At this moment, the image of that junior finally became concrete and clear in Tenma's mind.
It was honestly astonishing—Shakky had actually been the empress of Amazon Lily two generations ago. When he first heard the news, even he had been stunned for several seconds.
But thinking about it, it all made sense. No wonder Shakky was so close to old Gloriosa, close enough to even persuade a figure like Rayleigh to step in and help Hancock and the others.
Tenma casually waved his hand, pulling his wandering thoughts back on track, his gaze returning to the short, elderly woman before him.
"Gloriosa, I understand your concerns. Wano's defenses are indeed as solid as an iron wall—but when it comes to launching an offensive, that's a different matter entirely."
His fingers lightly tapped the tabletop, his tone calm yet carrying an unquestionable confidence.
"And there's no need to belittle the Kuja's strength. You're a warrior race where every single member can use both forms of Haki. Even if your numbers are small, once you're on the battlefield, who would dare look down on you?"
As he spoke, a faint smile appeared at the corner of Tenma's mouth, and the image of that proud young girl surfaced in his mind.
"Besides, I'm extremely optimistic about that girl Hancock. Her talent is a gift from the heavens—she's destined to stand at the very pinnacle of the seas."
"You know this as well. On this sea, the deterrence of a single top-tier powerhouse can sometimes be worth more than thousands of troops."
Gloriosa gripped her snake staff tightly and nodded in silence.
That one person could be an army unto themselves—this old body of hers understood that truth better than anyone.
"So, as long as Amazon Lily joins Wano under my banner, I promise you this: I will pour every resource I have into nurturing Hancock, and make her the strongest empress in Kuja history."
Those words were like a sledgehammer, striking straight into Gloriosa's heart.
A strong empress meant a strong Kuja—this was the unchanging survival rule of their nation since ancient times.
Although reports about Tenma had yet to flood the newspapers, with her years of sharp judgment, she could tell that the man before her possessed unfathomable strength.
Coupled with the importance he placed on Hancock, this wasn't just Hancock's good fortune—it was the path forward for the entire country.
"Since the Admiral has spoken this far," Gloriosa said after taking a deep breath of the slightly chilly air, as if setting down a crushing burden, "then I understand."
"I will immediately announce to the people that Amazon Lily will officially merge into Admiral Tenma's Wano. The entire nation will relocate out of the Calm Belt."
With that, she trembled as she stood up, a trace of resolve flashing through her cloudy eyes.
"However, there is one request I must make. I hope the Admiral will agree. Amazon Lily's traditions and rules must not be lost."
Tenma knew exactly what she meant. He didn't hesitate in the slightest, nodding in immediate agreement.
"Rest assured. Amazon Lily will exist as a special autonomous region of Wano. Without special permission, no man of Wano will ever set foot in the Land of Women."
To make these women truly loyal, such a concession was trivial.
Anyway, once Hancock ascended the throne, this country would sooner or later be completely permeated by his influence without anyone even realizing it.
The overall situation was already settled—this was merely a more dignified step for formal submission.
After the two finished discussing business and departed one after the other, neither noticed that within the shadows of a corner, a young girl was clutching her chest, barely daring to breathe.
Or rather—Tenma truly hadn't noticed, while Gloriosa was deliberately pretending not to see.
After all, she had raised this girl herself. Hancock naturally knew several secret passages that led in here.
She just hadn't expected to hear all of this…
The girl's originally fair cheeks were now as red as a ripe apple. Her hands were tightly twisted together, her knuckles turning white from the force.
She had heard Granny Nyon's compromise for the sake of the nation—and she had also heard that lord's undisguised admiration for herself.
Her heart pounded violently, and the strange dizziness made her legs feel weak.
Hancock had originally been torn, afraid that her benefactor would come into conflict with the country she loved so deeply.
Now, upon hearing that the nation would merge into Tenma's forces, she felt not the slightest resistance—instead, an indescribable surge of joy welled up within her.
Of course, these girlish, lovestruck thoughts of hers would seem utterly incomprehensible to outsiders.
"Lady Gloriosa! Have you gone senile? You're really going to join that man's country?"
"Exactly! Men's mouths are lying ghosts—who knows what wicked intentions they have!"
Compared to the naïve civilians, the members of the Kuja Pirates who had ventured out to sea reacted the most fiercely, each one indignant.
"Silence, all of you!" Gloriosa slammed her snake staff hard against the ground, stopping the uproar. "I've eaten more salt than you've eaten rice—do you think I can't tell truth from falsehood?"
"As I said before, this is nothing more than changing patrons. We used to rely on the Calm Belt; now we rely on a stronger nation. What's the difference?"
There were things she couldn't say outright—such as Tenma's special arrangements for Hancock. With the empress's position not yet secured, saying it now would only cause trouble.
The crueler reality was that from the moment Tenma set foot on Amazon Lily, they had no qualification to refuse.
To prevent public panic and avoid angering that fiend, Gloriosa could only explain things in ways everyone could understand.
"And do you really think the Calm Belt is absolutely safe? I've recently received reliable intelligence—the Navy has developed a new type of warship that can bypass the Sea Kings."
"If that technology matures, our natural barrier will be no better than paper!"
Seeing the shock on everyone's faces, Gloriosa pressed her advantage.
"Rather than sitting around waiting for the Navy to come knocking, it's better to join that man. We're both illegal nations in the eyes of the World Government—but he's a hegemon who has already secured his footing in the New World."
"And even if we take ten thousand steps back, we're now a Sky Island. Isn't that ten thousand times safer than staying on the sea?"
"All of this… is for the future of our country."
Once these heartfelt words were spoken, the warriors who had been shouting just moments ago instantly fell silent, each lowering her head.
In the end, relying on Gloriosa's authority and this irrefutable logic, the entire nation tacitly accepted the reality.
There was no need to struggle through the depths beneath Fish-Man Island. Massive ships, together with entire islands, floated tens of thousands of meters in the sky.
They crossed the Red Line directly and descended into the latter half of the Grand Line—the region known as the monster's nest, the New World.
With the abundant gains of the past half year, Tenma returned to these seas in the posture of a king.
Although the Kuja people were somewhat resistant at first, in less than three days they accepted the reality of being affiliated with Wano.
Once they accepted it—and with their naturally simple folkways—the relationship between the two sides rapidly warmed, shifting from confrontation to friendly exchange.
Early the next morning, Yamato excitedly dragged a group of sisters along to Amazon Lily to run wild.
Having grown up isolated from the world as well, Yamato's tales of Wano's anecdotes and experiences at sea were vivid and animated.
Coupled with Robin and Maria Fang occasionally "educating" them on certain male "physiological knowledge," these girls who had never seen men before were left completely dumbfounded.
After a few days, these foreign girls were somehow thriving among the Kuja citizens.
Even more absurdly, because their admiration for Tenma was carved into their very bones, that emotion spread like a virus.
The fact that Tenma was the Shogun of Wano became firmly established—and along with it, his powerful, gentle, considerate, wise, and towering image took deep root in the hearts of the Kuja people.
This brainwashing-level influence was so intense that the Kuja citizens began developing a distorted sense of "beauty" centered around Tenma.
Even those Kuja warriors who hated men the most began to look… off.
If the country hadn't already submitted, Gloriosa would have wanted to sew the mouths of those gossiping girls shut.
This wasn't introduction anymore—it was outright deification of that man!
She knew Tenma far too well. That fellow had a nasty streak deep down—how could he possibly be as perfect as they made him out to be?
But her people's hearts were as pure as blank paper. What Gloriosa feared most now was a nationwide outbreak of collective "lovesickness."
That heart-wrenching pain—just thinking about it still made her chest ache faintly.
Sure, if they really got sick, now that they had submitted to Tenma, the illness could be "cured instantly."
But no matter how she thought about it, it felt wrong. Best if it never happened at all.
While Gloriosa was worrying herself sick over there, Tenma was completely unaware.
And even if he knew, he'd probably just smile—he might even welcome it.
Now that Amazon Lily was settled, as long as those girls were having fun, Tenma couldn't be bothered to interfere.
He handed the navigation over to Lafitte and spent his days cultivating on the island that had been enlarged by the Moa Moa no Mi.
Holding a long blade, Tenma was engaged in high-intensity sparring with Koshiro, attempting to completely solidify that profound, elusive sword intent within his body.
He had already mastered Conqueror's Haki coating. Once his swordsmanship advanced another step, even without awakening his Devil Fruit, he would have the capital to wrestle with those veteran monsters of the New World.
The time had come to let his name resound across the New World, paving the way for an even greater chessboard to come.
After all, in a place like the New World where the weak are prey to the strong, only the powerful are qualified to enjoy authority and pleasure.
When they passed by Fish-Man Island, Lafitte had even asked: since they knew the Ancient Weapon Poseidon was there, given Tenma's ambition, why not take it while they were at it?
At the time, Tenma had simply shaken his head and replied, "Not famous enough."
Fish-Man Island was, after all, a member state of the World Government—unlike Amazon Lily, a lawless land.
Though the Fish-Men lived miserable lives because of the Celestial Dragons, forced to shrink away in the ten-thousand-meter-deep sea…
Tenma's current reputation still wasn't loud enough. To make them sincerely bow their heads would be no easy task.
Of course, that was only temporary. Who could say what the future held?
Besides, Shirahoshi hadn't even been born yet. There was still plenty of time to plan for Fish-Man Island—no need to rush.
If worst came to worst, he could simply control Shirahoshi alone. The effect would be the same.
As for Fish-Man Island's undersea resources and military forces—with Shirahoshi in hand, those would just be bonus gifts. Tenma wanted them, but he wouldn't seize them by force.
Time passed amid this monotonous cycle of sailing and cultivation. In the blink of an eye, another week had gone by.
The fleet had already penetrated some distance into the New World.
"Boom!"
A dull explosion echoed as a massive air bubble burst at high altitude, followed by deafening thunder.
One moment it was blazing sunshine; the next, a storm of hail descended.
Fist-sized hailstones hammered the sea surface, splashing up countless waves, as if trying to smash the ocean itself apart.
This was the New World—where the weather changed faster than flipping a page.
With the Float-Float Fruit supporting them, the ships and islands flying in the sky were unaffected, but the apocalyptic sight of clear skies turning to disaster in an instant still left the first-timers to the New World dumbstruck.
Only then did the youngsters aboard truly realize that this sea was no playground—it was filled with killing intent at every turn.
Tenma glanced down at the Log Pose on his wrist, then swept his eyes over the map.
If there was no deviation, Punk Hazard should be just ahead.
Now that they were back in the New World, this would be the final stop before returning to Wano. He had to flatten this place and fully implement the artificial Devil Fruit project.
While he was at it, he could also package up that scientific unit and bring it back, fertilizing Wano's tech tree.
In less than fifteen minutes, thanks to their flying speed, Punk Hazard's gloomy silhouette appeared on the horizon.
At this time, Punk Hazard hadn't yet turned into that hellscape of ice and fire, nor had the horrific gas explosion occurred.
It was still a proper Marine research base—one of the Navy's three major research facilities—heavily guarded and an absolute forbidden zone of the government.
Punk Hazard was Caesar Clown's lair, dedicated to researching those extinction-level weapons of mass destruction.
Because the stuff was so dangerous, despite being touted as second only to Vegapunk, Caesar was actually always teetering between being used and being discarded.
As a result, the island's security configuration was worlds apart from Vegapunk's facilities—there wasn't even an Admiral stationed here.
Tenma halted the fleet above the clouds. Yamato's Armament-infused electromagnetic waves instantly spread like a vast net, silently covering the entire island.
Every blade of grass, every breath and heartbeat, was clearly reflected in Yamato's mind.
After confirming there were no troublesome heavy hitters, Tenma felt a bit bored.
There was no need to let the squad go down for training in such a one-sided battle—better to finish it quickly.
"Stay on the ships. Don't move."
Leaving those words behind, Tenma leapt forward, plunging straight down from thousands of meters in the air.
The wind howled past his ears as he fell like a meteor, crashing directly toward the research complex at the island's center.
Though he could have infiltrated quietly, or had Yamato block all signals, today he was here to blow up the fish pond—the bigger the commotion, the better.
"Boom!"
Tenma slammed into the ground, dust and debris flying everywhere. He didn't even bother hiding himself, standing openly in the middle of the plaza.
Shrill alarms instantly tore through the air as large numbers of Marines rushed in, weapons raised, surrounding him completely.
"This is territory directly under the World Government! Intruders will be executed! Seize him!"
The Marine officer leading them didn't even give Tenma a chance to speak. At his command, countless black gun barrels were aimed straight at him.
Tenma let out a cold laugh and lightly tapped the ground with his toe.
"Hmmm—"
A strange vibration instantly spread across the entire island. The Marines who were about to charge forward suddenly lost their footing, tumbling all over the place.
"What's going on? An earthquake?"
Tenma didn't answer. He simply spread his arms slowly, as if embracing the sky.
The next second, everyone felt an intense sensation of weightlessness.
"Look! The… the ground is rising!"
"The island is flying! How is this possible?!"
"It's the Float-Float Fruit! That's 'Golden Lion's' ability—no, he's that new-era Flying Admiral, Tenma!"
Panic spread through the crowd like a plague. The Marines who had been so aggressive moments ago instantly fell into chaos.
"Quick! Call headquarters! Request Admiral-level support!"
Watching this rabble collapse before the fight even began, a trace of disdain flashed through Tenma's eyes.
He casually waved his fingers, as if conducting a symphony.
The solid ground instantly turned into a surging mudslide, like gaping monstrous mouths swallowing up all the screaming Marines.
After dealing with the outer fodder, Tenma placed his hand against the research facility's thick metal wall.
"Rise."
Amid a teeth-grinding screech of tearing metal, the entire massive complex—foundation and all—was forcibly ripped out of the ground by an invisible force.
Countless rocks exploded outward. Like a sliced cake, the facility tore free from Punk Hazard and floated alone in midair.
Perfect—no need to move the equipment one by one. House and people, all packed together. Now this was moving.
Just as the research facility finished lifting off, a furious roar erupted from behind.
"You bastard! Put it down right now!"
A figure clad in a Justice coat charged over using Geppo, like a human cannonball.
It was the base's Vice Admiral—and the only real fighting power here.
If it had been earlier, Tenma might have been interested in playing with him. But now that the goods were in hand, he couldn't be bothered to waste time.
Tenma's gaze was indifferent as his lowered hand suddenly released its control over the land below.
"Whoosh—"
With the Float-Float Fruit's power gone, the remaining half of Punk Hazard instantly lost its buoyancy.
The massive inertia caused it to hang in midair for half a second—then, like a gigantic bomb, it smashed violently into the sea.
"No!!!"
The Vice Admiral's eyes split with rage as he could only watch the base fall.
He no longer cared about chasing Tenma, hastily turning back to try and save the subordinates still on the island.
"BOOOOM!!!"
The impact raised waves hundreds of meters high, like a moving wall of water that instantly smashed the nearby warships into fragments.
Countless wrecks sank to the ocean floor. This once-glorious base was reduced to history in the blink of an eye.
This single strike fully displayed the strategic-level deterrence of the Float-Float Fruit.
Tenma didn't even look back. He continued controlling the research facility's ascent until it reunited with the fleet, then stepped forward and walked through the doors of the laboratory.
🌟 The story is already written… waiting to be unleashed.
Claim early access on Patreon: patreon.com/c/VoidInk08
🔓 You hold the keys to bonus chapters:
💬 10 reviews ignite 1 bonus chapter
🔷 100 Power Stones summon another
🔥 Your power determines how fast the tale unfolds.