"If possible, I'd rather not say these things," Granny Nyon said with a complicated expression. "But for the sake of Kuja Island, there are some things I must say."
The children were still young and might not consider certain things, so she, as an elder, had to offer a reminder.
"Granny Nyon, what on earth are you trying to say?" Hancock asked, displeased.
Seeing Hancock's "you'd better give me an explanation" look, Granny Nyon said, "Hancock, have you forgotten your own status?"
"Are you trying to say I'm the empress of Kuja Island?" Hancock said. "That's not a problem. At worst, I'll just pass the throne to Sandersonia."
"Eh?"
Sandersonia was stunned for a moment, then said in disbelief, "Pass the throne to me?"
"No, no, that won't do. I'm not suited for that position."
Only Elder Sister was qualified to sit on that throne. No one else would do!
Hearing this, Hancock's eyes widened as she glared. "If I say you're suited, you're suited!"
Sandersonia: ...
Why was Elder Sister being like this?
Looking at Sandersonia's pitifully aggrieved expression, Granny Nyon revealed a helpless look.
"Is this about the throne?" Granny Nyon said. "The throne of Kuja Island has never been the problem, alright."
She reminded them that both she and that girl Shakky had abandoned the throne before, so it was hardly an issue!
"It's not about the throne?" Hancock asked, puzzled. "Then what is it?"
Just then, Meiser spoke up, "What Granny Nyon wants to talk about is probably the title of Royal Seven Warlords of the Sea."
"Right, Granny Nyon?"
This was a problem they had faced once before.
"Mm, yes, it's the Royal Seven Warlords of the Sea," Granny Nyon said with a nod.
If this issue wasn't handled properly, what awaited their Kuja Island was destruction!
Therefore... she had to say it!
"Why is it this damned Royal Seven Warlords of the Sea title again," Hancock said, grinding her teeth.
If she had known it would be like this, she would never have accepted this bullshit title.
"Because you are one of the Royal Seven Warlords of the Sea."
After a sigh, Granny Nyon explained, "The moment you appear on the Straw Hat Pirates' ship, the World Government will revoke your title as a Warlord!"
"After that... they will dispatch troops to attack our Kuja Island!"
"When that time comes, what will Kuja Island do without you?"
As an old woman who had lived since the era of Rocks, Granny Nyon was well aware of the World Government's nature. Those bastards would definitely send people to attack Kuja Island at the first opportunity!
And without Hancock, Kuja Island stood no chance against the World Government.
After all... they had no other fighting force capable of facing a Marine Admiral!
After hearing Granny Nyon's words, Hancock fell silent for a moment, then gritted her teeth and said, "Damn the World Government, why don't they just go and die!"
At this moment, Hancock hated the World Government to the core.
"At least they won't die right now," Granny Nyon said calmly.
"Then can't we rely on the Calm Belt..." Sandersonia stopped mid-sentence, as she remembered that the Marines could traverse the Calm Belt.
"You've thought of it too," Granny Nyon said, glancing at Sandersonia. "That's what I'm worried about."
"The Marines, with their technology to cross the Calm Belt, can totally take advantage of Hancock's absence to send a large army to attack us."
"If a Marine Admiral comes along at that time, we..."
Granny Nyon didn't finish her sentence, but the others understood her meaning.
If a Marine Admiral came here to attack Kuja Island, they would absolutely be unable to stop them. After all... those people were monsters!
"That may be so, but will an Admiral really come to attack us?" Marigold asked.
"Of course, it's possible."
Granny Nyon nodded very seriously. "Don't forget the importance of the Royal Seven Warlords of the Sea to the World Government!"
Once Hancock and Meiser's relationship was exposed, it would be like a vicious slap to the World Government's face.
At that time, the World Government would definitely come to subjugate this treacherous Warlord!
"Then this is indeed a problem," Meiser said.
If the World Government and the Marines found out about his relationship with Hancock, they would understand why the two of them had acted that way at Marine Headquarters.
When that time came, the World Government and the Marines would definitely retaliate against Kuja Island with a vengeance.
"There's one more thing," Granny Nyon continued. "What if the World Government uses our Kuja Island to threaten the two of you?"
"Especially Meiser..."
At this point, Granny Nyon paused, then said with a serious expression, "Don't forget that he's a Ninja."
"The World Government is extremely interested in him!"
Meiser himself had said the World Government was very interested in him. Adding the abilities he had displayed at Marine Headquarters, if they had the chance, the World Government would absolutely try everything to capture Meiser!
"Then Meiser..."
Perhaps seeing what Hancock was about to say, Granny Nyon cut her off directly, "I know what you want to say, but..."
"Meiser, would you watch Kuja Island be destroyed and do nothing?"
Faced with Granny Nyon's question, Meiser answered without hesitation, "I would not."
This was Hancock's home; he couldn't possibly ignore it.
Granny Nyon nodded upon hearing this, then looked at Hancock and said, "You heard him, Hancock!"
"For the sake of Kuja Island and Meiser, you should think it over carefully."
Hancock opened her mouth, wanting to say something, but found she didn't know what to say.
After all... Granny Nyon was right.
If she really disregarded everything and left with Meiser, then both Kuja Island and Meiser could be in danger.
After a moment of silence, Hancock said, unwilling to give up, "Can I really not leave with Meiser?"
Granny Nyon said, "If you truly don't care about Kuja Island and Meiser, I won't stop you."
A single sentence struck Hancock's fatal weakness.
Hancock fell silent for a moment, then sighed softly. "I understand."
For her beloved and her home, she could only endure.
Seeing Hancock like this, Granny Nyon was silent for a moment, then said, "I only said you can't leave with Meiser, but I never said you two can't meet."
"If you really miss him, just contact him with a Den Den Mushi, and then find a chance to meet up."
After saying that, Granny Nyon paused, then added, "But you absolutely cannot appear on the Straw Hat Pirates' ship, understand?!"
Hearing Granny Nyon's words, a smile returned to Hancock's face, and she said, "Yes, I understand!"
As long as they could meet often, she wouldn't ask for anything more.
"Alright, I'll contact Sister Shakky in a bit and have her get me a White Transponder Snail," Meiser said.
"A White Transponder Snail?"
"It's a type of Den Den Mushi that can prevent eavesdropping," Meiser explained. "That way, we won't have to worry about the World Government listening in on our calls."
"Okay, I understand!" Hancock said with a smile.
"You're really willing to part with it," Granny Nyon said with a chuckle.
That kind of Den Den Mushi was extremely expensive; even they didn't have one.
"Of course I'm willing to buy it for my wife," Meiser said with a smile.
"Ah~"
Hearing Meiser call her his wife, Hancock's face immediately turned red.
She then raised her hands to cover her face and began to steam.
Meiser: ...
Granny Nyon: ...
Why was she steaming again?
Just then, Meiser's expression changed slightly, and he quickly said, "See you in a bit!"
As his voice fell, Meiser turned into a puff of white smoke and vanished on the spot.
Hancock: ???
Seeing Meiser suddenly disappear, a question mark appeared above Hancock's head.
What... was going on?
"This is that little girl Merry's ability," Granny Nyon said. "She can summon Meiser away regardless of distance."
As soon as she said this, a look of envy appeared on Hancock's face.
"This ability is so good..."
If she had this ability, could she summon Meiser to her side anytime, anywhere?
'Maybe I should keep this little girl by my side?' Hancock muttered to herself.
But this thought was dismissed as soon as it appeared. After all... that was Meiser's companion.
She didn't want to make things difficult for Meiser because of her own selfish desires.
"What a magical ability," Sandersonia remarked, then said, "But why did that little girl summon Meiser away?"
Could it be that they encountered danger?
That shouldn't be...
There shouldn't be any danger on their Kuja Island.
"Straw Hat Boy has probably woken up," Granny Nyon said.
Before the two of them arrived, Meiser had already told Merry about this, so she guessed that the boy had woken up.
"Straw Hat Boy is awake?" Sandersonia asked, puzzled. "Has he been unconscious this whole time?"
"Mm, yes," Granny Nyon nodded. "Meiser said that boy has been sleeping since they left Marine Headquarters."
"He sure can sleep..." Sandersonia's mouth twitched.
So many days had passed since the war at Marine Headquarters, yet this guy was still sleeping... It was truly astonishing.
"He probably accumulated too much fatigue, which is why he's been sleeping all this time," Granny Nyon said. "But this guy does crawl up to eat at mealtimes."
Sandersonia: ???
What the hell was "crawling up to eat at mealtimes"?
Perhaps seeing Sandersonia's confusion, Granny Nyon explained, "It means that this guy can eat while he's asleep."
As she spoke, Granny Nyon showed a look of amazement.
It was the first time she had ever seen such a person.
Sandersonia: ...
Sandersonia opened her mouth, at a loss for words for a moment.
"How interesting," Marigold chuckled. "Looks like this guy won't starve to death."
She had been wondering if he would starve to death from not eating for so long, but it turned out he could eat while sleeping...
How absurd.
"Mm, he certainly won't starve."
Granny Nyon nodded, then turned her gaze to Hancock, who was lost in thought. "What are you thinking about?"
"I'm thinking about Meiser," Hancock said, looking up. "Straw Hat Boy is awake now, so does that mean Meiser is about to leave?"
As soon as she said this, the three of them immediately fell silent.
That's right, Meiser was about to leave.
After a moment of silence, Granny Nyon said, "If you really can't bear to part with him, then use a Pirate Ship to escort them to the Sabaody Archipelago. That way, you can spend more time together."
At these words, Hancock's eyes immediately lit up.
"That's right!" Hancock said. "I will personally escort Meiser to the Sabaody Archipelago!"
This way... she could spend more time with Meiser. Thinking of this, a happy smile appeared on Hancock's face.
Then, Hancock said, "But before we leave, we must also give Meiser a proper welcome."
"And Straw Hat Boy and Merry," Granny Nyon added.
Why did this girl only have eyes for Meiser?
"Ah, and those two," Hancock nodded, then cupped her chin and said, "What should I prepare for Meiser?"
Granny Nyon: ...
Why did she feel that Hancock's case was even more severe than her own?
Just then, Enishida ran in from outside, shouting, "Empress Serpent Princess, this is bad!"
Her train of thought interrupted, Hancock frowned, then looked up at Enishida and said, "What happened, to make you so flustered?"
"Empress Serpent Princess, this is bad," Enishida said. "A man calling himself Rayleigh has appeared on the coast of Kuja Island. He took down many of our warriors in a single encounter!"
"Rayleigh?"
Granny Nyon showed a look of surprise. "What is that guy doing on our Kuja Island?"
Was he planning to come see Meiser and Luffy in person?
Recalling the call Meiser had made earlier, Granny Nyon felt this was highly probable.
"Why would this guy come here?" Hancock also had a puzzled look on her face.
Then, she looked at Enishida and asked, "Did he say anything?"
"Ah, he did," Enishida said. "He said he was here to find Lord Meiser and Luffy."
"But none of us know him, and we don't know if he's telling the truth, so we've temporarily blocked him outside, planning to report to you first before doing anything else."
Although that man swore that he knew Lord Meiser and Empress Serpent Princess, they ultimately couldn't confirm his identity, so they could only come back and ask first.
Hearing this, the corner of Granny Nyon's mouth twitched slightly as she thought, 'Block Rayleigh?'
If it weren't for the fact that the guy didn't want to cause trouble, all the Guardian Warriors together wouldn't be able to touch a single hair on his head!
Shaking her head, Granny Nyon said, "Meiser mentioned that he's on very good terms with Rayleigh and Shakky, so Rayleigh probably isn't lying."
"Is that so..."
Hancock was silent for a moment, then said, "Then bring him in. Take him to Granny Nyon's place to see Meiser."
"Eh?"
Enishida was stunned for a moment, then said in surprise, "But he's a man."
"Are we really going to bring him in?"
Meiser and Straw Hat Boy were allowed in because of special permission from Empress Serpent Princess and Granny Nyon, but that guy named Rayleigh...
Hmm?
Rayleigh?
Could it be that Rayleigh?
As if she had thought of something, Enishida's heart suddenly trembled.
"If he wanted to come in, even I couldn't stop him," Hancock said, shaking her head.
She was telling the truth. If Rayleigh really intended to force his way into Kuja Island, she really couldn't do anything about it.
After all... that man was the Pirate King's first mate!
If a fight broke out, she wasn't necessarily confident she could take him down.
Enishida: ...
Could that guy really be the legendary Dark King, Rayleigh?!
That would explain why Empress Serpent Princess would say such a thing.
"Go," Granny Nyon said. "He poses no danger to our Kuja Island."
After all... that man was the man of their Kuja Island's empress-before-last!
Even just for Shakky's sake, Rayleigh wouldn't cause trouble.
"Yes, I'll go at once!" Enishida said loudly.
Then, the woman quickly turned and ran outside, intending to rush to the coast as fast as possible to avoid unnecessary casualties.
After watching her leave, Hancock said, "Let's go. We should also go and see what this guy wants."
"Alright."
Granny Nyon nodded, then picked up her Serpent Cane and followed Hancock out of the room.
Following behind the two, Sandersonia looked at Marigold and said, "What is he doing here looking for our brother-in-law?"
"How should I know," Marigold said, shaking her head.
She had only just received this news, alright.
As for deducing the man's purpose... don't be ridiculous, her brain wasn't suited for that kind of thing.
"We'll know his purpose when we see him," Hancock said. "Let's go."
"Yes, Elder Sister!" the two sisters nodded.
Then, they strode to follow beside Hancock, walking out of the Chamber
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