A single warship was nothing to Sean.
He agreed to Garp's request immediately, though he specified that it would take at least three months to deliver, as the 16th Branch still had its own shortages to fill.
Garp, whether intentionally or not, kept hinting that it was that old shameless bastard, Sengoku, who had pushed him to make the request.
This sparked a bit of a mischievous streak in Sean.
So, Sengoku wanted to use Garp to swindle a warship out of him?
Fine. That made things simple. Sean decided to tweak the design of the ship he gave Garp—he would build them a "Dog-Headed Ironclad!"
Once that was done, Garp might be fine with it, but no one else in the Marines would have the face to use such a ship.
'''
A few days passed quickly.
Sean returned to the 16th Branch, where 800 recruits were currently undergoing training.
Why 800?
Aside from the branch's own 500 recruits, Gion and Akainu had each sent over 150 men.
Of course, the treatment of the reinforcements was entirely different from that of Sean's own men.
While everyone received a daily ration of meat jerky, the 300 newcomers were given ordinary meat, which lacked the potent effects of Type One Jerky.
They underwent the exact same training, yet the results were poles apart.
There was only one logical conclusion: the men they sent over simply weren't good enough.
However, a few days later, Sean received some unexpected news.
A special Sea King had begun attacking ships in the Grand Line. In less than ten days, over thirty vessels had been hit, including two Marine warships.
This got Sean thinking.
He wondered how many other Sea Kings had scavenged the remains of the massive creature he had left behind in the Calm Belt.
Sean had actually wanted to intervene. A Sea King of that caliber was incredibly precious; if he could process it with the Multiplier System, it would be at least the level of Type 2 Jerky. If he hit a high multiplier, it would undoubtedly reach the level of Type 3.
Unfortunately, he was too late.
The Sea King had appeared very close to Marine Headquarters.
Consequently, Sengoku had ordered Gion, who had experience in this area, to lead a team of several Vice Admirals. They even deployed Kizaru to provide heavy fire support.
The outcome was predictable; the Sea King was obliterated in no time.
More importantly, after the victory, the participating Marines held a celebration feast where the main course was the meat of that special Sea King.
As a result, Headquarters discovered that the meat of this specific Sea King could significantly enhance one's physical constitution.
This left Sean feeling a bit gloomy.
However, it wasn't a major issue.
Headquarters didn't possess a multiplier system like Sean's. Without the quality being multiplied, the effects of this special Sea King's meat were only about 30% as potent as Type One Jerky.
Compared to Type 2 or Type 3 Jerky, it was negligible.
Sengoku, however, suddenly recalled the similarly special and powerful Sea King that Sean and Gion had hunted previously.
After that hunt, Sean had spent a massive amount of Belly just to transport the entire carcass back to the East Blue.
At the time, Sengoku had found it strange. Why go to such lengths?
But thinking about it now, he realized he had been too naive. Sean likely knew the benefits of this Sea King's meat all along and had been quietly making a fortune for himself.
That was probably why the ordinary marines of the 16th Branch were so abnormally strong.
In fact, it was highly likely that Sean had killed even more powerful special Sea Kings in the past. While the one they had just slain was effective, it wasn't nearly enough to boost an ordinary person to 300 Doriki in just six months.
While Sengoku's assumptions were far from the truth, Sean didn't mind. In fact, he wanted to praise Sengoku for his imagination.
This gave his soldiers' strength a reasonable, acceptable explanation that everyone could swallow.
Sengoku had considered asking if Sean had any stock left of that superior meat.
Unfortunately, Sean adamantly insisted that it had been six months since then and they had long since eaten it all. The only thing remaining was a small portion of the one he had hunted with Gion.
After brushing Sengoku off, Sean fell into thought.
These special Sea Kings were rare encounters. If Headquarters started hunting them systematically, he would lose out big time.
After considering his options, he summoned Lucci.
"Lucci, how is the handover of Shakky's intelligence network going?"
"It is basically complete!"
"Good. I have an important mission for you."
"What is it?"
"You know about the special Sea King the Marine just hunted, right?"
"Yes, I'm aware," Lucci nodded.
Although the Marine hadn't made a public announcement, the information had already reached him through the intelligence network he had inherited. After all, Shakky had numerous channels within the Marines.
"Since you know, here is the plan. I want you to monitor the first half of the Grand Line. Pay close attention to reports of missing ships. If ships begin disappearing in a specific area, report it to me immediately!"
"Yes, Vice Admiral!" Lucci replied.
'''
Amazon Lily.
Inside the Empress's bedchamber within the palace.
The attendants were in a state of panic, completely at a loss.
Hancock was lying on her bed, breathing heavily.
She hadn't been exercising; she was... sick.
The most frustrating part was that the island's doctors had been treating her for several days, but there was no improvement. In fact, they couldn't even diagnose what the illness was.
Some had even reached the preliminary conclusion that Hancock didn't have long to live.
Everyone was terrified.
At that moment, Grandma Nyon walked in. She approached the bed, looked at Hancock, and spoke.
"This is Love Sickness!"
'Love Sickness...'
'Isn't that what Shakky told Sister about...?'
Sandersonia and Marigold looked at each other, their eyes wide with shock.
Hadn't Shakky said this was a disease that occurred only when the Empress of Amazon Lily fell in love with a man?
That was impossible. How could their sister fall in love with a man?
Besides, they were always by her side no matter where she went. If something like that had happened, how could they not know?
However, now was not the time for questions, especially with so many people in the room.
Thinking quickly, Sandersonia hurried everyone else out. Soon, only Sandersonia, Marigold, and Grandma Nyon remained with Hancock.
"Grandma Nyon, are you sure Sister has Love Sickness?"
"I am certain!"
"This doesn't make any sense! We've been by Sister's side the entire time. She hasn't even been near a man, so how could she possibly fall in love? It's absurd!"
"Hmm? You not only know about Love Sickness, but you actually know what causes it?" Grandma Nyon was taken aback by Sandersonia's words.
"Yes, Shakky told us. According to her, it happened to the Empress from two generations ago—the one who succeeded you, right?"
"Oh, it was her. No wonder!" Grandma Nyon nodded, feeling enlightened.
Still, she had to admit that the idea of Hancock falling for a man was quite far-fetched. Just as Sandersonia had pointed out, she simply hadn't had any opportunity to interact with men.
Right then, Marigold suddenly gasped as a realization hit her.
"I think I've got it! Could the man Sister has fallen for be Vice Admiral Sean of the Marines?"
"Sean? What on earth happened?" As an avid reader of the newspapers, there was no way Grandma Nyon didn't know about Sean; he was constantly dominating the headlines of the World Economic Journal. She just couldn't wrap her head around how Hancock had become entangled with him.
"It happened like this..." Sandersonia quickly provided a detailed account of the events.
"So that's what happened. He helped you erase those marks?"
"Yes!"
"In that case, it really could be Sean. However, we still need to confirm it."
"But Sister is in this state! How are we supposed to confirm it?" Sandersonia asked anxiously.
By now, Hancock was drifting in and out of consciousness. Even when Sandersonia and Marigold spoke to her, there was no response. How were they supposed to ask her if she had fallen for Sean?
"Don't worry, I have a way!"
Under their confused gazes, Grandma Nyon walked to the side of Hancock's bed. "Hancock, Sean is here!"
"Sean... Sean is here? Where is he?!"
Hancock, who had been panting and semi-conscious on the bed, suddenly bolted upright. The sight left Sandersonia and Marigold completely stunned.
"Sister! Are you feeling better?"
"Where is Sean? Where is he?!"
"Well... Sean isn't actually here."
"What? He... didn't come...?"
'Thump.'
As soon as the words were spoken, Hancock collapsed back onto the bed, returning to her delirious state.
"It's confirmed. It's definitely Sean!"
"What do we do now?" Sandersonia asked urgently. At this moment, Grandma Nyon was the only one with experience in these matters.
"This kind of Love Sickness flares up when one is unable to see their beloved for a long period. Usually, this takes about three to six months. For someone like Hancock to suffer a relapse in just one month is incredibly rare."
"A complete cure is impossible, but alleviating the symptoms is quite simple. There are two ways. First, whenever the symptoms flare up, Hancock must see Sean. Just seeing him will immediately alleviate the condition. However, this isn't very practical for Hancock, given her cycle is only a month."
"The second way is to do as the Emperors of the past did: abandon the throne and let Hancock be by Sean's side. As long as she stays with the man she loves, the Love Sickness will naturally cease to flare up."
"As for which path to choose, this old woman will not interfere. I leave the decision to you two." With a sigh, Grandma Nyon left the choice to Sandersonia and Marigold before departing from Hancock's chambers.
'''
The following day, the Perfume Yoda set sail from Amazon Lily.
Along with the Kuja Pirates, they carried fifty selected warriors—the female soldier corps that had previously been agreed upon with Sean.
Ultimately, Sandersonia and Marigold had still not reached a final decision. Therefore, they planned to use the opportunity of delivering the fifty warriors to the 16th Branch to let Hancock see Sean and alleviate her Love Sickness. Once Hancock regained her senses, they would let her make the decision herself. After all, regardless of what they decided, it wouldn't truly count if it weren't her own choice.