Seeing Meiser's gleaming eyes, Hancock fell silent for a moment before saying, "Very well. This concubine shall immediately contact the Navy outside Kuja Island."
With that, Hancock turned to Marigold, signaling her to fetch the Den Den Mushi so she could contact that Navy Vice Admiral.
She could only hope the other party would be sensible enough to agree to her demands.
Watching Marigold walk away, Meiser asked curiously, "Navy outside Kuja Island?"
What did she mean by Navy outside Kuja Island?
Could it be... that the Navy officer pressuring Hancock to join the war was actually nearby?
"Yes, the Navy came to Kuja Island looking for our elder sister," Sandersonia nodded. "Their leader was a Marine Headquarters Vice Admiral named Momonga."
"Momonga, huh."
Meiser narrowed his eyes—unexpectedly, it was an old acquaintance.
Taking the Den Den Mushi from Marigold, Hancock asked curiously, "Oh? You know him?"
"Yeah, we had some... conflicts in the past."
Crack!
The moment those words left his mouth, a vein visibly throbbed on Hancock's forehead as she coldly declared, "Then perhaps we should just eliminate him."
"Heh, that could work."
Granny Nyon stared dumbfounded at the two, now radiating identical killing intent.
Wait, why were they suddenly planning to attack the Navy?
And why were they so in sync? Were these two really this compatible?
No—now wasn't the time for such thoughts.
Snapping back to reality, Granny Nyon immediately jumped between them, blocking their path. "You two, hold it right there!"
"Granny Nyon, don't interfere!" Hancock frowned.
"Don't you want to help Meiser anymore?"
Hancock: "..."
Those words instantly silenced her.
"I know what you're both thinking, but hear me out first," Granny Nyon said rapidly. "First, there's the matter of Hancock's title as one of the Royal Seven Warlords of the Sea."
"If she doesn't participate in this war, she'll undoubtedly lose that title. When that happens, the World Government will come after this country!"
Perhaps sensing Hancock's rebuttal, she pressed on, "Don't say we're safe just because we're in the Calm Belt. The fact that the Navy can appear in nearby waters means they've developed some special technology to traverse it."
"That means the Calm Belt is no longer Kuja Island's natural barrier."
"Hancock, you understand what this implies, don't you?"
"This concubine—"
"Don't give me any nonsense about not caring!" Granny Nyon cut her off bluntly. "As this country's empress, you can't afford to be this childish!"
"You dare call this concubine childish?! You—!"
Ignoring Hancock's furious glare, Granny Nyon turned to Meiser. "Meiser, I don't know what history you have with this man, but could you spare him for now?"
"At the very least, don't kill him yet."
"So we can't kill him immediately..." Meiser mused.
Hearing Granny Nyon's words, Hancock halted her movement to apprehend the officer, a trace of doubt flickering in her eyes.
"Because he's here to pick up Hancock," Granny Nyon said. "If something unexpected happens to him, what do you think the Marine Headquarters and the World Government would suspect?"
"Even if Hancock participates in this war at Marine Headquarters afterward, she would still be under suspicion."
Listening to Granny Nyon's words, Meiser pondered for a moment before understanding her implication.
If something were to happen to this Navy Vice Admiral sent to escort Hancock, the World Government and the Marines would inevitably suspect Hancock.
If any issues were uncovered, Hancock's title as one of the Royal Seven Warlords of the Sea could be revoked!
And then... it might bring disaster upon this nation.
Given that, they truly couldn't act recklessly against this man—at least not now.
Maybe I should try controlling him with the Mangekyō Sharingan's Illusion Technique? Meiser thought to himself.
But he quickly dismissed the idea.
After all... he wasn't sure if his Pupil Power could instantly subdue someone of Navy Vice Admiral caliber. At the very least, he hadn't attempted it yet.
If he failed to control the man immediately, a conflict would erupt, potentially leading to unpredictable consequences—possibly even bringing calamity upon this island.
With that in mind, Meiser abandoned the thought.
Then he said, "I understand."
Come to think of it, if I encounter Admiral-level opponents in Impel Down, I might not have the spare energy to control that Navy Vice Admiral anyway, Meiser mused silently.
After all... he had only awakened his Mangekyō Sharingan three days ago.
Hearing his response, Granny Nyon sighed in relief—at least he was reasonable.
"So then?" Hancock frowned at Granny Nyon. "What's your solution?"
"I think I grasp Granny's idea," Meiser said, stroking his chin. "You want me to have Sea Kings follow the ship discreetly, right?"
He understood Granny Nyon's plan. First, Hancock had to attend the war at Marine Headquarters to maintain her Warlord status.
But the condition for going would be a detour to Impel Down.
That way, they could learn the route to the underwater prison.
"Correct," Granny Nyon said. "Can you do it?"
"Yeah, no problem."
Meiser considered it—having Sea Kings silently trail the naval vessel wasn't difficult.
This way, they could infiltrate Impel Down undetected.
It was indeed a safer approach, ensuring Hancock—who had willingly helped him—wouldn't be put at risk.
"Then it's settled," Granny Nyon said with a smile. "This way, Meiser and the others can infiltrate Impel Down, and Hancock won't risk losing her Warlord title."
"Fine, I understand," Hancock nodded. "I'll contact that man now and relay my terms."
With that, Hancock picked up the Den Den Mushi and walked out, adding, "Meiser, I'll leave it to you to remove my sisters' marks."
"No problem."
Meiser nodded, then turned to Marigold and her sister. "Which of you wants to go first?"
"I will."
As the second sister, Sandersonia walked over to Meiser and said, "I'm counting on you!"
"It's fine."
After thoroughly cleaning the operating table, Meiser patted its surface and said, "Lie down."
"Yes!"
Meanwhile, aboard the Navy Battleship, Vice Admiral Momonga stared intently at the distant Kuja Island.
"I hope you'll be sensible, Boa Hancock."
Otherwise, Kuja Island will face destruction!!
Growl~
Glancing at his rumbling stomach, Momonga's lips twitched slightly.
After waiting for so long, he had grown hungry.
Eyeing the Sea King he had slain floating on the water, he drew his sword and said, "Let's see how this Sea King tastes."
Just then, the Den Den Mushi in the cabin began ringing.
Buro buro buro~
Buro buro buro~
Buro buro buro~
"A Den Den Mushi?"
Momonga paused before walking over, muttering, "Is it... Boa Hancock calling?"
He had just reported the situation to his superiors, so it likely wasn't Marine Headquarters contacting him. As he pondered, he picked up the Den Den Mushi.
"You're the Navy Vice Admiral, correct?"
"Boa Hancock?"
Hearing the familiar voice, Momonga's expression confirmed his suspicions. He replied, "Have you decided to heed the summons to Marine Headquarters?"
"Yes, this queen will participate in this war," Hancock said. "But you must agree to one condition!"
"Otherwise..."
Momonga fell silent before asking, "What condition?"
If her demand was too unreasonable, the Navy would never accept it.
"This queen wishes to visit Impel Down to see the central figure of this incident—Fire Fist Ace," Hancock stated coolly. "That shouldn't be a problem, right?"
Momonga: ???
Momonga was baffled. Why would this woman want to meet Fire Fist Ace?
Did she know him?
No—rumors claimed she despised men. It was impossible she had any connection to the Whitebeard Pirates. She must have some other motive.
"What, is that not allowed?"
"I don't have the authority to decide this," Momonga said. "I must report it to my superiors."
After all, he was just a Vice Admiral at Marine Headquarters—he couldn't approve such a major request.
Especially since... he had no idea what the true intentions of the Pirate Empress were!
"Fine. This queen will await your answer," Hancock said indifferently.
Without another word, she promptly ended the call, disregarding Momonga's thoughts entirely.
Momonga:
Watching the Den Den Mushi slump back down, Momonga rubbed his temples. "She really does whatever she pleases..."
Well, that was just the Pirate Empress's nature. Anything else would be strange.
Shaking his head, he picked up the Den Den Mushi again and dialed Marine Headquarters.
Buro buro buro~
Buro buro buro~
Buro buro buro~
Click~
Sengoku answered, "This is Sengoku."
"Fleet Admiral Sengoku, this is Momonga."
"Momonga..." Sengoku recalled the task he had assigned to Momonga before nodding. "How's the situation on your end?"
"Has Boa Hancock agreed to participate in this war?"
"She has agreed to join the war, but on one condition."
"A condition?"
Sengoku frowned, exchanging a glance with Vice Admiral Tsuru before asking, "What condition?"
Is this woman trying to take advantage of the situation?
If that's the case... they'll settle accounts with her after the war ends!
"Boa Hancock demands to visit Impel Down."
"Impel Down?" Vice Admiral Tsuru sounded surprised. "What does she want there?"
Could she be planning a prison break?
If true, the Pirate Empress would be incredibly foolish.
"She claims she wants to meet the man who triggered this incident," Momonga replied. "As for whether she has ulterior motives, I can't say."
At least for now, he couldn't discern any other purpose.
"Fire Fist Ace."
Sengoku rubbed his temples. "Fine, let her go."
Though he didn't understand the woman's intentions, securing such formidable combat power with such simple terms during this critical period seemed worthwhile.
"Fleet Admiral Sengoku?"
Momonga sounded surprised that Sengoku would agree so readily.
"As long as she's smart enough, she won't do anything unnecessary," Sengoku said. "I'll have Magellan keep an eye on her."
"We'll put Seastone Handcuffs on her. Even if she tries anything, she won't cause trouble."
After a pause, Sengoku added, "Oh, and make sure to inform her about the handcuffs beforehand to avoid unnecessary complications."
If she accepted this condition, there'd be no harm in letting her visit—it's just a look after all. But if she refused... that would prove she had other plans!
In that case, there'd be no need for courtesy. Once the war ended, they'd crush her!
"Understood!" Momonga nodded.
Seastone would nullify Boa Hancock's abilities and weaken her, effectively preventing any mischief.
It was indeed a solid plan.
Click~
As the Den Den Mushi disconnected, Sengoku exhaled deeply. "Having her join the war is the best outcome."
"Indeed," Vice Admiral Tsuru agreed. "Her strength is formidable."
As a high-ranking Marine, Tsuru knew exactly how powerful the Pirate Empress was.
Ordinary vice admirals stood no chance against her—only Marine Admirals could reliably suppress her.
Such combat power would be invaluable in the upcoming war.
At the very least, she could handle one of the Whitebeard Pirates' division commanders.
"With this, we'll have five Royal Seven Warlords of the Sea participating," Sengoku mused, rubbing his temples. "It's a shame Jimbei is being so unreasonable."
Despite being a Warlord, he held deep admiration for the Whitebeard Pirates... truly troublesome.
"What a waste of such formidable naval power."
If the other party were willing to join the battle, their chances of victory would be even greater.
"Who asked the Whitebeard Pirates to take Fish-Man Island under their protection?" Vice Admiral Tsuru sighed.
As the only passage for pirates heading to the New World, Fish-Man Island faced the risk of invasion every day.
If not for the Whitebeard Pirates, it would likely have been utterly destroyed by now.
"But he's one of the Royal Seven Warlords of the Sea!" Sengoku said. "A Warlord who doesn't obey orders has no reason to exist."
The original purpose of the World Government establishing the Royal Seven Warlords system was to counterbalance the Four Emperors' forces.
If the Warlords refuse to comply, they must be dealt with!
Both the World Government and the Marines shared this view.
Hearing this, Vice Admiral Tsuru shook her head and turned to a nearby Marine. "Has that guy still not relented?"
"According to Warden Magellan's report, Jimbei remains steadfast in his stance," the Marine replied.
"I see."
Vice Admiral Tsuru nodded, then looked at Sengoku. "In that case, we'll proceed as if he doesn't exist."
Losing one Warlord was troublesome, but not unacceptable.
"That's all we can do," Sengoku agreed.
Even without Jimbei... the other Warlords could still stall some of the Whitebeard Pirates' top-tier commanders.
Especially that Hawkeye Mihawk—his strength was unfathomable.
The question was how much effort he'd actually put in.
At this thought, Sengoku sighed.
After all, these men weren't Marines.
Just then, a communications officer rushed in, his face pale with panic.
"What is it?"
"Report, Fleet Admiral!" the officer said. "Just moments ago, all 23 ships monitoring the Whitebeard Pirates simultaneously lost contact!!!"
"Wha—?!"
Sengoku's pupils contracted—all at the same time?
That could only mean... Whitebeard himself had made his move!
Only he possessed such overwhelming power. Sengoku thought grimly.
Using the Tremor-Tremor Fruit's might to summon a massive tsunami, swallowing every ship in one go... ruthless indeed!
"They've blinded us first," Vice Admiral Tsuru frowned. "Any other updates?"
"Other pirate crews in the New World also seem to be mobilizing, but details remain unclear!" the officer said anxiously. "We can't determine their numbers or when they'll arrive."
"Should we dispatch new surveillance ships?"
"No need," Vice Admiral Tsuru shook her head. "If they chose to sink our ships simultaneously, they won't let us track them again."
That man wasn't someone to be underestimated.
"Prepare for battle," Sengoku took a deep breath. "The Whitebeard Pirates could strike at any moment."
"Alert all forces—be ready to engage before the execution day!"
"Yes, sir!"
"I'll make my preparations too," Vice Admiral Tsuru stood. "Once those unruly Warlords arrive, things might get chaotic."
As she spoke, Vice Admiral Tsuru's mind conjured up an image of Doflamingo.
"Especially that brat."
That former Celestial Dragon with his vile temperament was capable of anything.
"I'm counting on you, Tsuru," Sengoku said.
"Mm."
Vice Admiral Tsuru nodded before taking her leave.
Watching her depart, Sengoku thought to himself: 'This time, I hope we can finally keep Whitebeard here for good!'
'That would deal a crushing blow to the pirates' morale!'
A cold glint flashed through Sengoku's eyes at the thought.
-Support me in Patreon for more chapters 35+ chapters in there
patreon.com/LegendaryTL
Thanks!