Love is like a storm, a widely spread saying in Amazon Lily, as many past emperors of Amazon Lily have succumbed to lovesickness.
Gloriosa nearly fell ill back then, but she didn't stay in Amazon Lily the entire time. Though she's just a hunched old lady now, she was once the strongest warrior of her generation in Nine Snake.
So, during her reign, she left Nine Snake, which was partly her mistake. Since then, she has quietly assisted Nine Snake's emperor, and even Shakky has to call her a senior.
Nine Snake needs to reproduce, so falling in love isn't forbidden internally. The love affairs of each emperor are a top priority. Now, Hancock's situation is actually a good thing; at least this way, her survival rate will greatly increase.
Not long ago, Hancock's achievements were still fresh in memory, and most of the Love-Love Fruit's abilities, after months of development, have been mastered by Hancock.
Effort is important, but talent is just as crucial. When two people put in the same effort, the one with higher talent tends to progress faster.
Time is limited, effort can lead to a qualitative change, but those with outstanding talent also have higher limits. Otherwise, various forces wouldn't search for talented prodigies.
In their youth, Kaidou and Charlotte Linlin caught the eye of the World Government and Navy, but things didn't turn out as they had hoped.
If Kaidou had been successfully sent to the Navy by the Vodka Kingdom, and he joined, plus Charlotte Linlin was coerced by Carmel to become an agent of the World Government, they might have become the new double pillars.
In the training ground, she faced Amazon Lily's elite warriors, official members of the Nine Serpent Pirates. Hancock didn't even let her two sisters assist her; she alone defeated everyone, twice.
Once using her Fruit Ability, the other time using Haki and body techniques. Both battles gained their full admiration, and she directly became the new emperor of Nine Snake.
Afterward, they started Nine Snake's hunt, targeting the new stars near Shampodi. In these months, Fishman Island has become unusually peaceful, with rare pirate arrivals, as Hancock turned nine-tenths of the pirates into stone statues.
That served as a greeting gift for the Navy. In the original timeline, Law could exchange the hearts of 100 great pirates for the position of a Seven Warlord of the Sea.
Even though those great pirates were somewhat exaggerated, they were generally worth several tens of millions. Even in an age of booming bounties, this number reflected his stance.
In the current era, Hancock's actions carried even more significance. When those statues were delivered to the Navy, they initially didn't believe it, until Hancock lifted her ability to confirm it.
And today, Olga's appearance was to add fuel to the fire.
The specifics were simple enough: when the Navy met with Nine Snake, she would attack the Navy. As long as there wasn't a Headquarter Admiral or some Vice Admirals, a single warship couldn't deal with her.
By then, under Nine Snake's attack, she would retreat, and the matter would be settled.
"Hancock, Hancock! Don't zone out! Don't show any weaknesses in front of the Navy!"
"Ah, it's no big deal. If truly discovered, why not just move Nine Snake entirely?"
"No!!! This needs careful observation, Hancock, this concerns the entire nation, you can't act recklessly..."
"Yes, yes, got it. Someone, take the old lady away!"
Though her personality has slightly improved now, she no longer constantly uses her beauty as an excuse for forgiveness. This phrase is now used externally to highlight her status.
But her true nature remains here, and being able to bear Gloriosa's nagging is already substantial progress.
"As you command, Snake Princess."
After becoming Nine Snake's emperor, Snake Princess became her honorific title. Nine Snake isn't some Ninja Village; once the new emperor passes the test and takes office, it means she's gained all the power.
Even former emperors only have advisory authority. If they can't persuade the current emperor, their opinions won't be implemented. So, at Hancock's request, Gloriosa was quickly taken away by two warriors.
"Set off!"
The Perfume Snake advanced towards the agreed location, a location agreed upon with the Navy. Someone proactively seeking the position of a Seven Warlord of the Sea surely piqued the Navy's interest. In this pirate era, what they needed was a force to combat other pirates.
Nine Snake was an old pirate crew in the First Half of the Grand Line, with its own reputation. If this generation's Nine Serpent Emperor was indeed strong enough, then the position could be given.
This time, a Vice Admiral on the Navy ship had a hidden mission: if the counterpart truly had the strength, then offer the Seven Warlords of the Sea position. If not, let the Nine Serpent Pirates become history.
This time, the leading Vice Admiral from the Navy was Vice Admiral Comil, the highest officer of G-2 Fortress. Without a bald head yet, Comil was also an old-school Navy Vice Admiral, with more stable power compared to the newly promoted ones.
...
"Pack up everything on the deck, get ready for shelling, and take precautions, don't get accidentally injured!"
Preparations were underway on the Perfume Snake, lest Olga appearing at their meeting point and singularly attacking the Navy might cause a misunderstanding, a misunderstanding possibly leading to the plan's failure.
So, at that moment, it would start with an indiscriminate attack, something pre-discussed, but only a few rounds. Afterward, the shells would turn into illusion shells, preparations being made at this time.
For instance, repainting the ship, indicating the specific location of the ammunition depot, preventing misfires, and such.
Meanwhile, in the nearby waters, another pirate ship was sailing.
On the sails, a pair of wing-like backgrounds was painted, a pirate recently set sail this year.
"Captain Sasaki, we're about to reach the Shampodi Islands!"
The navigator on the ship watched the record pointer's sway and gave the response, and Sasaki was slightly excited about it.
"Great, everyone, just hang on for a few more days, we'll certainly manage to join the Hundred Beasts!"
Some people's targets were set early on during their journey. For example, Sasaki chose to become a pirate partly because of being drawn to Kaidou and wanted to join his ranks as one of the Hundred Beasts.
Originally, his aim was to become an affiliated pirate group of the Hundred Beasts. But recently, his ambition swelled because after defeating a group of pirates, he found a hexagonal stone plate among the treasures on the ship.
With a purpose to join the Hundred Beasts, he naturally recognized what that was. Seeing the stone plate, which showed no marks of being chopped or hacked, he realized his opportunity had come...