawkeye, it would only prove that Dicken was stronger overall. It wouldn't necessarily make him the new World's Strongest Swordsman.
Still, Law couldn't be bothered to argue.
At that moment, Ash's words had already ignited the fire burning within his heart.
To hell with the World Government.
To hell with the Celestial Dragons.
Without those monsters, Flevance would never have been destroyed by Amber Lead Syndrome.
Law was extremely interested in the coming war between the Dawn and the World Government.
But before any of that, there was one thing he had to do.
He had to avenge Corazon.
"L-Leader, I choose Heavenly Yaksha Doflamingo of Dressrosa!"
Ash smiled.
"I expected that."
Turning toward the crowd, he continued.
"Daly, you'll lead the team to Dressrosa. If the opportunity presents itself, let Law take his revenge personally."
"No problem."
Daly responded with a smile.
After spending more than a month together, everyone had grown quite fond of Law.
Especially after learning about his past with Corazon and the history of the Donquixote Family, they were even more willing to help him complete his long-awaited revenge.
"Leader, we'll go to Dressrosa as well."
Daz Bones exchanged a glance with Three Blades before the two of them voiced their decision together.
The choice was simple.
Go to Amazon Lily and fight women.
Or go to Dressrosa and help a companion settle a blood debt.
For a group of straightforward men, the answer was obvious.
As a result, Pirate Empress Boa Hancock, who was constantly occupied across countless parallel pirate worlds, unexpectedly found herself completely ignored here.
===
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