At this moment, Hancock's expression was extremely grim.
The Kuja Pirates had been nearly wiped out in an instant—and she couldn't spare a hand to help.
No, it wasn't just about helping anymore. The real question was whether she could survive at all!
Because the mysterious woman in front of her... her strength was no less than her own—perhaps even greater.
Just dealing with her alone was already difficult enough.
And that wasn't all. Surrounding them were nearly 20,000 Jun Lin soldiers.
Her Observation Haki told her that among those 20,000 soldiers, not a single one was weak.
Each and every one...
Was a mini powerhouse.
What's a "mini powerhouse"?
According to Rob Lucci's theory from the original story, anyone with a combat power (Doriki) over 500 could be considered a superhuman.
Among these 18,000 Jun Lin soldiers, some had only joined Jun Lin recently.
Even though they had access to the Navy's overpowered food system, it had only been a few days—so their Doriki was still in the 300–400 range.
Three to four hundred...
That was already superhuman level!
Many of them weren't stronger than Hancock's crew, but still powerful—at least on par with a Marine HQ Captain.
No wonder her Kuja Pirates had been so easily defeated.
Even her two sisters and several other officers had raised their hands and surrendered...
"Hancock," Gion (Momousagi) said calmly, "your people have been subdued. Are you still going to resist?"
"What do you want?" Hancock asked coldly.
"Simple. We want Amazon Lily to come under Jun Lin's protection."
"In exchange, Jun Lin will ensure your safety. Even the Celestial Dragons won't be able to touch you."
Celestial Dragons...
At the mention of that name, Hancock visibly flinched.
"You're actually daring to go against the Celestial Dragons?"
"Of course. If you join us, even if the Celestial Dragons target Amazon Lily, we'll strike back without hesitation."
Gion didn't quite understand why Hancock had such a strong reaction to the Celestial Dragons.
But that didn't matter.
What mattered was...
She had found Hancock's weak point—and pressed further.
"I don't believe your promises," Hancock replied. "Unless..."
"Unless what?"
"Unless you capture a Celestial Dragon and bring them before me."
...
...
Good grief. Did she really just say that?
We told her, if she joined Jun Lin, we'd protect her from the Celestial Dragons.
But now she wants us to prove it before joining?
That's like asking for a lifetime salary from a company before even applying!
That's pushing it!
"Wait here," Gion said after a pause.
She decided this one was above her pay grade and took out a Den Den Mushi to call Luo Lan.
Right in front of Hancock.
Brrrrrr...
"This is Luo Lan."
"Luo Lan, it's Gion."
"What's the situation?"
"Everyone has been captured except the leader."
"Oh? Who are they?"
Luo Lan sounded intrigued.
If Gion had to lead a full-scale assault but still didn't capture the enemy leader, they had to be tough...
"It's the Kuja Pirates."
"Come again?"
"The Kuja Pirates from Amazon Lily. Their leader is one of the Seven Warlords—Boa Hancock."
Gion repeated it clearly.
"Hmm. Still, it's Hancock. Shouldn't you be able to handle her?"
"I normally would. But the situation has changed. Here's the deal..."
Gion explained everything, carefully omitting why Jun Lin was so eager to bring Amazon Lily into the fold.
But Luo Lan understood immediately.
Just a few days ago, he had talked to Gion about how badly unbalanced Jun Lin's gender ratio was.
And what better solution than Amazon Lily—a nation of powerful women?
"She's right next to you, isn't she?"
"Yup. You can talk, she'll hear you."
"Alright."
Gion held up the Den Den Mushi so Hancock could hear directly.
"Boa Hancock, Empress of Amazon Lily, Captain of the Kuja Pirates, one of the Seven Warlords—correct?"
"I accept your condition as the leader of Jun Lin."
"You want a Celestial Dragon, alive or dead?"
Hancock's eyes widened in disbelief.
Wait—wasn't that an impossible demand she made just to shut them up?
And now they just... agreed?
And even asked if she wanted the Celestial Dragon alive or dead?
"Are you serious?"
"Of course. You said if we take action against the Celestial Dragons, you'll bring Amazon Lily into Jun Lin. Or are you planning to go back on your word—as the Empress of Amazon Lily?"
"Fine," Hancock said. "If you bring me a Celestial Dragon and kill him in front of me, Amazon Lily will join Jun Lin."
"Good. Then it's settled. Gion, bring them back and arrange temporary lodgings."
"Understood."
Gion nodded and ended the call.
"Hancock, have your ship follow us."
"I understand."
With a calm voice, Hancock leapt back to her ship.
Gion led the Jun Lin troops back to their fleet.
At that point, Hancock no longer resisted the idea of going to Jun Lin.
On the contrary, she was curious—would this leader of Jun Lin really capture a Celestial Dragon...
And kill him right in front of her?
---
Meanwhile, in the Marshal's Office at Jun Lin HQ—
Luo Lan was deep in thought, trying to figure out where he could even find a Celestial Dragon.
The Holy Land? Definitely not.
The Celestial Dragons that occasionally traveled by sea were a good target, but they didn't show up every day.
Still, there was one particularly vulnerable group...
Yes—he had a perfect target in mind.
The Rosward Family.
They were always running to the Sabaody Archipelago, attending the auctions there every few days.
Even though Doflamingo had been captured, the auctions hadn't stopped—they had simply changed hands to other underworld factions.
Coincidentally, there had been news recently.
After being shut down for over a month, the auction house was reopening in a few days.
The new operators wanted to make a big splash with top-tier items—and rare slave species from the Grand Line.
Exactly the kind of event the Roswards loved.
There was no chance they'd skip it.
So the only question left was: Is it worth it for Jun Lin to act against the Celestial Dragons just for Amazon Lily?
Answer: Absolutely.
Jun Lin was already heading for a full-scale clash with the World Government in a month or so.
Even if they moved early, as long as the World Government didn't know where Jun Lin's base was, it wouldn't matter much.
Besides...
Ten thousand elite warrior women.
That wasn't just a solution to gender imbalance.
Amazon Lily was a land of strong, skilled women. It was...
A premium source of soldiers—even better than Alabasta.