The few pirates seated at the table looked at each other in disbelief.
This was the first time they'd ever seen such a shameless man!
"Why the hell should we be the ones to ambush the Celestial Dragons?!"
The first to lose his cool wasn't Gaban, despite his notoriously short temper. He had always followed Roger's lead, and after Roger's death, he simply followed Rayleigh.
Seeing that Rayleigh hadn't spoken, he wasn't in a rush either.
The one who lost her temper was actually Gloriosa, seated directly across from Michael.
This former former former Empress of Amazon Lily had never been an easy person to deal with.
What she hated most in life was being used.
After speaking, she stood up, preparing to leave.
Before Shakky could reach out to stop her, Michael calmly addressed Gloriosa:
"Why should you ambush the Celestial Dragons? Do I look like the kind of person who makes people work for free?"
"...You kind of do." Rayleigh interjected from the side. "You tacticians all have filthy minds."
"Exactly, exactly!" Gloriosa eagerly nodded when she heard someone supporting her view. "You're definitely trying to screw us over."
Michael shook his head.
Was this woman a little too hotheaded?
Good thing she didn't stay Empress of Amazon Lily for long—she sailed off and joined the Rocks Pirates instead.
"However, when I first decided to gather you all, I had already negotiated the terms with Shakky."
Michael's words immediately drew everyone's attention to Shakky.
Shakky calmly took a drag of her cigarette, then nodded.
"That's right. I think Michael's offer is very fair—maybe even a little too generous... so generous we couldn't possibly turn it down."
Shakky's words fully piqued the curiosity of both Gloriosa and Rayleigh.
"A Rear Admiral like him can offer us something we can't refuse? If that was coming from Garp or Sengoku, maybe I'd buy it."
Shakky reached out to calm Gloriosa.
Despite being nearly ten years younger, Shakky actually came off as the more mature one.
"Just listen to the terms for yourself."
Under Shakky's calming influence, Gloriosa finally sat back down.
She crossed her long legs, folded her arms, and fixed Michael with a scrutinizing gaze.
"Speak. I want to hear what kind of offer you think I wouldn't be able to refuse."
A fleeting smile passed over Michael's lips.
In truth, Gloriosa's reaction had been entirely within his expectations.
This was the first step of any negotiation: capture the other party's attention.
Good or bad, her focus had already been drawn into the matter with just a few sentences.
And the second step was to lay out all potential benefits and future prospects.
What people commonly call "selling a dream."
"This was originally something I wanted Shakky to handle, but you're a much better fit. So as long as you participate in this mission... in return, I'll bring all of Amazon Lily under the Marine banner and personally escort it through the process—transforming it from a pirate nation into a Marine nation."
At these words, everyone except for Shakky and Morgans—who were already aware of Michael's proposal—froze.
Gloriosa, Rayleigh, and Gaban were stunned.
What the hell was this guy talking about?
Turn a pirate nation into a Marine nation?
Was this some kind of joke? And not the funny kind—more like the kind that makes the room go cold.
"...Amazon Lily has been a pirate nation from the very beginning."
"Sure, it's a pirate nation. But who said that just because it started that way, it can't change course later? Don't tell me, Gloriosa, that you're one of those 'ancestral law must never be changed' types?"
Michael tilted his head as he asked.
That question left Gloriosa speechless.
If she were that type of person, she never would have handed the position of Empress over to Shakky and sailed off to join the Rocks Pirates.
And Shakky wasn't that type either. If she were, she wouldn't have abdicated after just a few years and chosen to retire.
Most importantly, Amazon Lily had never really had "ancestral laws" to begin with.
In truth, the reason Amazon Lily's warriors sailed out to become pirates wasn't just for survival—it was also for reproduction.
After all, there's no such thing in the world as a magical river that gets you pregnant just by drinking from it.
"I understand your logic. But... joining the Marines—does it really offer a better path?"
Gloriosa had clearly calmed down. The intelligence that had once allowed her to reign over Amazon Lily was once again asserting itself.
No matter how much she despised the Celestial Dragons, she wasn't about to use Amazon Lily as a joke.
Unless she heard benefits that truly shook her to the core, she would still be inclined to refuse.
But when Michael heard her response, he knew he basically had it in the bag.
If she was already interested in hearing his plan, then she had accepted the foundation of his thinking.
"I only have one question for you," Michael said, completely composed. "Of the three Admirals-in-waiting this generation—Sakazuki, Kuzan, and Borsalino—do you think they'll continue to grow stronger and eventually reach the true pinnacle of power?"
"If one of them attacked Amazon Lily, do you believe you could resist?"
One sentence. Straight to the heart.
Amazon Lily, as things currently stood, had no future.
Yes, the Kuja warriors were strong. Any competent warrior there could master Haki and had outstanding physical prowess.
But that kind of Haki wasn't enough to stop a future Admiral.
Much less a Buster Call.
The technological gap between Marines and pirates in warfare was terrifying.
"...No," Gloriosa hesitated for a long time, but eventually deflated, like a balloon losing air. Her entire demeanor slumped. "Amazon Lily can't stand against the future Admirals... More accurately, Shakky and I can't stand against them. Amazon Lily lacks sufficient high-end combat power."
Michael nodded. As expected of a former empress—when she was emotionally level, her intelligence was no joke.
After all, there were few in the world of One Piece who could properly manage a functioning country.
"So, Gloriosa, when faced with the current situation of Amazon Lily, a wise man named Kevin Durant once coined a saying... 'If you can't beat them, join them!'"
"...That's just surrendering, you bastard!"
Though Gloriosa still shouted in protest, her eyes...
Were filled with hesitation.
"Gloriosa, think about Amazon Lily's survival and continuation."
"Once part of the Marines, Amazon Lily's women will never again need to sail out just to find men to reproduce with."
"The elite warriors of Amazon Lily, every one of them versed in Armament Haki and trained in marksmanship and martial arts, are exactly the kind of elite soldier material the Marines crave."
"The next Empress of Amazon Lily—so long as she's not weaker than the two of you—will be guaranteed a position as an elite Vice Admiral."
"Congratulations, then. With the Empress of Amazon Lily serving as an elite Vice Admiral at Marine Headquarters, a new Marine faction is born."
"And all it takes... is for you to act as the assassin and eliminate a Celestial Dragon. Leave the rest to me."
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