Without the protection of the Shichibukai system, Nine Snake Island would become nothing more than an easy target, ripe for plundering.
In the past, the island had survived under the protection of the windless zone, its ships guided by the massive Sea Kings to navigate the treacherous waters. From there, the Nine Snake Pirates were born. Nine Snake Island was always a pirate nation — and in a world like this, it seemed that if its people weren't pirates, they wouldn't survive at all.
But being a nation of pirates, especially one where every citizen was a woman, made them an easy target for the Navy. The justification was simple and convenient: they were pirates.
In the original events of the world, the moment the Shichibukai system was abolished, the Navy moved in without hesitation. Likely because the Fleet Admiral at the time was Akainu — a man who upheld absolute justice. In his eyes, no pirate deserved to exist. His philosophy was simple: hunt them down, imprison them in Impel Down, and let them rot until death.
Granny Nyon, monarch of Nine Snake Island many generations ago, was far-sighted enough to see the danger. Even before the official abolishment, she suspected the Shichibukai system wouldn't last. After all, they were still pirates — a title the World Government and the Navy despised. In truth, the Shichibukai were nothing more than tools allowed to exist for the sake of maintaining control.
But there was another problem — Hancock's willfulness. Granny Nyon understood why. The woman's past had left deep scars, and her arrogance was often just a mask for the fragile heart beneath. Over the years, that pride had only grown, making her believe that no matter what she did, the world would forgive her.
One of the duties of a Shichibukai was to answer the World Government's call in times of need. In other words: privileges came with obligations.
Would Hancock willingly obey such an order?
Of course not.
She had even robbed Navy warships more than once. If she lost her title as Shichibukai, Nine Snake Island would be laid bare for the slaughter.
And the predators were many — the Navy, other pirates, human traffickers — all with their eyes on the island. After all, where in the world could you find more beautiful women than on Nine Snake Island? Nowhere. And Hancock was the most stunning of them all.
Vane looked at Granny Nyon, speaking slowly.
"I understand. You just want me to make Nine Snake Island my territory."
Truthfully, Vane didn't even have a pirate flag yet, nor had he thought of a name for his crew. At the moment, his crew consisted only of three women — Gion, Esdeath and Kalifa. His future plans included recruiting Doflamingo, the Golden Emperor, and even Crocodile under his command.
He intended to rebuild Wano into the nation he envisioned before thinking about sailing freely across the seas.
A pirate flag had great influence, especially for the Yonko. When Whitebeard planted his flag on Fishman Island, no one dared to attack or enslave its people. His name alone kept pirates and human traffickers at bay — for Whitebeard was notorious for protecting his own.
"Vane-sama, do you truly agree to protect Nine Snake Island?"
Granny Nyon's voice trembled with joy, and she leapt from her stool in excitement.
Hancock and the others widened their eyes, surprised but clearly happy.
"That isn't a problem," Vane replied casually. "Right now, the World Government wouldn't dare touch me — and they don't even have the courage to enter the New World."
Recently, the World Government had been severely weakened. The damage Vane and his allies had inflicted on Mariejois was so great they lacked the funds to rebuild. Over a hundred Celestial Dragons had perished, and their lavish funerals had drained enormous amounts of resources. Contrary to belief, the Celestial Dragons weren't endlessly wealthy; otherwise, they wouldn't rely on the Heavenly Tribute. The richest man in the world was the Golden Emperor, and even he was sometimes forced to pay them protection fees.
But lately, the Celestial Dragons had grown desperate. The Golden Emperor had outright refused to pay, ignoring all their den den mushi calls. In other words, they were broke.
Far away on the Red Line, in the brightly lit halls of Mariejois, the remaining Four Elders were in discussion.
This time, the subject was Monkey D. Garp. Not long ago, during the Celestial Dragon funeral, he had nearly struck one of them. Now, he had returned to the East Blue.
"I want him to retire," one Elder spat.
"No," another said coldly. "He's still valuable. In the Navy and the wider world, his reputation cannot be dismissed. If we force him into retirement now, the World Government's image will take a massive blow."
"I'm still furious about it," the first growled.
The truth was simple — without slaves, the Celestial Dragons were miserable. They lived for cruelty, an "ancestral tradition" they had no intention of abandoning. Now, without their slaves, some even considered capturing Marines and charging them with false crimes just to fill their ranks again.
When this idea surfaced, Garp exploded in rage. At the funeral, he nearly fought them on the spot, and if Sengoku hadn't intervened, Garp would have been "honorably" retired that very day.
After all, the strongest in the Navy wasn't always the youngest — and Garp was the oldest and most battle-hardened man in the Headquarters. Sengoku himself was only a year or two younger.
This incident had deepened the rift between the Navy and the World Government. While Sengoku and the others didn't voice their thoughts openly, they all knew where they stood. Even Akainu, for all his ruthless justice, was angered. To him, the Navy's interests were being sacrificed to appease the Celestial Dragons.
The gap widened. And perhaps, one day, the Navy might sever ties with the World Government entirely.
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