A symphony of chatter and laughter filled the atmosphere as the Kuja warriors and the islanders savored every moment, enthralled by the novel experience of learning about men.
The three pirates, clad in stolen Marine uniforms within the confines of their cell, feigned friendliness. They played their parts, regaling the Kuja with a tapestry of fabricated stories, adventures, and anecdotes about the world of men.
This charade was a necessary performance, a calculated effort to win the warriors' trust so that they might, in some way, persuade the Snake Princess to grant them freedom. After hours of relentless interrogation, their uniforms were drenched in sweat, a testament to the unyielding barrage of questions from the denizens of Amazon Lily.
"I'm out; I can't take it anymore," Gojo declared, leaning his back against the cold wall and refusing to meet the gazes of the warriors any longer.
"We should probably continue this discussion at a later time. We are in dire need of rest," Jake chimed in, still visibly troubled by the attention of the entire island lurking just beyond the cell bars.
"Getting ambushed by pirates must have been truly exhausting," observed Daisy, a slim woman with a mane of bushy orange hair. "Rest while you can, for you will be regaling us with more tales of men in a few hours."
"Heh? What are you, stupid?" Ryuken whistled to himself, lying on his back and contemplating how the Kuja would react upon discovering the truth—that their guests were not marines but pirates themselves.
Given their circumstances, the three fools remained oblivious to their increased bounties and the news reverberating around the world following their audacious jailbreak from the greatest prison in history.
Hours passed in a flash; the clouds dissipated, leaving only a vast, beautiful blue sky in their wake.
Having received only a single cup of water since their arrest, the trio languished on the floor, waiting for Boa Hancock to return to her domain. They intended to "shoot their shot," to ascertain if she could be persuaded to become an ally.
The leaves on the trees began to whiz as a wind aggressively brewed; the birds in the sky sang aloud as the fading light cast the island in a beautifully dim, cascading brown hue.
Slow, steady footsteps approached the cell deliberately. The sound of rustling paper accompanied the wind, which whipped the pages of a newspaper held by an unknown silhouette. The footfalls grew louder with each passing second until they ceased directly before the cell.
The trio's ears perked up as they shot a collective glance at the silhouette, who held a folded newspaper in her left hand. She stood alone before the cell, the wind causing her hair to dance for a fleeting moment.
"Who is it now? Can't you people grant us a moment's rest before we continue our stories?" Ryuken argued lazily, receiving only a cold silence in response.
"I would love to hear your stories, but that is not my purpose here," a voice rang out, calm and solemn yet polite.
"Then what, pray tell, are you here for? We are utterly worn out from entertaining you Kuja tribes," Gojo retorted, his patience frayed.
Gojo's gaze remained fixed on the woman, his mind racing, wondering if their cover had been blown. "We'll hear you out. Speak."
The woman offered a fleeting smile before clearing her throat. "Who would have thought I would encounter a handsome man with pretty white hair like my own?" She scoffed, attempting to inject a moment of levity.
"…Heh, I'll take that as a compliment," Gojo smiled, now realizing this woman was not the average Kuja warrior, who had been sequestered from men since birth. This woman was different—intelligent and, despite her age, faintly frightful.
"So? Mind telling us your name and who you are?" Jake uttered.
"Don't you think it is rather rude to demand someone's name without first introducing yourselves?" She replied solemnly.
"Oh, sorry," Jake flustered, scratching the back of his head.
"Don't worry about it, Jake; I've got this," Ryuken interfered with a teasing smirk.
"Ryuken."
"Glorosia."
They both paused, glancing at each other, realizing they had spoken simultaneously. A vein bulged on Ryuken's fist as a low whisper of laughter emanated from Glorosia outside the cell.
"Calm down, Ryu, it's not your fault," Gojo said, covering his face with his cloak to fight the urge to burst into laughter.
"Well, that's that. Now, what do you want with us… prisoners?" Jake muttered.
Glorosia was remarkably diminutive in stature, with very thick lips and a face etched with the wrinkles of old age. She wore a sea-green bubble belt, apparently meant to hold up the spotted-print short skirt common to all Kuja.
"Who would have thought a few marine men would find themselves ashore here on Amazon Lily?" She teased, her grip intensifying around the newspaper.
Gojo's face twisted into a grin. "What's your point? Didn't we explain earlier that we were ambushed?"
Gloriosa giggled at that, loosening her grip slightly. "Well, I am commonly known as Elder Nyon. I am also a former empress of Amazon Lily and a pirate captain of the Kuja Pirates."
The jaws of the trio dropped in disbelief. They had sensed she was intellectually distinct from the other warriors, but now they understood she was both a mysterious old hag and a figure of immense importance.
"Heh, that's awesome. Having a formal empress stand before us is a blessing. But what do you gain by telling us 'marines' this?" Gojo swallowed.
Elder Nyon glanced around, confirming their solitude. "Don't you think it is rude to deceive an elder?"
Jake blurted out in disgust. "What the hell are you saying, old hag? You should know we would have arrested you long ago if Boa Hancock hadn't complied to become one of the Warlords," he said, desperately maintaining their marine facade.
She laughed it off before her smile morphed into a grim grin. "Satoru Gojo, captain of the Blue-Eyed Pirates. Ryuken, the swordsman. And Jake, the Sniper."
Their bodies drenched in a cold sweat upon hearing these words. The trio jolted off the ground, instinctively putting distance between themselves and the old hag who stood before the cell, newspaper in hand.
Jake scoffed. "Don't know what you're talking about."
"Did you three youngsters truly believe you could fool a beautiful old lady like me with those stupid marine disguises?"
In that moment, a palpable pressure fell upon the atmosphere as the old hag revealed their secret, a move she had assumed would unfold elegantly, setting the stage for Boa Hancock's arrival.
"Since you know who we are, then tell us what you want," Gojo said nonchalantly, a grin on his face as he grew eager to break out of the cell if trouble arose.
"Relax, young fellas," she giggled for a moment. "I came to see what manner of men you are, as you have been the sole topic of conversation circulating the island since your arrival."
"And?"
She let out a sigh of relief before unfolding the newspaper. "First, I shall ask you pirates a question. Why did you decide to sail here, knowing it is forbidden for men to set foot on this island?"
"And what if we refuse to answer your silly question?" Jake bit his lip in frustration, realizing their entire plan was on the verge of collapsing.
"Then it is alright. Secondly, are you pirates aware that you are wanted men after causing a monumental ruckus at Impel Down?"
"We are certainly aware of that."
She tossed the newspaper into the cell. They swallowed simultaneously as grins spread across their faces, eager to see what information the paper held concerning their crew. They snatched it from the ground and read over the first and second pages, sweat streaming down their bodies as they continued, page after page, until they saw their updated wanted posters.
"Hehhh?!"
The trio exclaimed in unison, teasing smirks curling on their lips as sweat slid down their brows, unable to fully process the scene unfolding before them. They had anticipated an increase in their bounties, but this was utterly insane. They fell down, utterly dumbfounded, before erupting in triumphant cheers, causing Elder Nyon to stagger backward.
'What manner of pirates rejoices in an increase in bounties? Do they not comprehend they are now wanted men in the world?' Elder Nyon was speechless as she watched them, reminiscing about her own bygone days as a pirate who had once sailed aboard Rocks D. Xebec's ship as part of the Rocks Pirates, the crew that had turned God Valley upside down so many years ago.
"I'm finally wanted!" Jake celebrated, seeing that he, too, had received a bounty, albeit one beneath Ryuken's, who immediately began to tease him.
"Congrats to you, Jake the third." Ryuken bragged about his bounty higher than Jake with a teasing smirk.
Gojo's heart set ablaze with a fiery ambition to conquer the world; he was now more eager than ever to sail into Paradise—the famous Grand Line, said to be a pirate's graveyard.
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