The news of the Marines declaring war on the Four Emperors quickly spread across the seas, and in an instant, the whole ocean was thrown into chaos.
At Mary Geoise, the Five Elders had gathered once again—and naturally, the topic of their discussion was Kaito.
The Elder with the flat black hat was the first to speak.
"Kaito Uchiha has gone too far this time. This is seriously disrupting the balance. Are we really going to do nothing?"
The golden-haired Elder nodded in agreement.
"We have to step in! The Navy is slowly slipping out of our control. If this continues, everything will fall apart!"
The Elder in the white kimono, holding a katana, still looked calm and composed. He lowered his head and said in a deep voice,
"Enough. I've already consulted Imu-sama. The directive was not to intervene—and if the Navy shows signs of faltering, we are to assist them."
"Nani!?"
The golden-haired Elder's face turned red with anger. He looked like he wanted to lash out, but the mention of Imu instantly deflated him.
The other Elders fell into silence as well.
The kimonoed Elder rose from the couch and paced to the center of the hall. Looking up at the ceiling, he muttered to himself,
"Imu-sama… what are you really thinking?"
...
Marine Headquarters
"Sensei! Sensei! Are you gonna beat the crap out of my dad?"
Kaito stared helplessly at Yamato, who was clinging to him like a koala. This girl really was a model of filial piety… but what's with that excited look on your face!?
Kalifa and Robin quickly stepped forward to peel Yamato off of him. Robin's current role was more or less Kaito's secretary. Along with Kalifa, she helped manage his official duties and daily affairs.
It could be said that Kaito was living the life of an Admiral in total comfort. Aside from necessary battles, he barely had to worry about anything else.
Stretching lazily, Kaito casually asked,
"Kalifa, did you notify the Shichibukai? What did they say?"
Kalifa nodded.
"They've all agreed. Especially the Empress—she seems like she wants to come over right away."
Kaito couldn't help but smile. Hancock's reaction was no surprise to him. She had probably been waiting impatiently for this moment.
Thinking for a moment, Kaito decided to just go pick her up himself. No need to send a ship.
He gave Robin and Kalifa a few instructions, then vanished from the office.
After he left, Robin couldn't help but ask Kalifa,
"Kalifa, is there something special about this Empress? Kaito seems to treat her differently from the other Shichibukai."
Kalifa gave a mysterious smile.
"Of course. The Empress's relationship with the boss is just like yours and mine with him~"
Robin blinked, then sighed and shook her head, understanding the implication behind Kalifa's words.
Only Yamato still looked clueless as she asked with wide eyes,
"Robin-san, Kalifa-san, what kind of relationship do you mean?"
...
Amazon Lily, inside the palace
Hancock was pacing back and forth in the hall, visibly excited. Sandersonia and Marigold were watching their sister make circle after circle, until Elder Nyon came hobbling in at full speed with her cane.
She rushed straight to Hancock and shouted,
"Hancock! You agreed to join the war, didn't you!?"
Hancock shot her a disdainful glance and said irritably,
"Of course I did. This is a war launched by Kaito—how could I not go?"
Elder Nyon's face froze. She patted her chest in relief.
"Good! If you hadn't agreed, your Shichibukai title would've been revoked. That would've been a disaster for the entire nation!"
Hancock rolled her eyes and turned to her sisters.
"How do I look right now?"
Sandersonia and Marigold gave her a serious once-over, then nodded earnestly.
"Sister, you're definitely the most beautiful woman in the world!"
Flushed with delight at her sisters' praise, Hancock cupped her blushing cheeks with both hands and drifted into a fantasy.
In her mind's eye, Kaito was wrapping his arms around her waist, gazing at her with deep affection and saying,
"Hancock, you're truly beautiful. Marry me."
As the fantasy played out, steam started puffing from her head and her body went limp.
Startled, Sandersonia and the others rushed to catch her—but before they could reach her, someone else had already caught her mid-fall.
It was Kaito.
He had previously given Hancock a solid gold Flying Thunder God kunai, which she presumably kept on her person—so the moment he teleported, he appeared right by her side.
With a gentle pull, Kaito drew Hancock into his embrace and asked softly,
"What's wrong? Are you still not feeling well?"
Hancock stared blankly at Kaito's face just inches from hers. She managed to whisper "Kai..." before passing out in his arms.
"Empress-sama! (Hancock!)"
Elder Nyon and Hancock's sisters immediately rushed forward, but Kaito held out a hand to stop them.
The three froze in place, craning their necks anxiously as they stared at Hancock in his arms.
Kaito knew exactly what this was—Hancock was lovestruck again. This problem of hers was really something else… not even Konohanasakuya-hime could probably cure it.
He gently shook her and called her name softly.
Under Kaito's voice, Hancock slowly came to. The first thing she saw when she opened her eyes was Kaito's face—her dream and obsession. She felt like she might pass out from happiness again.
But Kaito was ready this time. His expression turned stern as he barked,
"Hancock!"
Startled, Hancock snapped out of her daydream.
Reluctantly pulling away from his chest, she gave him a small curtsy and said softly,
"Forgive me, Kaito-sama. That was unseemly of me."
Seeing that she had returned to normal, Kaito smiled.
"Alright. I heard you wanted to come to Marine HQ early, so I came to pick you up."
The fact that Kaito had come to pick her up himself filled Hancock with joy—but remembering her earlier embarrassing display, she forced herself to suppress the urge to jump into his arms.
"Forgive my thoughtlessness. You didn't have to trouble yourself—really, I could've come on my own."
"Oh? Then I'll leave you to it."
"Eh!?"
Hancock's eyes widened in disbelief. She was completely thrown off by Kaito's sudden curveball.
Her dumbfounded expression was just too cute. Kaito couldn't resist reaching out to gently tap her nose and chuckled,
"Kidding. Come on, take my hand—we're heading back to Marine HQ."
This time, Hancock didn't dare hesitate. Instead of just holding his hand, she clung tightly to his arm, pressing her entire body against his.
After bidding farewell to Elder Nyon and the others, Kaito teleported away with Hancock using the Flying Thunder God technique.
Once they were gone, Elder Nyon let out a long sigh and said with feeling,
"Ah… this is what a woman in love looks like."