"Smack!"
Jiang Lin had no idea how long he had been flying. When he finally landed, the first thing he saw in the sky above was two striking characters: "Kuja."
"So this is…"
Brushing the dust off his clothes, Jiang Lin let out a helpless, bitter smile. He couldn't tell if this was good luck or misfortune.
But since he had already been slapped here by Kuma, there was no room for choice.
"Speaking of which… if I use her ability, wouldn't it feel a bit… girly?"
Resting his chin on one hand, sitting cross-legged, Jiang Lin sank into thought.
"Over there! Up ahead! I heard someone's been infected by the mushroom disease that grows all over the body."
"Hurry! Drag him back to the village!"
The busy footsteps instantly pulled Jiang Lin out of his thoughts. Parting the bushes in front of him, he caught sight of none other than Luffy lying motionless on the ground—his body covered in mushrooms.
"Luffy, it's not that I don't want to help you, but… I'm a man too!"
Resolutely, Jiang Lin pushed the bushes back into place and walked alone toward the village.
"I need to blend in first. No… maybe the harbor's a better choice. But to go against an entire nation head-on—isn't that too arrogant? Forget it, I'll check things out first."
After a brief consideration, Jiang Lin decided to head toward the harbor. After all, his target wasn't on the island. Even if he entered the village, it would be pointless.
Out on the calm sea, two massive warships lay anchored in the windless zone.
"I remember… that's Vice Admiral Momonga's ship. Too bad he's not a Devil Fruit user. Otherwise, sneaking aboard to fight him wouldn't be a bad idea either."
In his earlier battle with Kizaru, Jiang Lin had already obtained the Glint-Glint Fruit card. If he could gain another fruit ability from Momonga, he'd feel even more confident about the coming battle at Impel Down.
Unfortunately, Momonga couldn't help him in that regard. Thus, Jiang Lin's attention shifted to the other large crimson vessel anchored in the windless zone.
"Boa Hancock… the woman with the Love-Love Fruit. Your Devil Fruit will be mine!"
Hiding along the shoreline, Jiang Lin quietly waited for the right moment to board. He hadn't equipped a Devil Fruit ability yet, so he was still just a normal man. As long as the timing was right, he was prepared to either swim across from the coast or engage Hancock in battle for just one minute—both options were acceptable.
"They're coming out!"
As the massive stone gates slowly opened, Boa Hancock appeared in full view. Draped in a red robe, the Pirate Empress—one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea—carried herself with unmatched majesty.
"No way… even from this far, the Empress's beauty is simply overwhelming!"
Jiang Lin clutched his nose with both hands, turning his head away in blissful agony.
"Calm down! She belongs to Luffy…"
"No! She belongs to all men in the world!"
"Calm down! She belongs to Luffy…"
"No! She belongs to all men in the world!"
As Jiang Lin battled within himself over Hancock's appearance, the situation at sea suddenly shifted. A group of Marines erupted into commotion—only to be turned completely to stone moments later.
"It's time to set sail!"
Shaking off all distracting thoughts, Jiang Lin fixed his gaze on the Empress's approaching ship and slowly stepped out from the bushes.
"Looks like I'll have to do this the hard way."
As he walked, he wove nearby vines into a mask that covered half his face. Securing it, he waded into the seawater and calmly approached the giant crimson ship.
"Creak—creak—!"
The sound of straining planks and startled cries came from ahead. Members of the Kuja Pirates, who had just witnessed the Empress's majesty, now stared wide-eyed at the man before them, covering their mouths in shock.
"A man? How did you get here?"
From atop her serpent, Hancock gazed down at the masked stranger with a puzzled frown. They were currently in the Calm Belt—normally, anyone approaching here would either be shredded and devoured by Sea Kings or gravely wounded and left half-dead. Yet before her stood a man, not only unharmed, but healthy and fearless.
"Boa Hancock! I challenge you!"
Jiang Lin thrust out his right hand, pointing directly at the Empress standing upon her serpent's head!
"A challenge?"
As a Warlord, Hancock was no stranger to challenges from pirates across the seas. But for a man to appear before her in such an open, brazen manner, and to challenge her in front of the entire Kuja Pirates and the people of Amazon Lily—such a thing had never happened before.
"Why do you wish to challenge me? Do you seek my position as a Warlord?"
Hancock's face darkened, her gaze turning sharp and filled with killing intent. The Warlord title was vital not just to her, but to all of Amazon Lily. She would never allow anyone to covet it.
"No. I'm not interested in your Warlord position. I'm only interested in you—no, to be precise, in your ability."
Step by step, Jiang Lin walked across the sea toward her ship. The enormous serpent hissed, its scarlet tongue flicking as it slowly lowered the Empress before him.
"You're not a Devil Fruit user?"
Hancock noticed how Jiang Lin's legs were still submerged in seawater and looked at him with surprise. A non-user daring to challenge her meant he surely had some special trick up his sleeve. Such opponents were always troublesome.
"Not right now. But in a moment—I will be. Shall we fight somewhere else? Here, I can't unleash my full power."
Jiang Lin lifted his leg helplessly. His thighs were soaked, the seawater already up to his waist. If he activated a Devil Fruit card here, it would be nothing short of suicide.
"Very well."
Rather than striking him while disadvantaged, Hancock nodded. The serpent lowered its head and carried them both to shore.
"What is your name?"
Gracefully dismounting, Hancock's red high heels remained spotless, untouched by the world.
"D. Jiang Lin."
Jiang Lin turned his head aside, avoiding direct eye contact with her.
"D?"
At the mention of that initial, Hancock's expression visibly shifted.
"Don't mind such details. Boa Hancock—Have you ever been kicked by light?"
To keep himself from softening, Jiang Lin spoke the moment he revealed his name. At once, he equipped the Glint-Glint Fruit.
"I'm sorry! But this is all for Ace's sake!"
With a silent apology in his heart, Jiang Lin's body became light—vanishing in a flash as he reappeared above the Empress!