The gathered Amazon warriors fell into a dead silence.
All eyes were on the newspaper in Sandersonia's hand, yet none dared to speak their minds.
"Silence. I care not for your words," Hancock scoffed coldly, finally breaking the silence as she straightened her back with regal pride. "I am the most beautiful woman in the world. No matter what I do, I am always forgiven."
"I will make that man give me a proper answer—or I will never leave."
"Elder Sister…" Sandersonia opened her mouth as if to speak, but the words she had carefully prepared refused to come out.
The rest of the Kuja warriors on the deck remained just as silent.
Only Elder Nyon thumped her cane against the deck several times, her voice sharp with fury. "Hancock! You're as willful as ever! You understand nothing of the bigger picture!"
"Don't forget—our Kuja tribe stands for loyalty above all else. If you want to cause trouble for him, that's your choice. But we will not be dragged into your foolishness!"
"Throw her overboard," Hancock said suddenly, without a hint of warning, her head lifting in icy disdain.
This form of "respecting the elderly" was something everyone on board had grown used to.
Just as Sandersonia was about to change the topic, she caught sight of something, a flash of surprise in her eyes. "Elder Sister, look! Isn't that a candidate for admiral from Marine Headquarters? The one who chased us down before!"
"An admiral candidate?"
Hancock's brows furrowed as she turned toward the harbor entrance.
The first person that came into view was Gion—Vice Admiral Gion, also known as Momousagi—standing proudly at the bow of a warship.
Trailing just behind was the lecherous-faced Chaton, another candidate for the position of admiral.
To see both of them—figures considered second only to the admirals themselves—appear here together was enough to surprise even Sandersonia and the others.
"Elder Sister, weren't they always stationed at the front lines, keeping tabs on the Four Emperors? Why have they suddenly returned? Could something big have happened at sea?" Sandersonia couldn't help but voice her thoughts first.
"Or… could it be that the emergence of a new fourth admiral has stirred them into returning so urgently? That wouldn't be a good sign."
The Kuja warriors on deck shared uneasy looks.
After all, a photo of a Celestial Dragon beaten to a pulp had made front-page headlines just that morning.
No one yet knew how the World Government or Marine Headquarters would react.
And if two admiral candidates voiced strong opposition as well, it could make things even worse.
"Hmph. Two useless fools who were never my match—not then, and certainly not now," Hancock snorted dismissively.
"If they become admirals, that would be the real joke."
"Prepare to dock. I will demand a proper explanation from Marine Headquarters myself."
Sandersonia and the others turned pale, watching Hancock, who didn't even glance back, fix her cold gaze on the Gates of Justice.
For a while, no one could summon the words to dissuade her.
Meanwhile, on a Marine warship a kilometer away, Gion and Chaton had also noticed the lone pirate ship stationed at the harbor entrance.
A vice officer approached hastily, bowing his head as he reported in a rush.
"Vice Admiral Gion, the vessel ahead belongs to the Pirate Empress Boa Hancock, one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea."
"Our current proximity has crossed into the danger zone. Should we retreat immediately?"
"Danger zone?"
Several new recruits aboard the ship blinked in confusion, instinctively turning to look in the direction of the Kuja ship.
In an instant, many of them fell under Hancock's charm, their eyes turning into hearts as they began shouting like lovestruck fools.
In mere seconds, half the crew was down.
Chaton's expression darkened. Glaring at Hancock from afar, he muttered angrily, "Damn pirate… even in our territory, she dares flaunt herself like this. If it weren't for her Warlord status, I would never let her get away with this."
"Still… Vice Admiral Gion, you don't need to worry," he added dramatically, turning to her with exaggerated devotion. "To me, that Pirate Empress doesn't compare to even a fraction of your beauty."
"Would you… accept my proposal?"
As he prepared to kneel once more, the veterans and adjutants around him merely sighed and smiled bitterly.
This must've been his 999th rejection by now.
"Hehe… Vice Admiral Chaton, you never change," Gion said with a light chuckle, withdrawing her gaze. "But Hancock is still a Warlord. We can't lay a hand on her."
"Though, I did hear she was sent flying yesterday—by our new admiral."
"That's not something you see every day."
"She's probably still lingering here to pick a fight with him."
"For now, let's not get too tangled up with her. We've got more important things to do."
"Pass down the order—steer clear of the Kuja Pirates. And warn those with weak minds to stop looking at them. Anyone caught under her spell is to be knocked out on the spot to prevent petrification."
"The last thing we want is to negotiate with that arrogant woman because someone turned to stone."
The chain of commands was issued swiftly.
Most of the marines aboard were veterans who had once pursued Hancock with Gion. They knew exactly how to handle the situation.
Fighting the urge to look, they began systematically knocking out the bewitched new recruits—perhaps a bit violently, but it was the only way to snap them out of it.
Chaton didn't mind being ignored by Gion. With a scoff, he tucked the flower back into his coat and said with disdain, "Hmph. The front page of today's World Economic Journal was splattered with a bloodied Celestial Dragon."
"As an admiral, he should be protecting the World Nobles. Instead, he strikes them down? What a joke. Does he really think the World Government or Fleet Admiral Sengoku will let that slide?"
"I bet that rookie won't even have time to warm his admiral's chair before getting booted."
"Talk of him blasting Hancock away in one hit, defeating CP0 with a wave of the hand, and even turning Admiral Kizaru into minced meat? I don't believe a word of it."
"A mere brat in his twenties… how strong could he possibly be?"
"I suspect that old woman Tsuru is spreading rumors to shield the kid from consequences and save face for the Navy."
"I think he just acted out of arrogance and resentment toward the Celestial Dragons—plain and simple."
His grumbling echoed across the deck.
The other veterans and officers all nodded in agreement.
After all, in their eyes, both of their commanding officers had worked decades just to earn the title of admiral candidate.
And yet, some newcomer had jumped the queue and been directly promoted to fourth admiral.
How could they possibly accept that?
But as the warship neared the Gates of Justice, and the remains of the once-mighty pier came into view—now shattered and reduced to ruins—their expressions froze instantly.