When Gloriosa suddenly appeared, the usually proud and willful Hancock's face soured. "Nyon-ba, I'm the current Empress!" Hancock said, her face dark. She grabbed Gloriosa by her clothes and lifted her up.
"Hey, hey, wait, Empress! I have something to say!" Gloriosa, who was suddenly picked up, flailed her arms, trying to break free from Hancock's grasp. Her hair was a muddled yellow, her face was red, and she was wearing a wet, golden-trimmed white dress.
"Hmph~ Empress!" Hancock scoffed and let go.
"Ahem... Sorry, Empress!" Deciding that discretion was the better part of valor, Gloriosa called her "Empress" honestly.
Watching the farce, Aeridar couldn't help but feel a cold sweat trickle down his forehead. Her personality is as bad as they say...
Gloriosa straightened her messy clothes and composed herself. "I apologize for the spectacle."
"Uh... Empress Hancock has a very direct nature," Aeridar said, wiping his forehead carefully.
"That's true. The Kuja are in the Calm Belt. Although the Calm Belt is a barrier, since your ships can navigate it, I assume the World Government's ships can too." Gloriosa said seriously.
"Ah, that's right. This is our latest technology. There aren't many groups with this technology, but the Marines and World Government can indeed navigate the Calm Belt freely," Aeridar admitted with a nod.
"That's my concern. The Calm Belt is no longer a barrier for Amazon Lily, which makes it impossible for us to develop normally. Combined with the resource-scarce environment here, this is why the Kuja Pirates exist in the first place," Gloriosa said with a grave expression.
Marine and World Government ships could easily sail through the Calm Belt. If they were determined, they could send a fleet and an Admiral to wipe out Amazon Lily. However, since Amazon Lily was unable to trade, it had to rely on raiding to meet its domestic needs, making it impossible to develop.
"I understand. You want to trade with me!" Aeridar realized. He happened to have the technology to sail freely in the Calm Belt, so he could send merchant ships over to trade. The bodies of Sea Kings, rare poisons, herbs, and other local products from the Calm Belt could all be traded. This way, the Kuja wouldn't have to constantly resort to piracy and could develop properly.
"Hmph. Yes, if you send merchant ships to trade, I will guarantee that your ships in the Calm Belt will not suffer any losses!" Hancock said, raising her head proudly as if she were giving a handout instead of asking for a favor.
Aeridar didn't mind Hancock's arrogance and stroked his chin in thought.
Ships that could sail in the Calm Belt had to be lined with Seastone, which was a strategic-level material. Not only was it expensive, but it was also very rare. Each ship lined with Seastone cost over a billion Berries, and even the Chris Pirates didn't have many of them.
Using such high-end ships as merchant vessels was something even the wealthy Aeridar had to think about carefully. A special ship required a large amount of Seastone, and the Clifford Kingdom didn't have a place to mine it, so he had to acquire it at a high price from the black market. The amount of Seastone he had wasn't particularly large, and the loss of the thirty-seventh ship had already been a huge pain.
"I'm open to trading, but I have a proposal. I hope that Empress Hancock will seriously consider it," Aeridar said, putting his hand down and speaking calmly.
"What is your request?" Hancock's expression remained unchanged, still full of arrogance.
"I officially invite you to join the Seven Warlords Alliance!" Aeridar said with a serious expression.
"What is that?" A hint of confusion flashed in Hancock's beautiful eyes.
"The Seven Warlords Alliance?!" Gloriosa's eyes flickered as if something had dawned on her.
"It's exactly what it sounds like: an alliance formed by the Warlords of the Sea!" Aeridar smirked. He could say that this alliance was one of the decisions he was most proud of since he had transmigrated.
"An alliance of the Warlords!" Hancock and Gloriosa's eyes widened. Does such an alliance really exist?
"An alliance of smelly men! I wouldn't dare to join!" Although she was shocked, Hancock had her own pride.
"Empress..." Gloriosa's expression turned anxious. Whether this alliance is good or bad, we don't know anything about it yet. Why refuse so quickly?
Suddenly...
"Captain! There's a ship flying the World Government's flag to the west!" A surprising message came from the megaphone in the lookout tower.
"A World Government ship?!" Aeridar raised an eyebrow, finding it strange. What would a World Government ship be doing in the Calm Belt?
Hancock's brows furrowed, and a look of disgust instantly appeared in her eyes. Gloriosa was also curious but didn't show much emotion.
Everyone looked toward the west and saw a ship slowly sailing toward them. As the ship got closer, they could see that it did indeed have the World Government's flag, but it was battered and damaged, with water seeping out of a hole on its starboard side.
"Did it... get caught in a storm?" Aeridar raised an eyebrow. "And is it a Seastone ship?"
The weather in the Grand Line was extremely strange, and every year, a number of ships were swept into the Calm Belt by storms and other natural disasters. However, ordinary ships could not sail in the Calm Belt. Only ships lined with Seastone could, or ships with a fighter on board as powerful as a Marine Admiral or someone with Conqueror's Haki.
"Hmph. It serves them right!" Hancock scoffed, a hint of satisfaction on her face. She held a deep hatred for the Marines and the World Government. If it weren't for the sake of protecting her country and enjoying the privileges of a Warlord, she would have never become one.
Soon, the broken World Government ship drew closer. Its rickety appearance made everyone worried that it would sink at any moment.
"It's a pirate ship! Forget it! You pirates over there, give up your ship! I'll spare you and you can serve me for the rest of your lives!" an arrogant voice came from the broken World Government ship. The person speaking was a middle-aged man wearing a bubble helmet. He had matted yellow hair and was wearing a dripping wet, gilded white dress. His pale face was filled with a look of viciousness.
This guy was an "old acquaintance" of Aeridar.
"Hey, hey, you've got to be kidding me! It's a small world, isn't it?" Aeridar put his hand on his forehead, his expression a mix of disbelief.
"Celestial... Dragon!!!" Hancock gritted the words out one by one, a flash of fear and hatred in her eyes.
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