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"Enemy sighting!"
A piercing alarm blared through the Marine ship, startling the bored Marines and waking Law from his training.
"What's going on?" The Rear Admiral rushed to the mast's observation deck, grabbing the binoculars. His face was grim: "It's the Kuja Pirates, the Amazonian warrior tribe?" His expression was heavy with wariness. As a Rear Admiral, he naturally knew about the Amazon Lily warrior tribe, the only nation in the Calm Belt. Rumor had it they were all women, but everyone trained, making them incredibly powerful. Especially the Kuja Pirates, who had been relatively unknown in the past. But in the last two years, under the leadership of the cursed Gorgon Sisters, they had become a notorious pirate crew on the Grand Line.
"Full speed ahead, pull away!" Though shocked, the Rear Admiral wasn't panicked. While the Kuja Pirates were powerful, they wouldn't actively attack the Marines.
"Yes, sir!"
The Marine ship sailed at maximum speed. Its propulsion combined wind and mechanical power, making it far faster than ordinary purely wind-powered pirate ships.
"Whoosh!" The Marines weren't overly alarmed. They were confident in their ship's speed and their own status. On the Grand Line, pirates and Marines were absolute adversaries, but the Marines had always held the advantage.
"I hear the captain of the Kuja Pirates is known as the most beautiful female pirate on the sea, called the Pirate Empress."
"Yeah, I wonder how beautiful she is. I really want to see her."
A group of men, gathered together, naturally talked about women, especially when the legendary most beautiful woman on the sea was not far away. Compared to the relaxed Marines, Law, who had come to the deck, looked rather grave.
"Their direction seems to be towards the Marine ship?" Without binoculars, Law couldn't accurately see the pirate ship's situation on the horizon. His newly trained Observation Haki also couldn't sense that far. But from the details, Law could determine this. The pirate ship was initially on the horizon, only visible as a faint black speck. At the Marine ship's speed, the pirate ship should soon be out of sight. But now, the black speck seemed even larger. The distance had definitely shortened.
"Pirate Empress, huh?" Law was certainly no stranger to the Pirate Empress. Although there were many beautiful women in the original story, the Pirate Empress left an impression on Law that could definitely rank her third, or even first, in the entire One Piece world. Her strength, status, beauty, and even personality were enough to leave a deep impression.
"Currently, the Pirate Empress doesn't seem to be one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea." Though a recruit, Law was always aware of important information about the Grand Line. The organization of the Seven Warlords of the Sea had already been established by the World Government. It already had members. The known members included Donquixote Doflamingo, Dracule Mihawk, and Bartholomew Kuma.
Upon entering Marine Headquarters, due to Corazon's intelligence, the Marines immediately dispatched Vice Admiral Tsuru, the Chief of Staff, to lead a fleet to Dressrosa. Unfortunately, they were a step too late. The birdcage had completely retracted; Law and Corazon were not seen. A frustrated Doflamingo finally realized they had escaped. But not knowing how they could break through the birdcage, he assumed they had left Minion Island even earlier. A frustrated Doflamingo was certain that the Donquixote Family's intelligence had been leaked by Corazon, so he attacked and occupied Dressrosa faster than in the original story. By the time Chief of Staff Vice Admiral Tsuru arrived, it was already too late. Just as she was preparing to forcefully attack the Donquixote Family, news spread that Doflamingo, through various means and using his identity, had already obtained the title of a Warlord of the Sea from the World Government. Vice Admiral Tsuru could only withdraw her troops. All their efforts were in vain.
Upon learning that Law had been brought into Marine Headquarters by Corazon, a furious Doflamingo was powerless to act; he couldn't reclaim Law through force. But Doflamingo spread a message across the Grand Line, a very domineering message: "Law is always a member of the Donquixote Family. No one is allowed to harm him." Ostensibly to protect Law, it was actually a form of persecution. If the Marines believed this, then Law would be unable to establish himself in Marine Headquarters, possibly even being forcibly expelled. This was Doflamingo's goal. But because Corazon was Sengoku's adopted son and Law was Zephyr's student, this statement clearly had no effect. Or perhaps Doflamingo hoped this statement would make Law voluntarily return.
...
"Something seems wrong." Law looked at the increasingly clear pirate ship; he could confirm that the Pirate Empress's target was this Marine ship. Although he couldn't know her purpose, Law didn't believe the Pirate Empress, who had not yet become a Warlord of the Sea, would be friendly towards the Marines.
"Don't be careless. Perhaps their target is us. Notify Marine Headquarters first, to be prepared," Law said to the indifferent Rear Admiral. The latter couldn't help but scoff, and the surrounding Marines also laughed.
"Rookie, on the Grand Line, I've never heard of pirates actively attacking a Marine ship. Moreover, a Marine ship's speed is incomparable to a pirate ship's. Notifying Marine Headquarters about such a small matter? I'm not going to embarrass myself," the Rear Admiral said, mocking Law, adopting the air of an experienced veteran addressing a novice, implying that listening to him was the right thing to do.
"Haha, looks like the little rookie is scared. Is this his first time encountering pirates?"
"Understandable, understandable. It's only natural to be terrified the first time."
The Marines also looked at Law, amused. But soon, their amusement vanished.
Because the pirate ship was just hundreds of meters away, and its speed was faster than the Marine ship's. The Kuja pirate ship didn't rely on wind power; sailing ships were completely immobile in the Calm Belt. The Kuja pirate ship relied on two giant pythons, using them to drag the pirate ship forward rapidly.
"Are they going to attack us?" The Rear Admiral's face also turned grim. When the pirate ship was only a hundred meters from the Marine ship, still thanks to Law's reminder, the Rear Admiral finally snapped back to reality.
"Enemy attack! Aim cannons, load ammunition!" The panicked Marines began to act. They were finally afraid. Although very few pirate crews actively attacked the Marines on the open sea, it wasn't unheard of. And pirates daring to actively attack the Marines were almost always major pirate crews, and the Kuja Pirates were clearly a major pirate crew.
"You intend to attack this empress, don't you? And notify Marine Headquarters to capture this empress?" The distance was very short; the figures on the pirate ship were already visible. Especially the breathtaking beauty standing at the bow, who drew everyone's gaze. She captivated everyone's souls. The Marines stared blankly. The Pirate Empress's appearance was enough to captivate everyone. Most of the Marines showed heart-shaped eyes, only a few could remain clear-headed, but as the Pirate Empress appeared with her helpless, pitiful look, all the Marines displayed a look of infatuation.
"Not good!" Law's expression changed dramatically. Seeing the Pirate Empress at such close range, he admitted he was also moved. He was a man, not a stone. But he had seen her many times through anime, so it wasn't the first time. He felt stunned by her beauty but would absolutely not turn into a lovesick fool. He could stay clear-headed, but he could only maintain absolute clarity by digging his nails hard into his flesh, using the pain as a reminder.
"Where's the Transponder Snail?! Immediately notify Marine Headquarters!" Law roared at the Rear Admiral. But the Rear Admiral was staring blankly at the Pirate Empress, completely spellbound.
"Mero Mero Mellow!"
The Pirate Empress, who had just appeared so pitiful, suddenly formed a heart shape with her hands, instantly releasing heart-shaped beams of light. The heart-shaped beams swept across all the infatuated Marines on the deck.