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''Chapter Header Serial: Big News 24 - The Captain Can't Be the Only One Taking Time Off!''
In East Blue, West Village, a small boat slowly docked. Yasopp, with his curly brown hair, put down the newspaper in his hands as he returned to his homeland. He wiped his nose, wondering if Banchina would still remember him.
---
"Jaya Island, huh? I recall it's not too far from here! Let's head there and take a look…"
The Snake Princess handed the Eternal Pose back to the female warrior, instructing her to guide the two giant serpents pulling the ship.
Hancock sat on the deck, leaning against the wooden wall of the cabin. Snake Princess approached with a smile and said, "You found this on the pirate ship? Oh, it's these two people…"
Hancock, surprised, asked, "You know them?"
Snake Princess sighed. "When I returned to Amazon Lily last time, the newspaper I sent you had news about these two, and it also included their bounty posters."
Hancock suddenly remembered— it had happened. However, she hadn't even looked at that newspaper; in her anger, she had thrown it on the ground and stomped on it twice…
Holding the two bounty posters in her hand, Hancock counted the long string of zeroes and asked, "This much... does that mean they're worth a lot?"
Amazon Lily Island mainly used a barter system, so Hancock, on her first trip out to sea, had no concept of money.
The Snake Princess glanced at the bounty amounts. One was 120 Million Berry, and the other even surpassed the captain's, reaching 150 Million Berry! She was quite shocked and said, "For their age, this is an extraordinarily high bounty! It even surpasses the one for the 'Devil Child' from West Blue two or three years ago… But how have their bounties increased so much?"
Not far away, a few pirates emerged from the water, watching as the Kuja pirates' red ship, having looted theirs, calmly sailed off.
One pirate looked sullen, and his companion, treading water, consoled him, "Look on the bright side! We're all pirates; we knew something like this could happen…"
To their surprise, the man shook his head repeatedly, staring at the diminishing outline of the Kuja ship with disappointment. "Weren't we supposed to be able to sleep with lots of beautiful women…?"
As the other pirates laughed bitterly, trying to find humor in their plight, one of them quietly took out a Den Den Mushi from his pocket, dialed a number, and smiled. "Lucky break— we ran into the Kuja women! Yes, they're headed toward Jaya Island…"
---
''Jaya Island, West Coast''
The Kuja pirates' red ship, pulled by two giant serpents, slowly approached the harbor.
"This place is just as chaotic as ever!"
Suzuran, standing on the deck, sneered as she saw the harbor filled with pirate ships openly docked. "The Marines are always preaching about justice, yet they turn a blind eye to the pirates they call 'Bastards' from time to time. How laughable."
The younger female warriors exchanged knowing glances and smiled in silence. They were long used to Suzuran's deep-seated disdain for the people of the outside world, especially her hatred for men.
"We're also those 'Bastards' pirates that the Marines choose to ignore, you know, Suzuran," Snake Princess remarked, walking over, draped in a cloak she'd taken from a Marine Vice Admiral, with the word "Justice" carefully unstitched from it.
Suzuran snorted. "The Marines are too incompetent to ever challenge the Kuja Pirates!"
"Enough. Stay on the ship and guard the supplies," Snake Princess instructed calmly, not wanting to argue further. "I'll take the warriors into the Town…"
"I'm coming too!" Hancock exclaimed.
The Snake Princess reached out and pulled Hancock back just as she was about to leap off the ship. Holding her close, Snake Princess looked her in the eyes with rare seriousness and said, "You are not leaving this ship."
Hancock struggled in the air, kicking and punching in frustration. "Why? Why?"
The female warriors, having just finished preparing their weapons, paused and turned to look.
One warrior laughed and said, "Hancock, it's because you're still too young!"
Fuming, Hancock turned her head angrily. "I'm not young! I'm already over eleven— no, I'm almost twelve!"
"You've been 'almost twelve' for quite some time…" Another warrior teased.
Another warrior chimed in, "Mock Town is too dangerous…"
Hancock became even more angrier and rolled up her sleeves and shouted, "Are you saying I'm too weak? Want to fight me and find out?!"
"Hancock!"
The Snake Princess gently placed the flailing, black-haired girl back on the deck, knelt down, and embraced her softly. She patted Hancock's back and said, "The reason you can't go is because you're too beautiful…"
Hancock, still nestled in Snake Princess's arms, grumbled, "I know that!"
"You don't understand." This time, the Snake Princess didn't indulge Hancock's whims. She released her embrace, gazing into Hancock's wide, confused eyes.
Gently brushing away the long hair that had fallen across the girl's forehead, she spoke with both tenderness and resignation, "You grew up on Amazon Lily Island your whole life. You can't understand just how dangerous your beauty is..."
Hancock was stunned. The Snake Princess's words reminded her of something she'd read in a book, and they sounded eerily similar to things Giorno would occasionally say.
In the end, Snake Princess left the ship with the other female warriors, heading toward Mogu Town, an island overrun by pirates.
Atop a tall building in Mock Town, a man in a cloak looked out over the horizon. His gaze suddenly shifted as he noticed the group of women entering the town, causing a stir among the bystanders.
"Another land of women?" Dragon muttered to himself.
---
Back on the ship, Hancock snapped out of her daze, stomping her foot in frustration. "In the end, isn't she just saying I'm too weak? Where am I weak?!"
Suzuran, the elderly woman, couldn't bear to watch and tried to offer some advice. However, the beautiful Hancock had no interest in talking to someone she considered old and faded. She flicked her long black hair and turned away, leaving Suzuran standing in silence as she entered the cabin.
---
Once inside, Hancock couldn't stop thinking about the scenes from the book 'Room' and wondering what exciting adventures Snake Princess and the others might be having on the island. The thoughts left her feeling even more conflicted and frustrated.
Out of boredom, she found a mirror. Staring into it, she began absentmindedly touching her face as she paced around the room.
"What's wrong with me?" Ahe muttered to herself, raising an eyebrow, pouting her lips, puffing her cheeks, and making funny faces.
No matter what expression she made, she still looked beautiful.
Dangerous? Did they really say she wasn't aware of her own beauty? Ridiculous!
Just then, Hancock heard a strange sound coming from the cabin she had just passed by.
---
Inside the cabin, a large circular hole had been carved into the wooden wall, allowing light from outside to filter through. Three men quietly crawled through the hole and into the room.
"Big Brother, with your ability to manipulate barriers, we can sneak into any place with ease!" A tall, thin man flattered.
Another, a plump man, laughed lecherously. "I heard the women of Kuja are all stunning. Heh, heh... I wonder how much we can sell each one for?"
The robust man leading the group frowned and whispered, "Shh! Someone's outside."
---
Bang! The cabin door swung open, and in the doorway stood a young girl, her figure silhouetted as she asked, confused, "Who are you?"
(End Of The Chapter)