The chamber's mood shifted; even the Five Elders grew visibly intent. It concerned Imu's immortality—no one could take that lightly.
Kong continued, "Per our intel, his ability matches the Ope Ope no Mi (Op-Op Fruit) exactly as in the Devil Fruit compendium."
Their expressions turned complicated. If that was true, then the fruit Creed used might be a copy-type ability—explaining how Creed also wielded Admiral Kizaru's Pika Pika no Mi (Glint-Glint Fruit) powers and control over lightning. Which meant… the rampage through the Holy Land, the injured Celestial Dragons, even the World Government tower cleaved open—so much of it sprang from a single mistaken premise, forged by a false report.
For a heartbeat, all five wanted to curse out loud.
The losses were colossal. Not only had the Navy lost its strongest prodigy in history, they'd driven him to the other side—now the Government's foremost enemy.
"This demands the most airtight plan. No mistakes," the First Elder exhaled slowly. "Everyone think it through—we reconvene soon."
…
In the Calm Belt, an island loomed: Amazon Lily—Kuja Island, a country of women. Here, daughters were raised as warriors from birth, shouldering house and field alike; even pregnancies yielded only daughters. A land with a singular character.
Busoshoku Haki (Armament Haki) was common here; nearly every warrior possessed it. The decree was simple: men were forbidden. Any who trespassed were erased.
Today, most of the island gathered at the harbor to bid their king farewell.
Tall, elegant, wearing serpent-shaped earrings, Boa Hancock stood at the prow of a great barge drawn by two sea serpent rulers. Long black hair streamed in the wind. Her deep blue eyes swept over her cheering people, tinged with reluctance.
As a member of the Shichibukai (Seven Warlords), she had answered the World Government's call. She would depart for the New Marine Headquarters to help the Navy stabilize the New World—leaving Amazon Lily for a time.
Truth be told, Hancock loathed leaving and loathed dealing with Marines—but for Amazon Lily's sake, and… because she wished to see a certain man… she would endure.
"This time… will I truly meet him, like Granny Nyon said?" she murmured.
The man who brought calamity upon the Celestial Dragons and Mariejois—Creed—was the one she revered.
If she could see him, she would be glad.
A rasping, sharp voice cut through the cheers. "Hancock! Remember to use your charm to win that Creed! His genes must be extraordinary—your children will be splendid!"
The speaker—tiny, white wavy hair with a flower pinned left—was Elder Nyon, former Kuja Empress.
Kuja women only conceived after going to sea, with men from beyond the island. Thus every voyage of the Kuja Pirates also bore the duty of continuing the line—an affair the people took seriously.
The dock erupted in applause at Nyon's "advice."
"You… what nonsense are you spouting, old crone?!" The always cold and imperious Hancock went rose-red, beauty sharpened to something lethal and shy all at once.
Her sisters piled on from below. "Do your best, sis! We saw Creed in the papers—so handsome! You two match perfectly!"
"Sis, you should find a partner! You're already in your twenties!"
"Set sail," Hancock commanded, opting not to argue. The barge eased from the quay.
"Will I really meet him…?" She pressed a hand to her chest, willing her suddenly racing heart to settle.
…
In a stretch of New World sea, a pirate ship cut through the swells—its flag a blazing sun wreathed in flame.
At the bow stood a towering, broad-shouldered whale shark fish-man in a patterned yukata, gale-like brows and sideburns, a lightning-shaped scar under his left eye, two great teeth jutting from his jaw, and a massive sun tattoo at his belly.
Shichibukai: Jinbe, Knight of the Sea.
"Creed… Princess Shirahoshi," he thought quietly.
Summoned to the new Marine HQ, he worried he might be ordered against Creed. The thought tied his stomach in knots. Creed had saved Fish-Man Island's people; if the Navy ordered Jinbe to harm him, Jinbe would likely refuse—even at the cost of his life. Ideally, the Navy's target would be someone else; then, when the summons ended, he could fulfill King Neptune's request and guard Princess Shirahoshi.
"Captain, two kilometers off the port bow—odd little boat," a crewman reported.
Jinbe raised the glass—and blinked. An acquaintance: Dracule Mihawk, "Hawkeye," fellow Warlord, stood in his iconic coffin boat. Its pace looked… pitiable. Worse, Mihawk had actually unsheathed Yoru, the Supreme Great Blade, as if contemplating—rowing with a black blade.
"Approach him," Jinbe ordered.
"Need a lift, Mihawk?" he called when they drew alongside.
Mihawk's eyes slid from the horizon. With that, he sheathed Yoru—the unholy thought of using the Kokuto (Black Blade) as an oar wisely suppressed. A squall, a Sea King, and a string of skirmishes had battered the coffin-boat; it was flagging. Jinbe's shout was timely; even the world's greatest swordsman could accept help when the sea demanded it.
"You have my thanks, Jinbe."
They had seen each other two or three times at Government-convened Shichibukai councils—shared meals and drink enough to count as familiar.
"No need for thanks—it's a small thing," Jinbe waved.
"That damned Trafalgar Law," Mihawk added after boarding, a rare crease of irritation on his severe face. "When I see him again—I'll cut him."
(End of Chapter)
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