Command the Lords with the Empress at His Side

Previously, Leo had never had a clear understanding of just how powerful the Kuja Pirates were.

To him, the Amazon warrior women of the Kuja Pirates were mostly a mix of simple-minded girls and clever women. None of them seemed particularly "fierce." Because the Empress liked him, they had all been far too gentle toward him.

But only now did he realize that this truly was a Shichibukai pirate crew.

There was no need to mention lone wolves like Jinbe, Hawk Eyes, and Kuma. Every other Shichibukai had a mature force behind them. Doflamingo's Spade, Club, Heart, and Diamond were his four highest-ranking officers, all powerful figures who had followed him from the start. Crocodile's Baroque Works also had ten subordinates who had eaten Devil Fruits.

Gekko Moria was somewhat exceptional, but his subordinates were not weak either.

In theory, the officers of the Kuja Pirates, who were stronger than Crocodile and Gekko Moria, were actually evenly matched with the top officers of Doflamingo's Donquixote Family. In fact, before the officers had even acted, the ordinary warriors had already slaughtered these pirate crews that had ventured into the Grand Line until they were terrified.

Some of the Amazon warrior women had not mastered their skills well enough, so some pirates pinned to the hulls did not die immediately and instead began to wail.

The more they heard, the more frightened they became, and even the five-meter-tall giant began to tremble in both legs.

There were even giants around one or two hundred meters tall in the One Piece World, and people over two meters tall were everywhere. Those who stood five or six meters tall were nothing unusual.

They held a great advantage when fighting enemies below their eye level—powerful, heavy-hitting, and extremely tough. Ordinary people could not even get close to them.

But clearly, that approach did not work against the true "protagonists."

Not to mention that anyone who ate a Devil Fruit, even the weakest Zoan Devil Fruit, could easily grow an entire size larger. The average height in the One Piece World was over two meters; after growing a size larger, that became four meters. Combined with the powers and enhanced attributes after transformation, they would instantly be at a disadvantage.

If people like them had not eaten Devil Fruits, it would be extremely difficult for them to learn Haki in the first half of the Grand Line. More often than not, they were simply stepping stones for others, and no matter how high their bounties were, they would only become someone else's fame.

But honestly, in the first half of the Grand Line, especially back in their own homeland, physiques like theirs posed an enormous threat. Eighty percent of pirates could not defeat them.

The captain of this pirate ship was not some fool with nothing but size. He had done his homework thoroughly. It was only due to the navigator's negligence that they had accidentally entered the Calm Belt. Yet even within the Calm Belt, News Birds frequently passed by and dropped newspapers. In fact, the only reason News Birds could deliver papers around the world so quickly was because they could cross the Calm Belt.

Even in the Calm Belt, he had seen the huge announcement issued by the World Government.

One piece of news was that the Kuja Pirates, an all-female pirate crew located within the Calm Belt, had become one of the World Government's Shichibukai!

Cold sweat poured from his entire body. Faced with death, many thoughts flashed through his mind, and he quickly made his judgment.

"Please wait!" His enormous lung capacity gave him a voice far louder than an ordinary person's. Big Cutlass William, the captain with the loudest voice in the entire Cutlass Pirates, shouted, "Please, spare our lives!" he cried.

"We have pirate treasures! Devil Fruits! Please spare us in exchange for our Devil Fruits and all our treasure!" His voice echoed across the sea and even drew the attention of a Sea King. A gigantic lion burst from the ocean. Its lower body was like a mermaid's, covered in fins and scales, while its upper body bore the head of a male lion. It was less than a hundred meters long, but its head took up half its body, making it appear enormous. It could swallow this caravel in a single bite.

But suddenly, two slender Yuda with blackish-purple patterns rose upright, glaring furiously at it. They opened their mouths wide and hissed out threats.

Fear was plainly visible on the lion's face. It immediately turned around and dived back into the sea.

The sea serpents did not return to the water. They opened their mouths and glared viciously at the pirates below, who had gone completely limp, drool dripping from their jaws.

Clearly, they would not mind using these humans to fill their stomachs.

"Hancock, wait..." Leo suddenly spoke.

"If you want the Devil Fruits, we can take them after we kill them all." The Empress was about to give the order to attack when Leo stopped her. She turned around and looked at him seriously.

In battle, the Empress had shown Leo an entirely different Hancock.

She was valiant and wise, ruthless toward her enemies yet never hesitant. Such a Hancock made hearts race.

Yet Leo simply smiled at the Empress. "Sorry, but I want to use them for an experiment, so spare their lives."

"Since you say so..." Hancock looked at the sincere Leo, her face slightly flushed. "Then spare their lives."

"Then let me negotiate with them." Leo extended his hand toward her. "Would you accompany me?"

"O-Okay..." Hancock's face reddened even more. She looked nothing like the valiant woman she had been moments ago, as if she had become an entirely different person.

Time seemed to freeze, but when the door to the pavilion opened and Leo slowly led the Empress down the stairs by the hand, everyone's attention immediately focused on them.

The pirates were instantly captivated by Hancock. Excitement filled their faces, their eyes turned into hearts, and the Empress's radiance completely robbed them of their senses.

She only needed to snap her fingers lightly to turn them all to stone. The Amazon warrior women of the Kuja Pirates, who had grown somewhat accustomed to Hancock's charm, watched Leo. Though he was shorter and weaker than the Empress, he did not lose to her in presence in the slightest. They inwardly praised them: What a perfect pair. Has this stinking man finally come to his senses?

"Everyone, please hear me out." Standing midway down the stairs, Leo commanded the lords with the Empress at his side, borrowing her might to speak loudly.

His lung capacity was not great, but in the now-silent surroundings, his voice easily reached everyone's ears. "The Kuja Pirates have decided to spare your lives," he announced loudly.

"But..."

PS: Everyone can guess what Devil Fruit it is.

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