Time passed day by day, and the New World grew increasingly calm. As the Beasts' grand banquet approached, all factions shifted their attention toward them.
Aboard the Groudon Ship, in the bar.
A certain beautiful woman was drunk again.
"Rayleigh?"
Gurd sat at the counter, listening to Chikara recount the events of that night while glancing at the drunkard beside him.
No work + confusion + homelessness + exposed secrets.
A classic period of decadence.
When people have nothing to do, they tend to overthink.
Clearly, she hadn't been working enough.
Gurd was quite displeased.
Not only was she not working, but she also kept stealing his liquor—all high-end brands sourced from Stussy.
Expensive stuff!
No way—he had to find a way to make this woman earn back his losses!
And then there was Rayleigh, the "Dark King."
What was this old geezer even doing here?
"Antelope!"
"Yes, Lord Gurd. What are your orders?"
"Assign more work to that old man Lei. Have someone keep an eye on him—no leniency just because he's old!"
"Got it!"
Antelope shuffled away slowly.
Finally reaching the room where Lady Hancock was staying, even the air seemed sweeter. He couldn't help but take a few extra deep breaths.
"Get lost already!"
Gurd snapped irritably.
Pathetic.
His peripheral vision instinctively drifted toward the woman—her lazy demeanor exuded an inexplicable allure.
"Huh? A goddess?"
Slap!
He smacked himself, instantly snapping out of it.
"This woman doesn't want to leave?"
Gurd grinned.
The reason he'd pushed the World Government to strip Hancock of her Warlord of the Sea title was precisely for this. Her reaction was exactly as he'd expected.
A woman as dangerous as her wouldn't be let off easily by the Marines. The inevitable result was that the Kuja Pirates would be forced to remain in the New World.
But in the fiercely competitive New World, conflict was everywhere—especially now, with Pirates going nearly insane over the Four Emperors' seats.
Once caught in this whirlpool, there was no escape. With the Kuja Pirates' strength, they stood no chance of becoming one of the Four Emperors.
The consequences of failure went without saying.
Unless Hancock was willing to use her beauty to recruit a horde of lust-driven Pirates—then, maybe, she could seize a throne among the Four Emperors.
But knowing Hancock as he did, this narcissistic woman loathed men to an extreme degree. She would never do such a thing.
Gurd nudged Hancock.
"Wake up. Stop sleeping."
"Mmm~"
Hancock groggily opened her eyes, drool still at the corner of her mouth. She stared blankly at Gurd for a long moment.
Gleaming and smooth.
"A boiled egg?"
"That's my head, damn it!"
Gurd exploded in frustration.
After a while, Hancock finally sobered up from her hangover, her haughty demeanor making it seem like she was addressing a subject paying homage.
"What does thou seek of me?"
"I heard you don't want to leave?"
Gurd smiled brightly.
Hancock scoffed. "I am merely staying temporarily. Once I grow bored, I shall naturally depart."
"..."
Gurd curled his lip.
Look at you, acting all high and mighty!
Had she forgotten she was still a prisoner?
"Hancock, let's make a deal."
"Thou hast my permission. Speak."
Hancock replied indifferently, then gestured for Chikara to bring her a glass of strong liquor.
Gurd's eyelid twitched.
He'd only been polite—couldn't this woman talk normally? If she kept this up, he'd have to teach her a lesson with the Firewood Stick!
"Hancock, I can relocate the Kuja to the Calm Belt here."
"..."
Hancock's body stiffened slightly.
Gurd narrowed his eyes.
"You know my abilities well. I can create a new Amazon Lily for you in this Calm Belt. All we'd need to do is transport your people here."
"Huuu~~"
Hancock's breathing grew noticeably quicker.
This was the matter she cared about most.
Relocating an entire nation wasn't easy, with the hardest part being finding a suitable island for survival.
The Calm Belt's lack of wind meant weather patterns rarely changed, resulting in most islands there having harsh climates—uninhabitable wastelands.
As for islands in the New World, without the natural barrier of the Calm Belt, an all-female society like the Kuja would inevitably become a target for plunder by various forces.
Thus, she had no choice.
And given the power Gurd had demonstrated, he could indeed artificially create a new Amazon Lily. Even if resources were scarce, they could be easily transported via the sea routes Gurd could create.
She was tempted.
"What are your conditions?"
"Pay me rent."
Gurd only realized what he'd said after speaking.
Damn it, occupational habits kicking in.
"Rent?"
Hancock's delicate brows furrowed slightly.
"Do you mean protection money?"
"Uh, never mind that. I was just speaking casually."
"Very well. This queen accepts."
"Eh?"
Gurd was dumbfounded.
She agreed just like that?
Hancock saw nothing wrong with it.
When she'd served as one of the Royal Seven Warlords of the Sea, she'd had to share a portion of her plunder with the World Government—not much different from paying rent.
"Is that all?"
"There's one more thing."
Gurd rubbed his hands together with a grin.
"In about a month, our Beasts Pirates will host a grand banquet here, inviting various forces from the New World!"
"I need you to appear with me!"
"..."
Hancock's eyes filled with disdain.
Shameless!
"This isn't negotiable."
Gurd remained expressionless.
Appearing together would signal to the world that the Pirate Empress was under his wing—or at least make it appear so.
A former Royal Seven Warlord, and the world's most beautiful woman.
That carried significant weight!
When you had resources, you had to utilize them fully.
Otherwise, what was the point? Just keeping her as decoration?
Once the Kuja were tied to his war machine, breaking free wouldn't be easy—circumstances would force them to remain dependent.
To survive in the New World, aligning with one of the Four Emperors was the most efficient path.
Gurd said calmly, "Hancock, I won't force you to do anything. But this benefits both of us. Of course, you're free to reject this deal."
"This queen understands."
Hancock's gaze dimmed slightly.
Rejection meant having nowhere to go.
Coming to the New World meant adapting to its brutal competition. Gurd's demands truly held no disadvantage for the Kuja.
With the Beasts Pirates currently at their peak, hitching their wagon to them would bring stability. Yet what she found hardest to accept was being controlled by another again.
"Will you dominate this queen?"
"I only use forceful methods against enemies."
Gurd answered calmly.
Even with prisoners, he disliked violent domination—that was too crude and yielded minimal returns.
Let alone with his own people.
After long consideration, Hancock raised her hands.
Sea Prism Stone Shackles adorned her wrists.
"Remove these for this queen."
"Agreed."
Gurd's lips curled as he produced the key.
Deal struck!
Gurd cautioned uneasily, "Let's be clear—you can do whatever you want here, but don't just turn people into stone!"
"Hmph!"
Hancock snorted in displeasure.
He claimed he didn't want to control her, yet here he was ordering her around!
That bastard!
(End of chapter)