"Something's not right, Elder Sister!"
At that moment, a burly woman wearing yellow, spotted clothing suddenly spoke up in alarm from the side.
"That flag… that looks like the pirate crew of Gecko Moria—one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea, just like you!"
"Hm?"
On the deck of the Perfume Yuda, Boa Hancock—who had shown little interest in the island ahead—slightly raised her exquisitely shaped brows.
A long, flawless leg, pale as polished jade, stepped forward. Her slender high heels clicked softly as she strode across the deck.
Under the love-struck gazes of the Kuja Pirates, Hancock swiftly arrived at the railing and fixed her eyes on the distant island.
Though there was still some distance between them and the Thriller Bark, the moment she saw the skull emblem emblazoned on the massive sail, she immediately recognized the symbol of the Thriller Bark Pirates.
But—
"Sails?!"
"That's strange! This is the Calm Belt! How can an island-sized ship move using sails here?!"
A look of surprise appeared on Hancock's face.
After a brief moment of thought, her confidence as a ruler left her without the slightest fear or concern.
Curiosity stirring within her, she extended a slender finger and issued an order to her two younger sisters beside her.
"Bring the ship closer."
"I want to see why they're appearing in this sea!"
…
…
Meanwhile, high above Thriller Bark.
Red—currently transformed into a flaming bird and continuously using wind-based moves to propel the colossal ship forward—suddenly halted midair.
That's right!
The reason the massive Thriller Bark could freely cruise through the Calm Belt was simple—
Red had once again returned to his old role as a "toolman."
By using Surf to push the island itself and supplementing it with Flying-type techniques in his transformed state as secondary propulsion, he enabled the gigantic island-ship to glide across the sea at astonishing speed.
Originally, transporting the island should have been Laboon's responsibility.
But since Laboon was currently exploring the deep sea in search of massive Sea Kings, Red had no choice but to take over the job once again.
"Buru-buru-buru~"
Red reverted to his human form, pulled a Den Den Mushi from his pocket, and quickly answered the call.
From the other end came Aisa's voice—she was currently inside Laboon, acting as a living sonar.
"Red-sama!"
"I've detected a pirate ship approaching Thriller Bark!"
"There are several extremely powerful presences aboard. One of them feels even stronger than Moria!"
"Stronger than Moria?!"
Red froze for a moment upon hearing the report.
Although he had long looked down on Moria's combat strength, that judgment was based on a standard where Luffy and Zoro had already reached near–Yonko Commander levels.
Even now, though Moria's power had declined severely, he was still strong enough to rival elite Marine Vice Admirals.
And after Red's recent intensive "power-level training," combined with Moria's special trait of requiring only half the experience to level up, Moria's current strength had already surpassed elite Vice Admirals.
While he wasn't yet a top-tier powerhouse ruling an entire region, he certainly wasn't someone who could be casually outmatched.
"I understand."
Curiosity rising within him, Red replied to the Den Den Mushi. After exchanging a few more words and confirming the situation in the deep sea, he decisively hung up.
The next instant, a thoughtful glint appeared in his eyes.
"The Calm Belt… someone stronger than Moria?"
"Don't tell me… it really is that coincidence?"
A flash of realization crossed Red's gaze.
In the blink of an eye, he used Teleport to appear on an open field atop Thriller Bark.
As partners of the Thriller Bark Pirates, the Straw Hat Pirates were now fully residing on the island.
This vast open area—occupying nearly a third of the island—had been specially designated by Moria as their activity zone.
At the moment, Luffy was still locked in a fierce "real man's battle" with Zoro and Sanji!
No Devil Fruit powers. No Pokémon moves.
Pure Haki clashing head-on!
This style of sparring not only rapidly honed their control over Haki but also minimized collateral damage, preventing the island from being destroyed during their bouts.
It was a training method Red had devised for them recently.
Elsewhere, Chopper and Franky were discussing the construction plan for the first Tailed Beast—Shukaku—together with their external consultant, Hogback.
After all, the first step is always the hardest!
Since this project was preparation for Laboon, Red absolutely wouldn't allow Hogback to just stitch together random corpse fragments to create a hollow imitation.
To ensure Laboon could successfully trigger the same evolution mechanism as Merry, Red set extremely high standards!
Even the weakest One-Tail, Shukaku, had to possess physical strength no less than that of an elite Marine Vice Admiral!
And its original Tailed Beast Bomb and Wind Release: Practice Air Bullet were explicitly written into the design requirements.
As the temporary client, Red firmly believed that with Franky's experience and ability—having already built the pseudo–Ancient Weapon, the Merry—these demands should be well within reach.
As for Franky…
He was already on the verge of tearing his hair out and felt like scrapping his own metal body in the workshop.
Meanwhile, Chopper—who wasn't particularly skilled in surgery—was working as Hogback's apprentice.
Red's task for him was simple: squeeze every last bit of surgical knowledge out of Hogback.
Chopper's forte lay in pharmaceutical medicine.
But a true doctor couldn't afford any blind spots.
As the user of the Zoan-Type, Mythical Zoan, Human-Human Fruit, Model: Commoner, Red firmly believed Chopper would rise to the challenge.
At the very least, compared to the utterly bewildered Franky, Chopper was all smiles.
Shifting his gaze, Red looked toward the remaining companions on the field.
Brook and Usopp had gone deep underwater with Laboon—one unwilling to part from Laboon, the other tending to his plants.
Thus, only Nami and Robin remained without specific assignments.
One was crafting rechargeable batteries for the Clima-Tact, while the other was meditating to enhance her mental power.
When Red saw the two of them, his eyes flickered.
He descended from the sky, interrupting their training, and said with a smile:
"Nami, Robin—pause your work for now."
"I've got a new training task for you."
"Huh?! So suddenly?"
Nami froze for a moment, then quickly inserted the freshly charged battery into the Clima-Tact.
This was a recent upgrade Usopp had made.
Since Nami could boost her combat power by storing electricity in advance, Usopp had redesigned the Clima-Tact's power system into detachable modules.
As long as Nami pre-charged and carried spare modules, she could unleash Lightning-type techniques endlessly—no more losing combat ability after one big move.
Robin, upon hearing Red's voice, opened one eye in curiosity.
Calm by nature, she asked no unnecessary questions. She gently withdrew the Psychic Power radiating from her body and exited her meditative state.
Standing up, she smiled softly, her eyes shimmering with intellect.
"A new training task?"
"Red… are you talking about the pirate ship heading our way?"
"Huh?"
Red blinked. "How did you know?"
"Because I saw it."
Rarely seeing such playful confidence from their vice-captain, Robin's smile grew even more captivating.
Red said in mild astonishment:
"Your Observation Haki has reached this level already?"
"It's the effect of meditation and Lock-On."
After teasing him just a little, Robin explained:
"In meditation, my mental power keeps increasing, and over time, the range and precision of my Observation Haki improve as well."
"Combined with Lock-On's enhancement…"
"I can't match Aisa's island-wide perception, but covering Thriller Bark and the surrounding sea is no problem."
"Without realizing it, everyone's become so reliable," Red said with a proud grin.
Snap!
Three green trench cloaks suddenly appeared in his hands.
Red chuckled.
"To avoid unnecessary trouble, put these on."
He tossed two cloaks forward, then spread his arms and donned one himself, obscuring his face.
The cloaks fluttered in the wind, a winged emblem—the Wings of Freedom—etched on their backs, exuding mystery.
…
…
A few minutes later.
Three mysterious figures appeared in the sky ahead of the Perfume Yuda.
"Stop there, pirates!"
"This area is private property. Outsiders are not allowed to approach!"
Red spoke first, his imposing presence forcing the two giant sea serpents pulling the ship to halt.
The sudden development shocked the entire Kuja Pirates crew.
Before any commotion could break out, a commanding voice rang out from the Perfume Yuda:
"Ridiculous!"
"I've sailed these waters hundreds of times. I've never heard of any private territory here!"
A figure with a physique even more perfect than Nami's or Robin's strode to the bow, confronting Red in the sky.
She was the captain of the Kuja Pirates, Empress of Amazon Lily, and the most beautiful pirate woman in the world—
Boa Hancock.
Assuming the three figures were merely members of the Thriller Bark Pirates, Hancock's lips curved into a disdainful smile.
Though filled with contempt, her bearing made it strangely mesmerizing.
She declared imperiously:
"So what if it is private territory?"
"There is nowhere in this world I cannot go!"
"After all… I am simply too beautiful!!!"
Whoosh—
Her silky black hair flowed as she brushed it aside, perfectly complementing her flawless face—like a masterpiece crafted by the heavens.
"Tch—no wonder it's Hancock!"
"This charm is leagues beyond any two-dimensional character!"
Even Red, fully prepared for her beauty, almost let out an involuntary "Whoa~!"
As the most beautiful pirate in the world, Hancock's animated portrayal barely conveyed her true allure.
Seeing her in person, even Red had to admit—
She was dangerously beautiful.
More importantly…
With his keen Psychic senses, Red realized that her beauty was only part of the story.
What truly ensnared people was the strange mental wave constantly radiating from her!
If Red guessed correctly, this was a passive effect of the Love-Love Fruit.
Any being with desire, once affected by this mental fluctuation, would have their inner longing projected the moment they saw Hancock.
That was why even Red had nearly fallen for it.
"So the Love-Love Fruit can do this too?"
"No wonder Blackbeard would covet this power in the future…"
Realizing he had stumbled upon something extraordinary, Red's thoughts raced.
The next instant, a surge of Psychic Power formed a mental barrier around him.
As expected, the infatuation vanished instantly.
Behind him, Robin quickly followed suit—creating a mental barrier for herself and even thoughtfully shielding Nami.
In an instant, the three of them broke free from the Love-Love Fruit's influence.
Hancock was still stunning in their eyes—but without that maddening obsession.
Clap… clap… clap…
Just as Hancock expected them to fall under her charm, crisp applause echoed from above.
"Well done~ well done~"
Floating lazily in midair, Red clapped with a teasing smile.
"Worthy of the sea's most beautiful empress—your looks truly are exceptional."
"But… surely you don't believe your beauty can solve everything, do you?"
"That's… impossible!"
For the first time, doubt creased Hancock's confident expression.
Then Red spoke again:
"Still, since you insist on passing through, I'll give you a chance."
With a flick of his finger, Robin and Nami flew to stand before him.
Looking down with an air of authority, Red declared:
"Defeat my two subordinates."
"And I will honor my word—allowing you to proceed into our territory."
(End of Chapter)