Marine Headquarters, Marineford.
A tall, graceful figure walked down the wide avenue, radiating an almost magnetic presence. Every nearby Marine, regardless of gender, had their eyes glued to him.
"Look! Who is that?! He's gorgeous!"
"Those eyes—aren't they Rinnegan? Is she from Admiral Shikiryū's clan?"
"Could be! Maybe a sister or cousin! She even looks like she's wearing Admiral Shikiryū's uniform!"
"She's even more beautiful than the Pirate Empress!"
"That horn! It's so artistic! Why doesn't Admiral Shikiryū have one?"
"Shh! She's looking over here! Oh god, I'm gonna die!"
Kaito shot them a sharp glare, and his Rinnegan eyes gave off a subtle but intense pressure. In an instant, the enormous Marine Headquarters echoed with the sound of bodies collapsing to the ground.
Looking at the fallen Marines, Kaito sighed and pressed a hand to his forehead.
Ever since returning from Impel Down with his latest haul, his ocular power had surged again. Any emotional fluctuation now caused his Rinnegan to emit an oppressive aura that ordinary Marines simply couldn't withstand.
And to top it off, his current condition was... complicated.
After being hit with Law's female hormone attack, he had immediately tried to use Konohanasakuya-hime's power to revert the transformation.
To his shock, it didn't work.
The reason? Apparently Konohanasakuya-hime didn't detect anything abnormal with his body—meaning, in a way, the divine intervention amounted to nothing.
But that wasn't enough to stop Kaito. His right horn wasn't just for show.
Tapping into the power of Takamimusubinokami, he transformed the excess female hormones in his body into strands of pink silk that returned to his horn.
(T/N: Takamimusubinokami. After absorbing his enemies' ninjutsu with the Rinnegan in his right hand, Momoshiki can release those same techniques from the Rinnegan in his left hand, using the chakra he obtains from his pills to amplify their power as many times as he wishes.)
However, this act didn't sit well with Kalifa, Ain, and Yamato. The three of them strongly protested, demanding that Kaito return to being Kaito's female form—because, in their opinion, he was just too beautiful like this.
At the time, Law was still passed out, and Ace (still not reverted) looked like she wanted to say something but kept it to herself. She hadn't gotten her fill either.
Ace held too much respect for Kaito, so she didn't dare to speak as directly as the others.
In the end, it was Kalifa who voiced what they were all thinking:
"Boss, just be a woman for a few days, okay? Call it a change of pace."
"..."
Kaito actually cared what Kalifa thought, so he decided to go along with it. After all, it wasn't like it would cost him anything.
...
Back to the present—
A whole swath of Marines collapsed on the ground, triggering a commotion in the headquarters that quickly reached Sengoku inside the main building. The moment he sensed that oppressive aura, Sengoku knew something was wrong.
Sure enough, as soon as he stepped out of the building, he saw the sprawled-out Marines.
His expression grew tense as he looked around, but then his eyes were caught by the figure standing in the middle of the road, his back turned toward him.
"When did the HQ recruit a woman that tall? And why does her aura feel so familiar?"
Kaito felt the gaze from behind and slowly turned around, his deep purple Rinnegan locking eyes with Sengoku.
"Holy—! Rinnegan?!"
Sengoku was stunned.
Sure, his face was stunning beyond belief, but Sengoku had strong willpower—he wasn't easily shaken by beauty. What got to him was the unmistakable pressure from those eyes.
That oppressive sensation confirmed it. Those weren't cosmetic lenses. That was a real Rinnegan!
He could hardly believe his eyes. Swallowing hard, Sengoku was just about to step forward when Kaito spoke first.
"Fleet Admiral Sengoku, apologies. I lost control of my strength and caused a bit of a mess."
His tone stirred something deeper in Sengoku's memory. Combined with the unmistakable Rinnegan, he asked cautiously,
"You… You're Uchiha Kaito?"
"Yes."
"So this appearance…"
"That's Law's doing. I gave him a Devil Fruit—its power is… unique."
"So your current form is because of that fruit's ability?"
"Mm-hm."
"Does it affect your strength?"
"Not much."
"Can you switch back?"
"Of course. Anytime, anywhere."
"Oh, then don't switch back yet!"
"?"
Sengoku stroked his beard and gave him a once-over, clicking his tongue in amazement.
"Kaito, I have no idea how you got a face like that, but you're lethal—to everyone. We've got mostly male soldiers here at HQ. With that face around, I bet they'll train harder and work more diligently than ever!"
"..."
Kaito shot Sengoku an annoyed glance—but it only made him seem more charming and languidly seductive.
Sengoku took that glance straight to the heart, his face flushing red as his heart pounded wildly. If this kept up, he felt like he'd end up kneeling at his feet.
Forcing himself to look away from Kaito's breathtakingly beautiful face, Sengoku changed the topic.
"Did you absorb the Pirate Empress Hancock's Love-Love Fruit ability? I heard she's come down with a strange illness—something really serious."
Kaito raised a brow. "No. Hancock's sick?"
"Yeah. Last month she didn't meet the quota for pirate captures. HQ contacted her through a Den Den Mushi. The report said she's too sick to set sail."
"Did she say what the symptoms were?"
"Pain in her chest, whole body burning up, and she kept murmuring someone's name in her sleep. The person on the other end of the call was some old woman—she didn't mention the name Hancock kept saying."
At that, Kaito realized the "old woman" Sengoku mentioned was likely Gloriosa, the Pirate Empress from generations past.
As for Hancock's illness, Kaito could guess—it had to be lovesickness. And the name Hancock kept repeating was probably his own.
This wasn't narcissism speaking.
Judging from Hancock's behavior the last time she came to HQ for a meeting, it was clear who she was infatuated with.
But why didn't Granny just tell the HQ the name Hancock was muttering?
Kaito knew full well that lovesickness in the world of One Piece could literally be fatal.
It was like an extreme version of "love brain." Put simply—if she couldn't love, she'd die.
Kaito hadn't spent much time with Hancock, but based on the anime and manga, once Hancock fell in love, her devotion was absolute.
Having someone known as the "world's most beautiful woman" fall head-over-heels for you—(though that title might be up for debate now)—who wouldn't be moved?
More importantly, if she might die because of him…
That thought settled it.
Kaito decided he had to visit Amazon Lily and help Hancock recover from her lovesickness.