"Salome, have you found it?"
Hancock bypassed a forest burning with raging flames and asked her pet Salome if it had located the target.
Snakes have poor eyesight but an excellent sense of smell.
Salome was a rare species of python, even more exceptional in this regard, and had been assigned the task of finding the target.
Before discussing the deal with Reddy, she needed to personally verify the strength of the clones under Reddy's command.
The population of Amazon Lily was small. Although its people were individually strong, they could only rely on the Calm Belt and the Sea Kings inhabiting it to defend against external threats.
If Reddy lacked sufficient strength, then there was nothing to discuss.
Hiss!
Salome looked to the right, then turned back to Hancock, indicating that someone was in that direction.
"Let's go."
Hancock quickened her pace.
Before long, she saw the target Salome had locked onto.
"Kuma... Why are you here?"
Hancock was speechless when she saw Kuma not far ahead. She shot Salome a cold glare.
Salome shrank back sheepishly.
If it could speak, it would definitely protest: I can only smell human scents, and I've never met that Dr. Reddy before, okay?
Kuma ignored Hancock's arrival and looked toward the distant mountain peaks.
Just as Hancock grew impatient and prepared to leave, Kuma suddenly spoke. "Pirate Empress, you'd best not participate in this war. Dr. Reddy won't go easy on you just because of your beauty."
Hancock replied coldly, "The reason I became a Warlord is because of my strength."
Her implication was that she might not necessarily lose to those clones under Dr. Reddy's command.
"Then I can only wish you good luck."
Kuma's reminder was out of goodwill. Since she refused to heed it, he didn't insist.
Hancock frowned.
After a moment of silence, she didn't immediately set off to search for the clones. Instead, she asked with confusion, "Are you waiting here for Dr. Reddy?"
"He... is everywhere."
Kuma suddenly smiled and uttered a cryptic statement.
Hancock sneered, not wanting to waste any more time here, and prepared to continue her search for the clones.
However, at that moment, a soft click sounded.
Hancock felt her right wrist suddenly grow heavy. She quickly looked down and saw that a shackle had somehow locked onto her wrist, with the other end attached to an iron ball weighing at least 200 kilograms.
Careless!
Her heart sank, and she braced herself for defense.
But the next second, another click sounded.
She looked down again and saw that her left ankle had also inexplicably been shackled.
"Show yourself!"
Hancock, furious and humiliated, shouted into the air.
Being shackled on both her right wrist and left ankle without warning made the proud woman momentarily lose her composure.
"Dr. Reddy, I can sense she means no harm," Kuma interceded on Hancock's behalf.
At that moment, a door opened in the air on the other side.
Reddy stepped out and greeted Kuma first. "Want to go see Bonney? She's in a foul mood right now."
He chuckled to himself.
Bonney was just as proud and even more willful than Perona.
After being humiliated by Perona's Devil Fruit powers, she had become extremely irritable, constantly seeking revenge.
However, Perona was currently on Satellite Island recruiting workers to build her castle and wasn't on Punk Hazard.
So Bonney channeled her anger into training, swearing to one day make that detestable girl pay.
"Bonney is doing fine."
When Kuma heard Reddy mention Bonney, a gentle, fatherly smile appeared on his face.
"At most one more month, and she'll fully recover."
Gene therapy had been remarkably effective for Bonney's condition. The blue stone-like growth under her eye had already fallen off. After a bit more observation, it could be confirmed that her Sapphire Scale disease was completely cured.
"I won't go see her."
Though Kuma longed to see Bonney, now wasn't the right time.
He had more important matters to discuss with Reddy.
Reddy wasn't dense. Seeing that Kuma didn't continue, he turned to Hancock. "You're no match for me, and I have no interest in you. If you don't want to become a prisoner, leave now."
Hancock snorted, unconvinced.
Reddy shrugged and snapped his fingers.
Hancock instantly sensed a strong burst of Haki less than three meters behind her. She whirled around.
When she saw Invis standing barely three meters away, holding two more shackles with heavy iron balls, she fell silent.
But what silenced her further was the sudden appearance of several more doors opening in the air around her, from which clones emerged one after another.
The overwhelming aura of each clone left Hancock at a loss for words.
She was confident she could fight one clone to a standstill or even defeat it. But facing ten powerful clones at once—what could she do?
Reddy shrugged. "I only fight one-sided battles."
Kuma smiled without commenting. This was indeed Reddy's style—he had no pretensions of being a top-tier fighter.
Reddy wouldn't go easy on Hancock just because of her beauty. "Hand over a blood sample, and you can leave."
Earlier, Kuma had vouched for Hancock, and Reddy wasn't particularly interested in her genes anyway, so he decided to do Kuma a favor.
But since Hancock refused to cooperate, so be it.
She still had to pay the price.
Letting Hancock go was already Reddy showing Kuma face, going above and beyond.
If Hancock still refused, adding another beautiful prisoner to the underground cells of Punk Hazard's research facility was always an option.
"I want to make a deal with you."
Hancock bit her lip. Though unwilling and resentful, circumstances forced her hand. This man truly felt no attraction toward her.
Besides, she hadn't come here intending to fight Reddy in the first place.
"You want me to lift Amazon Lily into the sky?"
With Jinbe's example, Reddy quickly guessed Hancock's request.
Hancock's eyes flickered with surprise, but her expression remained cold as she said flatly, "Correct. How much treasure do you want?"
"You think I'm a babysitter?"
Amazon Lily was resource-poor, with no significant exports. Its only source of income came from piracy. Reddy couldn't even imagine how Hancock would sustain her people if the island were lifted into the sky.
Once Amazon Lily was airborne, unless he helped, they wouldn't be able to set sail at all.
But he had no time to waste taking care of a bunch of women who only knew how to plunder.
Hancock was unwilling, but she had also considered this.
Without income, Amazon Lily would slowly decline and eventually perish.
"I can join..."
Hancock could only offer another bargaining chip—pledging her allegiance to Reddy in exchange for Amazon Lily's future.
But she was cut off before she could finish.
"Joining me requires no conditions. Likewise, I won't become your babysitter. If you insist, I can freely lift Amazon Lily into the sky, and no one will ever trouble you again."
Reddy's bluntness left Hancock speechless.
But what was the point of just lifting Amazon Lily?
Waiting to die?
Kuma waited quietly for Reddy to finish handling Hancock's matter.
Hancock bit her lip and said reluctantly, "I can pay any price, including my Bloodline Factor."
"You still owe me a blood sample. Thanks."
Reddy's reply nearly made Hancock lose her composure again.
"Oh, maybe you can do me a favor. As payment, I can find a way out for Amazon Lily." Reddy suddenly thought of something and smiled.
"What do you need me to do?"
Hancock sighed in relief.
Reddy had agreed to lift Amazon Lily unconditionally. Now, all that was missing was a sustainable source of income for the island.
If helping Reddy with one task could secure Amazon Lily's future, she had no complaints.
Even if it meant betraying her current allies, so be it.
Reddy smiled. "I need prisoners, as many as possible. Also, don't forget to hand over a blood sample before you leave. Thanks."