After Salome and Dora had been calmed down by the Empress, her second sister Sandersonia led them back to the harbor.
Before leaving, the two swimming serpents still hissed nonstop at the sky.
They looked exactly like two wronged children.
"Let's go!"
The Empress did not waste words and prepared to leave with the Kuja Tribe's female warriors.
The man across from her with that disgusting smile made her not want to stay here another second.
Sure enough, men were all no good!
"Hey, Empress, wait a moment. I still have a third exchange proposal. Are you interested in hearing it?"
Seeing the Empress and the others about to leave, Yoru hurriedly called out to stop them.
This was a joke. His main purpose in coming to Kuja Island had not yet been accomplished.
"Not interested."
The Empress did not even look at Yoru. No matter what the man before her said, she no longer wanted to pay him any attention.
"You should still hear me out. Otherwise, I'm afraid those two little cuties you raise will be bullied by the big fellows in the surrounding waters."
"You dare threaten me? Do you not know that I am the most beautiful woman in the world?"
Silence~
Looking at the Empress with one hand on her hip and her body arched back to an absurd degree—
Uchiha Camp fell deathly silent.
That terrifyingly powerful woman had said such embarrassing words and made such strange movements for the second time, hadn't she?!
Did she really think there was anything wrong with doing that?
Itachi turned to look at Big Brother in confusion. He had only just arrived and did not quite understand the situation.
He was already beginning to suspect that Big Brother was bullying fools.
Just as he thought that, cheers erupted from the crowd opposite them!
They were accompanied by cries such as, "The Empress is the most beautiful!" "The Empress is invincibly adorable!" and "I would die for the Empress!"
Itachi was certain now.
Big Brother was bullying a group of fools.
"I heard the Navy developed Seastone Technology, allowing warships to freely enter and leave the Calm Belt. They even approached Kuja Island to threaten you. You can tolerate something like that, but I can't!!"
"Are you looking for death?"
Watching Yoru's clumsy attempt to sow discord, the Empress felt that her patience had reached its limit.
"I can ensure that Kuja Island will no longer be threatened by Navy warships. From now on, no one will dare approach Kuja Island. Are you interested in that condition?"
"Not interested."
The Empress tilted her head and gave Yoru a sidelong, disdainful look.
"We can hear him out. It won't be too late to refuse after hearing what they want."
Granny Niu, whom the Empress had flung away earlier, had somehow run back.
She stood beside the Empress, offering her advice.
"It's very simple. The Uchiha Clan, like the Kuja Tribe, is a warrior race, so we hope to learn more combat techniques."
"We will be responsible for the safety of Kuja Island's surrounding waters and guarantee that even the Navy cannot approach the island."
"In exchange, you will teach our clansmen how to use Armament Haki. What do you think?"
Yoru slowly revealed the contents of his third exchange proposal.
"Ptui! You little brat sure dreams big."
Before the Empress could speak, Granny Niu was already furious enough to laugh upon hearing this so-called exchange. She pointed at Yoru's nose and cursed:
"Do you take us for fools? By taking responsibility for the safety of Kuja Island's waters, you mean using that ability of yours to control Sea Kings, don't you?"
"The Sea Kings nearby have all been controlled by you. Wouldn't that mean Kuja Island's safety rests entirely on a single thought from you?"
"Empress, hurry up and kick this little brat to pieces! This bastard has ill intentions!"
Granny Niu pointed her cane at Yoru, looking ready to charge at him at any moment.
Yoru naturally saw through Granny Niu's bluff and could only wave his hand helplessly.
"All right, all right. To show our sincerity, let's change the terms of the exchange."
"You teach us Haki, and we'll teach your people how to control Sea Kings. How about that?"
"Brat, are you telling the truth?"
Granny Niu's eyes lit up at this exchange.
If they could truly control Sea Kings, Kuja Island would never again be threatened by anyone.
From then on, even ordinary tribespeople could go out and see the outside world whenever they wished.
"This deal is fine. Agree to it."
Granny Niu winked at the Empress.
Armament Haki was not some rare thing anyway. Not everyone in the latter half of the Grand Line knew it, but it was still a fairly common skill.
Even if they sincerely wanted to teach it, whether the other side could learn it would still depend on their own aptitude.
This deal was not a loss!
Yoru was calculating in his heart as well.
He certainly would not tell the Empress that controlling creatures at the level of Sea Kings likely required the Eye Power of an Uchiha Mangekyo.
He planned to teach the Kuja Tribe only genjutsu such as the Golden Binding Technique.
This was one of the rare practical genjutsu that could be used without the Sharingan.
Also known as the Immobilization Technique, it could render an enemy unable to move.
Although it was only classified as a D-rank ninjutsu, its effect was excellent.
As for what would happen if the Kuja Tribe's warriors discovered that, even after mastering it, they still could not control creatures and could only immobilize them?
Don't ask. The answer was that they were not strong enough and needed to keep training.
A master could only lead you to the door; cultivation depended on the individual. Did they understand that principle or not?
"Don't you know Haki yourself? Why can't you teach them?"
Although the Empress also felt this deal was rather worthwhile, she still did not trust the character of the person opposite her.
His use of her beloved serpents to threaten them earlier was proof enough.
The man opposite her was absolutely scum of the highest order. Would someone like him really be kind enough to teach them how to control Sea Kings?
Facing the Empress's doubts, Uchiha Yoru's smile remained unchanged. He spread his hands, his tone carrying just the right amount of helplessness.
"Empress, my rudimentary use of Haki is merely a superficial understanding I fumbled my way into through a fortunate coincidence. It isn't systematic."
"It's fine for my own use, but systematically teaching my clansmen is truly beyond me."
"Every Kuja Tribe warrior knows Haki, so you must have your own method of training it. My clansmen need those methods badly."
Yoru's words were absolutely sincere.
The ability of his Mangekyo's left eye was Amenomikado, which could break through spatial barriers and create [World Gates] connecting different dimensions and planes, allowing him to travel freely between them.
The ability of his right eye, meanwhile, was the Earthly Pact seal. It actively attuned itself to the fundamental laws of power in any world he reached and rapidly analyzed that world's core power system.
In plain terms, Yoru's Armament Haki had simply appeared out of nowhere.
It had not been cultivated by him personally.
After he first came alone to Kuja Island and secretly witnessed the Kuja Tribe's warriors using Armament Haki—
His body had naturally learned Armament Haki on its own.
So while Yoru himself could use Armament Haki, if someone had asked him then to teach the Uchiha Clan how to cultivate it—
He would not have known how even if they beat him to death.
Granny Niu narrowed her eyes as she studied Uchiha Yoru, seemingly judging the sincerity in his words.
She had lived for most of her life and seen all kinds of people. Though the young man before her was cunning, his words at this moment did not seem false.
"I refuse!"
Hancock slightly raised her chin and glanced at Yoru from the corner of her eye.
Perhaps what he said was true.
But considering how maliciously he had controlled Salome and Dora before, she would never agree to this deal!
Before you continue