Hancock fully carried out what Leo had told her earlier:
"Start by intimidating them."
Without hesitation, she turned the majority of the Marines into stone. Only then did she haughtily raise her chin and point at the remaining few.
"I didn't expect there'd still be a few with backbone among the Marines."
"So, is your intrusion into the territorial waters of the Kuja Tribe a declaration of war against us?"
Her words were imperious, utterly devoid of diplomacy. From the outset, she had petrified 90% of the soldiers. Clearly, if Vice Admiral Tsuru couldn't give her a satisfying answer, then Tsuru, Momousagi, and Tashigi would have to face the entire Kuja Pirates alone.
It was a miscalculation.
Though Tsuru's expression remained calm, inwardly she regretted her oversight—she knew too little about the Pirate Empress. Sure enough, they had provoked her from the start. She hadn't expected the powers of the Love-Love Fruit to work so effectively even on women. Even though she had brought a predominantly female unit, most of them still couldn't escape petrification.
With this, the gender advantage was gone.
Who would've thought that the former slave had gained such formidable power? And with her ability to traverse the Calm Belt freely, she posed a significant threat to even Impel Down.
If they couldn't recruit her here, they might have to eliminate the entire Kuja Pirate crew by force.
But with the Marines' newly developed Sea-Prism Stone warship technology barely off the ground and manpower already stretched thin, Tsuru had to swallow her frustration. She raised her hand to stop Momousagi and Tashigi from acting, then smiled serenely and said:
"Of course not. We've come here today to deliver good news."
She casually tossed over a rolled-up newspaper. Hancock didn't even glance at it, but Sandersonia reached out to catch it.
With her nearly five-meter-tall frame, she handled the paper like it was a mere rag. The front page carried eye-catching headlines:
"World Government Issues Seven Legalized Plundering Licenses!"
"Shichibukai System Officially Established!"
"Four Names Confirmed!"
"400 Million Bounty Pirate Doflamingo Accepts the Title of Warlord!"
"Fisher Tiger's Successor, Jinbe of the Sun Pirates, Accepts the Title!"
"Gecko Moria Joins the Warlords!"
"Crocodile Accepts His Appointment!"
The World Government was clearly serious this time. Even before securing Hancock's allegiance, they had already confirmed four members, lending credibility to the whole system.
Unlike in the future, where fake news could be published with impunity—such as falsely announcing Doflamingo's removal—at this point in time, the World Economic Journal still held unquestionable authority. Whatever it printed was accepted as fact.
With these four eager pirates locked in, the Government now turned to recruit the final three:
Boa Hancock, the Pirate Empress
Dracule Mihawk, the World's Strongest Swordsman
Bartholomew Kuma, the Tyrant
These three were far more difficult to deal with, but also far more valuable.
Mihawk, though solitary, was so powerful that if he ever decided to rally others, he could form a faction rivaling even the Four Emperors.
Kuma, for his part, had a clean background. If it were during the later "World Military Draft," he might've risen to Admiral like Fujitora or Ryokugyu. But with no Admiral seats open now, the Warlord title was a convenient placement—of course, if the Government had known he was a Revolutionary, they'd never have allowed him near Vegapunk.
And as for Kuja's strategic location—it was self-evident. These three, in fact, inspired more confidence than the first four.
Provided, of course, that the Pirate Empress accepted their offer.
"And what benefit do we gain from this arrangement?" Hancock asked coldly after skimming the headlines.
By now, she had no doubts about Leo's origins. All of his predictions had come true. The next step was clear—follow his advice, become a Warlord, and demand proper compensation from the World Government.
"Warlords enjoy certain privileges," Tsuru explained, though her voice was tight with discomfort. "You are granted the legal right to plunder. As long as you don't touch the Heavenly Tribute collected for the Celestial Dragons, we won't pursue any looting of non-affiliated nations or even World Government merchant ships."
No one knew how humiliating it was for Tsuru, a high-ranking Marine, to say such things.
If it weren't for the threat of Hancock's powers, she wouldn't be here at all. Though she was known as a master tactician and understood the harshness of reality, saying these words aloud still felt deeply shameful.
Momousagi and Tashigi's faces turned grim with restrained anger, but as a Rear Admiral and a Captain respectively, they had no authority to object to current Government policy.
Even Admirals had little say in policymaking.
Fujitora's efforts to abolish the Warlord system only succeeded because of Doflamingo's fall, the exposure of secrets, his fresh appointment, and Akainu's hardline stance.
Otherwise, that system would've stayed.
The Navy might be strong—but military officers don't make policy.
"In that case," Hancock smirked, "I demand that no Marine vessel enter within five kilometers of Amazon Lily's shores."
She had long since decided to join the Warlords—but figured she might as well aim high.
The previous no-entry zone had been three kilometers.
Tsuru accepted without hesitation.
In the Calm Belt, three kilometers or five made little difference. The true game-changer was the Sea-Prism Stone warship. She had no intention of negotiating further—she just wanted to get her people out alive.
"And if we free slaves of the Celestial Dragons, you won't interfere either."
Tsuru weighed it. In the end, placating the Celestial Dragons would be easier than sacrificing countless lives to subdue Amazon Lily.
She nodded again.
"Lastly, I reserve the right to ignore all commands and summons from the World Government."
That one was purely symbolic.
In the future, the Government would indeed issue orders to the Warlords without hesitation. But for now, Tsuru agreed easily—knowing that the Navy was still consolidating power under Sengoku, Garp, and three Logia Admirals. In the future, the Navy could just rip up any agreement as they pleased.
No matter how fierce Hancock acted now, she was still on the back foot.
Her brashness was just a way of masking her weaker hand—a tactic she had mastered long ago.
And so… congratulations to the Navy. Another infamous pirate now served under their banner.
And for Leo—everything had gone exactly as planned.