After chatting with little Robin for a while, the relationship between the two seemed to have eased considerably.
Finn then stood up again and said to Gion, "Since Robin wants to become an excellent Marine, you should also help her in that regard."
"I know that without you telling me. Robin and I have a very good relationship," Gion responded with a smile and a nod.
"Okay, go read your book," Finn said, ruffling Robin's hair again before turning to leave.
After watching Finn and the others disappear at the end of the corridor, Robin reached up and touched her hair. The uneasiness hidden deep in her eyes seemed to have dissipated considerably.
Although she aspired to become a Marine in order to rescue her mother, she also knew that her "background" wasn't very good, and she wasn't sure whether the Marines could truly accommodate her.
But now she'd received a personal guarantee from a Marine Admiral.
At least no one would make things difficult for her because of her past.
Next, all she had to do was work hard!
Thinking of this, Robin clutched the book "Command Is Also an Art" and left with firm steps.
Finn didn't go to Gion's office but went directly to the reception room instead.
As soon as he pushed the door open, he saw three little girls, about the same age as Robin, roughly eleven or twelve years old.
At this time, the three little girls were sitting on the sofa obediently, looking very proper.
But if you looked closely, you could see some snack crumbs on the corners of their mouths, and the snacks on the coffee table in front of the sofa were in complete disarray.
Finn couldn't help but chuckle at the scene.
These three little girls were all very cute and pretty. One of them had long black hair and sat in the middle, looking at Finn with her large eyes.
"She's been a beauty since childhood," Finn thought to himself.
Without a doubt, this little girl was Boa Hancock, who would later ascend to become the Empress of Amazon Lily. At the same time, she would hold the title of Pirate Empress and be widely recognized around the world as the "World's Most Beautiful Woman."
As for the other two, one had long emerald green hair and the other had long orange hair. They must be Hancock's two sisters. Finn remembered their names but couldn't tell which was which at a glance.
In his memory, Hancock possessed stunning beauty, but her two sisters were somewhat lacking.
But in reality, that was due to the side effects of their Devil Fruits and the two of them overeating in order to gain more power.
How could they be ugly when they were Hancock's sisters?
At first glance, you could tell these two were also beautiful children. Maybe they wouldn't be as breathtaking as Hancock in the future, but there would be no problem with them growing up to be beauties.
Finn was observing the three Hancock sisters, and the three Hancock sisters were also observing Finn.
"An Admiral?" Hancock felt a little uneasy.
In fact, after being caught by the slave-hunting team, Hancock had fallen into despair for a while. But because she had her two younger sisters by her side, she'd always remained as calm as possible.
After the slave-hunting team was destroyed by the Marines and they were rescued, she'd felt some relief.
But after the Marines investigated the identities of the three sisters, Hancock had become panicked again.
Even though the three of them were just little girls, Hancock knew very well that the Marines and Amazon Lily had a long history, and the two sides had been in a state of hostility for hundreds of years.
In other words, as citizens of a pirate nation, or even princesses, they were targets the Marines needed to eliminate.
But after that, although she'd been frightened, the Marines had always been very kind to the three of them, without making things difficult or being harsh.
It had to be said that this had, to a certain extent, reversed the three sisters' inherent hostility toward the Marines.
Today they'd received notice early that a high-ranking Marine official would come to meet the three of them in person.
After seeing the epaulettes on Finn's uniform, Hancock realized this official was truly important. He was actually a Marine Admiral?!
Although Hancock had experienced the slave-hunting team at this point, at least she hadn't been tragically sold to Mary Geoise as a slave. In fact, she hadn't become a slave at all.
Therefore, her character hadn't become extreme and distorted yet, and she hadn't developed an obsessive need for arrogance to cover up feelings of inferiority.
On the contrary, Hancock at this stage was a very mature and steady young girl.
"Are you three from the royal family of Amazon Lily, the bloodline of the Boa family? I heard you three are the princesses of Amazon Lily's current generation," Finn asked with a smile.
At the same time, he sat down on the sofa opposite the three sisters quite naturally.
Gion also sat down. Saul hadn't come at all and had already left. Hina was very considerate and poured cups of tea for Finn and Gion.
She also lovingly refilled the tea glasses of the three Hancock sisters.
Marigold and Sandersonia were obviously a little afraid of Finn's imposing aura.
Hancock forced herself to remain calm, leaning forward slightly, instinctively protecting her two sisters. Then she said cautiously, "That's right."
She didn't make any excuses. There was no way she could make excuses for such a thing.
"It's quite interesting. As princesses of Amazon Lily, how did you get caught by a slave-hunting team?" Finn asked with some amusement.
Hancock was silent for a moment, and then Marigold suddenly spoke up. "It's all my fault. I saw a sailboat and got curious, so I secretly ran to the harbor, and ended up getting my sisters into trouble."
After a few brief exchanges, Finn finally understood the situation. To put it simply, Marigold had been a curious child who'd dragged Hancock and Sandersonia into danger.
Fortunately, this troublemaker knew she'd done something wrong, so there was still hope for her.
"Don't blame her. It's my fault for not fulfilling my responsibilities as an older sister," Hancock said softly.
Finn looked at Hancock with some surprise. Perhaps it was because his original impression of her was too strong. Now seeing her behave so maturely and steadily, with the demeanor of a responsible older sister, made Finn a little uncomfortable.
Even though he could see this was just Hancock forcing herself to maintain composure, it was still somewhat strange.
"You can think whatever you want, but it's truly beyond my expectations that the three of you fell into the hands of the Marines. Amazon Lily, a pirate nation that's been passed down for hundreds of years. As princesses, you're very valuable bargaining chips in the Marines' hands," Finn said with a smile.
Hancock's eyes flashed with nervousness, and she quickly said, "Amazon Lily will not submit to this. If you want to threaten Amazon Lily with us, their choice will definitely be to replace the royal family."
"Maybe, but how will we know if we don't try? Do you think the Marines will happily send you three sisters back?" Finn asked with a smile.
Hancock was just a child after all. After hearing this, she opened her mouth and wanted to say something several times but didn't know how to respond.
Finn smiled faintly at the exchange, then asked, "Shakuyaku… is she still alive?"
Shakuyaku had once been the captain of the current generation of the Kuja Pirates and the Empress of Amazon Lily after Gloriosa stepped down. She had slipped away from the world many years ago. Because of Amazon Lily's closed borders, the Marines could never confirm what truly happened. All they heard was that she had fallen ill.
Hancock's expression dimmed. She lowered her gaze and shook her head. "Auntie passed away four years ago."
However, based on the situation now, it was more likely that Shakuyaku had not actually died. She had probably chosen to leave quietly, most likely together with Rayleigh, just as the future would show. To avoid the shame and complicated questions that would follow, the previous empress Gloriosa had likely declared her death rather than admit she had simply left.
"Really? That's unfortunate. Was it… lovesickness?" Finn asked, his tone calm. He suspected that was the story Gloriosa would choose to spread. And considering how things played out in the future, it wasn't entirely wrong.
Hancock was a little surprised that Finn even knew about lovesickness, but she quickly nodded. "Yes. I heard that after Auntie met those people, she fell ill and died four years ago."
"Those people?" Finn asked curiously. "Who are they?"
"Roger's Pirates. Auntie seemed to like Rayleigh, but Rayleigh rejected Auntie's love. Since then, our Kuja Pirates have never gone to sea again. A few years later, Auntie also passed away," Hancock said, indignation clear in her eyes.
Especially when she mentioned Rayleigh, she gritted her teeth as if she wanted to tear him apart.
Shakuyaku hadn't died at all. She had left the island, likely together with Rayleigh. And to avoid rumors or disgrace, the elders of Amazon Lily chose to announce she had passed away. That way, the matter would be quietly buried.
Perhaps because of that and Shukuyaku or rather Shakky persuasion, Rayleigh later helped Gloriosa retrieve the three Hancock sisters from slavery. That would explain why the sisters owed him such a deep debt, one they could never repay, and why they never tried to take revenge.
And yet, it also made sense why Hancock's attitude toward Rayleigh was always so tense. Grateful, but resentful. Respectful, but unwilling to show it. Rayleigh had saved them, but he had also been the man her aunt chose to leave everything behind for.
Finn let out a quiet breath and decided not to ask further. This involved Hancock's family, and those who were gone should not be pried into any more.
"Amazon Lily hasn't engaged in any piracy or looting in recent years. Is that the reason?" Finn asked.
Hancock didn't hide anything and nodded. "More or less."
"In other words, Amazon Lily's current situation isn't good?" Finn asked again.
A warning flashed in Hancock's eyes, and she quickly said, "Auntie was very powerful when she was alive. She led the Kuja Pirates to plunder many countries. Therefore, Amazon Lily is quite wealthy. Even if we don't go to sea for ten years, we have enough supplies stored!"
"You're just bluffing," Finn thought to himself.
Amazon Lily's population wasn't huge, but it was roughly estimated to be in the tens of thousands. What could Shakuyaku have possibly plundered that could sustain the food, drink, and expenses of tens of thousands of people for over a decade?
"Putting on a brave face despite being weak inside. It seems Amazon Lily's situation really isn't good. This may be a good opportunity for the Marines to deal with you, especially since you three sisters have fallen into our hands," Finn said with a deliberately menacing smile.
Hancock's eyes suddenly filled with panic.
However, Finn ignored her reaction and looked at Gion beside him. "Have you contacted Amazon Lily?"
"Of course. We've sent a letter to Amazon Lily. Their current leader, Former Empress Gloriosa has promised to come to G-7 to meet with us as soon as possible, and she hopes we won't harm the three Hancock sisters," Gion nodded.
Finn also smiled. "Although these three are princesses, it's not their turn to be in charge yet. It would be better to have Gloriosa come and talk to us directly."