Shichibukai Added

Hancock thoroughly carried out what Leo had said before: "Give them a show of force first."

Without hesitation, she turned most of the Marines to stone. Only then did she proudly raise her head and point at them. "I didn't expect there to be a few people with backbone in the Marines."

"So, the Marines have entered the territorial waters of our Amazon Lily Kingdom. Are you trying to start a war with Amazon Lily?"

Her words were domineering and utterly without courtesy. She had petrified ninety percent of the soldiers from the outset. Clearly, if Vice Admiral Tsuru could not give her a satisfactory answer, Tsuru, Momousagi, and Hina would have to face the entire Kuja Pirates on their own.

A miscalculation. Vice Admiral Tsuru's expression did not change, but inwardly, she regretted it somewhat. They knew too little about the Empress. As expected, they had provoked her hostility right from the start. She had not expected the Empress's ability to work on women as well. Though they had brought plenty of female Marines, they still could not escape the fate of being petrified.

With that, the distinction between men and women no longer mattered much. Who would have thought that the former slave now possessed such power? Coupled with her ability to cross the Calm Belt, her existence would undoubtedly pose an enormous threat to Impel Down.

If they could not recruit her here, then they could only give their all to wipe out the Kuja Pirates.

But when she considered the Seastone warship manufacturing process that had only just begun, as well as the severely insufficient Marine forces, Vice Admiral Tsuru had no choice but to swallow this humiliation. She raised a hand to stop Momousagi and Hina, who wanted to rush forward, then spoke with a calm smile. "How could that be? We came today to bring you good news."

She held a rolled-up newspaper in her hand and casually tossed it over. The Empress did not even raise a hand or move her chest. Sandersonia beside her simply reached out and caught the newspaper.

Nearly five meters tall, she held the newspaper as though it were a scrap of cloth. On its front page were several extraordinary headlines.

<The World Government has decided to issue seven licenses for legal plunder>

The Shichibukai system has been established!

<Four members of the Shichibukai have been confirmed!>

<400-million-berry pirate Doflamingo accepts the position of Shichibukai!>

<Captain of the Sun Pirates, "Knight of the Sea" Jinbe, accepts the position of Shichibukai!>

Gekko Moria accepts the position of Shichibukai!

<Nature-Nature Fruit pirate "Desert Crocodile" Crocodile accepts the position of Shichibukai!>

It could be said that the World Government was showing utmost sincerity this time. Before settling Hancock's matter, they had already confirmed the participation of four people, making the whole thing seem real.

The World Government's credibility was not yet as absurd as it would become in the future, when they would dare spread false news like Doflamingo having his Shichibukai title revoked. At present, the World Economic Journal represented absolute authority, and the news it published was practically fact.

After securing those four people who could not wait to become Shichibukai, they went looking for the other three: "Empress" Hancock, "Hawk Eyes" Mihawk, and "Tyrant" Bartholomew Kuma.

These three were clearly more troublesome than the previous four, but their value was equally beyond question.

Even if Hawk Eyes Mihawk could become a friend, he absolutely could not become an enemy. As the world's greatest swordsman, if he were not such a lone wolf, he could easily have gathered a force no weaker than one of the Four Emperors.

As for "Tyrant" Bartholomew Kuma, his background was spotless. If it had been during the World Conscription, he likely could have risen directly to become one of the Three Admirals, just like Fujitora and Ryokugyu. But there were currently no vacancies for Marine Admiral, so he was assigned the position of Shichibukai instead—if the World Government had known that Bartholomew Kuma was a member of the Revolutionary Army, they would never have allowed him to come into contact with Vegapunk.

As for the strategic importance of Nine Snake Island's location, there was no need to repeat it. In short, these three made the World Government feel even more secure than the first four.

Of course, that was only if the Empress accepted the World Government's appointment.

"So, what benefit does this bring us?" After the Empress finished reading, she already understood.

There was no longer any doubt about Leo's origins. Every one of his predictions had come true. Next, she simply had to follow his instructions: join the Shichibukai, then demand benefits from the World Government.

"The Shichibukai have certain privileges, including the right to plunder legally. As long as you do not touch the Heavenly Gold of the Celestial Dragons, there is naturally no need to mention countries that have not joined the World Government. Even merchant ships from countries that have joined may be plundered as you please, and we will not pursue the matter." Heaven knew how humiliating Tsuru found it to say those words. If not for the power of the Love-Love Fruit, she would never have come here to negotiate with Hancock. As a strategist, she understood that reality was what it was, and she had no choice but to bow to it. Yet as a Marine, saying such things still filled her with shame. But she had no choice.

A trace of anger appeared on Hina and Momousagi's faces, but a colonel and a major had no right to interfere with the World Government's policies at this stage.

In fact, even after becoming Marine Admirals, there would still be very few policies they could truly influence. Fujitora's attempt to abolish the Shichibukai system only succeeded because Doflamingo had been defeated and all sorts of secrets had been exposed, because Fujitora had only just become one of the Three Admirals through the World Conscription and could not immediately be removed in disgrace, because Akainu was too hardline... With all those factors combined, the Shichibukai system would not have been so easily abolished otherwise.

Marine Admirals might be powerful, but military officers could not interfere in government affairs!

"Is that so? Then I demand that the Marines not come within five kilometers of Nine Snake Island." The Empress, who had long intended to join the Shichibukai, opened her mouth like a lion. Originally, the limit had only been three kilometers.

Yet Tsuru agreed at once. In the Calm Belt, three kilometers and five kilometers were meaningless. The true key to this matter was Seastone warships.

Right now, she only wanted to bring these Marines back alive, not haggle with the Empress.

"If we rescue slaves of the Celestial Dragons, you are not allowed to pursue the matter either."

Tsuru calculated for several seconds and decided that placating the Celestial Dragons would be far simpler and more worthwhile than using countless lives to crush Nine Snake Island. So she agreed to that as well.

"Lastly, I need not obey the World Government's summons or orders."

That condition was actually completely pointless, since the World Government would later summon and command the Shichibukai without the slightest hesitation. But Tsuru could easily agree to it now—later was later. Once the Marines had fully developed their strength, with Sengoku the Buddha, Marine Vice Admiral Garp, three Logia Devil Fruit users serving as Admirals, and a large group of Vice Admirals with limitless potential, how could their power compare to what it was now?

And once they grew strong enough, when they chose to tear up the agreement would simply depend on the Marines' mood.

Ultimately, after the Marines sailed Seastone warships in here, the Empress was still at a disadvantage no matter how aggressive she acted. Just as she had always used a hardline attitude to conceal her weakness, she was merely employing that familiar tactic again now.

And so... congratulations to the Marines for recruiting another great pirate!

Of course, all of Leo's objectives had been achieved as well.

PS: Everyone's suggestions in the review section have been very constructive. I've gotten quite a few new ideas and inspirations. But I didn't sleep this afternoon, so I'm really exhausted. I'm going to sleep first. Please keep voting, and I'll keep building up chapters for extra updates~