"So… let me get this straight…"
"You're agreeing to lead Amazon Lily into joining the Straw Hat crew, and have the Kuja Pirates become part of the Straw Hat Grand Fleet?!"
Morning came, and a gentle sea breeze swept across the battered remains of Amazon Lily.
Among the ruins, lingering flames still burned. Stirred by the breeze, they flickered softly—like Amazon Lily itself, surviving a catastrophe and now radiating its own light and warmth beneath a new dawn.
Inside a side hall of the royal palace of Amazon Lily.
Red, who had not slept the entire night, had only just returned and barely rested before several bikini-clad female guards burst into the hall and woke him, inviting him to a temporary reception room for talks.
Naturally, the rest of the Straw Hat crew had received the same treatment.
But upon hearing that Boa Hancock had made such a momentous decision overnight, many of the Straw Hats couldn't hide their astonishment.
Sanji in particular—upon realizing that this women-only nation was about to establish close ties with the Straw Hat Pirates—had already begun fantasizing about leading an elite all-female squad to conquer the seas.
However, at that very moment, Hancock—seated on the high throne—suddenly spoke.
"No! You've misunderstood my meaning!"
Having worked tirelessly through the night without rest, Hancock now carried an inexplicable air of pitiful exhaustion that tugged at the heart.
Yet her tone remained lofty and imperious, without the slightest hint of weakness.
"The one Amazon Lily will pledge loyalty to is not the Straw Hat Pirates!"
"But you…"
"The vice-captain of the Straw Hat Pirates—Red!"
"Huh?!"
Hancock's words caused the Straw Hats present to freeze in unison.
Off to the side, Nami immediately began muttering in dissatisfaction.
"What does that even mean? Either you pledge loyalty or you don't…"
"We'll just treat this as helping an ungrateful bunch!"
"Why pledge loyalty to Red alone?"
"Are you trying to split our crew apart?!"
Red, now directly named, frowned slightly as well.
"Hancock, I don't quite understand what you mean."
"It's very simple…"
As if she had anticipated this reaction, Hancock's beautiful eyes flickered as she began to explain seriously.
"I admit that without your help, Amazon Lily might not have survived yesterday's disaster—perhaps it would have fallen into an irreversible abyss!"
"I also admit…"
"That the power of the Straw Hat Pirates far exceeds my expectations!"
"The bounties placed on you by the World Government and the Marines are completely mismatched with the strength you've shown."
"But…"
Hancock's voice slowed slightly.
At that moment, a hoarse voice suddenly came from outside the door, picking up her unfinished words.
"Allow me to say the rest, Snake Princess."
"Granny Nyon?!"
Guarding the door, Sandersonia and Marigold stared in shock as a short figure—wrapped in bandages and leaning on a cane—slowly stepped into the room.
Seeing who it was, Hancock's voice immediately rose in anger.
"What are you doing here?!"
"Who allowed you to enter?!"
"Sandersonia, Marigold—throw this old hag out at once!"
"Don't be so tense, Hancock."
Facing Hancock's aggressive aura, Granny Nyon merely waved her cane lightly and shook her head.
"I'm not here to stop you."
With that, she walked straight past the stunned Sandersonia sisters, lifted her head, and locked eyes with Hancock.
"I may be old, but I'm not dead yet!"
"As the former former former empress of the Amazon Lily Kingdom, I believe I'm qualified to attend today's meeting!"
With that declaration, Granny Nyon seated herself on the high chair beside Hancock and slowly swept her sharp yet aged gaze across the Straw Hats.
In the end, her eyes settled on Red.
"You must be Red, yes?"
"Thank you for the special medicine you sent. Otherwise, these old bones of mine might not have survived last night."
"You're too kind, Granny Nyon," Red replied with a calm smile.
He knew full well that despite her advanced age, this old woman's combat strength still ranked among the very top of Amazon Lily's warriors.
It was just unfortunate that yesterday she had faced two of the world's absolute top-tier fighters.
After nodding to Red and the others, Granny Nyon's expression grew solemn.
"Please don't misunderstand Hancock."
"In truth, the decision she made already goes against the ancestral laws of the Kuja Tribe!"
"The Kuja Tribe?"
Red raised an eyebrow, interest flickering across his face.
Back when he'd watched One Piece in his previous life, he'd been fascinated by Hancock and Amazon Lily—but the Kuja Tribe itself was something he barely remembered.
Seeing the confusion on their faces, Granny Nyon wasn't surprised.
Compared to well-known races like the Fish-Men, Giants, or Longarm Tribe, the Kuja were little more than an obscure footnote in the world.
And unlike other races with obvious physical traits, the Kuja's defining characteristic was extraordinarily subtle.
Granny Nyon lifted her head and continued.
"That's right."
"The Kuja Tribe are the native inhabitants of Amazon Lily."
"Unlike Fish-Men who swim the seas or Giants with towering physiques, the Kuja possess a very peculiar trait…"
"Any woman with Kuja blood will only ever give birth to daughters."
"However… because power, wealth, and authority in the outside world have long been inherited by men—and because women naturally face disadvantages in raw strength…"
"The Kuja ancestors chose long ago to leave society and settle on this island that ordinary people could never reach."
"And they named it Amazon Lily, after the Kuja Tribe itself."
"Over time, the Kuja established ancestral laws: men are forbidden from stepping onto the island, and Amazon Lily shall never pledge loyalty to any external power."
"So Amazon Lily has such a history…"
Robin, the Straw Hat most fascinated by history, couldn't help but look deeply moved.
As obscure as the Kuja name was, this was knowledge that would never appear in any history book.
And because she had experienced something similar herself, she empathized even more strongly than Nami.
"Of course, nothing in this world is absolute," Granny Nyon continued.
"To avoid complete isolation, some powerful Kuja women periodically set sail to explore the outside world."
"And neither the Kuja nor Amazon Lily ever restrict individual choices."
"Just as Hancock became one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea in her personal capacity, in order to protect the island."
"Then… what does all this have to do with Amazon Lily not pledging loyalty to the Straw Hat Pirates?"
Red cut in, steering the conversation back to the point.
"Hah…"
Granny Nyon took a deep breath, her gaze turning profound.
"In the long river of history, the Kuja Tribe has not never pledged loyalty to others."
"Besides bearing only female offspring, the Kuja also possess an exceptionally high affinity for Haki."
"But every such attempt ended in tragedy."
"Any power that included the Kuja ultimately collapsed—whether due to extreme gender imbalance, or internal conflict over authority between men and women."
"That is why the Kuja's ancestral law doesn't just protect the Kuja themselves…"
"It also protects the powers they might otherwise support."
Got it. Basically, hardcore feminist disaster prevention.
At this point, Red fully understood what Granny Nyon was getting at.
"The Kuja's history is a secret known only to Amazon Lily's royal lineage…"
"I suspect that's precisely why Hancock made such a decision."
Hancock: Huh?!
Is that really the reason?!
I just don't want to take orders from anyone other than Red!
Seeing everyone suddenly turn to look at her, Hancock froze for a moment—then immediately straightened her posture and nodded solemnly at Granny Nyon.
As if to say: Yes. I, your empress, am that wise and farsighted.
"And so…"
Granny Nyon suddenly stood and walked toward the Straw Hats.
Then, without warning, the old woman dropped to her knees before them.
"The Kuja Tribe will never forget your kindness."
"We will not submit to brute force—but we are willing to choose for the sake of honor and bonds."
"We humbly ask you… to forgive the Kuja Tribe's willfulness."
"W-What?!"
Granny Nyon's sudden kneeling caused every Straw Hat to react in shock.
Red turned his gaze to the only one completely unfazed—Luffy, who was wholeheartedly focused on the food in front of him.
"What do you think, Captain?"
"Huh?"
With his mouth stuffed full, Luffy turned his head toward Red, clearly confused as to why his name had suddenly been called.
Seeing his expression, the Straw Hats immediately understood…
He hadn't been listening at all.
With no choice, Red repeated the entire discussion for him.
All he got in return was Luffy's utterly indifferent reply.
"Huh? That kind of stuff again?"
Gnawing on a bone of meat with his rubbery mouth, Luffy mumbled:
"Didn't I say it already? Leave that annoying stuff to you guys."
"Ruling, loyalty, whatever… I don't get it at all."
"If you hadn't said having more subordinates would help us after becoming Pirate King, I'd already be back asleep."
"You idiot…"
Even though he'd expected this response, seeing Luffy—who had already experienced and understood so much—still act like this sometimes made Red wonder…
Had the Devil Fruit really messed with his brain?
"Alright, then."
After a brief pause, Red swept his gaze across his companions. Receiving their encouraging looks, he nodded.
"Pledging loyalty to me or to the Straw Hat Pirates makes no real difference anyway."
"In that case—"
Red suddenly stood up, a mighty aura of a king surging from his body as he met Hancock's gaze atop the throne.
Before the blush on her face could even surface, he declared:
"I accept your loyalty!"
In an instant!
The balance of power within the reception room shifted completely!
...
...
[Pokémon: Boa Hancock]
[Level: 67]
[Gender: Female]
[Nature: Sassy (+Sp. Def −Speed)]
[Type: Fighting / Fairy]
[Ability: Queenly MajestyThe ruler of her people, commanding authority without anger.Enemies feel the overwhelming pressure of a queen, making it difficult for them to act.The effect strengthens with the size and power of the dominion she commands.]
[Moves: Glimmer Storm, Superpower, Lock-On, Tri Attack]
[Experience: 0 / 14478]
...
[HP: 276]
[Attack: 216]
[Defense: 161]
[Sp. Atk: 214]
[Sp. Def: 174]
[Speed: 149]
[Total: 1190]
Half an hour later, Red slowly withdrew his gaze from Hancock's status panel after taking the high seat himself.
It had to be said—those who carved out a name for themselves in the world of pirates always had one or two traits that left him impressed.
Like Hancock's ability…
Queenly Majesty.
Originally, he'd assumed Hancock would have an ability centered on charming or enthralling enemies, like Robin.
He never expected the system to assign her something like this instead.
Red was no stranger to Queenly Majesty.
After all, Pokémon like Gardevoir or Tsareena—those ahem special favorites—were ones he raised almost every generation.
Still, the system's version of Queenly Majesty was clearly modified, far more fitting of the title than its in-game counterpart.
"An ability whose effectiveness scales with the strength of one's dominion…"
"Interesting."
Red glanced sideways and briefly checked the status panels of Sandersonia and Marigold as well.
After seeing their unremarkable stats and their single Fire and Poison typings respectively, he quickly lost interest.
"So? Hancock."
"I told you I wouldn't disappoint you, didn't I?"
Red smiled slightly as he spoke to Hancock and her sisters, who were standing dazed where the Straw Hats had been moments ago.
"Huh?!"
Hancock froze when suddenly addressed.
Then, the scattered light in her eyes slowly focused as a thoughtful expression crossed her face.
"So… the power your companions used earlier also comes from the Pokémon world you spoke of?"
"You could say that," Red nodded with a smile. "I only gave them a higher starting point."
"Their current strength is inseparable from their own effort."
"Of course, if you can show sufficient loyalty and value, I can even allow the entire Kuja Tribe to stand on a higher starting point as well."
"After all, my ability has no limits…"
(End of Chapter)