A month passed in the blink of an eye.
Under the relentless suppression by the Navy, the tide of pirates heading to the North Sea to seek fortune finally calmed down a bit.
Admiral Akainu, like a god of death, instilled terror in pirates with his ruthless style; there was almost no chance of escape if one crossed paths with him.
Each issue of the newspaper boasted of Akainu's military achievements, overshadowing even the legendary hero Garp.
In other seas, the people of various nations were invigorated.
"The Navy has achieved a great victory!"
"That's wonderful! We should eradicate the evil pirates completely!"
"I want to join the Navy!"
"Haha, from now on, Admiral Akainu is my idol!"
The citizens around the world received only one message from the newspapers: the Navy was continuously winning.
In short, they were on a winning streak!
Hoenn Fortress, Commander's Office.
"Bang!"
Gurd slammed the newspaper down on the table, his eyes filled with sarcasm.
"Same old tricks, manipulating public opinion."
Clearly, in order to stabilize the people's hearts, the World Government was deliberately promoting Akainu's achievements, even making Garp seem like a supporting character.
From a purely performance standpoint, Akainu's results were indeed impressive, but that was to be expected; with so many pirates flooding into the North Sea, a large number of weaklings would inevitably be eliminated.
The remaining pirates were the elite.
However, due to the information blockade, this manipulation of public opinion was indeed effective; at least the citizens of other seas felt fortunate, even if they were barely surviving.
"Speaking of which, the Worst Generation is about to enter the Grand Line, right?"
Gurd picked up a stack of bounty notices.
Hawkins, Law, Kid.
Except for the Straw Hats, the other Supernovas had already made a name for themselves, just waiting to enter the Grand Line.
With Blackbeard's actions, that war was imminent!
Some things were already destined; he had received news that Ace was hunting Blackbeard all over the world.
He needed to find time to meet with Whitebeard.
Chikara entered the office and quietly reported, "Lord Gurd, Stussy and Sister Hancock have returned. They are in the reception room and wish to see you."
"Okay, I'll go over right away."
Gurd nodded slightly.
At that moment, in the lounge.
The two women glared at each other coldly, a palpable tension crackling between them, as if they might come to blows at any moment.
"Creak!"
The door was pushed open by Gurd.
The two immediately sat up straight, as if nothing had happened.
"Hmm?"
Gurd sensed the slight hostility in the air, his eyes narrowing; he didn't need to guess that the two women were at odds.
Sigh, why must women make things difficult for each other?
Gurd looked at Hancock and smiled slightly.
"When did you return?"
"Just arrived."
Hancock's cheeks flushed instantly, and she turned her head away, unable to meet Gurd's gaze.
As soon as she arrived at Hoenn Fortress, she couldn't wait to find him. She knew it wasn't quite appropriate, but she couldn't suppress the urge to see Gurd.
"Gurd, I brought the Kuja Warriors with me."
"Mm, I'll have someone arrange for them."
Gurd replied with a smile, "The construction of New Kuja Island will take some time, so for now, you can stay at the fortress."
"I'll do as you say!"
Hancock's face turned even redder, her head twisting to look away.
Gurd turned to Stussy, his eyes filled with anticipation.
"Is everything taken care of?"
"Yes."
Stussy took out a data disk, looking quite pleased with herself. "In addition to what you wanted, I also copied some new research equipment and some meteorological research data. It should help you."
"That's great."
Gurd's smile blossomed.
Just as he expected, the more Vegapunk learned, the more he would worry about the future; even if it was a desperate gamble, he should place his bets on him.
"Thank you, Stussy!"
"Mm."
Stussy smiled brightly.
"Then I'll take my leave; I have a lot to do."
"Alright, I'll find you later."
Gurd stood up and walked her to the door.
Later? A date?!
Hancock's expression darkened instantly, her smooth forehead tightening with veins, her mouth biting down hard on her sleeve.
Gurd turned back and saw Hancock sulking on the sofa, seemingly throwing a tantrum, and frowned.
"Why are you still here?"
"Ah, I..."
Hancock was so nervous she didn't know what to say, and after a long pause, she finally gathered her courage.
"I want to help you!"
"Eh?!"
Gurd's eyes lit up.
Oh, this proud woman has come to her senses.
The Kuja Warriors were formidable, each mastering Haki; if they could join his ranks, they would definitely be an elite force.
His fortress had just been completed, and he needed to build an army; he couldn't keep relying on the Beasts for everything.
Not just the Kuja, but also the Giants, the Mink Tribe, etc., all needed to form an army to formalize the Groudon Group.
"Um, Gurd!"
Hancock poked her fingers, suddenly becoming bold, her beautiful eyes fixed intently on Gurd.
"Marry me!"
"Huh?!"
Gurd was taken aback.
Marry?
Wait, this woman must be lovesick!
And the object of her affection is him!
Strange, he hadn't done anything!
Gurd furrowed his brow, recalling his memories of Hancock; the more he thought about it, the weirder his expression became, especially her attitude towards CP0.
Like a domineering CEO!
Doesn't this woman prefer fools? Why is she infatuated with a CEO?
"Let's skip the marriage part!"
Gurd thought for a moment and shook his head to refuse.
He liked beautiful women; there was no reason to reject Hancock's advances, but marriage was out of the question.
Having Yamato as a wife was enough.
As for other women, he didn't want to invest too much emotion; being lovers was fine, but marriage could easily blur the lines.
"I already have a wife."
"What?!"
Hancock looked as if struck by lightning, her expression dazed as she knelt on the ground, unwilling to accept this like a spurned woman.
"Is it that Stussy?"
"No!"
Gurd shook his head.
Hancock quickly pressed on.
"Is it that teleporting girl who often follows you around?"
"No."
"Could it be that violent girl who likes to headbutt people?"
"Not her... well, she's sort of half of it."
Hancock's face turned furious.
Not this one, not that one!
Could it be that he was lying to her?
"Who on earth is that woman?"
"Yamato."
"Yamato? Who is she?"
"Yamato is..."
Gurd sighed, "She's the white-haired girl who is always bustling about, moving bricks at the construction site."
"Is it her?!"
Hancock finally remembered.
There was a popular strong girl at the construction site who mingled with the workers and brought a lot of laughter.
In short, she was a girl with no charm whatsoever.
Hancock was even angrier!
How could she not compare to that wild girl!
"Gurd, how about this."
Gurd thought for a moment, a mischievous grin spreading across his face, "As long as you defeat Yamato, I'll marry you!"
"Really?!"
Hancock looked up in surprise.
"Really! I promise!"
Gurd nodded earnestly.
This would give Yamato something to do, keep this woman calm for a while, and also serve as a way to hone both their strengths.
Hehehe~~
Hancock's eyes lit up, flames igniting around her!
She was going to defeat Yamato!
Ten minutes later, the fortress square echoed with Yamato's roar.
"Thunder Bagua!!!"
A certain empress's defeated dog!