[Restrain… restrain, restrain.]
Hancock kept repeating those words in her mind.
Concepts like respecting the elderly and caring for the young had never had anything to do with her. If this were Kuja, Hancock would have already resorted to physical means to “remind” Gloriosa.
But this proved that under special circumstances, Hancock’s patience was actually quite strong.
“Granny Nyon…”
After being called again and again, Gloriosa finally snapped out of it. Hearing the extreme restraint in Hancock’s tone, she didn’t panic. Instead, she felt somewhat relieved. At least in this situation, Hancock was behaving normally.
“Ahem, my apologies, I was a bit distracted. What is it?”
Hancock was probably the only person present whose entire attention was focused on Olga rather than the center of the ritual.
But Gloriosa was different. What she worried about was Kuja’s future. Ever since Kaido moved the island, Kuja had been completely tied to the Beasts Pirates.
Kuja had no ability to remain independent. Only with the Beasts Pirates standing in front of them could they continue to survive on the seas.
Arceus’s power was undoubtedly a shot in the arm, something that made her feel much more at ease.
“Look at this.”
Hancock handed a folder to Gloriosa.
“When did you get this?”
“It’s not mine. Sister Olga gave it to me earlier, seems to be a bit of the Beasts Pirates’ plans for the future.”
“What kind of plan?”
Taking the fairly thick proposal, the large letter “Q” on the cover was especially eye-catching. After opening it, Gloriosa suddenly felt a strong sense of greasiness.
“Social gathering…”
In the past, Kuja had never attached themselves to any force. Even during their time as part of the Shichibukai, they were more like “following orders but not acting subservient,” maintaining strong autonomy.
Kuja was an all-female group. On the Grand Line, they could accomplish many things, but having children was not one of them. Even so, in the past, they had never done anything like this.
Some warriors who went out to sea would fall in love with men. Usually, after becoming pregnant, they would return to Amazon Lily. Due to some peculiar magnetic field, all children born in Kuja were female, and this was how they sustained their population.
But clearly, that alone wasn’t enough. So some men would also become Kuja’s hunting targets, though they were merely hunting targets, or rather tools for reproduction, disposed of once they were no longer useful.
However, it couldn’t be denied that Kuja was the force with the largest number of female pirates on the seas. Pirates who start families with ordinary women from Wano Country are, after all, a minority. In most cases, pirates were better suited to being with people from the same circle.
It was precisely because of this that this proposal came into existence.
As for why Queen was the one handling it—
Whenever there was something to do, people went to Queen. That was a consensus within the Beasts Pirates. Coincidentally, Queen himself was quite interested in this sort of thing.
No matter what others thought, Queen believed it was a perfectly flawless plan.
“Social gathering…”
Gloriosa muttered the words. From the perspective of future developments, there was nothing inherently bad about it.
Unless Kuja produced someone capable of beating Kaido, they would definitely remain in their current position, and that situation might last for generations.
Kuja wasn’t the only pirate crew under the Beasts Pirates. There were even stronger ones, and many had joined earlier. If Kuja wanted to secure more benefits within the Beasts Pirates’ foundation, forming marital ties was also a good option.
When the time came, if a large number of pirates became Kuja’s sons-in-law, Kuja’s safety would be even more secure.
Moreover, setting aside the more “greasy” aspects, this proposal also gave them sufficient respect.
The principle of complete voluntariness alone was enough; after all, in the structure of pirate crews, if a powerful crew forcibly ordered its subordinates to do something, they wouldn’t really have a choice.
Queen even added a note in parentheses after that line, stating that this statement was guaranteed by Lord Arceus.
After this ceremony, the credibility of that statement had skyrocketed.
【In order to respect your traditions, this gathering will be held on an island southwest of Kuja. Several Eternal Poses are included with the proposal.】
“I don’t really have any objections, but I do have a question. That crystal snake that opened up the underground water vein earlier, those massive creatures on this island, and those strange beings… they’re all the work of your Lord Arceus, aren’t they?”
“That’s right. Lord Arceus’s power shaped this island. Everyone here… no, rather, the rebirth of this entire sea area comes from Lord Arceus’s power.”
Olga, not far away, answered the question, then waved to Elizabeth, having it display its original basilisk-lizard form.
“Granting power to humans, bestowing intelligence upon beasts, creating entirely new life. This is where Lord Arceus’s true strength lies.”
Destroying a nation was far easier than creating one. An ordinary person might be able to wipe out a species, but creating one was an almost impossible task.
Arceus had already performed the Divine Blessing Ritual in public and naturally did not care about such matters, so Olga simply and directly revealed everything.
“What an enviable power… I only have one request. The people you choose… can’t be some ugly bunch.”
“That’s for sure. Those types probably wouldn’t even get selected. We might even have to fight among ourselves first just to decide who gets to participate.
But Granny, you seem quite confident. This kind of thing should still be mutual. How many people from Kuja do you think will participate?”
“How many? If we tell them it’s a gathering to socialize with men, they’ll probably be scrambling to join.”
Gloriosa was the former empress of Kuja, so she certainly wouldn’t harm her own people.
Men were a rare species in Kuja. Simply bringing up anything related to men would be enough to attract plenty of participants.
Aside from the excessive “greasiness,” Gloriosa had nothing more to say. The matter was essentially settled, and Bepo and the others’ battle was also nearing its end.
“Bepo! Was that really necessary?! This is just a match, why are you using Sulong?!”
“Sorry, I just wanted to win…”
“Then stop apologizing while you’re fighting!!”
Watching Bepo transform into a berserker after activating Sulong, Carrot couldn’t help but scold him. This was nothing like what they had agreed on.
She could also use Sulong, but she hadn’t planned to. While Sulong could unleash tremendous potential in a short time, it left the user feeling completely drained afterward.
If two Sulong users insisted on deciding a winner without fighting to the death, the result would simply be one side collapsing from exhaustion first.
The two of them had just teamed up to eliminate Drake, but with Bepo doing this, Carrot’s competitive spirit was ignited. With one less person, the battle instead became even more intense.
“They’re really taking this seriously…”
“Young people, it’s normal for them to be competitive.”
“That’s true. Seeing all of you young ones grow up, this old man can finally retire in peace.”
Hitsugisukan felt deeply gratified. Though the process hadn’t been pleasant, he had ultimately witnessed the changes on Zou Island.
The Minks now had the ability to activate Sulong at any time. Setsuna had gained the ability to communicate with Zunesha, allowing it to temporarily change its course.
Zou Island was no longer just a secluded refuge for the Minks, it had become a homeland capable of sheltering all Minks across the seas.
As the younger generation gradually matured, even without the older generation, young Minks like Bepo, Carrot, and Wanda were steadily becoming capable of standing on their own.
For a retired old king, this was already a wonderful outcome.
“But if they keep fighting like this… won’t they get injured?”
“No need to worry. I’ve already reserved spots for them at the hospital. Even if Lord Arceus doesn’t personally treat them, the two of them will be fine.”
It was Hitsugisukan’s first time attending the Divine Blessing Ritual, so he wasn’t familiar with some of its customs. Moreover, he had been too immersed in his retirement life and wasn’t very familiar with certain aspects of Wano Country, such as its outstanding medical field.
The development of medicine was closely tied to the environment. The Sichuan region excelled in proctology, the southwest was highly skilled at treating mushroom poisoning, and the northeast was particularly strong in orthopedics.
As for Wano Country…
It was exceptionally skilled in emergency trauma care. Its surgical capabilities could be said to be among the best in the world, and many of its leading surgeons were renowned experts who were nearly impossible to hire elsewhere.
Their technology in other fields was also impressive. There was even a specialized department of mysticism—when something exceeded what human ability could handle, they would directly employ mystical methods.
“By the way, senior, what do you think of Bepo and Carrot’s abilities?”
“They’re quite good. I remember that kid Bepo is very afraid of heat. With this ability, he can cool himself down anytime.”
“Then do you want one?”
“????”
“We officers have a contribution exchange system. Zeraora and I have already accumulated quite a lot. If you want, later on you could also—”
“I don’t want it!”
Hearing Setsuna’s words, Hitsugisukan suddenly bristled, the wool on his body puffing up as he firmly refused the offer.
“Don’t even think about making me come back to work, I can already hear the schemes going on in your head!”
Among everyone present, Hitsugisukan was probably the only one who felt no temptation toward these abilities. In fact, he was somewhat resistant to them.
This was a side effect of overwork. Unless Zou Island was on the verge of collapse, Hitsugisukan would never return to his old duties.
“Ahem, Senior Hitsugisukan, I can guarantee that Setsuna didn’t mean that this time. She just thinks that since you’re getting older, having an ability would make your body a bit stronger.
After all, the effect of Lord Arceus’s power is quite similar to Zoan-type fruits. Even without actively using the ability, it can still enhance constitution to some extent.”
“Forget it, forget it. It’s the thought that counts. Save it for Hachi and the others. If there’s really no one left, there’s still Pedro. I don’t have any use for it.”
Zeraora’s words seemed more convincing, but Hitsugisukan still refused everything. Different people focused on different aspects of the same matter, and the Numbers were no exception.
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