After making his decision, Sengoku hurried off with the two Marines.
It wasn't just about figuring out what Dragon was doing at the abandoned Marine Headquarters.
He also intended to find a way to discreetly pass the news to Dragon—
That Garp could still be saved.
And perhaps have him keep an eye out for… a suitable body.
Whatever else Dragon had become, he was still Garp's son.
He wouldn't refuse that kind of help.
Meanwhile—
On the calm sea,
A Marine warship cut through the waves at full speed, heading toward the Calm Belt.
On deck stood Sakazuki, face cold and resolute, mind filled with only one thought—
Eradicate pirates.
Behind him, however—
Was a group of female Marines.
Not because Sakazuki had suddenly developed questionable hobbies.
But because they were useful.
Each of them was tightly bound.
Their treatment wasn't cruel—Tina still had a cigarette between her lips—
But her expression was terrible.
Pink hair? Check.
Other colors? Also present.
That was Sakazuki's reasoning.
Besides Tina, there were Ain, Tashigi, and Sadi.
An elegant officer, a young swordswoman, a glasses-wearing girl, even a dominatrix-type jailer.
Even Kujaku—Vice Admiral Tsuru's granddaughter—had been brought along.
She glared at Sakazuki, cheeks puffed in fury.
The only one spared was Gion—capturing Momousagi would've caused too much commotion.
Hibari, meanwhile, stood awkwardly at the side, looking mortified.
These women—
Had all been "invited" by her.
Her social circle?
Ruined.
Her face burned with embarrassment.
Sakazuki, of course, didn't care what they thought.
Even if he did, it wouldn't matter.
His logic was simple.
Leno showed a clear preference—perhaps even a collecting habit—for beautiful, capable women.
Then use them as bait.
Set a trap.
On Sakazuki's scale of justice—
Aside from Hibari, who was absolutely off-limits—
The others were acceptable sacrifices.
If it meant capturing Leno, the greatest emerging threat—
Any cost was worth it.
The Marines would remember their sacrifice.
It would be their glory.
Kujaku and the others: We'll glory your ass!
"Increase speed," Sakazuki ordered coldly.
He could barely contain his impatience.
Back on Amazon Lily—
Leno sneezed as he woke in Hancock's lavish chamber.
"Ah-choo!"
He rubbed his nose.
"Who's talking about me?"
He couldn't think of anyone who would miss him.
Hate him?
Plenty.
"Whatever. Doesn't matter."
He stretched lazily.
The beautiful snake woman was nowhere to be seen.
Though Hancock had vanished somewhere, Leno wasn't worried.
This was her territory.
What could possibly happen?
From arriving on Amazon Lily to everything that followed—
None of it had been in his original plan.
He definitely hadn't expected to be… aggressively pursued.
"As expected of the Pirate Empress. Bold and domineering."
He rubbed his sore muscles with a helpless grin.
The experience?
Impeccable.
Although after the initial momentum, he'd been rather thoroughly overpowered.
Not ideal.
Still—
Hancock's contribution had been significant.
He could clearly feel that among the seven demonic statues within him—
Another one had fully shattered its chains.
For that alone—
He couldn't complain.
Not to mention—
It had been mutual.
Though when he remembered that three people had been outside the door at the time—
He felt a certain pressure.
Yes.
Hancock had gotten angry.
Cough.
Setting that aside—
The newly unlocked statue hadn't granted him a new Devil Fruit.
In fact—
It wasn't even a Devil Fruit at all.
"Just as I suspected," Leno thought.
Unlocking the seven statues didn't mean gaining seven fruits.
This time—
What he received was a permanent buff.
No duration.
No expiration.
When he understood its effects, his expression became strange.
"…You've got to be kidding me."
"The 'permanent' aspect… feels a bit like the Lunarian racial trait."
Not in terms of fire or defense-speed switching—
But in one key aspect:
It could be inherited.
A permanent enhancement that could be passed down to descendants.
As for what it did—
"Could it be that because Hancock was the 'key' to unlocking this statue, the buff turned out so… abstract?"
He tried to rationalize it.
He absolutely refused to believe the issue lay with himself.
If there was a reason—
It had to be Hancock.
Deciding not to overthink it, Leno stretched again.
He'd already had more than enough… exertion.
He needed rest.
But what he didn't know—
Was that Amazon Lily—
Or more specifically, the Pirate Empress herself—
Had become the center of attention.
Two different forces were approaching.
One of them—
He had attracted personally.
The Marine Admiral who upheld "Absolute Justice,"
Sailing with a ship full of female Marines as bait—
Sakazuki.
His warship was already en route.
The other force—
Was none other than Blackbeard.
Somewhere at sea,
Aboard the Blackbeard Pirates' ship—
Since his failure at Marineford, Teach's mood had been dark as storm clouds.
"Damn it! Damn it!!"
He growled, fists clenched.
"My plan was perfect! The Tremor-Tremor Fruit should've been mine!"
He still burned with fury over whoever had stolen Whitebeard's corpse.
"If I find out who was behind that trick, I'll tear them to pieces!"
Murder gleamed in his eyes.
He'd already identified the door-opening culprit—
A former CP9 member.
But that man wouldn't have dared act alone at Marineford.
Which meant—
There was someone behind him.
Still, not everything had gone poorly.
Though he'd lost the Tremor-Tremor Fruit,
The prisoners he'd freed from Impel Down's Level 6 had stayed with him—for their own reasons.
"Captain," Avalo Pizarro licked his lips, "where to next?"
"Somewhere with booze…" Vasco Shot slurred.
Teach sat at the head, mind racing through potential Devil Fruit targets.
Then he slapped his thigh.
"Zehahaha!! Decided! Our next target—Amazon Lily!"
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