"Say that again?"
New World, aboard the Perfume Yuda.
The 1.9-meter-tall [Pirate Empress] Boa Hancock looked down from her height at the slave trader trembling on the ground.
These guys were really something.
While the Kuja Pirates' area of activity was usually in the first half of the Grand Line, even if they hadn't heard of the [Pirate Empress] title, they should at least have heard of the [Warlord of the Sea], right?
It was bad enough that these blind fools didn't run away when they saw her, but they actually dared to attack first.
Didn't they know she hated slave traders the most?
Of course, what infuriated Hancock the most right now wasn't that these guys had dared to attack them.
Shifting her gaze to the invitation in her hand, Hancock recalled what the captain of these slave traders had said earlier.
"Big Mom-sama's daughter is going to be engaged to [The Great Hero] Uzumaki Naruto, who defeated the Marine Admiral Akainu."
"If you know what's good for you-"
Hancock didn't even bother listening to the second half of the sentence, directly turning the man into stone and kicking him into the sea.
The slave trader on the ground, seeing that even name-dropping an Emperor couldn't intimidate the other party, was filled with endless regret.
He had originally just wanted to use Big Mom's name to extort the other party.
He never expected to hit a steel plate.
"Impossible…"
Hancock ignored the guy on the ground, her fingers gripping the railing of the Perfume Yuda tightly.
That section of solid wood railing couldn't withstand Hancock's strength, especially when her emotions were so unstable.
Thus, after a series of teeth-grating creaks, the piece of wood was completely crushed into a ball.
Meanwhile, Sandersonia and her sister looked at each other, neither daring to speak casually.
They knew very well.
If before, their older sister was still willing to listen to their advice,
Then after learning this news, their big sister had probably gone completely crazy.
Whoosh-
Casually shooting an arrow to turn this slave trader into a statue as well, and then kicking him into the sea like the last one, Hancock turned around with a gloomy face to look at the crew.
"Destination, Whole Cake Island. Full speed ahead."
Everyone was terrified, not daring to make a sound.
Marigold still wanted to advise caution regarding the Emperor, Big Mom, but was stopped by her second sister.
Sandersonia quickly shook her head at her plump sister, her eyes rapidly changing.
'Don't be stupid right now. Nee-san is angrier than she's ever been. Be careful or she'll beat you up too.'
They were, after all, sisters. Not a word was spoken, but the meaning was clearly understood by the other.
Marigold also reacted, quickly pressing her lips together, not daring to say another word.
But in their hearts, they were both silently sweating for their former benefactor.
'Run, Naruto-nii.'
'You must run away before Nee-san gets there.'
'Otherwise, someone's really going to die.'
On the other side, Stussy, along with the four former CP9's members, had already arrived at her base of operations, Pleasure District.
She obviously couldn't just go directly to Whole Cake Island like this.
After all, Stussy was invited to the tea party in her capacity as the [Queen of the Pleasure District]. Arriving on a World Government's ship would be inappropriate.
Moreover, she needed to return to her base to get a clearer understanding of the specific situation.
The [Pleasure District] under Stussy's control wasn't just a single island, but rather all the underground adult entertainment industry areas spread throughout the New World.
Basically, the so-called red-light districts.
It was through this vast industry network that she could extend her 'tentacles' outward, thereby obtaining massive amounts of intelligence.
Based on Stussy's understanding of a certain man, he would absolutely never agree to something like an arranged marriage.
After all, he could even bear to let her go, so how could he possibly obediently marry a woman he'd only met a few times?
Did they think Uzumaki Naruto was some small-time pirate?
Kalifa watched Stussy with admiration as she quickly browsed through stacks of intelligence reports. That strong, capable businesswoman image was her ultimate goal.
The three men on the other side, however, looked at each other boredly.
Rob Lucci just wanted to fight someone as soon as possible to test his progress.
Though one wonders if he could maintain such confidence if he were to actually face those true 'monsters' of the New World.
'Just as I thought…'
From a piece of secret intelligence originating from within Whole Cake Island territory, Stussy finally found what she was looking for.
[Big Mom originally planned to marry her daughter Charlotte Smoothie to Uzumaki Naruto. But according to the latest intelligence, the participants of the wedding have been changed to Big Mom herself and another man of unknown identity.]
[The man possesses 'snake-like' characteristics and is suspected to be a member of a previously undiscovered new human race.]
'Sure enough… That man would never compromise once he knew what was about to happen.'
Thinking this, the smile on Stussy's face became a few degrees more genuine.
"Go on, have them prepare suitable attire for you."
"I can't have you attending Linlin's banquet dressed so inappropriately."
Her mood having shifted from cloudy to clear, Stussy even joked with them, then had her subordinates take them to get new clothes made.
According to their mission requirements, this time, they needed to maintain a covert infiltration. Her identity as an 'Emperor's close friend' still held value, so their identities as CP's agents could not be exposed unless absolutely necessary.
The main operatives were still those powerhouses from the Marine.
'The [Hero of the Marine] Garp, Admiral Kizaru, Admiral Candidate Momousagi, and that supposedly extraordinarily intelligent Vice Admiral Tsuru.'
'Tsk tsk, it feels like it's going to be a massive free-for-all.'
'I must find an opportunity to give that wretched man a good, hard lesson then.'
Looking at Naruto's photo, Stussy smiled very happily.
…
"Let's go, Orochimaru. Time to greet the guests today."
The room door was pushed open directly. Katakuri didn't seem to show even a shred of the respect one should have for this nominal 'stepfather'.
Even more, hidden in his gaze towards Orochimaru was a certain, unknown pity.
This guy was just a breeding tool for his mother.
If he was lucky, he might keep his life after the child was born. If unlucky, he might end up like his mother's previous husbands, killed off casually.
When Pudding was compiling Orochimaru's memory, Katakuri, as Big Mom's most capable executive, was present to watch.
Therefore, he also knew that the guy before him was nothing more than a pitiful wretch whose death would be no loss.
"Oh~ It's Katakuri-kun. Good, let's go right away."
Completely different from when the memories were first implanted, a spring-like smile now graced Orochimaru's face.
If a certain Third Hokage were to come here and see this scene, he might just burst into tears of emotion.
He looked exactly the same as he did back when he was learning Ninjutsu under Hiruzen.
However, the moment Katakuri turned his back, that slightly pale face revealed an almost uncontrollable curiosity and… greed.
Orochimaru himself knew.
This wouldn't escape the perception of the man before him.
But he didn't seem to mind.
'Very interesting... the ability to foresee the future, Observation Haki.'
'So interesting.'