The proud Pirate Empress...
Chose to retreat.
Yet none of the crew members present found it strange, accepting this reality.
There was no helping it—after all, it was that person...
...
Back when Griffin was still known as Flame Wolf, many had compared him to Hancock, who was around the same age.
It was almost universally acknowledged among pirates that Flame Wolf's strength surpassed Hancock's, approaching Shanks' level.
After Shanks challenged the Whitebeard Pirates, people stopped comparing Flame Wolf with Hancock, instead discussing...
How far this rising star of the Marines was from reaching the pinnacle of power.
...
Doll directly witnessed Griffin's intimidating presence over the pirates.
She had only mentioned it casually, intending to buy some time...
But they actually changed course?!
Wait, she clearly knew Griffin was on the island. She probably didn't want to engage with me, wanting to quickly join forces with Shanks to deal with Griffin!
Normally, major pirates wouldn't team up against the Marines, but these two were different.
The connection point was Rayleigh.
That Rayleigh would risk being hunted by the Marines again to protect Amazon Lily showed his deep connection with Hancock.
And he was formerly the vice-captain of Roger's Pirate Crew, while Shanks had been a trainee on that same ship.
There was a real possibility these two could form an alliance!
...
Having reached this realization, Doll turned her ship around to pursue the Perfume Yacht, shouting: "Boa Hancock, stop!"
"Do not proceed any further, or I will open fire!"
...
"Endless nuisance..."
Annoyance flashed in Hancock's eyes as she lightly touched her lips with her fingertips, creating a pink heart shape and aiming at Doll like a gun.
Kiss Gun!
The heart traced a pink trajectory as it shot forward at incredible speed.
Snap—
Doll covered her palm with Armament Haki and caught the heart.
...
"I absolutely will not let you join forces with the Red Hair Pirates!!"
Crack—
Doll crushed the heart in her palm, her stern expression hardening the lines of her face.
...
"How utterly rude!"
Hancock could tolerate it no longer. If not for fearing it would delay the rescue, she wouldn't be intimidated by the so-called Marine White Wolf.
As she stepped onto the ship's rail ready to attack, Marie stopped her again.
"Sister! Calm down!"
Turning to Doll, she shouted: "What are you talking about? Who said we're joining forces with the Red Hair Pirates? Their battle has nothing to do with us!"
"We're going to rescue our companions captured by Wang Zhi!"
...
Doll, who had been clenching her fists ready for battle, paused and slowly lowered her hands.
She glanced at Hancock with an unreadable expression.
"You could have just explained with one sentence. Even if you're enemies, I wouldn't necessarily disbelieve you."
"How about this..."
Doll took a deep breath and said solemnly: "Let's join forces to deal with the Red Hair Pirates first, then make Wang Zhi release your companions."
"On your own, it would be quite difficult to rescue anyone from Wang Zhi's grasp, wouldn't it?"
Although the Pirate Godfather had yet to appear, Doll remained vigilant, constantly monitoring the movements around Griffin to ensure timely warnings.
That was a great pirate with a bounty exceeding two billion berries. His sudden involvement would drastically impact the battle.
...
Sandersonia laughed in disbelief: "Do you take us for fools?! By your logic, wouldn't it be better to defeat you first and ask Red Hair to help us rescue our comrade!"
Doll shook her head: "Are you planning to rely on a pirate's sense of honor?"
"The reason I'm willing to trust you is because you're different from ordinary pirates."
"Nine Serpent Island's unique geographical position forces you to plunder at sea for supplies - it's a matter of necessity."
"Moreover, I know you only target other pirate crews and human trafficking merchant ships. To be honest, if you hadn't offended the World Government, we Marines wouldn't even be pursuing you."
"You must have noticed over these years - even Vice Admiral Tsuru, who's specifically assigned to you, only appears from a distance after you've completed your operations."
...
"The Red Hair Pirates are different!"
"They're genuine pirates, every one of them vicious criminals who have committed grave sins, trampling on others' dignity and lives under the guise of freedom!"
"Would you really trust such people over the Marines?!"
...
...
...
Sandersonia couldn't follow the complex reasoning, but understood one thing clearly.
This woman... seemed to be praising our Kuja Pirates, saying we're better than the Red Hair Pirates.
So there were this many distinctions between pirate crews?
...
"What nonsense are you spouting!"
Hancock shook Marie off, saying coldly: "This queen has no patience for your ramblings. If you don't step aside now..."
"Sister!!"
Marie rushed forward again to hug Hancock's leg: "What she says makes sense! We could completely follow her suggestion!"
"Wang Zhi has been famous since Roger's era. I've been saying this might be a trap targeting you, sister."
"But we can't abandon Gentian... For the sake of our comrades, even cooperating briefly with the Marines isn't unacceptable!"
...
"Unnecessary."
Hancock refused coldly: "Have you forgotten? That man is Kari's mortal enemy. How could we help him!"
Marie frowned deeply, thinking hard before finding words to persuade Hancock: "Sister... Mr. Rayleigh has sacrificed too much for us."
"This is also an opportunity to improve relations with the Marines. If we can regain the position among the Seven Warlords of the Sea, things would be easier for Mr. Rayleigh too."
A trace of conflict appeared on Hancock's face.
...
...
After brief negotiations, both parties reached an agreement.
The Kuja Pirates would help the Marines, with the price being not only assistance in rescuing Gentian, but also Griffin needing to propose to headquarters the restoration of Hancock's position among the Seven Warlords of the Sea.
After all, everyone on the seas knew that Chin Jao of the Happo Navy, who now occupied Sabaody and was enormously wealthy, had become a Warlord through Griffin's recommendation.
He had such influence back then, and surely possessed even more now.
...
——
Hachinosu Island port.
Having recovered some Chakra, Griffin was now trading blows with the Red Hair Pirates instead of constantly retreating.
Battles between powerful figures on the seas rarely concluded quickly - once they entered a prolonged phase, they would last for days.
Back then, Griffin had fought Shiki for several days until both were completely exhausted.
As for now...
The scales of victory were tilting in Griffin's favor as time passed.
Just then, both sides noticed Doll and the Kuja Pirates approaching.
...
Griffin frowned.
Why was Hancock here? Was she pursuing Doll?
Instead of blaming Doll for leading them here, Griffin thought her judgment was wise—she hadn't stubbornly tried to hold off the Kuja Pirates alone.
"You trust your superior quite a bit, you clever brat!" he shouted.
——
"You mere Kuja dare chase my subordinate? Prepare to die, you scum!"
"Especially that useless, laughable Empress—she was nothing but a decorative vase before, and does she think she can be of any use now?"
In one sentence, he dismissed the Kuja Pirates five times and issued a death threat.
His efficiency far surpassed Doll's.
...
Doll urgently yelled in anger, "Shut up, you bastard! They're the reinforcements I worked hard to negotiate for!"
Now she understood why Teacher Zephyr said that ninety percent of conflicts between people stem from verbal clashes.
A single sentence could either resolve or ignite conflict.
...
...
Bang—
Griffin forced Beckman back and looked at Hancock, now shrouded in dark Qi.
"Um... is it too late to take that back?"
...
"Unforgivable... I'll never forgive you..."
She muttered, then—
"Die, you bastard!!"
"Perfume Femur!!!!"
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