"Captain , how did the talk go? Hey, captain , why is your face turning red?"
As soon as Marigold and Palace Lantern returned from their meeting with Hancock, they immediately surrounded her, eager to ask about the details. However, once they got closer, they noticed something odd—Hancock looked a little strange.
Hancock appeared slightly flustered, but managed to maintain a calm expression as she said, "It's just... the temperature is too high. Hmph. The environment here is nothing like Daughter's Island."
Sister snake nodded in agreement. "That's true. Even though there are more trees outside, I heard this place used to be called the Kingdom of Sand. The temperature here is way higher than on Daughter's Island. You did sweat a lot earlier, Sister. Let's wait till we get back to the boat—you can cool off then."
Another sister , more concerned about official matters, asked, "captain , what about the alliance?"
"Let's discuss it back on the ship," Hancock replied calmly. "The alliance has been finalized, but we need to inform everyone."
With that, she shook her robe and walked out, a bit faster than usual. In her distraction, she forgot to retract the metal suit.
After hastening down the hallway, Hancock pressed a button at her waist, and the nano-metal instantly retracted into its compact form.
Although she felt some relief, there was also an odd sense of emptiness. Realizing this, she bit her lip and shook her head quietly. She had only been away for a short while—she needed to pull herself together!
Despite the strange emotions swirling within her, Hancock remembered everything Kain had said and took the alliance agreement with her.
She hadn't had any room to object—she simply listened to his explanation and ultimately had no choice but to agree.
As for convincing the people of Amazon Lily, Hancock was absolutely confident—there wasn't a single person on Daughter's Island who could refuse her request.
Seeing that Hancock didn't feel like talking, others stopped asking further. Once they were back on the boat, they set course for Daughter's Island, quickly returning to the Amazon Lily Kingdom.
Upon their return, Hancock immediately summoned the Guardian Warriors, Granny , and others. Standing before them, she said, "The alliance has been negotiated. The Amazon Lily Kingdom will form an alliance with that man—but it will be established in the New World. Here is the alliance agreement, along with the island and area of influence selected for us in the New World."
"What!?"
Everyone present was shocked. Some were so stunned, their jaws nearly hit the floor.
Did Hancock just say they were relocating the entire Amazon Lily Kingdom to the New World? And she had agreed to it?
"Snake Princess, this isn't something to joke about," Granny said with disbelief.
Hancock snorted coldly. "Where is your respect for your king?"
Startled, Granny quickly corrected herself. "Master Snake Princess, this is just... too sudden. Moving the entire Amazon Lily Kingdom like this—what exactly did you and that man discuss?"
"See for yourselves," Hancock replied coldly. "After thinking it through again and again, I couldn't come up with a better option than forming this alliance."
With that, she tossed the alliance documents to Granny, And others so they could read them for themselves. As for her claim that she had "thought it through," that was a lie.
At that time, she had been extremely reluctant—firmly seated on Kain's lap, biting her lip to endure the stimulation without making a sound—yet still managing to memorize the alliance details and the benefits it would bring to the Amazon Lily Kingdom.
Had she not written everything down immediately, her mind would've gone blank afterward, and she would have forgotten it all.
Fortunately, the alliance agreement she brought back was comprehensive and well-organized, making it easy for Granny and the others to understand at a glance.
The territorial distribution covered a vast area—from Fish-Man Island to Wano Country—carving out a significant sphere of influence in the Grand Line, even larger than that of the Four Emperors.
If the Amazon Lily Kingdom agreed to the alliance, they would gain control of at least twenty-one islands.
Even setting aside everything else, just the protection fees from these islands would generate a considerable sum.
But Granny remembered that the Kain Chamber of Commerce disapproved of typical pirate behavior, so those fees might be negotiable. With such a vast territory, they wouldn't need to act recklessly—they'd have flexibility and security.
The position of Shichibukai offered great advantages. Among the Four Emperors, only Red-Haired Shanks' group had unclear policies; the other three rarely plundered. They managed vast territories and generated stable incomes.
Then there were the advanced ships—capable of traveling by land, sea, and air, even diving into the deep sea. Upon seeing such a vessel, Granny felt moved. If the Nine Snake Pirates had ships like that, why would they fear the Marines ever again?
When confronted at sea, they could simply fly into the sky or dive beneath the waves. Unless an Admiral personally chased them, the Marines would be powerless to stop their escape.
And the weapons and arms produced by the Kain Chamber of Commerce were renowned across the world. If the Nine Snake Pirates could be equipped with those, they would soar to new heights.
Faced with such tangible, undeniable benefits—not mere illusions or promises—Granny and the others suddenly found themselves without objections.
The only true hesitation came from the emotional attachment to Daughter Island, where they had lived for so long. But when weighed against these advantages… even the deep-rooted bonds of Daughter Island began to pale.
Granny looked up and exchanged glances with others. They all saw the same answer reflected in each other's eyes.
Why wouldn't they agree to these terms?
As for the motives of the Kain Chamber of Commerce—well, it likely desired the warriors of Amazon Lily. When it came to the mastery of Haki, few in the world could rival them.
Still, Granny harbored doubts. If it were purely about military strength, the Kain Chamber of Commerce had many options—so why the Nine Snake Pirates? Why did everything go so smoothly?
"Master Snake… you and that man…" she began, hesitantly.
At the mention of Kain, Hancock turned her head slightly and coldly snorted. "Don't ask anything more.go announce the king's decree."
That reaction said it all.
Granny suddenly thought of a possibility.
Could it be that, during Hancock's previous capture, she had shown the shy vulnerability of a woman—and that very charm had bewitched the so-called Mage?
Only this possibility could explain it!
"Master Snake Princess—"
"Get out of here and deliver the king's orders, you coward who ran away from your post!"
Seeing that Granny still wanted to ask more questions, Hancock grabbed her by the collar and kicked her straight out of the palace—sending her flying tens of meters into the air. As for the others, they quickly took the hint and evacuated.
Once outside, they promptly relayed Hancock's decree. Although the relocation of the entire country was shocking, no one dared to disobey her orders.
When Hancock returned, she not only brought back the alliance agreement but also recorded Kain's Den Den Mushi number. Once preparations were complete, the Kain Chamber of Commerce would dispatch a floating ship to assist with the move.
Upon arriving in the New World, Hancock planned to officially renounce her Shichibukai status and announce the alliance with the Kain Chamber of Commerce.
Now that lawful plundering was no longer necessary, the Shichibukai title had become a shackle—especially since Kain was clearly at odds with the World Government.
"Damn it, so that's what happened?! The Shichibukai's Demon Mage—how can this guy be so powerful?"
Blackbeard had been poring over newspapers and eventually tracked down a reporter who had been in Sabaody Archipelago at the time. From him, he acquired a second-hand video Den Den Mushi, allowing him to piece together what had happened.
His Blackbeard Pirates had been cursed with terrible luck lately—nearly wiped out by Magellan at Impel Down, then almost finished off again by the Shichibukai after escaping. And now, that Mage had quit the Shichibukai too, just like him.
"Damn it! I didn't even catch up with 'Pops' before he died. The Shock Fruit is nowhere to be found, and now even Kaido's dead—and the Phantom Beast Fruit is gone too!"
Blackbeard's face twisted in rage. His carefully laid plans had completely unraveled. Aside from recruiting a few crew members, he had achieved none of his major goals.
Shiryu of the Rain approached with a cigar in his mouth and asked, "What's the next move? Wait for news on the Shock Fruit?"
"Who knows when it'll show up again? No—we're heading straight to the New World. We'll look for other Devil Fruits—and rise up as one of the new Four Emperors while we're at it!"
Blackbeard shouted the order to his crew. He had spent over twenty years tracking down the Dark Fruit to obtain the Shock Fruit. It might take days—or years—to find it again.
Better to build his power now. Once his strength was undeniable, whether the Shock Fruit or its next user appeared, he'd be in a position to claim it.
Blackbeard laughed loudly, "I'll find some good Devil Fruits for you all first. Once you see what I can do—you'll understand the future belongs to me! Hahahaha!"
Elsewhere, Big Mom was fuming. When she learned that Fish-Man Island had rejected her, she was so enraged she nearly launched a full-scale assault on the island.
At that time, Big Mom hadn't yet fallen into one of her food cravings, so her children managed to persuade her to hold back.
If they wanted Fish-Man Island to become a vassal of the Big Mom Pirates, they would first have to defeat the magic-wielding Mage, Kain.
Up until then, Kain hadn't made many public appearances, and his strength had only been estimated at around the level of a Shichibukai with a bounty of about one billion. Although he had defeated Doflamingo, in the eyes of the New World, that didn't pose a significant threat.
Only someone like Kaido, who had an obsession with weapons of war, would be interested in the Kain Chamber of Commerce's armaments. As for Big Mom—whose obsession was sweets—she had no prior connection to Kain or his organization.
But this time, they had clashed directly because of the situation with Fish-Man Island, and Kain's display of power during the Summit War at Mary Geoise was utterly terrifying.
Doflamingo didn't even have time to respond—he was beaten into a cripple. Kaido's fate was even worse: no one knew if he survived the first strike, and after the second explosion, Kain simply stopped attacking. At that point, Kaido was presumed dead.
Even Totto Land wouldn't be able to withstand that kind of destructive force.
Big Mom's children managed to persuade her by appealing to her priorities. Compared to Fish-Man Island, her dream of building Totto Land was far more important.
"Hurry up and gather information on that guy," she ordered, her voice full of simmering rage. "I want him to know what it means to steal snacks from me!"
Though she was convinced not to attack Fish-Man Island directly, Big Mom still held a deep grudge against Kain.
However, her children had a different plan. They intended to send envoys to Fish-Man Island to negotiate—at the very least, to purchase some desserts to pacify their mother.
It was similar to when Whitebeard had previously controlled Fish-Man Island: even then, they didn't dare provoke him.
And now, with Kain's overwhelming strength, it was clearly unwise to make an enemy of him—no matter how much Big Mom wanted to.
…
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