Arriving at Amazon Lily

Splat!

Jiang Lin had no idea how long he had been flying. When he landed, he looked up and saw the unmistakable words "Kuja" overhead.

"So this is..."

Jiang Lin dusted himself off and gave a helpless, wry smile. He couldn't tell whether he was lucky or unlucky.

But since Kuma had sent him here, there was no changing it now.

"Come to think of it, wouldn't her power look a little too girly on me?"

Jiang Lin sat cross-legged with his chin in his hand and gave the matter serious thought.

"Over there! Just ahead! They say they found someone who ate the mushroom-growing mushroom by mistake."

"Hurry! Drag him back to the village!"

The rush of footsteps snapped Jiang Lin out of his thoughts. He parted the bushes in front of him and immediately spotted Luffy lying motionless on the ground, mushrooms covering his body.

"Luffy, it's not that I don't want to help you, but... I'm a man too!"

Jiang Lin promptly let the bushes fall back into place and headed toward the village alone.

I need to sneak into the village first. No, the port might be a good choice too. But picking a fight with an entire country right away might be pushing it. Forget it. I'll take a look first.

After thinking it over for a moment, Jiang Lin decided to head to the port. His target wasn't on the island right now, so entering the village would do him no good.

Two enormous ships sat quietly on the calm sea of the Calm Belt.

If I remember right... that's Marine Vice Admiral Momonga's ship. Too bad he doesn't have a power. Otherwise, sneaking aboard to fight him wouldn't be a bad choice.

Jiang Lin had already obtained a Glint-Glint Fruit Devil Fruit Card from his earlier battle with Kizaru. If he could get another Devil Fruit from Momonga, he would feel even more confident about the coming fight at Impel Down.

Unfortunately, Momonga had nothing to offer him. Jiang Lin kept his attention on the other ship sitting in the Calm Belt, a huge vessel painted bright red.

Boa Hancock, the woman with the Love-Love Fruit. I'll be taking your Devil Fruit!

Jiang Lin hid by the shore and quietly waited for a chance to board. He hadn't equipped a Devil Fruit, so he still had no powers. When the moment came, he could either swim over or fight the Pirate Empress on the shore for a minute. Either option was fine.

"She's coming out!"

As the bluestone gate slowly opened, Boa Hancock appeared before everyone in a red robe. Bearing the titles of Pirate Empress and Shichibukai, she carried herself with unmistakable pride.

No good! Even from this far away, the Pirate Empress is irresistible!

Jiang Lin covered his nose with both hands and turned away, bliss written across his face.

Calm down! She's Luffy's...

No! She belongs to every man in the world...

Calm down! She's Luffy's...

No! She belongs to every man in the world...

While Jiang Lin wrestled with himself over the Pirate Empress, the situation at sea changed in an instant. After a burst of commotion, a group of Marines all turned to stone.

"Time to move!"

Jiang Lin cast aside every distracting thought. Watching the Pirate Empress's ship draw closer, he slowly stepped out of the grass where he had been hiding.

"Looks like I'll have to do this the hard way."

As he walked, Jiang Lin wove nearby vines into a mask that covered half his face. He slipped it on, then waded through the seawater toward the red ship.

Creeeak!

The harsh sound of straining planks and cries of alarm came from the ship ahead. The Kuja Pirates, who had just been admiring the Pirate Empress, stared at the man before them and covered their mouths in shock.

"A man? How did you get here?"

The Pirate Empress looked at the masked man, puzzled. They were in the Calm Belt. Ordinarily, anyone who came near was either torn apart and eaten by Sea Kings or left gravely wounded and barely alive. Men like Jiang Lin, who looked perfectly healthy and was bold enough to approach them, were exceedingly rare.

"Boa Hancock, I challenge you!"

Jiang Lin raised his right hand and pointed straight at the Pirate Empress, who stood atop a serpent's head!

"A challenge?"

As a Shichibukai, Boa Hancock was accustomed to challenges from pirates around the world. But no man had ever appeared before her so openly and challenged her in front of the entire Kuja Pirates and all the people of Amazon Lily.

"Why challenge me? Are you after my position among the Shichibukai?"

Boa Hancock's expression changed sharply. The look she gave Jiang Lin filled with killing intent.

Her position among the Shichibukai determined the fate of both herself and all of Amazon Lily. She would never allow anyone to take it.

"No. I'm not interested in your position. I'm interested in you—no, that's not right! I'm interested in your power."

Jiang Lin waded slowly toward the Pirate Empress's ship. An enormous serpent flicked its scarlet tongue and lowered her gracefully to the water before him.

"You're not a Devil Fruit user?"

The Pirate Empress looked at Jiang Lin's legs submerged in the sea, surprise on her face. If he dared challenge her without a Devil Fruit power, he must have some other exceptional means. People like that were usually difficult opponents.

"Not right now. I will be in a moment. Could we move somewhere else? I can't fight properly here."

Jiang Lin helplessly lifted one leg. Seawater clung to his smooth thigh, and it was already up to his waist. Using a Devil Fruit Card now would be no different from throwing his life away.

"Very well!"

The Pirate Empress did not take advantage of his predicament. She had another serpent lower its head, then brought Jiang Lin to shore with her.

"What's your name?"

The Pirate Empress stepped elegantly off the serpent. Her red high heels were spotless, as though they had just been taken out of a vacuum.

“D. Jiang Lin!”

Jiang Lin turned his head, doing his best to avoid meeting her eyes.

“D?”

The Pirate Empress's expression visibly changed when she heard the name.

"Don't worry about the details. Boa Hancock, have you ever been kicked by light?"

To keep himself from going soft, Jiang Lin equipped the Glint-Glint Fruit as soon as he had given his name.

Sorry! I'm doing this to save Ace!

After apologizing silently, Jiang Lin turned into a streak of light and flashed above the Pirate Empress's head.