At the entrance port of Hoenn Fortress, a warship docked.
"Sir, the harbor entry request has been approved!"
"Hmm."
Three masked CP0 agents in white coats disembarked, led by a familiar face—Senior Agent Gernica.
"This mission... is probably going to be..."
Gernica had a headache.
The order came directly from the Five Elders, so he had no choice but to carry it out. Ahead in the fortress were two of the Four Emperors. One misstep, and they'd be dead without a burial site.
Fortunately, he had some connections with the Earth Calamity.
Otherwise, they wouldn't even have made it into the harbor.
"Let's go!"
Deep underground in Hoenn Fortress, within a secret chamber.
Kaido and Big Mom arrived together.
"Gurd."
"Brother Kaido, Auntie Linlin."
Gurd smiled at the two of them.
"Brother Kaido, I've found a special treasure to give you. However, I hope you'll share it with Auntie Linlin."
"Treasure? Share?"
Kaido was puzzled.
What kind of treasure could even be shared?
Kaido grinned widely. "Wororororo! Kid, is this the 'big surprise gift' you mentioned earlier?"
"Exactly."
Gurd nodded, then smiled at Big Mom.
"Brother Kaido, I've heard about your history with Auntie Linlin. Even though we're currently enemies, I personally hope the two of you can get along better."
"Mamamama~"
Big Mom scoffed. "You're young, but you sure know a lot. But I bet Kaido never told you just how much he owes me!"
"Enough, Linlin!"
Kaido's face darkened as he grabbed a bottle of liquor and chugged it down.
He was clearly sulking, knowing he was in the wrong.
"Hahahaha, Auntie Linlin."
Gurd laughed, trying to smooth things over. "That's all in the past. We should focus on the future. When I heard you were coming, I prepared a special gift just for you!"
"Hmph, you're much more sensible than Kaido."
Big Mom's expression softened slightly.
Gurd shot Kaido a sympathetic glance.
He was completely at her mercy.
And honestly, it made sense—the debt was enormous.
Without the Azure Dragon Fruit Big Mom had given him, Kaido would never have achieved his current status. It was nothing short of a life-changing favor.
Kaido remained sullen.
"Quit stalling. Show us the damn thing already."
"Alright!"
Gurd stomped his foot, and the ground beside them suddenly rose, revealing an enormous red stone in front of the two.
Kaido and Big Mom's eyes nearly popped out of their heads.
A surprise!
A surprise within a surprise!
Gurd casually took a seat.
"Do you like this gift?"
"YES!"
They both nodded vigorously, their eyes locked onto the red stone—the very thing they had been desperately searching for.
A Red Poneglyph Text!
"Wait a minute!"
Kaido finally snapped out of his daze, furious. "Gurd, are you seriously planning to give a copy of this Poneglyph to this old hag?!"
"Brat, who are you calling an old hag?!"
Big Mom grabbed Kaido by the collar, her eyes blazing. "This is Gurd's gift to me! It's none of your business—stop yelling at him!"
"Linlin, I can't just give this to you!"
Kaido was equally furious.
The Red Poneglyph Text was the key to becoming the Pirate King. How could he possibly share such a priceless treasure with an outsider?
"This is the Beasts' treasure!"
"You bastard! This is a gift from Gurd to me! Once something's given, you don't take it back!"
And just like that, the two old-timers started brawling again.
Gurd looked utterly exasperated.
It was just a stone—was it really worth fighting over until they were red in the face and bruised all over?
In just a short time, the two Four Emperors were already battered and swollen. Though they hadn't gone all out, their blows were still vicious.
"Stop fighting already! If you keep this up, I'll throw this stone into the sea!"
"..."
Both of them halted immediately.
Gurd took out the rubbing of the Poneglyph and handed it to Big Mom. "Aunt Linlin, I can't give you the actual stone, but here's the rubbing. That's fine, right?"
"Mamamama~ No problem at all!"
Big Mom eagerly clutched the rubbing, grinning from ear to ear. "You're such a sweet boy. Why not join me? You can pick any of my daughters."
"Uh, no thanks."
Gurd declined with an awkward laugh, sneaking a glance at Kaido.
Great, he was sulking again.
Those who don't manage a household don't understand the cost of firewood, rice, oil, and salt!
What good would it do the Beasts to antagonize Big Mom? The real strategy was to unite against the World Government.
And the key to cooperation was an irresistible gift—one significant enough to make Big Mom set aside her grudges and hostility.
A fed mouth is easily persuaded, and a gift in hand shortens complaints.
With such a special gift, he doubted Big Mom would have the nerve to keep hating the Beasts. Even pirates had to uphold some sense of honor (face).
Besides, Kaido might talk tough, but deep down, he still cared about Big Mom.
Snap!
Gurd flicked his fingers.
The Road Poneglyph sank into the ground.
Its concealment was top-notch—even if someone found this hidden chamber, they'd struggle to locate the buried Poneglyph.
Checking the time, Gurd smiled. "Aunt Linlin, I've got other matters to attend to. You and Brother Kaido can stay here and catch up over drinks."
The chamber was already stocked with alcohol and lavish desserts, and no one would disturb them. The old folks deserved some privacy.
For now, the Beasts and the Big Mom Pirates weren't ready for an alliance—without external pressure, they remained each other's biggest rivals.
But cooperation was still possible.
What Gurd wanted was Totto Land's food supplies.
Oni Island could rely on Wano Country, but his Hoenn Fortress had to support a massive population, and food was already running short. Meanwhile, Totto Land's food production was severely excessive—especially sugar!
Whether for consumption or industry, sugar was in high demand, and there was likely no place in the world that produced more sugar than Totto Land.
The exchange of resources was essential for progress.
At the fortress plaza, an uninvited guest arrived.
"CP0?"
"Why are government agents here?!"
"Who let them in?!"
The guests frowned in unison.
As denizens of the Underworld, the last people they wanted to deal with were the World Government. Yet, given the Beasts' security, CP0 couldn't have entered the venue without permission.
This meant CP0 wasn't here to fight.
"Fufufufu~~"
Doflamingo lounged on his chair, grinning like a troublemaker.
"Things are about to get interesting!"
Gernica stepped forward, holding a document signed by the Celestial Dragons. "We're here to apprehend the Celestial Dragons' escaped slaves—the Pirate Empress, Boa Hancock!"
"What?!"
The guests gasped.
The Pirate Empress was a Celestial Dragon's slave?
Gernica coldly declared, "Boa Hancock, Sandersonia, and Marigold—you three sisters were once slaves of the Celestial Dragons, branded with the Celestial Dragon's Hoof!"
"..."
Hancock's face turned deathly pale, her heart flooding with boundless terror.
This fear wasn't just about facing arrest by Cipher Pol Aigis Zero, but also the despair of her past as a slave being exposed.
Though the physical mark had been erased, the psychological scars would never fade so easily.
At that moment, Gurd came to Hancock's side, gently wrapping an arm around her shoulders as he whispered words of comfort.
"Don't panic. I'm here."
"Gurd..."
Hancock looked up at Gurd, her hands clutching his clothes desperately as her body continued to tremble slightly.
Her posture resembled that of a stray dog that had been deeply wounded.
But some things had to be faced eventually.
Gurd turned his gaze toward Gernica.
Gernica had explained his purpose when applying for port entry—otherwise Gurd would never have permitted him ashore.
Even if they avoided this confrontation, the World Government would find other methods. Their goal wasn't to reclaim Hancock, but to destroy her.
Simply exposing Hancock's past as a slave would be enough to crush her spirit—this woman's inner strength wasn't that resilient.
Once her spirit collapsed, Hancock likely wouldn't even dare leave her room, let alone become his ally.
And manipulating public opinion was the World Government's specialty—he'd witnessed the power of propaganda multiple times in his homeland.
It could effortlessly destroy a person!
Without even granting them a chance to defend themselves!
Therefore, it was better to face this head-on. If news of her slave past hit the newspapers, there truly would be no way to explain it away.
"Watch your words, CP0!"
Gurd pulled Hancock into his embrace, and before everyone's eyes, his icy Conqueror's Haki erupted!
"She's my woman!"
(End of Chapter)