The compensation brought by the Amazon Lily Kingdom was more than what Kain had initially mentioned.
At that time, the Kuja Pirates had voluntarily come forward to apologize and offer restitution—but now, after being captured, they had no leverage to negotiate.
They brought substantial reparations: primarily gold and jewelry, as expected from pirates, whose main trade is looting.
If converted to currency, it would be worth no less than 13 billion Berries. It wasn't that Amazon Lily couldn't offer more—it was simply that this was all they could transport in a single trip. Without their pirate ship, the tribe's ability to move large amounts of treasure was significantly limited.
Among the offerings was also a Devil Fruit—a Zoan-type that granted the form of a chimpanzee. The value and effects were modest, but still better than nothing.
"In that case, let's put the past behind us," Kain said with a smile, turning to Granny. "The Kuja Pirates, along with the three Hancock sisters, still number 73 people. You can take them back later."
Rayleigh, standing beside him, said little beyond a greeting. Compared to Shakky, he remained silent, likely because of the opposing positions they each held.
Regardless of Kain's status as a Shichibukai, merchants and pirates seldom saw eye-to-eye. Even if the Roger Pirates didn't engage in robbery, Roger's legacy had inspired countless others who did.
Granny finally let out a breath of relief. Hearing that Hancock was safe, she immediately said, "Thank you very much for your generosity. I'll do my best to persuade Hancock going forward."
Kain waved dismissively. "People like Hancock aren't the type you can talk into submission. You have to break through that pride of hers—tear down the shell—only then will she truly listen."
He then ordered his subordinates to escort the three of them to an exit outside the Chamber of Commerce. The remaining Kuja Pirates would be released from a different location to avoid drawing too much attention at the main entrance.
Once Kain had left, Granny sighed with relief.
"He's surprisingly reasonable," she said. "If Hancock had listened to me sooner, none of this trouble would've happened."
"If that child actually listened," Shakky said as she lit a cigarette—something she'd resisted doing while Kain was around—"then she wouldn't be the Snake Princess."
"The important thing is that she's safe," Granny replied. "As for the warriors, we can retrain the serpents and reform the pirate crew. Maybe now, Hancock will understand the value of knowing when to advance and when to retreat. That'll be good for her."
"I hope so," she added quietly.
Under the escort of Kain's servants, the trio waited at a discreet exit on the outskirts of Rainland City.
Meanwhile, in the underground detention room at the Chamber of Commerce headquarters...
When Kain arrived, Hancock had already changed into standard clothing.
The moment she saw him, she bit her lip and trembled slightly, clearly struggling to hold back her emotions. Her eyes burned with silent fury.
"You're free to leave now, Hancock," Kain said calmly. "Our bet isn't fully settled yet, but I'll return the photos to you anyway. Here—these are all of them."
He placed a stack of photos beside her.
A few days ago, Hancock would've immediately ripped them to shreds to erase any trace of her past as a slave.
But now, her focus wasn't on the photos. It was on the man standing in front of her.
"Are you thanking me with that look in your eyes?" Kain smirked. "You don't need to. You may not be much use, but at least you've been entertaining these past few days."
He lightly patted her on the shoulder.
It was a simple touch—something she would never have allowed from another man. But now, she didn't flinch. Strangely, she didn't even feel discomfort.
Instead, something stirred inside her.
Between that and the lingering effects of her captivity, she let out an involuntary sound—soft and muffled—her breath trembling.
"Alright, enough of that."
Kain removed the gag from her mouth. A bit of saliva had clung to the strap, and he wiped his hand on her sleeve in visible distaste.
There were also cat tails and similar accessories on her body. The more obvious ones had been removed, but Kain had deliberately left the less noticeable ones. The most valuable among them were made of nano-materials—discreet enough to retract into a belt when not in use.
"Hancock, this matter is over for now. But in the future, whenever you see me, you will immediately put those items on yourself. Do you understand?
Also, the maid should've taught you how to use them. What's your answer?"
By the end, Kain's tone had hardened slightly. That commanding voice, combined with the subtle stimulation from her lower body, made Hancock's body tremble. Finally, she lifted her head angrily and replied through gritted teeth, "Got it!"
"Very good. And if you don't comply, you already know the consequences. Now get up—your companions are waiting for you."
With that, Kain pressed a button to deactivate the vibrating mechanism and walked out of the room.
After he left, Hancock weakly got to her feet. Following the maid's earlier instructions, she pressed a hidden switch, and the nano-devices transformed back into an ordinary belt.
Unless something drastic happened, it seemed unlikely she could escape this device. What disturbed her even more was the growing realization that her desire to kill that bastard was... weakening.
Startled by her own thoughts, Hancock slapped herself hard—twice—across the face. Then she stood, composed herself, and began to change clothes before leaving.
When she emerged, she was silent. Her expression was calm. No matter how her sisters called out to her, Hancock didn't say a word—she only gave them a glance.
There were no visible injuries on her body. Seeing this, both Granny and Shakky assumed she hadn't been physically harmed and didn't probe further.
They believed it was merely the aftermath of a setback—disheartening, but one that could ultimately strengthen Hancock's character.
Granny intended to continue advising her later. After all, Hancock remained the Snake Princess and the reigning queen of Amazon Lily.
As Shakky had said: Amazon Lily still had deep roots, and the Kuja Pirates could be rebuilt. As long as Hancock could recover and regain her spirit, the Kuja Pirates could once again become one of the great Shichibukai.
Not long after the Amazons left, Colonel Hina of the Alabasta Marine Branch arrived at the Kain Chamber of Commerce.
Normally, a summons for the Shichibukai would be delivered by a Vice Admiral from Marine Headquarters. However, Kain's reputation made things simpler. Unlike other Shichibukai, he wasn't the kind of pirate who caused unnecessary trouble.
After explaining the orders, Hina said, "This is an official notice regarding the mandatory Shichibukai assembly."
Kain simply nodded. "Understood, Colonel Hina. I'll depart for Marineford in a few days."
"Then Hina will take her leave," she replied, turning to exit.
Hina considered herself fortunate. Since being posted to the Alabasta Marine Branch, her duties had been easy. All she really had to do was oversee munitions shipments and occasionally escort cargo. There was no real need to deal with pirates.
Thanks to the Kain Chamber of Commerce and Princess Vivi's efforts, pirate threats were practically nonexistent. The local economy was booming, civilians were wealthy, and the surrounding seas were secure.
Hina didn't get much field experience here—and she knew she risked becoming complacent. That's why she had already filed a request with headquarters to transfer to the New World in a year. She was still an ambitious Marine at heart.
Sabaody Archipelago—another region heavily influenced by the Kain Chamber of Commerce.
Wherever trade flourished, signs of Kain's business ventures could be found. In Sabaody, they had firmly planted their roots. Yet it hadn't always been smooth.
Not long after establishing their presence, Kain's merchant fleet had been ambushed by local underworld factions who stole their cargo.
But within five days, everything changed.
The perpetrators were hunted down, and their bodies were strung up at the harbor entrance—serving as a grisly warning.
From then on, the Kain Chamber of Commerce's authority in the area was unchallenged.
After that, no one dared to underestimate the power of the Shichibukai Demon Mage. Both his intelligence capabilities and military strength were not to be taken lightly, and no one dared to touch the goods of the Kain Chamber of Commerce.
"Lord Vapa, this is today's newspaper, along with some new information. Recently, many people have arrived at the Sabaody Archipelago, and according to our inquiries, several supernovas are now gathered on the island!"
The Kain merchant sent newspapers and food, and they also provided Wappa and his group with the latest updates. As members of the Chamber of Commerce, only Robin and Kain had higher authority over them.
This time, Wappa and the other six Sandia Warriors came to the Sabaody Archipelago on a mission.
"Supernova? What's that?"
Flash Gun Braham asked. Since they had spent little time in the Blue sea, they only knew that pirate strength was related to bounty and didn't understand much else.
"Supernova is the title given to the most promising pirates who have the potential to surpass even the Shichibukai and Four Emperors."
"Just a few pirates? How could they surpass Lord Kain, the one with the highest bounty among them?"
Wappa said coldly. He respected Kain, after all. Thanks to him, they had fulfilled their Sandian dreams, strengthened their bodies, and improved their equipment.
Now Wappa could use platoon shells without injury, and he was strong enough to beat himself four or five times.
The others also had major upgrades, such as enhanced platoon shells, energy-absorbing alloy nano-suits, Mach booster boots, and more.
They could also earn plenty of supplies for their tribe—everything provided by Kain.
The head of the Kain branch quickly gathered the relevant information. After looking it over, he said to Wappa, "The one with the highest reward should be Eustass Kid. This guy is extremely cruel and has killed many civilians. His bounty is currently 315 million Baileys. This is his specific information, Lord Vapa."
The intelligence network established by Nico Robin was still very powerful. After a significant investment in Baileys, it had become as effective as CP9's intelligence force, equipped with advanced monitoring systems and high-efficiency data gathering.
"That's him! Get ready, Rich, Braham."
Wappa extinguished the cigarette in his mouth. With such detailed intelligence, if the six of them couldn't handle a pirate who only killed civilians, they would be ashamed of their ancestor, Warrior Carl Gala.
…
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