Chapter 202: The Kuja Pirates!
Kuja Pirates, Perfumed Serpent Ship
"Hurry up, time to work." A pink-haired female pirate picked up a half-grown girl from the ship's edge and sent her toward the warehouse to move the plundered jewels. "Yes~" The girl, clutching a large newspaper, weakly climbed up from the ground.
"What are you holding?" The pink-haired pirate grabbed the newspaper that slipped from the girl's fingers. The front page bore a large headline in bold letters.
[White King Norse Silas Returns to Mary Geoise—Will the Flames of War Reignite?]
Norse Silas.
This name had stirred the world for the past decade. Even the isolated Amazon Lily was frequently whispered about among merchants and sailors passing through its waters. For Gloriosa, a pirate herself, she'd grown up hearing stories of his exploits. She'd repeatedly declared during childhood that she'd become a more famous pirate than he. If she ever met him, she'd make him kneel at her feet without question.
However, the White Wolf Pirates operated in the New World's treacherous waters. Forget making him bow before her—meeting him even once seemed an impossible fantasy.
So Gloriosa suggested heading to the New World several times. Every suggestion was flatly rejected.
"The New World seas are far vaster than you imagine. At your current strength, going there means certain death!" The previous Kuja Pirates captain, former Amazon Lily Empress, had told her this repeatedly, her weathered face etched with concern.
But that was past now.
A month ago, Gloriosa successfully defeated the previous Empress in combat. She won not just through superior strength—she earned the citizens' recognition for her feminine charm and commanding presence. Now she could openly declare herself the most beautiful woman in the world, and no one dared contradict her.
"Petrea, which Sabaody island do you think he's on?" Gloriosa's eyes sparkled with anticipation as she turned to her predecessor.
Looking at her eager successor, Petrea hesitated, choosing her words carefully. "Gloriosa, an existence like his isn't easily conquered. Besides, from what I've heard, he has no shortage of women pursuing him."
"Hmph, can any of those women possibly compare to me?" Gloriosa flipped her long pink hair, a gesture that drew every eye. She wore a deep-cut split dress that left little to the imagination, her figure radiating heat and allure. "And Petrea, how many times have I told you? On this ship, address me by my title. I'm now Amazon Lily's Empress and the Kuja Pirates' Captain!"
Gloriosa's attitude painfully reminded Petrea of herself from years past—arrogant and overbearing after defeating the previous Empress. Only time and hard lessons had taught her better. The Kuja Pirates dominated the Grand Line's first half effortlessly, but in the New World, teeming with powerhouses, they were merely a decently strong pirate crew.
Her current bounty sat at only 160 million berries. Stronger than ordinary great pirates, yet only marginally. Though Gloriosa surpassed her in strength, she'd won by just a hair's breadth—no significant gap separated them. Relying on their unique beauty and charm, they dominated slightly stronger opponents. But against White King Norse Silas? Petrea doubted their feminine wiles would matter.
"Anyway, I've decided," Gloriosa announced, her voice taking on a dreamy quality. "Once we unload this cargo, we're going to meet him. I heard he snatched the entire New World from the World Government. He's already half this world's master!" Her eyes gleamed with ambition and something else Petrea recognized as desire. "Only such a man deserves me!"
"But he's nearly eighty years old!" Petrea protested, exasperation creeping into her voice.
"But the newspaper says he still looks young!" Gloriosa pouted cutely, speaking as though that fact settled the entire matter. Petrea felt her heart aching for Amazon Lily's future under this young woman's leadership.
"Hey, Shakky, you must be interested in meeting him too, right?" Gloriosa called out, her attention shifting.
"Gloriosa, don't drag Shakky into this. She's only twelve years old!" Petrea grabbed Gloriosa's face, holding her still.
"So I was just gonna let her see it~" Gloriosa spoke indistinctly, her words muffled by Petrea's firm grip.
"See what, exactly?" Petrea released her, shaking her head in resignation. Gloriosa was barely in her early twenties and clearly far from being a qualified captain.
"Where's Shakky anyway?" Gloriosa suddenly looked around, her earlier playfulness giving way to genuine curiosity.
"I sent her down to move cargo into storage about twenty minutes ago," Petrea replied.
"Hey, Ivy, have you seen Shakky?" Petrea called out to a crew member emerging from the cabin's shadows.
"Shakky? I saw her heading to the warehouse earlier," Ivy answered, pointing toward the lower decks.
"Tiffany, where's Shakky?" Petrea asked another crew member.
"She was just here a moment ago..." Tiffany trailed off uncertainly, glancing around.
Seeing the crew's confused reactions, Gloriosa hadn't noticed anything unusual yet. But Petrea's gut clenched with dread. Her instincts, honed by years of piracy, screamed that something was wrong.
"Shakky's missing!" Petrea announced, her voice cutting through the casual afternoon activity.
"What?" Gloriosa's playful expression hardened instantly.
"How's that even possible?" another crew member gasped.
Suddenly, all Kuja Pirates female warriors abandoned their work and gathered together, forming tight clusters as conversations erupted. Gloriosa's hands clenched into fists, her usual levity evaporating.
"Shakky wouldn't have gone off alone, would she?" Gloriosa's voice carried genuine worry now.
"Do you really think Shakky's as unreliable as you?" Petrea's gaze turned anxious and sharp. In her memory, Shakky possessed a much steadier personality than Gloriosa. If not for Gloriosa's sudden rise to power, Petrea would have trained Shakky as the next Kuja Pirates captain.
Seeing worried expressions spreading through the crew, Gloriosa's playful facade crumbled completely. Her voice became serious and commanding.
"What happened to her?"
"Slave traders," Petrea said quietly, the words landing like stones.
"What?!" Gloriosa's face paled. "I thought with White King Norse Silas here, slave traders would restrain themselves out of fear!"
"You'd think so. But apparently they've become desperate enough to ignore the risks." Petrea's jaw tightened. "Shakky couldn't have vanished suddenly on her own. Looking at all possibilities, one remains—while we were distracted with work, slave traders silently abducted Shakky."
The harsh reality settled over them like a shroud. Desperate men make reckless gambles. Perhaps his appearance had cost the traders massive losses, driving them to take one final, dangerous chance.
In human trafficking markets, Amazon Lily women commanded prices second only to mermaids. Even ordinary, beautiful women sold for higher premiums than standard mermaid stock. Amazon Lily, a nation of women, represented a dream paradise for most men in this world. And the Kuja Pirates had earned their reputation for exceptional beauties over generations.
But the Kuja Pirates were their only external vessel, crewed entirely by seasoned warriors. Yet occasionally, young apprentices like Shakky traveled with them for training. Tragically, Shakky had become an opportunity.
"It looks like we have only one viable option," Petrea said quietly, her mind working through their limited choices. Because of his overwhelming presence in the region, even if traders captured valuable cargo, they probably wouldn't immediately put them up for public auction. As long as traders remained hidden, the Kuja Pirates couldn't track them through normal channels.
More critically, the Kuja Pirates were pirates. Causing any significant trouble near Marine Headquarters carried unbearable consequences for their independence and operations. They weren't the White Wolf Pirates, blessed with his protection.
So, recovering Shakky left them with only one viable path forward.
"Gloriosa, didn't you want to meet him?" Petrea's eyes locked with her captain's. "Then go meet him. Ask him to rescue Shakky. White King Norse Silas definitely won't refuse this request!"