"Corazon, has anything happened recently?"
As soon as Malverick saw Corazon, he asked immediately.
He hadn't paid attention to the outside world for many days, and now he needed an update.
At those words, Corazon nodded gravely, his face slightly pale.
Seeing the change in Corazon's expression, Malverick realized something must have gone wrong.
"Captain… Fisher Tiger is dead."
Boom!
The words struck Malverick like a bomb going off in his mind.
"What did you say? Say that again!"
He couldn't believe his ears.
Tiger—dead?!
"It's true," Corazon confirmed. "Tiger is really gone. The Sun Pirates have renamed themselves the Fishman Pirates. Their new captain is Tiger's trusted subordinate—Jinbe.
"Also… Jinbe has received an invitation from the World Government to become one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea. But he hasn't replied yet."
Malverick frowned and sat down in a chair, silent for a moment as Corazon continued explaining what had happened.
Tiger had fallen into a Marine ambush, been severely wounded, and died shortly afterward.
The news hit too suddenly.
"Sigh… So, even Tiger couldn't escape fate after all."
Malverick had thought he might be able to change Tiger's destiny—but reality had slapped him hard in the face.
After a few moments of quiet grief, he composed himself again.
"Captain," Corazon said from behind him, "according to your plan, it's time for us to set sail."
Building his own pirate crew—this was something Malverick had always wanted, and something he had to do.
Shanks, Buggy, Malverick—three young men once aboard the Roger Pirates. Now, both Shanks and Buggy had their own crews, though their strength differed drastically. Malverick, of course, would not fall behind.
"Good," he said. "Start preparing. We set sail in one month."
He had waited a long time for this. All his previous training was to ensure that he could stand alone against Marine pressure.
And now—he finally had that strength.
"One month?"
Corazon sounded surprised. According to Malverick's personality, he wouldn't usually delay that long. That could only mean one thing.
"Captain… there's something else you plan to do first, isn't there?"
Malverick nodded. "Yeah. I need to meet a few people and visit a certain place. It'll take about a month."
He smiled faintly. "Before starting something big, you've got to take some time to enjoy yourself."
He stood up.
"While I'm gone, get everything ready. When I return—we set sail."
As Malverick turned to leave, Corazon asked again,
"How many people will we take? And what will the crew's name be?"
After all, every pirate crew needed a name.
Malverick thought for a moment, then made his decision.
"Me, you, Susanoo, Xiaobi, Alice, and Reiju. Just the six of us."
It wasn't about numbers—it was about quality.
At this stage, six people were enough.
As for Judge, Malverick planned to leave him in the North Blue for now. When the new force was properly established, he could bring Judge over later.
And besides, some of Malverick's earlier arrangements were ready to bear fruit.
The Kuja Pirates—that was a force he could definitely bring to his side.
After all, the ruler of Amazon Lily was his person.
And he also had Tesoro, the walking treasury!
According to the latest reports, Tesoro had already made a name for himself in the New World thanks to the Gold-Gold Fruit. His fortune was now around 50 billion berries—and all of it, Malverick considered his own.
"The name of our crew will be—the Dark Night Pirates!"
With Malverick's command, Corazon immediately went to make the preparations.
Malverick raised his hand, and the entire sky darkened as though night had fallen.
Then he vanished—his destination: the Calm Belt, Amazon Lily.
Meanwhile, over a year after their parting, Rayleigh and Shakky had been living quietly on Amazon Lily.
On one hand, Hancock had just become both the island's ruler and the captain of the Kuja Pirates, with many responsibilities she didn't yet fully understand.
On the other, because of Malverick's actions, Rayleigh was now being hunted by the World Government.
So rather than wandering aimlessly, the couple chose to stay on Amazon Lily—at least until the heat died down.
They had stayed there for more than a year.
Just as Malverick had predicted, after leading several successful voyages with the Kuja Pirates, Hancock had drawn the World Government's attention.
Her strength was no longer something to be underestimated—her terrifying petrification ability could defeat most enemies outright.
Her bounty had already risen into the tens of millions of berries.
Not very high compared to most on the Grand Line—but she was only eighteen!
Because of that, the Government was already considering sending her a Warlord invitation.
Recently, Dracule Mihawk had accepted his invitation, but several positions still remained open.
Inside the palace of Amazon Lily, Hancock lay lazily on Shakky's lap, absentmindedly playing with her smartphone.
Seeing her like this, Shakky brushed a strand of hair from her face and sighed softly.
"Hancock, if you miss that boy so much, why don't you just video call him? Don't keep sulking like this."
"You're the queen of Amazon Lily. You've got so many responsibilities every day."
Hancock pouted. "Aunt Shakky, Malverick hasn't contacted me for ten days! Has he stopped liking me? Has he abandoned me?"
Shakky could only rub her temples helplessly. "Hancock, don't overthink it. He's probably just busy right now."
"Come on, get up. Finish your paperwork—you still need to meet with your captains later. Supplies are running low again. You'll have to lead the Kuja Pirates out to sea in a few days."
Reluctantly, Hancock got up and began handling her duties.
By the time she entered the main hall, the Kuja warriors were already assembled and waiting.
After half an hour of discussion, they decided to set sail again in three days.
With her past voyages as experience, Hancock was now a capable leader.
That night, lying in her chambers, she once again tried to video call Malverick.
But no matter how many times she dialed, no one answered.
"Uuuh… Malverick really doesn't like me anymore?" she murmured sadly, clutching her chest. Her heart was pounding fast, and her body felt strangely warm.
Beside her, her spotted snake companion lifted its head—only to be gently caught by a sudden hand.
Then, a familiar voice spoke softly beside her ear:
"Foolish woman… how could I ever stop liking you?"
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