As soon as these words were spoken, the old woman was left speechless.
Amazon Lily is a den of pirates, where no justification is needed to seize another's possessions. Likewise, those who seek to deal with such pirates and thieves need not offer any politeness.
The truth of the matter was clear, but experiencing it firsthand was far from pleasant.
"Alright," Shin said as he carefully observed Amazon Lily. "The person I'm looking for is not you. If you don't resist, I won't harm you."
The old woman was startled, scrutinizing Shin and his companions. Initially, she assumed he was an unfortunate passerby who had been attacked and retaliated against Amazon Lily. However, it now seemed that they had been targeting Amazon Lily from the beginning.
Despite Shin's striking features, he wasn't particularly remarkable by pirate world standards. Although a bounty had already been placed on him, many people failed to recognize him at first glance.
Nevertheless, as a pirate known worldwide for his terrifying ability to plunder Devil Fruits, anyone paying attention would have seen his wanted poster.
As one of the most knowledgeable figures on Amazon Lily, Gloriosa had indeed seen Shin's bounty. However, when she first witnessed the immense power of his wood release, she failed to connect him to the infamous pirate.
Now, upon closer inspection, she immediately recognized his identity.
"Shin the Plunderer? Are you here to take Hancock's Devil Fruit?"
Shin's mouth twitched slightly. While Hancock and her two sisters were known as the Gorgon Sisters, if they truly possessed the legendary Gorgon Fruit, he might have been tempted to indulge.
However, he was well aware that Hancock had eaten the Love-Love Fruit. As for that Devil Fruit, Shin had no particular interest—after all, its abilities were tied to appearance and charisma.
And the moves associated with it…
Blowing kisses, heart-shaped projectiles—Shin shuddered. As a man, wielding such a fruit would be a social death sentence.
"No, I'm more interested in the Devil Fruits of Hancock's two younger sisters," Shin replied immediately.
Gloriosa found his statement difficult to believe. Everyone knew of Hancock's petrification ability, an undeniably powerful and fearsome technique. In contrast, the Snake-Snake Fruits of her two sisters—a python and a cobra—were nothing exceptional.
Ordinary Zoan-type Devil Fruits, unless they were of the Ancient or Mythical variety, were considered among the weakest abilities. While Paramecia-type abilities could sometimes be creatively leveraged, and Logia-type fruits were inherently powerful, standard Zoan fruits generally only enhanced physical abilities.
Gloriosa remained skeptical. Before she could voice her doubts, Violet stepped forward and whispered in Shin's ear, "The Kuja Pirates' ship is returning soon."
Although Violet's clairvoyance allowed her to perceive vast distances, her mind couldn't process infinite information simultaneously. She could easily locate fixed islands, but searching for a moving pirate ship limited her range to around 100 kilometers. If she were searching for a specific individual, that range would shrink even further.
This was why she hadn't realized the three Hancock sisters were absent from the island until they were nearly there. However, once they arrived, she quickly scanned the surrounding area for the Kuja Pirates' ship. Given the lack of vessels in the Calm Belt, it didn't take long for her to find it.
"Looks like we won't have to wait long," Shin said, nodding in satisfaction before unleashing his Observation Haki.
After integrating the electromagnetic properties of the Rumble-Rumble Fruit, Shin's perception range greatly expanded. In an instant, he sensed the presence of a ship a few kilometers away, heading straight for them.
In the Kuja Pirates' Ship, the members of the pirate crew, having just completed another successful raid, were celebrating with a grand feast. However, their captain, the Pirate Empress Boa Hancock, remained silent, her brows furrowed.
"Even when our Empress frowns, she is breathtaking."
"She's an absolute goddess."
Under normal circumstances, Hancock might have ignored such flattery, though she secretly enjoyed it. But this time, an unsettling sense of foreboding gnawed at her.
As they drew closer to Amazon Lily, her unease intensified. A deep frown settled on her face.
Her two younger sisters quickly noticed her mood. Dismissing the starry-eyed crew members, they approached her with concern.
"Sister, what's wrong? You seem troubled."
"I don't know! Something feels wrong! We need to return to Amazon Lily immediately!" Hancock declared, her voice edged with urgency.
"Understood. I'll tell the crew to increase our speed."
The Kuja Pirates' ship relied on two giant sea serpents, trained by Amazon Lily, to navigate the calm belt. To accelerate, they would have to rely on their own strength, rowing with all their might.
Moments later, the outline of Amazon Lily came into view. That was when everyone sensed that something was off.
Although Shin had withdrawn his wood release technique, the island bore visible signs of destruction. The damaged terrain and ruined buildings made it clear that Amazon Lily had been attacked.
"What's going on? Could the navy have attacked our island?"
"Impossible! Our Empress is a Warlord of the Sea!"
"Who else could travel through the Calm Belt except the navy? Besides, do you really trust them?"
The crew erupted into frantic discussion, but Hancock remained silent, her expression icy. Her two younger sisters readied themselves for battle.
As the ship neared the shore, Hancock leaped into the air, effortlessly covering tens of meters before landing on the island.
She was immediately met with the sight of Amazon Lily's residents lying on the ground, their faces frozen in expressions of shock and rage.
While Hancock was far from an ideal ruler and lacked deep affection for her people, she still viewed the entire island and its inhabitants as her possessions.
And now, an intruder had dared to violate her domain, threatening what belonged to her.
Fury burned in her eyes.
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