Boa Hancock

After Buggy and the others woke up, Rayleigh led the way, heading deeper into the island.

The deeper you go into the island, the more lush the surrounding vegetation becomes, with dappled sunlight filtering through the tree canopy.

Rayleigh stopped in his tracks. "To the right."

As soon as he finished speaking, a rustling sound came from the bushes on the right, and then a wild boar the size of a husky burst out of the bushes, charging forward with two tusks nearly a meter long.

Rayleigh flashed and jumped onto the branch of a ten-meter-high tree, handing the battleground over to Buggy and the others.

Buggy turned to look at the wild boar, stretched out his hands, and suddenly grabbed the boar's two tusks. However, the boar's charge was unexpectedly powerful, pushing Buggy's body backward.

According to the rules of the Pirate King world, the larger the creature, the stronger its power. This is true for both Oars and the colossal Sea Kings summoned by Shirahoshi. Conversely, smaller beasts are relatively weaker.

Buggy hadn't expected that this seemingly small wild boar could possess such strength!

His brow furrowed, his arm muscles bulged, and his feet sank deep into the mud. With a roar, he lifted the tusks and the boar's body upwards, then slammed it to the ground with all his might!

Boom!

With all its might, the ground was smashed into a large crater five meters in diameter, raising dust everywhere.

After the dust settled, the wild boar stood up again, unharmed, shook off the dust, its eyes bloodshot, its hatred for Buggy instantly reaching its peak, and charged forward once more.

Rayleigh stood atop it with a smirk, watching. "Buggy, don't underestimate the creatures on this island, or you'll suffer a great loss!"

"... I see!"

Buggy's expression turned serious. His left hand shattered into countless fragments, vibrating back and forth, while his right hand was covered in Armament Haki. With a single step, he instantly appeared in front of the wild boar. In a flash, he shifted his body, passing by its opponent, and at the same time, his hands, which had been gathering power, suddenly struck out at its rough, thick body.

The terrifying force that erupted instantly sent the wild boar spiraling through the air, smashing through two large trees and snapping them in two with devastating force. With a thud as the trees fell to the ground, the wild boar was buried under the broken tree trunks.

Rayleigh then jumped down from the tree and laughed, "How was your first battle?"

"That guy's not dead yet..., is he...?"

Buggy caught his breath and looked away from the direction where the tree had broken. "I never imagined... that such an ordinary-looking wild boar could possess such power. This place is truly terrifying yet thrilling!"

Rayleigh said, "This beast's fighting strength is probably only in the middle to lower ranks on the island, so even if we defeat it, it's not worth mentioning."

шшш●t tkan●￠O

"Only at a mid-to-lower level..."

A sly smile slowly crept onto Buggy's lips. "I'm already starting to look forward to the rest of my training!"

"Let's continue." Rayleigh turned to look at Shuma and Mohji. "And you three, I will have you train separately from now on. Training will be more efficient when you can't help each other."

Mohji and Shuma exchanged a glance and said simultaneously, "Yes (understood)!"

The training officially began, and time quietly slipped away.

Spring comes and autumn goes, flowers bloom and wither. Every week, the weather on the island changes drastically. Sometimes it's heavy rain mixed with snow, the cold seeping into the bone, or the scorching sun evaporates the moisture in the air, making the beasts even more irritable. Even with the buffer of spring and autumn, the drastic climate changes still cause considerable trouble for the few people cultivating on the island.

Finally, on this day, a massive pirate ship slowly sailed into the vicinity of Ruskaina Island. Two enormous snakes coiled around its hull, and the deck was teeming with female pirates of varying sizes. The pirate flag atop the mast bore a skull and crossbones shape resembling a sun wrapped in nine snakes—this was...

The Kuja Pirates, led by Boa Hancock, one of the Shichibukai of the Sea!

Because the Shichibukai possess plunder permits, the Navy does not interfere with the pirate crews' robbery activities, and the Kuja Pirates also go out to retrieve supplies and treasures every now and then.

That's right, it's taking...

With her stunning beauty and Devil Fruit power, Boa Hancock didn't need to resort to the "inferior" plundering of war like ordinary pirates. As long as she sailed to the port, the towns or port officers would readily offer her all sorts of supplies. Therefore, for the Kuja Pirates, the islands on the Grand Line were like their own spare warehouses, where they could take whatever they wanted, as much as they wanted.

Of course, there are times when they run into obstacles, and these opponents who want to resist will be eliminated by the warriors of the Kuja Pirates. Among all their voyages, the most outrageous was the expedition eleven years ago. It was because of that world-shaking act that Boa Hancock was given a bounty of 80 million.

Today is another day of great success for the Kuja Pirates, and the supplies piled up in the ship's hold will be taken back to Amazon Lily for Boa Hancock to enjoy alone.

At that moment, Boa Hancock, who was resting in the captain's cabin, heard a voice in the corridor, "Snake Princess Cosmos... I think I saw a figure on that island ahead!"

Still half-asleep, Boa Hancock's expression changed slightly as she lay on the ship. She wrapped herself in her clothes, concealing her graceful figure and long, fair legs, and walked outside. "Take me to see this!"

The female warriors along the way immediately stopped what they were doing, stepped aside to the sides of the corridor, and waited respectfully as a matter of course, making way for Boa Hancock.

Just then, an adorable kitten appeared out of nowhere and lay on the ground, playing with a ball of fur in its paws.

"Who did this... in a place I always pass by?" Boa Hancock slightly raised her foot and mercilessly kicked the kitten in front of her away. "Let a kitten go!!"

"I'm... I'm sorry, it's my responsibility..." A female soldier quickly ran over, picked up the injured kitten, held it in her arms, and said with sweat dripping down her face.

"Be more careful next time..." Boa Hancock indifferently as she continued walking forward, and soon she was on the deck.

"That's the island, Snake Princess!" A very obese female warrior took out her binoculars and respectfully said to Boa Hancock.

"That island...?"

Boa Hancock looked at the Ruskaina Island not far away, frowned slightly, and bit her lip.

Rusukaina located northwest of Amazon Lily, precisely on the route the Kuja Pirates took on their return journey to Amazon Lily. While this island is further out of the Calm Belt than Amazon Lily, it's still within the Calm Belt. If someone lands on the island... it means that some unidentified individuals have already mastered the method of traversing the Calm Belt!

She had also heard that government research institutions had recently developed a new shipbuilding technology that allowed them to freely traverse the Calm Belt, but she didn't know the truth of the matter. Now, hearing that Cosmos had seen people on that island, she was immediately filled with a desire to find out more.

In a way, the Calm Belt was like her private closet; even without locking it, no one could steal anything from there. But now the situation was different, and she wanted to see who... could actually stay on an island in the Calm Belt!

At this moment, Boa Hancock's pensive expression possessed an unparalleled charm in the eyes of the crowd, who screamed incessantly, "Snake Princess is so beautiful!"

"I love you, Snake Princess!"

"Snake Princess is so beautiful I'm completely mesmerized!"

"Shut up, all of you!"

Boa Hancock coldly ordered, and the surroundings fell silent instantly. She looked at Rusukaina before her, "Turn around, I'm going to check out that island!"

Rusukaina.

A figure darted through the woods. With a quick glance to the side, he swiftly darted to the right, his right hand, covered in Armament Haki, slashing towards a bush. A wild boar with meter-long tusks was instantly sent flying from the bush, its eyes rolling as it lay unconscious on the ground.

This person is Buggy. The extreme training he has undergone over the past seven or eight months has greatly improved his strength. When he first arrived on this island, he needed to go all out to defeat this wild boar, but now he can knock it down with just one punch. His strength is now completely different.

"What a coincidence, we've run into you again..." Buggy looked at the tusked boar in front of him, a cunning smile slowly spreading across his lips. "I've let you live so long, so in return, you'll be my dinner tonight."

With that, the starving Buggy began to prey on the tusked wild boar, and soon he had set up a campfire and started roasting the wild boar meat.

Then, he took out Den Den Mushi from his pocket, dialed, and in the blink of an eye, the Den Den Mushi connected. Holding the Den Den Mushi, he asked, "Any news from the outside world lately?"

"Yes, there's been a lot of news lately!" The Den Den Mushi transformed into Lilina's appearance.

Buggy asked, "Oh... tell me about it?"

News Coo can't reach the Calm Belt, so they can't get the latest newspapers here. Therefore, if Buggy wants to obtain intelligence from the outside world, he has to contact Lilina. After all, the latter is going to become an excellent intelligence broker and is particularly dedicated to this, so she naturally has a lot of intelligence to collect.

Buggy hasn't been in contact with Lilina for quite some time now, so this is a good opportunity for him to get some information from the outside world.

"Then I'll go over them one by one."

Lilina cleared her throat. "The biggest news is that Crocodile, one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea, used 'Dancing Powder' to cause a three-year drought in Alabasta, and also instigated a standoff between the rebel army and the Royal Navy. In the end, his plot was foiled by Marine Captain Smoker, and the Navy stripped Crocodile of his Warlord title, arrested him, and imprisoned him in Impel Down..."

However, strangely enough, after this period, there are no records of any pirate named Monkey D. Luffy, but his bounty suddenly reaches 100 million Beli.

Crocodile was actually defeated by Luffy, but the Navy, to save face, attributed the victory to Smoker and claimed that Smoker had captured Crocodile, which made Lilina realize the asymmetry of information.

Buggy doesn't know the exact time of the Marineford War, so he can only judge the timeline by the progression of the plot. Since Crocodile was captured, Luffy must have already left Alabasta.

He hesitated for a moment, then asked, "Any news about Fire Fist Ace lately?"

Lily replied, "Is it that Fire Fist Ace with a bounty of 500 million...? I haven't heard from him lately."

In the original story, Luffy rode the Knock Up Stream to Sky Island, which made Blackbeard give up the pursuit. Afterwards, Blackbeard and Ace fought a great battle, and Ace was defeated and handed over to the Marines by Blackbeard. This event became the fuse for the Marineford War.

There's still no news about Ace. One possibility is that Ace hasn't encountered Blackbeard yet, and another is that the Navy has already imprisoned Ace but is keeping this information a secret until their forces are ready before announcing it.

If we combine the two time points, Luffy should be on Sky Island now, or have just arrived at Water 7, which means... the Marineford War will break out in one to two months!

Having figured it out, Buggy continued, "So, what about the other news?"

"There's still a lot!"

Lilina spoke slowly, "Recently, a pirate named Eustass Kid has attracted the Navy's attention due to his brutal acts, and his bounty has reached 140 million... Hmm, I heard that a certain Rear Admiral in the Navy has defected, and he has also been given a high bounty of 87 million. As for the others, there are several other pirates with decent bounties who seem to be showing signs of growing in power, but..."

"But what?" Buggy asked curiously.

Lilina chuckled, "The most powerful one is Cabaji. His bounty has reached 167 million. I remember your bounty was 137 million, right? See? He's already surpassed you, hehe~~"

"Really? What did he do?" Buggy chuckled, finding it quite amusing. It was extremely rare, even in all the years since the Great Pirate Era began, for a crew member's bounty to exceed that of the captain.

"During this time, he seems to be constantly challenging pirates who come to Sabaody Archipelago. I remember before you left Sabaody Archipelago, there was a pirate who seemed to have been defeated in the New World, with a bounty of over 100 million, named Squid Spear Gold. He was killed by Cabaji. Now Cabaji has a new name, 'Wind-Hidden Swordsman'... Anyway, pirates on Sabaody Archipelago basically avoid him whenever they hear that title."

"Going too far isn't good..." Buggy said, picking up a piece of cooked roast meat and eating it. "Go tell him it was my order to tell him to tone it down and not cause any trouble."

"I see!"

Then, the two chatted casually. Buggy was very happy to talk to his companion whom he hadn't seen in a long time. After they had eaten and drunk their fill, he said, "In the meantime, if there's any Big News Morgans, let me know immediately. My training will be coming to an end soon."

After that, Buggy hung up the phone. He was now waiting for Rayleigh, Rayleigh had left the island two months ago. So, if he wanted to return to Sabaody Archipelago, he would have to wait for Rayleigh to come back and lead the way, and that would happen within the next few days as agreed.