For so long, the safety of their crew and Amazon Lily had relied entirely on their status as Warlords of the Sea, which kept the Marines from troubling them.
If they were to be hunted down from now on, things would become extremely difficult.
Elder Nyon walked over slowly.
"Thank goodness we left Marine Headquarters immediately after the war ended... otherwise, the consequences would have been unthinkable!"
Her words were absolutely correct.
If they hadn't slipped away unnoticed when they did, the moment the order to abolish the Warlords was issued, they would likely have been captured and locked up in Impel Down by now.
Hancock sighed deeply.
"This is bad. Alter our course!"
"We won't return to Amazon Lily for now—I won't risk endangering the people of the island!"
Though she was usually willful and did exactly as she pleased...
In critical moments, she knew exactly what mattered most.
"But this isn't a long-term solution!" Elder Nyon said anxiously.
"It might solve our problems for the moment, but it won't protect us from disaster forever!"
She spoke with utmost gravity.
This decision would determine the very fate of Amazon Lily.
Even if it meant being cast out by Hancock, she would not back down from speaking the truth.
Hancock thought for a moment, then looked at her.
"Very well then. Tell me—what do you think this one should do?"
Elder Nyon considered her words, then struck her cane heavily against the deck.
"In my opinion... we should form an alliance with one of the more powerful pirate crews!"
"Joining forces with them... might well be our best choice."
Hancock and her two sisters listened and nodded thoughtfully.
Given the current situation, she was right.
Forming an alliance with one of the Four Emperors to stand against the Marines...
That was indeed the best way forward.
It would ensure their own safety, and protect Amazon Lily as well.
"But then... the question is: who shall we ally with?" Hancock said.
"The best choice, without a doubt, is El and his crew!" Elder Nyon declared firmly.
Without waiting for them to ask why, she explained her reasoning immediately.
"The reason is simple... because they are the strongest!"
"As for El himself—need I say more? He is a legendary pirate, active on the seas since the same era as the Pirate King and Whitebeard... You all saw with your own eyes just how powerful he is during the Summit War!"
Hearing Elder Nyon's analysis, Hancock nodded thoughtfully.
One had to admit that during the Summit War, El had single-handedly shifted the entire course of the battle.
It was no exaggeration to say that amidst all the powerful figures gathered there, he stood above them all.
Even when the strongest fighters joined forces to attack him, they could not defeat him.
At that moment, Sandersonia, Hancock's younger sister, spoke curiously.
"But that doesn't add up! I looked at him closely—he doesn't look a day over twenty! He seems so young! How could he possibly be from the same era as Whitebeard or Roger?"
Elder Nyon replied gravely, "That is exactly what makes him so terrifying!"
"He has sailed these seas for decades, yet his appearance has never changed... as if he will remain young and beautiful forever."
She looked at Hancock and the others, her expression serious. "Do you realize what that means?"
Sandersonia clasped her hands to her face in awe. "It means he must have eaten a Fruit that grants eternal youth! I am so jealous!"
Hancock, however, looked far more serious.
"I heard stories from when I was a slave to the Celestial Dragons... Only beings spoken of as gods..."
Elder Nyon interrupted her.
"You are exactly right. Only someone who has reached the realm of a god could be like El."
"What?!"
Hancock and her sisters stared at Elder Nyon in disbelief.
A god?
That word seemed far too distant, too legendary to be real!
"It is nothing more than an old woman's theory, of course," Elder Nyon said calmly.
"But one thing is certain: El is without question one of the most powerful beings on the sea. Forming an alliance with him would solve all our problems."
Sandersonia nodded vigorously.
"She's right! And during the Summit War, he even recruited Dracule Mihawk, Jinbe, and so many others into his ranks!"
"It looks like he's preparing to make some big moves!"
They all looked at Hancock expectantly.
If they were going to ally with anyone, it had to be with the strongest force out there.
But Hancock had other ideas.
"I think otherwise," she said with a scowl. "That crew of his is filled with nothing but wretched men... it would be dreadful."
"If we are to form an alliance, we would be better off joining forces with Big Mom!"
"At the very least, their captain is a woman."
Hearing this, Sandersonia and Elder Nyon were utterly speechless.
My Lady... do you realize what time it is?
The Marines are hunting us down.
Our very lives and home are at stake.
And you are still complaining about whether they are men or women?
It seemed she truly had no sense of urgency or priority!
"We are only talking about an alliance, nothing more!" Elder Nyon pleaded.
But Hancock was determined to have her way. "Sandersonia, contact the Big Mom Pirates immediately!"
Fortunately for them, they still kept a line of communication open with Charlotte Linlin.
Elder Nyon and Sandersonia had no choice but to yield.
After all, Hancock was both their captain and their Empress.
Reluctantly, Sandersonia established contact with Charlotte Linlin.
It was clear that Linlin had also been preparing for changes.
After all, the abolishment of the Warlords was an event so massive it was bound to send shockwaves across the entire world.
They listened as Charlotte Linlin laid out her conditions.
A long while later, they ended the call.
"You all heard her, didn't you?" Sandersonia said, her voice heavy.
Elder Nyon and Hancock both nodded.
Hancock gritted her teeth in fury. "Her demands are outrageous!"
"She wants us to build massive factories all across Amazon Lily to produce sweets and treats for her!"
It was a demand completely impossible to fulfill, considering both the natural environment of the island and the limited number of their people.
Charlotte Linlin was clearly taking advantage of their desperate situation to squeeze them dry!
After the call ended, the atmosphere in the room turned very tense and awkward.
No one spoke for a long time.
"So?" Elder Nyon looked at Hancock. "Are we going to agree to her terms?"
Hancock thought it over, then shook her head firmly. "No... we cannot possibly do it!"
"And it's not as if we have no other choice!"
Although she said they had other options...
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