Return

The moment those words left his mouth, the old woman had nothing more to say.

Amazon Lily was a den of bandits. They naturally needed no reason to rob others, and likewise, it was perfectly justified for others to deal with these pirate bandits without showing them the slightest courtesy.

The logic was sound, but when it happened to oneself, it did not feel nearly as pleasant.

"Enough." Yota carefully looked over Amazon Lily. "The people I’m looking for aren’t you. As long as you don’t resist, I won’t lay a hand on you."

Only then did the old woman shudder in alarm and scrutinize Yota and the others. She had assumed Yota was merely a passerby who had been attacked and had therefore struck back at Amazon Lily. But now, it seemed they had been targeting Amazon Lily from the very beginning?

Though Yota’s delicate features made him a properly handsome man in the Pirate World, his face was far too unremarkable. So even though his wanted poster had long since been issued, many people still failed to recognize him.

Still, he was a pirate known throughout the world, and he possessed the terrifying ability to plunder Devil Fruits. Anyone even slightly attentive would surely have seen his wanted poster.

As someone who served as Amazon Lily’s near-adviser, Gloriosa had naturally seen Yota’s wanted poster before. At first, however, she had failed to match him with the image because of the Tree World Descent he had unleashed.

Now that she examined him closely, she immediately recognized his identity.

"Marauder Yota? Did you come to Amazon Lily to seize Hancock’s Devil Fruit?"

The corner of Yota’s mouth twitched slightly. Although Hancock and her two younger sisters were called the Gorgon Sisters, if it truly had been the legendary Gorgon Fruit, he might actually have been tempted.

However, Yota knew perfectly well that Hancock had eaten the Love-Love Fruit. He wanted nothing to do with that Devil Fruit, since its power clearly depended on one’s looks.

And the techniques that Devil Fruit used…

Blown kisses, hearts, and the like. As a man, Yota felt that using such a Devil Fruit would be social death.

"No, I’m more interested in the Devil Fruits of Hancock’s two younger sisters," Yota immediately said.

Gloriosa did not quite believe him. Everyone knew how dangerous and terrifying the Love-Love Fruit’s petrification ability was. As for Hancock’s sisters’ Snake-Snake Fruit and Cobra-Cobra Fruit, what were those worth?

Ordinary Zoan-type Devil Fruit users were not exactly everywhere, but they were certainly nothing unusual on the seas. They were neither Mythical Zoans nor Ancient Zoans, so they could basically be considered the lowest rung of the Devil Fruit user hierarchy.

There was no need to mention high-class Logia-types. Even the most ordinary Paramecia Devil Fruit user might develop formidable power through the user’s imagination. Only ordinary Zoan-types could do nothing but walk the path of physical combat to the bitter end.

Gloriosa was about to say more when Violet walked to Yota’s side and softly whispered in his ear, "The Kuja Pirates’ ship is about to return."

Violet’s field of vision was vast, but that did not mean her brain could process so much information at once. It was convenient when searching for fixed islands, but when looking for a pirate crew, her observation range was generally around a hundred kilometers. If she focused on a particular person, the range became even smaller.

That was why she had not realized the Hancock sisters were absent from the island until they were nearly at Amazon Lily. However, once they arrived, she casually searched for Amazon Lily’s pirate ship. Ships were scarce in the Calm Belt anyway, so she quickly discovered the pirate ship not far from here.

"Looks like we won’t have to wait long." Yota nodded in satisfaction and directly released his Observation Haki.

After combining it with the Rumble-Rumble Fruit’s electromagnetic abilities, Yota’s Observation Haki was no longer as limited in range as it had once been. In an instant, his electromagnetic ability detected a ship several kilometers away, heading toward them.

The Kuja Pirates.

Having robbed another sizable haul of treasure, the pirate crew members were holding a banquet. Yet the central figure of the feast, Pirate Empress Boa Hancock, had furrowed her brows.

"Even the Pirate Empress looks beautiful when she frowns."

"She’s simply too gorgeous!"

In the past, the flattery of her subordinates would likely have made Hancock both disdainful and secretly pleased with herself. This time, however, she could not shake her feeling of unease.

Especially as they drew closer and closer to Amazon Lily, the unease in her heart grew stronger. Hancock’s expression gradually turned grave.

At that moment, her two younger sisters noticed that something was wrong. They waved away the Amazon Lily members currently swooning over her and asked, "Sister, what’s wrong? You look like something is troubling you."

"I don’t know! I just feel like something is wrong! Let’s hurry back to Amazon Lily!" Boa Hancock said, frowning deeply.

"Then I’ll have the crew speed up right away!"

In the Calm Belt, the Kuja Pirates’ ship relied entirely on two venomous snakes tamed by the Amazonians to pull it along. If they wanted to speed up, the crew could only row.

Not long afterward, the outline of Amazon Lily appeared in the distance. At that point, everyone sensed that something was wrong.

Although Yota had withdrawn the trees created by Tree World Descent, the island’s ruined terrain and buildings had not recovered. Thus, everyone could see the mess the island had become.

"What happened? Did the Marines attack Amazon Lily?"

"That can’t be, right? The Queen is one of the Shichibukai."

"Who besides the Marines could sail through the Calm Belt? Besides, do you really trust the Marines?"

The crew below chattered and argued noisily, while Boa Hancock’s face turned frosty. Her two younger sisters had already prepared themselves for battle.

Just as the ship was about to reach shore, Boa Hancock leaped into the air, crossing dozens of meters and landing directly on the beach.

Then she saw numerous Amazon Lily residents lying on the ground, and her face filled with both shock and fury.

Boa Hancock was by no means a qualified ruler, nor did she particularly care for her people. Still, she regarded every resident of Amazon Lily as her property and followers.

Now someone had come straight to her doorstep and damaged her property. Naturally, it ignited her rage.