Rifan rubbed his nose while trying to maintain a calm expression. He nodded to Hancock with a smile on his face.
"It doesn't matter; our Black Pearl Pirates and your Kuja Pirates share a certain fate."
"That girl Leigh from your Kuja Pirates and I are fellow villagers."
"Since you are her captain, I have one more reason to help and support you."
Rifan smiled and began to lay a positive foundation for Leigh's future life in the Kuja Pirates. He shared some of the communication between himself and Leigh.
Sure enough, the three sisters couldn't help but be a little surprised when they heard that Leigh still had such a relationship with Rifan. Immediately, a look of understanding appeared on their faces.
"So that's it. Is this why you let us stay and you wanted to talk to us?"
"Rifan, do you want us to hand Leigh over to your Black Pearl Pirates?"
Marigold knelt down in front of Rifan, trying her best to make herself and Rifan look at the same height. She was now a little familiar with her new body. Although it was regrettable that the fat she accumulated disappeared, she was still happy to be beautiful. After all, as a woman of the Nine Snakes, Marigold still valued her appearance.
"No, you've misunderstood. I didn't mean to take Leigh away."
"The matter of Leigh is just one of the things I want to discuss with you."
"She has the right to make decisions about her own future."
"Since she has chosen your Kuja Pirates, I will naturally not force her to leave with me."
"But at the same time, I hope the three of you can treat that girl well."
"After all, although many people from my hometown came with me, very few have caught my eye."
"Leigh is one of the exceptional ones."
Rifan said with a smile.
"By the way, Nojiko, your treatment here is over."
"You should go back to the Black Pearl first."
"Take Leigh with you and give her the gift I mentioned earlier." Rifan turned to Nojiko and said,
Hearing this, Nojiko nodded with a smile.
After saying goodbye to the three sisters, she left the room and headed toward Leigh on the deck.
Although the Perfume Yuda was at an altitude of 10,000 meters and Nojiko had not mastered the Moonwalk of Marine Six Styles. But Rifan wasn't worried about whether Nojiko could return to the Black Pearl. You see, she could use the abilities of many other people through her Clone-Clone Fruit. As long as she transformed into Mikita, she could use the powers of the Kilo-Kilo Fruit or Float Fruit to bring Leigh back to the Black Pearl.
"Three of you, I hope you don't mind letting Leigh go to my ship to receive the gift."
After Nojiko left, Rifan turned around and smiled at the three Hancocks. Although Leigh's newfound strength, courtesy of the G virus strengthening potion, might attract the attention of the Kuja Pirates, Rifan wasn't worried. In fact, if Leigh could use her transformation before and after using the G virus strengthening potion to persuade Hancock to become the captain of a subordinate pirate group under the Black Pearl Pirates, Rifan thought it would be great.
"Of course not," Hancock smiled and nodded. But soon, the memories of Gion and Hina, who had been petrified by her on the Black Pearl, came to mind again. So, she asked Rifan worriedly:
"Rifan, my Slave Arrow accidentally hit the two women on your ship earlier. Do you need me to remove their petrified state now?"
Hearing this, Rifan shook his head and said:
"Since they have been petrified, it's better not to de-petrify them for the time being. The two of them are Marines and are Marine's hostages kept by my side. I think it's better not to let the two of them see our conversation."
The three sisters exchanged glances when they heard Rifan's words.
"Rifan, I'm very puzzled. Why are Marines being held as hostages on your ship? What exactly was the deal between you and the Marines? Also, what was the reason the tall Marine woman mentioned earlier about you wanting to become one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea?"
After Sandersonia imitated Marigold's appearance and sat cross-legged in front of Rifan, she asked curiously while maintaining eye contact.
"Well... it doesn't matter if I tell you," Rifan smiled and continued.
"You should know that Blackbeard Teach became a Shichibukai."
The sister trio nodded slightly, though they hadn't attended the Shichibukai meeting themselves. However, they had received information from the World Government liaison officer and had seen the news confirming Blackbeard Teach's appointment.
"Actually, the Marines had two options to fill the vacancy left by Crocodile as one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea."
"One option was Blackbeard Teach, and the other was me."
"Initially, the Marines had chosen me as the candidate for the new Shichibukai."
"It's a pity that Blackbeard Teach captured Fire Fist Ace, the second-in-command of the Whitebeard Pirates, and used him as leverage to apply for the position of Shichibukai with the Marines and the World Government."
"Ace's identity is too special, and the Marines wanted to use his public execution to lure the Whitebeard Pirates into a trap."
"The plan was to deal with the Whitebeard Pirates and Ace, who had unique backgrounds, in one go, as a means to deter other pirates in the sea."
"Under these circumstances, the Marines and the World Government ultimately chose Blackbeard Teach to become the new Shichibukai."
"However, I managed to secure the possibility of succeeding as a Shichibukai through some means, even after Blackbeard Teach's appointment."
Rifan looked at the three sisters, whose expressions were growing increasingly surprised, and said, "Is this true, Rifan? Is the Marine really planning to confront the entire Whitebeard Pirates?"
Marigold's eyes widened as she looked at Rifan in disbelief. She had never imagined she would hear such explosive insider information from a pirate like Rifan.
"It's true; there's no need for me to lie about it. Moreover, even if I didn't tell you, you would soon receive this news through other channels," Rifan said meaningfully.
"Related news?" Sandersonia frowned, and suddenly a gleam flashed in her eyes. "Wait, do you mean that the Marines and the World Government intend to forcibly summon the Shichibukai to participate in the war against the Whitebeard Pirates? As for you, Rifan, because of your immense power, you were favored by the Marines and the World Government. They want you to replace the current Shichibukai and join the war against the Whitebeard Pirates?"
Rifan raised his eyebrows and looked at Sandersonia in surprise. "That's clever, Miss Sandersonia. You should be the strategist of the Kuja Pirates. That's right, I do have an agreement with the Marines. As long as I can defeat a Shichibukai other than the current Blackbeard Teach, I can replace him or her as a Shichibukai."
After Rifan finished speaking, Marigold and Big Sonia immediately became tense, but Hancock still looked at Rifan with a smile on her face.
"Could it be that the other thing you want to say about staying with us is that you plan to replace us as the new Shichibukai?" Sandersonia put her hand on her chest and asked worriedly. She understood the importance of the Shichibukai position to the Kuja Pirates and the Woman Island. Rifan and his Black Pearl Pirates were incredibly powerful, and Sandersonia knew that if they were to fight head-on, the Kuja Pirates would have no chance of winning. She didn't want her older sister Hancock to lose the Shichibukai title if she could help it.
"No, my target is actually that fat guy, Gekko Moria. I set sail this time to track him down," Rifan explained. "Meeting you was an unexpected surprise. Relax, all three of you; I have no intention of replacing the Shichibukai of the Kuja Snake. Leigh is from my hometown, and I hold Hancock in high regard. Naturally, I will not do anything that goes against my heart."
Rifan waved his hand and looked at Sandersonia to reassure her. Marigold let out a relieved sigh, as she didn't want to engage in a battle with Rifan and his pirates if it could be avoided.
"Rifan, since your target is not me to become new Shichibukai, what do you intend to discuss with me then?" Hancock finally spoke, her curiosity piqued.
After some thought, she couldn't think of any other reason for Rifan to leave the Kuja Pirates except for Leigh. If it were any other man, Hancock might have assumed it was due to her allure. But Rifan, who could resist her beauty and powers, didn't seem to be swayed by her charms. Little did she know that Rifan was using his powerful Haki to control his desires at that moment.
Rifan took a deep breath before responding, "About this, I hope you can listen calmly. Hancock, Sandersonia, Marigold, I hope that your Kuja Pirates can become affiliated pirates of my Black Pearl Pirates."