The Perfume Yuda.
This was the primary vessel of the Kuja Pirates.
It was a fascinating ship, combining the characteristics of a sailing vessel with auxiliary wheels similar to those used by the Marine to navigate the Calm Belt. Furthermore, it was towed by two massive sea snakes.
Triple propulsion!
Although the original story never specified the ship's exact speed, with all three systems engaged, it likely wouldn't be much slower than Sean's modern warship. In the Calm Belt, where sails were useless, the combination of the sea snakes and auxiliary wheels still made it far faster than a standard Marine warship.
Unfortunately...
Today, they had encountered...
Sean's ironclad warship.
The deck was crowded with women armed primarily with bows and arrows. Right now, every single one of them wore a look of utter shock. The ironclad vessel flying the Marine flag was simply too fast.
It was even faster than their own Perfume Yuda.
"What on earth is that thing? Why is it moving so fast?"
"Wait... if I'm seeing this correctly, is that entire warship made of steel?"
"Hey! Is this the time to be wondering about that? If we keep going, we're going to collide!"
"Should we veer off? It's a massive steel ship—there's no way we can win in a collision!"
"Maybe we should go call the Snake Princess!"
'Bang!'
Just as the crew was beginning to panic, the doors to the palace-like cabin at the rear were flung open.
A tall, striking woman stepped out, flanked by two women who looked like small giants.
"Who dares disturb my nap?"
"Snake Princess!" the warriors cried out, rushing toward her.
"What is happening?"
"A Marine warship is heading straight for us, and we are on a collision course!" a Kuja warrior reported truthfully.
"Blocking the path?" Hancock replied coolly. "Ram them out of the way!"
"This... well..." The warrior's expression turned strange. She wanted to say something, but she didn't seem to dare.
Hancock frowned. Beside her, Sandersonia took a telescope from another warrior and peered forward.
"Sister, there is indeed a Marine warship. It's roughly the size of a large cruiser, but something is odd."
"That ship seems to be constructed entirely of steel!"
'Constructed of steel?'
'Could a ship made of that actually float?'
However, Sandersonia quickly realized why the warriors were so hesitant.
Ramming...
They really couldn't win that.
A wooden ship ramming a steel ship. It would be a miracle if they survived such an impact.
"Sister, this..."
"Continue forward," Hancock commanded. "I am quite interested in this vessel. Once we capture it, we shall tow it back to Amazon Lily!"
"Uh... Sister, it is a Marine warship after all. And judging by the design, it's likely a new model and very important. If we attack..."
"It does not matter. Whatever I do will be forgiven, for I am far too beautiful!"
As she spoke, Hancock tossed her long hair back with a flourish.
Immediately, the eyes of every Kuja warrior turned into hearts, and they began cheering for the Empress. Sandersonia and Marigold simply facepalmed.
Their sister... was at it again.
If one were to ask if Hancock was a competent Empress, the answer was a resounding yes. Under her rule, no pirates dared cause trouble on Amazon Lily. Furthermore, because Hancock had become a Warlord, the Marine stopped harassing the island. It could be said that Amazon Lily was currently in its safest era in history.
However, her arrogant and willful personality was sometimes too much, even for her own sisters to handle.
But since their sister had made up her mind, they knew there was no point in arguing. With a slight sigh, they began directing the Kuja warriors to prepare for battle.
As for the possibility of being counterattacked by the Marine? They weren't worried at all. Their sister's ability was unique; it was perfectly normal for her to neutralize an entire crew of Marines in a single move.
In this world, very few people—even within the Marine—could resist Hancock's Devil Fruit ability. Even an elite Vice Admiral like Momonga had to resort to self-harm to resist her powers, let alone ordinary sailors. Her ability was essentially like Conqueror's Haki—a strategic weapon designed for mass-clearing fodder.
'''
Several kilometers away, aboard Sean's ironclad warship.
Sean watched the pirate ship drawing closer and suddenly remembered something.
If he recalled correctly from the original story, Boa Hancock's height was 191 cm—ten centimeters taller than him.
Although he was currently 181 cm, in the world of One Piece...
Well, he was effectively a shorty.
'Hm?'
Suddenly, Sean noticed Rayleigh and Shakky beside him. Both of them had strange expressions; Shakky, in particular, looked somewhat worried.
Then, it clicked. These two had a deep history with Hancock, especially Shakky.
After all... Shakky was the Empress of Amazon Lily two generations ago!
Now this was interesting. It seemed that today, beyond just a brief encounter, there might be more to gain.
"Speaking of which, Amazon Lily has been quite lawless lately. According to Marine records, Hancock has attacked Marine ships multiple times. While she didn't kill the sailors, many were turned into stone statues by her Love-Love Fruit ability."
"I heard Headquarters spent a great deal of effort trying to restore those petrified sailors..." Sean mused aloud.
Upon hearing this, Rayleigh and Shakky both felt a jolt of anxiety.
'This kid... he doesn't actually intend to kill Hancock, does he?'
After all, Sean had a precedent for killing a Warlord without approval from Headquarters.
Shakky's worry deepened. If something happened to Hancock, the entirety of Amazon Lily would be in peril. Without Hancock's deterrence, a whole island of women...
Who knows what other pirates would think? Or worse, what slave traders would think?
It wouldn't take long before the citizens of Amazon Lily started appearing at the human auctions of the Sabaody Archipelago. As a former Empress of Amazon Lily, how could Shakky not be worried?
"Sean, Hancock is a bit willful, but she isn't actually a bad person. Moreover, she's one of the Warlords appointed by the World Government. It seems a bit wrong to go after her, don't you think?"
"Besides," Rayleigh added quickly, seeing Shakky's expression, "you're a grown man. Bullying a little girl is a bit unsightly..."
Sean looked at him. "Rayleigh... how old am I?"
"You're nearly seventeen, right?"
Chapter 169: I Shall Have This Warship!
"Hmm, still one month shy of seventeen. How old is Hancock?"
"Twenty-seven, I believe."
"Exactly. So what do you mean by 'a grown man bullying a little girl'?"
"Uh..."
Rayleigh was momentarily stunned.
In the world of pirates, seventeen was considered the age of adulthood. This was precisely why Luffy and Ace had waited until they were seventeen before setting sail.
Sean was still a month away from seventeen, which meant...
The guy was technically still a minor!
And Hancock?
She was a full-fledged adult, twenty-seven and nearly twenty-eight. In the terms of Sean's previous life, she was pushing thirty.
Looking at it that way, calling Sean a grown man bullying a little girl was indeed... a bit inaccurate.
"To be honest, I hadn't originally planned to move against Hancock," Sean remarked. "There are far more vicious pirates on the sea than she is; it would have been a long time before it was her turn. But since she delivered herself right to my doorstep, I couldn't exactly turn around and run away. I was truly forced into action!"
"The Warlord system shouldn't exist in the first place. Moreover, Hancock frequently attacks the Marine. Throwing her in a cell for three to five years for some 're-education' is only fair."
Hearing this, Shakky rolled her eyes.
Three to five years of re-education? Forget five years—if she were gone for even one, the Kuja Pirates' island would likely collapse.
At that moment, Shakky began to read between the lines.
This man was doing it on purpose; he was deliberately threatening them. No, more accurately, he was threatening 'her'. He likely already knew about her former identity.
Did he really know everything?
But that didn't make sense. If he truly knew everything, why would he need to build an intelligence department or ask her to help train his agents in professional skills?
Contradictory. Completely contradictory.
This man was a walking contradiction!
"Young Sean, you can stop acting now. Just tell me plainly: what price do I have to pay?"
"Oh... is my acting that bad? You saw right through me?"
"How about a year? Rayleigh and I will work for you for one year!"
"In that case, let's reduce Hancock's sentence by two years. How does that sound?"
...
Reduce it by two years?
Turning three-to-five years into one-to-three?
That was still pointless!
"What exactly do you want?"
"I want... your intelligence network on the Grand Line!"
"Impossible!"
"Don't be so hasty. Letting Hancock go just this once... the price is indeed a bit low. How about I sweeten the deal?"
In the world of information, Shakky's network was arguably the strongest in the entire pirate world. Even the World Government couldn't match it, and the Marine's intelligence departments were not even in the same league.
Such a network wasn't built on a single person's ability; it required years of deployment, the infiltration of various organizations by seasoned agents, and intelligence stations scattered across countless islands.
While Lucci and his peers were highly capable, building a network like Shakky's would be incredibly difficult. Even if they could do it, it would take at least a decade.
Sean clearly didn't have that kind of time.
The simplest solution was to take over a powerful, pre-existing network. Shakky's was the best choice. He couldn't possibly obtain the intelligence systems of the World Government, the Marine, or the Revolutionary Army.
He had planned to figure out a way over the next three months, but Hancock's appearance had come at the perfect time, allowing him to move his plan forward significantly.
"Aside from letting Hancock go, I can provide protection for Amazon Lily. In the future, not even the World Government will be able to threaten it. However, given those conditions, a simple intelligence network is starting to seem like an insufficient price."
"Therefore, in exchange, besides the network, I want to select a group of warriors from Amazon Lily to serve under me and form a female soldier corps."
Shakky struggled internally.
Truthfully, she was absolutely unwilling to hand over her entire intelligence network to Sean.
But... she was already over sixty. Though she had her secrets for maintaining her youth, that didn't mean she would live forever. If she could secure a guarantee for the safety of Amazon Lily, it wouldn't be a loss.
The only question was... how could she be sure Sean had the power to do everything he claimed? And even if he did, how could she be sure he wouldn't burn his bridges once he had her network?
"Report! Two miles until contact!"
Just then, a Marine ran up to Sean and reported with a salute.
"Shakky, time is running out."
"I cannot give you the network, but I can provide you with comprehensive, free intelligence services!"
"Heh..."
Sean looked at her with disdain. Did she think he was that stupid?
Information was only useful if it was held in one's own hand. Otherwise, it was meaningless.
"Order all main batteries to load and begin calibration. Target: the Kuja Pirates' ship, the Perfume Yoda!"
"Yes, Vice Admiral!"
A moment later, the three massive triple-barrel 280mm main guns on the warship slowly rotated. Shortly after, they were all locked onto the Perfume Yoda.
Looking at those gargantuan cannons, Shakky instinctively felt a surge of threat. These weapons were far more terrifying than the artillery found on standard large Marine warships—far, far more.
Sean slowly raised his right hand, preparing to give the order to fire.
"I agree. But I won't give it all to you at once. I'll hand over the network for the first half of the Grand Line. The New World portion will be transferred once I'm certain you can keep your promises!"
"Deal!"
After some deliberation, Shakky had found a compromise. She wouldn't hand over everything at once, but rather half.
Sean didn't particularly mind. This result met his expectations; he had no immediate need for intelligence from the New World anyway.
"Continue forward. Prepare to board!"
"You...!"
Hearing Sean's order, Shakky was suddenly incensed. They had just reached an agreement, so why was he still—
"Don't worry, I won't harm Hancock. But that doesn't stop me from going over to introduce myself and get acquainted, does it?"
"Besides, Hancock's willful temper needs to be cured, doesn't it? Otherwise, do you really think she'd be willing to let the warriors of Amazon Lily serve under me?"
Fine. That was actually true.
Aside from the older generation, almost no one on Amazon Lily knew Shakky. The new generation of warriors certainly wouldn't come to serve at the 16th Branch just because of a deal Shakky made. Let alone Hancock.
Fine... let him "cure" her. Perhaps this wouldn't be a bad thing for Hancock or Amazon Lily.
Shakky sighed softly and fell silent.