Gloriosa, the former Empress of Amazon Lily.
At this time, she didn't look as old as in the original story.
But she was indeed no longer young and already appeared elderly.
This was her first time aboard the G-7 Marine Base. In fact, she hadn't left the Calm Belt for many years.
If it weren't for the fact that the three Hancock sisters had fallen into the Marines' hands, and this matter truly concerned Amazon Lily's national destiny, Gloriosa wouldn't have dared come to G-7 no matter what.
After all, she was a pirate too!
Led by a Marine Captain, Gloriosa passed through the G-7 fortress and entered its interior.
After walking for a long time through the complex corridors, she suddenly smelled the fragrance of food.
"A restaurant?" Gloriosa thought in surprise.
Could it be that the person in charge of this fortress wanted to meet her in the restaurant?
What kind of operation was this?
But before she had time to think about it, she was taken into the restaurant.
Then she saw a tall, handsome man in casual clothes eating.
Next to the man sat a girl with long pink hair. She was wearing a Marine cloak of justice, and the epaulettes on her shoulders showed she was a Lieutenant Commander at Marine Headquarters.
Unlike the man who was wolfing down his food, the girl ate her fruit salad slowly and leisurely, occasionally glancing at the man next to her with disdain.
"Admiral, could you please pay a little attention to your image? Your eating manners are so messy!" Hina couldn't help but remind him.
However, Finn ignored the young woman and continued eating meat.
On the other hand, Gloriosa was shocked when she heard Hina's words. After looking at Finn carefully, she recognized him.
"The Violent Tiger of Marine Headquarters... Admiral Rodriguez Finn," Gloriosa thought in shock.
She knew that Finn used to be the base commander of Marine G-7, but hadn't he left after being promoted to Admiral?
Why was he here again today?
Could it be he'd come here specifically for Amazon Lily?
Given Amazon Lily's current situation, if a Marine Admiral were to lead an assault, they could really be destroyed.
Just when Gloriosa was terrified, the Marine Captain who'd brought her in stood at attention and saluted. "Admiral Finn, here is Gloriosa of the Kuja Pirates."
Finn then turned around and looked at Gloriosa, still chewing food in his mouth.
At the same time, Gloriosa's heart trembled. Finn hadn't reacted at all. He'd just looked back.
But Gloriosa felt as if she was being stared at by a tiger, and a layer of cold sweat suddenly broke out on her back.
Finn swallowed the food in his mouth and nodded. "Okay, go ahead with your work."
"Yes, Admiral Finn!" The Marine Captain responded and turned away without paying any more attention to Gloriosa.
At the same time, Finn also withdrew his gaze, picked up a glass of juice on the table, and took two sips.
Gloriosa stood there, not knowing whether to advance or retreat, feeling extremely frightened and awkward.
After Finn finished drinking the juice, he placed the cup on the table and said without looking up, "Come in and sit down."
It was just a simple sentence, but Gloriosa suddenly breathed a sigh of relief, muttering to herself, "Is this the pressure of a Marine Admiral?"
She hadn't been out to sea for many years, and her former dignity as a great pirate had long since faded away.
As for her strength, it had deteriorated to a terrible degree.
That was why she felt so intimidated.
Not daring to say anything more, Gloriosa walked to Finn's dining table somewhat nervously, then sat in the chair opposite him.
"Have you eaten? Do you want something?" Finn still didn't raise his head and continued eating his lunch in a somewhat rough manner.
Meanwhile, Hina was leisurely eating her fruit salad while looking at the former Empress of Amazon Lily with some curiosity.
Gloriosa forced a smile and shook her head. "I... no, I've already eaten."
"Really?" Finn paused, then raised his head and looked at Gloriosa.
At that moment, Gloriosa's expression suddenly changed. "I'm suddenly feeling hungry again. Thank you for your kindness, Admiral."
Finn then smiled. "I like people like you who know how to read the situation. At the same time, I really don't like others rejecting me."
Gloriosa forced a smile and said somewhat awkwardly, "I understand."
Soon, at Finn's signal, the restaurant served Gloriosa another meal.
The old woman had clearly already eaten, but she still forced herself to eat, pretending to be very hungry.
After taking a few more bites of food, Finn asked casually, "Amazon Lily, what's the situation now? It shouldn't be good, right?"
Unlike Hancock's forced defiance, Gloriosa hesitated for a moment before nodding. "It's certainly not very good."
"Really?" Finn wasn't surprised at all. This was within his expectations.
Before Gloriosa could speak again, Finn continued, "The previous Empress died. The line of Amazon Lily Empresses has ended since then. She has no heirs, so the three Hancock sisters are the last princesses of your Boa royal family, correct?"
"That's right," Gloriosa nodded with a slightly heavy expression.
"But in other words, you're the one who calls the shots at Amazon Lily now, right?" Finn asked again.
"That's true. I am also, to some extent, the predecessor Empress of Amazon Lily," Gloriosa said.
Finn nodded but didn't say anything else. Instead, he took a few bites of his food very naturally and said to Hina beside him, "Hina, I want another glass of juice."
"I understand, Admiral," Hina said, giving Finn a look. She picked up the empty cup on the table, turned around, and went to the back to squeeze juice for Finn.
Gloriosa thought that Finn wanted to dismiss the Marine Lieutenant Commander named Hina to tell her something important.
As a result, Finn didn't speak. After Hina brought the juice back, he took a sip and continued, "You at Amazon Lily should have some information about what's happening in the Calm Belt, right?"
Gloriosa nodded seriously, then continued, "About four years ago, G-7 under your leadership, Admiral, began developing the Calm Belt. While we were hunting Sea Kings near Amazon Lily, we often saw warships sailing nearby. We have some knowledge of these things."
"You should also know about the new technology for our warships, right?" Finn asked again.
"Yes. About two years ago, we could often see warships fighting with Sea Kings, but when we observed them later, we found that Sea Kings no longer actively attacked warships," Gloriosa said again.
"Your observations are quite detailed. I'm not afraid to tell you that the Marines have indeed mastered the technology to safely sail in the Calm Belt," Finn said with a smile.
This had to do with Dr. Vegapunk. In the original story, it was hard to say when the Marines had mastered the technology of combining Seastone with warships.
But due to Finn's intrusion, the Marines' attention to the Calm Belt had obviously been raised considerably.
Therefore, research in this area had been accelerated. This technology itself wasn't particularly advanced, so not long after Vegapunk had been brought to the Marines' Science Unit, the technology for safely crossing the Calm Belt had been implemented.
Although Gloriosa had already suspected this, after hearing Finn's words, her expression still became somewhat grim.
The reason Amazon Lily had been able to stand against a behemoth like Marine Headquarters for hundreds of years was due to two things. First was that Amazon Lily was a warrior nation, and everyone was powerful, so their strength was indeed formidable.
The second point was that because they were deep in the Calm Belt, they were naturally protected by it, making it difficult for the Marines to launch an effective attack on them.
Now, due to Shakuyaku's leaving, Amazon Lily's strength had been greatly reduced, and the pirate business had stagnated for many years. There weren't many warriors with real combat experience in the country, and coupled with the lack of various supplies, their strength was relatively weak.
What was even more distressing was that at this time, the Marines had mastered new technology to safely cross the Calm Belt. In other words, the Calm Belt, which they'd regarded as a natural barrier, had lost its original protective effect.
But unfortunately, the three princesses of Amazon Lily had all fallen into the Marines' hands.
Now, Amazon Lily had entered the most dangerous moment in hundreds of years.
If they weren't careful, the nation could be destroyed!
"Do you think Amazon Lily can resist the Marines?" Finn suddenly asked, looking at Gloriosa's embarrassed expression.
Gloriosa was startled but quickly said, "We may not be able to resist, but even so, the Marines will definitely pay a heavy price!"
"Oh? You're surprisingly strong-willed at a time like this," Finn said with a smile.
Gloriosa didn't say anything.
Finn smiled again. "To be honest, I think so too. Besides, I don't have much hostility toward you at Amazon Lily. Otherwise..."
"Otherwise, we wouldn't have received the letter from G-7, but would have seen the heads of Hancock and the others along with dozens of powerful warships at our doorstep," Gloriosa said softly.
After a brief pause, she continued, "This is why, even though I knew it was dangerous here, I still chose to come to G-7 in person."
"Just as I expected. You should be considered one of Amazon Lily's few pro-Marine people, or... a reformist?" Finn said with a smile.
In the original story, it had been Gloriosa who'd urged Hancock to become one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea and told her not to resist the will of the Marines.
Perhaps her original intention had been to prevent Amazon Lily from being attacked by the Marines, but it was undeniable that she was indeed more inclined to cooperate with the Marines.
This was why Finn had chosen to meet with her.
"Maybe. But actually I just hope Amazon Lily can become better. I was the Empress of Amazon Lily, so I know Amazon Lily's shortcomings well. When the Marines' warships began developing the Calm Belt, I was very panicked. I'd anticipated this day, but I didn't expect the cause would be Hancock and the other two," Gloriosa said with a wry smile.
Finn glanced at her in surprise, then said, "It seems I underestimated you a little. If what you said is true, then you are indeed very far-sighted. To tell you the truth, the Marines attach great importance to the Calm Belt. No threats are allowed in this area. We weren't prepared to deal with you at Amazon Lily before. Now, my G-7 is also expanding its military. Once the expansion goal is achieved, there will be at least 100,000 Marine soldiers who will go to eliminate Amazon Lily. I will also personally join this war!"
When Gloriosa heard this, she was extremely shocked and frightened.
But at this moment, Finn smiled. "Of course, the premise is that at that time, you're still enemies of the Marines."
"What do you mean, Admiral?" Gloriosa's eyes lit up.
"Personally, I would rather guide Amazon Lily onto the right path" Finn smiled and said softly.
Of course, this reason was just a high-sounding excuse.
But it was enough to occupy the moral high ground!