Boa Hancock was feeling a little melancholic.
After the entire SWORD Classified Special Forces assembled to deal with the impending invasion of Wano by Kaido's alliance, she had volunteered to scout the enemy near Thunder God Island.
To gather intel, she naturally needed a fake identity.
But coming to Thunder God Island as a civilian wouldn't work.
And a pirate identity was unreliable—after all, the area around Thunder God Island was now under Kaido's control.
No pirate unaffiliated with the Beasts Pirates could get close.
Her unconventional way of thinking kicked in… and she ultimately decided to pose as a member of the Revolutionary Army.
The Revolutionary Army had recently surged in prominence across the seas, so it wasn't impossible for them to appear at Thunder God Island.
Thus, under the guise of a Revolutionary Army officer named "Snake," she infiltrated the island.
The reason Rosinante had trusted Hancock with this mission, aside from her formidable strength, was that she primarily operated in the Calm Belt—and no pirate had ever escaped her grasp.
As a result, within the entire SWORD, Hancock's information was the scarcest in the outside world.
It was nearly impossible for anyone to recognize her…
And given her infamously domineering personality, few would ever associate her with the Marines.
At first, everything went smoothly.
After spending some Berries, Hancock learned that Thunder God Island had essentially become a massive black market.
And the merchants there, upon hearing she was from the Revolutionary Army, became unusually enthusiastic.
They eagerly pitched all sorts of weapons and bizarre equipment to her…
Even Kaido's subordinates approached her one day, saying they wanted to discuss a major deal with the Revolutionary Army.
And then…
Then she ended up in this cell.
Only then did she realize that Kaido had captured her as a second hostage because he was preparing to wage war against Michael and had heard that a Revolutionary Army officer leaving procurement intentions everywhere had arrived at Thunder God Island.
However, she had never revealed her true strength from start to finish, so apart from being shackled with ordinary restraints, even her prison cell wasn't made of seastone.
This treatment was far worse than what Whitebeard Jr. had received.
But adhering to the principle of remaining unchanged to cope with all changes, Hancock had never attempted to escape.
Instead, she set her sights on... Weevil!
After all, the Whitebeard Pirates had now formally established their own kingdom and had even begun official negotiations and exchanges with the Marine.
Even if just to prevent the civilians of the Whitebeard Kingdom from being caught in the crossfire of war, she had to get Weevil back.
However, she didn't act immediately.
It was only after Blackbeard kept coming to taunt Weevil, making him increasingly agitated, that she finally began making contact with this not-so-bright fellow.
Unexpectedly, the very first sentence nearly broke Hancock instead.
Sometimes, overly blunt words can become a weapon.
But Hancock was, after all, was an elite Vice Admiral of the Marine and the ruler of all Amazon Lily...
After just a brief moment of silence, she regained her composure.
"...So, do you understand the situation outside now?"
"Not at all!" Weevil replied blankly. "All I know is that once I get out, I'm gonna catch that guy Blackbeard and drag him back!"
"Let's put that aside for now... Do you realize this is the perfect opportunity for me and you to escape?" Hancock said calmly.
She didn't even need to lower her voice—her Observation Haki had been active the whole time, and right now, the dungeon held only her and Weevil.
"Huh?"
"Kaido is currently preparing to attack Wano Country... The ruler of Wano, Kozuki Oden, was once a member of your Whitebeard Pirates—your former 2nd Division Commander!"
"Kozuki... Oden?" Weevil fell silent for a long moment as his slow-witted brain struggled to process the information.
Suddenly, his face lit up with realization.
"Oh! I remember now! I heard that name from Big Sis Izo before!"
Hancock nearly choked trying to suppress her laughter.
Big Sis Izo!
She'd had dealings with the Whitebeard Pirates several times before and knew all their Division Commanders.
If the 16th Division Commander Izo heard this, he'd probably be so furious he'd strip on the spot to prove his masculinity!
"Ahem, yes, exactly—the Kozuki Oden your Big Sis Izo mentioned... He's the ruler of Wano and a natural ally of your Whitebeard Kingdom. If Kaido intends to invade Wano, then even if the Whitebeard Kingdom doesn't mobilize in full force, they'd at least send reinforcements... But with you as a hostage, it's different. They'd hesitate to act for fear of harming you, leaving Wano to face Kaido alone."
"...What does 'hesitate to act for fear of harming you' mean?"
"Tch... Just know that if you can escape from here, it'll be an enormous help to both Wano and the Whitebeard Pirates!"
"…Then why did you tell me earlier to stop trying to break free? Your words keep changing! Don't think I'm a fool!"
"…I told you to stop trying to break free on your own! I'll help you!" Hancock held her head and let out a heavy sigh.
Engaging in covert operations with a fool…
She'd rather go fight Kaido one-on-one!
This was torture!
"So when do we escape!?"
Weevil couldn't fully grasp the situation, but as long as it helped the Whitebeard Kingdom, he was eager to get it done immediately.
"Don't rush. Right now, you're a key surveillance target for the Beasts Pirates. Of course, we can't escape at this moment… but the timing is almost here. According to intelligence, Kaido should be mobilizing his forces in the next few days to officially invade Wano Country."
Hancock couldn't help but smile faintly.
"And when they march out—that will be our best chance to escape."
...
Wano Country, Port.
In the years since Kozuki Oden officially lifted the ban on foreign trade, Wano's ports had grown increasingly bustling.
Everyone knew that, even if the country hadn't formally declared itself "open," it was practically no different from being open already.
Wano's renowned forging skills attracted many swordsmen seeking fine blades to its shores.
These swordsmen naturally hailed from various factions.
Pirates, Marines, Cross Guild... you name it.
Over time, the port of Wano Country became the place with the most diverse crowd composition yet the best public order.
All swordsmen came for the blades.
Due to the overwhelming numbers, they had to queue with assigned numbers.
And if anyone caused trouble, they'd be struck from the waiting list.
Gradually, unique rules formed...
At Wano's port, even if you bore a grudge as deep as patricide—as long as you still wanted a master-forged blade...
You had to swallow it!
"Tsk tsk tsk, unexpectedly peaceful indeed."
A massive warship beast of a vessel sailed into the harbor.
The towering Marine standing at the prow smoothed his golden locks.
This was none other than the current commander of SWORD Classified Special Forces.
Vice Admiral Rosinante.