Seeing the strange gleam in Jin's eyes, Hancock fell silent for a moment before speaking.
"Very well. I shall contact the Marines outside Amazon Lily."
As she spoke, Hancock glanced toward Marigold, signaling for her to bring over the Den Den Mushi. She intended to contact the Marine Vice Admiral personally.
Hopefully, the man would be smart enough to agree to her conditions.
Watching Marigold walk away, Jin frowned slightly.
"Marines outside Amazon Lily?"
What did that mean exactly?
Could it be that the Marine officer pressuring Hancock to participate in the war was actually stationed nearby?
"That's right," Sandersonia nodded. "The Marines arrived at Amazon Lily to summon Sister Hancock. The leader is a Marine Headquarters Vice Admiral named Momonga."
"Momonga…"
Jin narrowed his eyes.
An old acquaintance.
Taking the Den Den Mushi from Marigold, Hancock looked at him curiously.
"You know him?"
"Yeah," Jin replied casually. "We had a bit of conflict before."
Crack.
Veins instantly bulged across Hancock's forehead.
Her expression turned cold.
"Then shall we kill him?"
"Heh. That's not impossible."
The moment those words fell, killing intent erupted from both of them simultaneously.
Granny Nyon was dumbfounded.
What the hell?!
How did this suddenly turn into murdering a Marine Vice Admiral?
And why were these two so perfectly in sync?!
No…
Now wasn't the time to think about that.
Realizing the situation was spiraling out of control, Granny Nyon immediately jumped between them.
"You two, wait a second!"
"Granny Nyon, don't stop me," Hancock frowned.
"Don't you want to help Jin?"
Hancock instantly fell silent.
Completely silent.
"I know what you two are thinking," Granny Nyon said rapidly. "But listen to me first."
"The first issue is Hancock's title as one of the Seven Warlords."
"If she refuses to participate in this war, the World Government will absolutely revoke her position. And once that happens…"
Her expression grew grave.
"This country will be targeted by the World Government."
As if anticipating Hancock's rebuttal, Granny Nyon continued immediately.
"And don't mention the Calm Belt."
"The Marines appearing near Amazon Lily already proves they possess technology capable of crossing the Calm Belt safely."
"Which means the Calm Belt is no longer an absolute shield for Amazon Lily."
"Hancock… you understand what that means, don't you?"
"I…"
"Don't say something childish like 'I don't care,'" Granny Nyon snapped mercilessly. "You are the empress of this nation. Start thinking like one!"
"You dare call me childish?! You—"
Ignoring Hancock's furious glare, Granny Nyon turned toward Jin instead.
"Jin… I don't know what kind of grudge exists between you and that Marine."
"But for now, can you spare him?"
"At least don't kill him yet."
"Can't kill him for now…" Jin muttered thoughtfully.
Meanwhile, Hancock also paused, confusion flickering in her eyes.
"Because he's here to escort Hancock," Granny Nyon explained seriously.
"If anything happens to him, what do you think Marine Headquarters and the World Government will assume?"
"Even if Hancock still attends the war afterward, they'll become suspicious."
Hearing this, Jin quickly understood her meaning.
If the Vice Admiral sent to retrieve Hancock suffered an 'accident,' suspicion would immediately fall upon Hancock.
And once the World Government began investigating…
Her Warlord title could easily be stripped away.
At that point, Amazon Lily itself would face disaster.
Which meant…
They truly couldn't act recklessly.
At least not yet.
Should I try controlling him with Mangekyo genjutsu? Jin wondered internally.
But the thought disappeared almost instantly.
After all…
He still had no idea whether his Mangekyo Sharingan could instantly subdue someone at Vice Admiral level.
He had only awakened the Mangekyo three days ago.
And if the genjutsu failed for even a moment…
Conflict would erupt immediately.
Things could spiral completely out of control.
Worst case scenario, Amazon Lily itself could be dragged into catastrophe.
Thinking this through, Jin decisively abandoned the idea.
"I understand."
Besides… if I encounter Admiral-level opponents inside Impel Down, I probably won't have the spare focus to control a Marine Vice Admiral anyway.
Granny Nyon finally relaxed slightly.
Good.
At least the boy listened to reason.
"So?" Hancock asked impatiently. "What exactly is your plan?"
"I think I understand Granny Nyon's idea," Jin said while rubbing his chin.
"You want me to use Sea Kings to follow behind the Marine warship, right?"
He had already figured it out.
Hancock would attend the war to preserve her Warlord title.
In exchange, she would request permission to visit Impel Down first.
That way…
They could learn the exact route to the underwater prison.
"Correct," Granny Nyon nodded. "Can you do it?"
"Yeah. That won't be difficult."
Jin considered it briefly.
Having Sea Kings silently trail behind a warship was extremely simple for him.
And with that…
They could infiltrate Impel Down unnoticed.
It was a far safer method.
At the very least, it wouldn't place Hancock—the woman willing to help him—in unnecessary danger.
"Then it's settled," Granny Nyon smiled.
"This way, Jin and the others can infiltrate Impel Down, while Hancock avoids risking her Warlord status."
"Fine," Hancock nodded. "I'll contact that man immediately and state my conditions."
With that, she walked outside while carrying the Den Den Mushi.
"Jin, I'll leave my sisters' brands to you."
"No problem."
Jin nodded before looking toward Marigold and Sandersonia.
"Which one of you wants to go first?"
"I will."
Sandersonia, the second sister, stepped forward first.
Looking directly at Jin, she spoke seriously.
"I'm counting on you."
"It's nothing."
After thoroughly cleaning the operating table, Jin patted the surface lightly.
"Lie down."
"Yes!"
…
Meanwhile—
Aboard the Marine warship outside Amazon Lily, Vice Admiral Momonga stared fixedly toward the distant island.
"Hopefully you know what's good for you, Boa Hancock…"
Otherwise…
Amazon Lily would be destroyed.
Grrrr~
Momonga: "…"
Hearing his own stomach growl, the Vice Admiral's expression twitched awkwardly.
He had been waiting so long that he was getting hungry.
Glancing at the Sea King corpse floating nearby—the one he personally killed earlier—Momonga unsheathed his sword.
"Let's try cooking Sea King meat."
Right then—
The sound of a Den Den Mushi echoed from inside the cabin.
"Purururu~ Purururu~"
"A call?"
Momonga paused before walking inside.
"Is it… Boa Hancock?"
He had only recently reported the situation to Headquarters, so it probably wasn't from Marine HQ.
Thinking that, he picked up the Den Den Mushi.
"This is the Marine Vice Admiral, correct?"
"Boa Hancock…"
Recognizing the familiar voice instantly, Momonga revealed an unsurprised expression.
"So. Have you decided to answer the summons to Marine Headquarters?"
"Yes. I can participate in the war," Hancock said calmly.
"But you must agree to one condition."
"Otherwise…"
Momonga fell silent briefly.
"What condition?"
If the demand was excessive, the Marines would never accept it.
"I wish to visit Impel Down and personally see the man responsible for this entire incident… Fire Fist Ace."
"Is that acceptable?"
Momonga: "???"
His face immediately filled with confusion.
Why would this woman want to meet Fire Fist Ace?
Did she know him somehow?
No…
That made no sense.
Boa Hancock was infamous for despising men.
There was no way she had connections with Whitebeard's crew.
So she probably had some other motive.
"What? Is that impossible?"
"That decision is beyond my authority," Momonga replied seriously. "I'll need to report this to Headquarters first."
After all, he was merely a Vice Admiral.
He had no authority to approve something this significant.
Especially since…
He had no clue what the Pirate Empress was truly planning.
"Very well. Then I shall wait for your answer."
Hancock immediately hung up without hesitation.
Completely ignoring whatever Momonga might have wanted to say.
Momonga stared at the Den Den Mushi helplessly.
"She really does whatever she wants…"
Then again—
That was Boa Hancock.
Otherwise, something would feel wrong.
Shaking his head, he picked up another Den Den Mushi and contacted Marine Headquarters.
"Purururu~"
"Click."
"This is Sengoku."
"Fleet Admiral Sengoku, this is Momonga."
"Momonga…" Sengoku recalled the mission he had assigned him before asking, "What's the situation?"
"Has Boa Hancock agreed to participate in the war?"
"She agreed," Momonga replied.
"But she has one condition."
"A condition?"
Sengoku frowned immediately, exchanging a glance with Tsuru beside him.
"What condition?"
Was that woman trying to take advantage of the situation?
If so…
They would settle accounts after the war.
"She wishes to visit Impel Down."
"Impel Down?" Tsuru looked surprised. "What does she want there?"
Could she be trying to rescue someone?
If that were true…
Then the Pirate Empress was unbelievably foolish.
"She claims she wants to see the man who triggered this great event," Momonga explained. "As for whether she has another motive… I can't say."
"At least for now, I haven't figured one out."
"Fire Fist Ace…" Sengoku rubbed his forehead.
After a moment, he said:
"Fine. Let her go."
He didn't know what Hancock was planning.
But during such a critical period, exchanging a simple condition for a powerful combatant was absolutely worth it.
"Fleet Admiral Sengoku?"
Momonga looked stunned.
He agreed that easily?
"As long as she's smart enough not to do anything unnecessary," Sengoku replied coldly.
"I'll have Magellan monitor her personally."
"And place Seastone cuffs on her."
"If she attempts anything, she won't be capable of causing trouble."
After a brief pause, Sengoku added:
"Also, inform her about the Seastone cuffs beforehand."
"That way we avoid unnecessary conflict later."
If Hancock accepted that condition, letting her visit Impel Down was harmless.
But if she refused…
Then she clearly had ulterior motives.
And in that case—
There would be no need to show mercy after the war.
"Understood!"
Momonga nodded immediately.
Seastone would suppress Hancock's Devil Fruit powers while weakening her body significantly.
A highly effective precaution.
"Click."
After ending the call, Sengoku let out a long breath.
"If that woman truly joins the war, it'll be a major advantage."
"Indeed," Tsuru nodded.
"Her strength is considerable."
As one of the Marine's highest-ranking officers, Tsuru knew perfectly well how powerful Boa Hancock truly was.
Ordinary Vice Admirals stood no chance against her.
Only Admirals could suppress her reliably.
And such a combatant would be invaluable in the upcoming war.
At minimum, she could stall Whitebeard's Division Commanders.
"That gives us five Warlords participating," Sengoku muttered while rubbing his forehead.
"Too bad Jinbe refuses to cooperate."
Despite being a Warlord…
He held far too much goodwill toward the Whitebeard Pirates.
What a headache.
If Jinbe agreed to fight, their odds would improve even further.
"Well, Whitebeard protected Fish-Man Island," Tsuru sighed.
"As the gateway to the New World, Fish-Man Island constantly faces invasion threats."
"Without Whitebeard's protection…"
"It likely would've already been destroyed."
"But he's still a Warlord," Sengoku said coldly.
"A Warlord who refuses orders has no reason to exist."
The very purpose behind the Warlord system was balancing the power of the Four Emperors.
If a Warlord refused cooperation…
Then he would be dealt with.
Both the Marines and the World Government shared that stance.
Tsuru merely shook her head before glancing toward a nearby Marine officer.
"Still no progress?"
"According to Chief Warden Magellan," the Marine replied nervously, "Jinbe refuses to change his mind."
"I see."
Tsuru looked toward Sengoku.
"Then let's simply proceed as though he doesn't exist."
Losing one Warlord was troublesome—
But manageable.
"It can't be helped," Sengoku sighed.
Even without Jinbe, the remaining Warlords could still restrain Whitebeard's commanders.
Especially Dracule Mihawk.
That monster's true strength remained unfathomable.
The only question was…
How much effort would he actually contribute?
At the end of the day… none of these people are truly Marines.
Right then—
A communications officer suddenly rushed into the room, panic written all over his face.
"What happened?"
"Fleet Admiral!"
The soldier swallowed hard.
"Just now… all twenty-three Marine surveillance warships monitoring the Whitebeard Pirates lost contact simultaneously!"
"What?!"
Sengoku's pupils shrank violently.
All twenty-three?
At the same time?
Then there was only one explanation.
Whitebeard himself had acted.
Only that monster could accomplish something like this…
Using the Gura Gura no Mi to trigger massive tsunamis and sink every ship simultaneously…
Brutal.
"He's cutting out our eyes first," Tsuru muttered grimly. "Any other reports?"
"Other pirate crews throughout the New World are also showing unusual movement!" the communications officer reported urgently.
"But we can't determine how many forces they've gathered or when they'll arrive!"
"Should we dispatch new surveillance ships?"
"No need," Tsuru shook her head immediately.
"If they coordinated the destruction so precisely, they'll never allow us to regain their movements."
That man…
Was never easy to deal with.
"Prepare for battle," Sengoku ordered coldly.
"The Whitebeard Pirates could attack at any moment."
"Notify the entire military."
"Prepare for war before the execution date arrives!"
"YES SIR!"
"I'll begin preparations as well," Tsuru said while standing.
"Once those unruly Warlords arrive… problems may appear."
As she spoke, Doflamingo's face flashed through her mind.
Especially that troublesome brat.
A former Celestial Dragon with a twisted personality like Doflamingo could do absolutely anything.
"I'm counting on you, Tsuru."
"Understood."
Watching Tsuru leave, Sengoku slowly narrowed his eyes.
This time… Whitebeard must die here.
Only then could they truly crush the momentum of the pirate era.
A cold glint flashed through his gaze.
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