"The Fishman Island has waited for so many years. There's no need to rush."
Hancock had returned to Amazon Lily to gather her subordinates and discuss whether to commission Reddy to raise the island, but there was still no news. Jinbe was not in a hurry either and even comforted Reddy, telling him not to worry and to patiently wait for Amazon Lily's response.
Reddy was helpless.
He still had a lot of things to deal with.
For example, Ark wanted to join the Marines.
Reddy had no interest in forcing Ark to change his mind, but since they were acquaintances, it wasn't too much to offer a little help if it was within his capabilities.
Garp was a good connection—at least he could ensure Ark wouldn't have to go through tedious exams to enter the Marine elite training program.
Pulling strings to get someone in through the back door was nothing new to Reddy.
Additionally, the land leveling work in the new district of Loguetown was progressing even more smoothly now that 50,000 elite Marines had been deployed.
Construction materials needed to be purchased, and the design plans for the future entertainment city required his approval.
On top of that, he still had to collect a long-overdue debt.
These trivial matters aside, the new clone production plan also needed to be expedited.
More importantly, he needed to observe the residents of Satellite Island.
This was the key to establishing his "Utopia."
The island's residents were the best experimental subjects. By observing their living conditions, he could determine whether a true utopia could only exist in fantasy.
This was also why he had delayed large-scale recruitment of the unemployed, orphans, and other struggling groups.
Despite being busy, Reddy had promised Hancock, so he could only patiently wait for Amazon Lily's final decision.
Fortunately, Jinbe was very talkative. He chatted with Reddy about the deeds of the Fishman hero Fisher Tiger, the power distribution of the Four Emperors in the New World, and the specialties of various islands.
Reddy was very interested in these topics.
While the two were chatting, a Den Den Mushi rang.
Jinbe, who was nearby, heard Hancock say that the people of Amazon Lily had not yet reached a consensus. She specifically invited Reddy to the island to wait. He smiled and stood up.
"Since the Pirate Empress has invited us to Amazon Lily as guests, let's go."
"Alright."
Reddy put away the Den Den Mushi and stood up with a smile. "I heard Amazon Lily has a well-developed Armament Haki system. That's exactly what I need."
Jinbe nodded. "True. Although the people under you are very powerful, you still need to be wary of others targeting you specifically. If you don't mind, I can guide you in training both types of Haki."
Reddy smiled.
Of course, he didn't mind.
The original work didn't provide detailed descriptions of Armament Haki training, so he hadn't found a better method.
He had originally planned to trade with Amazon Lily for their Armament Haki training techniques, but since Jinbe was willing to teach him, that was even better.
Not long after, the two set foot on Amazon Lily.
Hancock, accompanied by her two sisters and the officers of the Kuja Pirates, came forward to greet them.
Men were rarely seen on Amazon Lily, so all the Kuja Pirates officers, including Sandersonia and Marigold, were extremely curious about Reddy.
However, intimidated by Reddy's reputation, no one dared to speak up and only silently observed him.
"I have prepared a banquet."
Hancock first apologized to Reddy for the delay and then invited him to the Kuja Palace for the feast.
"After the banquet, I'll guide you in Haki training."
Since Jinbe had promised Reddy, he wouldn't go back on his word. Moreover, he wanted to quickly strengthen Reddy's personal combat ability to repay the goodwill Reddy had shown.
But as soon as he finished speaking, he sensed a surge of killing intent. His expression changed slightly.
He glanced around but found nothing.
"Strange."
Jinbe shook his head, assuming he had misperceived it, and followed Reddy as they entered Kuja Palace with Hancock's group.
"Sister..."
Sandersonia seemed hesitant to speak.
Marigold wore the same expression.
They had already witnessed the miracle of the Celestial Dragon's mark on their sister's back being completely erased and had also received the genetic serum Reddy had given them.
However, they didn't understand Hancock's actions.
"Enough."
Hancock stepped on Elder Nyon, tugging at the ropes binding her to ensure the old woman was tightly secured and couldn't break free.
"I won't allow anyone to ruin this banquet."
Hancock's words left Sandersonia and Marigold speechless. They could only look at Elder Nyon, whose mouth was gagged and who was struggling on the ground like a caterpillar, with sympathy.
"I'm going to bathe. Make sure she doesn't escape."
Hancock gave the order and walked toward the bathroom in high spirits.
"Sister, the banquet is about to start!"
Marigold hurriedly called out to her sister's retreating figure but was pulled back by Sandersonia.
"I'll be there on time."
Hancock didn't even turn her head, impatiently indicating that she understood.
Once she left the room, Sandersonia sighed. "Sister has her own ideas. Let's just follow her orders."
"It's been a long time since I've seen such a lavish banquet."
Jinbe watched as the Kuja Pirates officers served dish after dish of exquisite food, feeling very pleased.
After taking over the Sun Pirates from the Fishman hero Fisher Tiger, he had joined the Seven Warlords to protect Fishman Island from pirate attacks.
From that day on, he had been tirelessly working for Fishman Island.
Now that he had Reddy's promise, Jinbe set aside his worries and enthusiastically introduced the dishes to Reddy.
Reddy was a country bumpkin who only ate to accumulate energy.
Listening to Jinbe describe the ingredients, he could only nod in amazement while mentally drafting another future path for Amazon Lily.
Entering the food industry!
Food is the most important thing for the people—a universal rule in any world.
Amazon Lily didn't have many specialties, so the food industry was a great option.
Just based on the presentation and aroma of these dishes, he was certain that opening a restaurant in New Loguetown would be extremely profitable.
This could be a long-term source of wealth.
Jinbe's eyes lit up when he saw one particular dish. "I remember tasting this dish ten years ago. It has a very unique flavor, probably made from the meat of a giant Sea King and some special spices."
Reddy's eyes also gleamed.
Giant Sea Kings lived at depths of over 10,000 meters, often exceeding 1,000 or even 5,000 meters in length. They rarely surfaced, so hunting them required patience.
He had wanted to hunt giant Sea Kings for a long time.
On one hand, it was to enrich his gene library for future needs. On the other hand, the energy contained in their flesh was undoubtedly superior to that of ordinary Sea Kings.
Just as Jinbe was describing the dish, Hancock walked in, radiant.
The moment everyone in the banquet hall saw her, their eyes turned into hearts, completely mesmerized by her beauty.
Except for two men.
"Hmm?"
Hancock saw Reddy listening intently to Jinbe's boasting, and her expression turned cold.
More killing intent?
Jinbe's face changed as he quickly scanned the surroundings, only to see Hancock sitting down at the table with an icy expression. After a moment's hesitation, he decided not to ruin the banquet atmosphere.
However, for the rest of the banquet, Jinbe felt extremely uncomfortable.
Every time he reached for food, he sensed killing intent, but when he looked around, he found nothing.
To cover his awkwardness, Jinbe could only keep pointing out the more unique dishes to Reddy.
In short, the banquet was very uncomfortable for him, and he barely ate anything.
"Let's go. I'll guide you in Haki training."
As soon as the banquet ended, Jinbe immediately invited Reddy to train, hoping to lure out the hidden assailant.
But as soon as he spoke, his expression changed again.
Such intense killing intent!
Jinbe warily scanned the area, determined to catch the person who had been trying to ambush him, only to see Hancock glaring at him with a frosty expression.
Jinbe was baffled.
When… did I offend the Pirate Empress?