CHAPTER 262: CHAPTER 262: A WAVE OF THE HAND ISN’T REJECTION—IT’S UNSPOKEN UNDERSTANDING

Meanwhile,

On the outskirts of Amazon Lily.

Vice Admiral Momonga and a group of Marines were drifting in these waters.

Many on the ship had already been petrified by Hancock—simply because she felt like it.

But there were still a few who had escaped unscathed.

Now, those Marines who hadn’t been turned to stone, along with Momonga, were gathered on the deck, gazing toward the direction of Amazon Lily.

Momonga’s brows were tightly furrowed.

Because he could clearly sense it.

An invisible pressure was continuously emanating from that direction.

Just by looking over there.

He felt a weight pressing down on his shoulders.

What’s going on?

Momonga was puzzled.

He could still recognize that it was the aura of Conqueror’s Haki.

But it definitely wasn’t Hancock’s.

They were a full ten kilometers away from Amazon Lily.

How could her Conqueror’s Haki possibly have such overwhelming force?

If she had that level of power, the Fleet Admiral would never have sent him here to recruit her.

At the very least, an Admiral would have been dispatched.

But if it wasn’t Boa Hancock...

Then who was it?

Momonga didn’t dwell on it too much.

He knew he wouldn’t figure it out on his own.

Immediately, he called Sengoku.

Soon.

*Click~*

The call connected.

"Moshi moshi, this is Sengoku. What’s the matter?"

Sengoku’s voice came through the Den Den Mushi, carrying a trace of concern.

Among the Shichibukai, Boa Hancock was the hardest to deal with.

Now, with Momonga calling at this moment... Sengoku couldn’t help but brace for bad news.

"Fleet Admiral, we’re still awaiting the Empress’s response. But just moments ago, a powerful oppressive force radiated from Amazon Lily’s direction."

"Even though I’m ten kilometers away, I still feel an overwhelming pressure. I suspect there might be an unparalleled powerhouse over there."

Momonga solemnly relayed all the information he had.

Hearing this.

Sengoku immediately felt a headache coming on.

Ten kilometers...

Enough to make a Vice Admiral feel suffocated...

On Amazon Lily...

Each piece of information pointed to the emergence of yet another unpredictable variable.

At such a critical time.

Why did so many things keep happening...

Someone who could make a Vice Admiral feel such pressure from over ten kilometers away...

Just thinking about it made Sengoku’s head throb.

Emperor-level...

At least Emperor-level, damn it!

Why was the position of Fleet Admiral so damn difficult?!

He was on the verge of losing it.

According to their intelligence.

Among the Four Emperors, aside from Whitebeard, whose whereabouts were unknown, only Kaido’s movements were erratic.

The other two’s locations were still within their surveillance.

But given Whitebeard and Kaido’s speed.

There was no way they could have reached Amazon Lily at this time.

So what the hell was this new presence...

Sengoku rubbed his temples, utterly at a loss for words.

But since things had come to this, the most crucial thing was to investigate the identity of this individual and whether they could affect the upcoming war.

If they were neutral, that would be ideal.

If they were an enemy...

Then they had to devise a countermeasure as soon as possible.

"Alright, I understand. Keep observing and notify me immediately if anything changes."

"Understood."

*Click~*

The call ended.

Sengoku, buried under piles of documents, clutched his head and took a moment to recover.

In the end, he dispatched Kizaru to investigate.

An Emperor-level threat...

If they didn’t get to the bottom of this, he’d need sedatives to sleep at night...

Hell, he might even have to drag Garp into this...

---

Amazon Lily, the palace.

*Boom!*

A figure suddenly plummeted from above.

Everyone stared blankly at the motionless Golden Lion sprawled on the ground.

What happened?

Did he get so high from the treatment that he just... died?

Did the healing fail?

All eyes involuntarily turned to Vir.

But Vir simply cradled Chopper in one arm, walked over, and delivered two resounding slaps across Shiki’s face.

After those two slaps, Shiki slowly stirred awake.

"Huh? What’s going on?"

He drowsily looked around, his expression somewhat dazed.

His question left everyone present utterly baffled.

Huh?

Were the aftereffects of the treatment this severe?

Did it turn him stupid?

Jina, who had just snapped out of the Conqueror’s Haki storm, broke free from Marco’s embrace and rushed over to help Shiki up.

But as he stood, Golden Lion’s vacant expression only grew more pronounced.

His mouth hung slightly open, his eyes glazed over.

Drool even began trickling from the corner of his mouth...

This sight instantly made Jina’s hair stand on end!

What kind of treatment was this?!

Turning someone into... this?!

Into a drooling idiot?!

Seeing Golden Lion like this, Jina—who had been raised by him—felt her heart shatter!

"Is this your idea of treatment?! Turning him into a retard?!"

Jina shouted furiously!

For that brief moment earlier, she had truly believed he was healed.

But now, that hope had been cruelly dashed.

The sheer disparity between hope and despair was too much for Jina to bear.

Her eyes gradually reddened.

Hearing her words, Vir frowned.

"I already warned you before starting the treatment, didn’t I? There would be small side effects. The side effects would last for..."

"Side effects?! You call this a side effect?!"

Before Vir could finish, Jina cut him off.

"This is already a medical malpractice case! You’ve turned him into a complete idiot!"

Jina was boiling with rage.

Driven by fury, she blurted out her next words.

"I challenge you to a fight!"

Jina was desperate to vent her anger.

She urgently wanted to teach this guy a lesson!

"No!"

"Absolutely not!"

The moment she spoke, two voices rang out simultaneously.

From both sides.

Marco and Shiki shouted in unison.

Shiki’s condition wouldn’t last much longer.

Every few minutes, it would flare up briefly, lasting only a minute or two at most.

In about a week, it would disappear entirely.

But Jina hadn’t given Vir a chance to explain.

Now, seeing Golden Lion recover, Jina’s face lit up with joy.

"Enough with the challenges! Don’t you guys have other matters to attend to? Little brother Vir, why don’t you go handle your business first?"

"Yeah, Vir, it’s already getting late. Don’t miss your chance..."

The two of them tried to persuade her.

"Come on, she’s the one asking for it. I can’t just refuse. Old man, you already promised me earlier."

Vir smirked playfully at Shiki.

Hearing this.

Shiki wanted to argue further.

But...

"Fine! Then quit wasting time! Let’s take this outside—right now!"

Jina was practically bursting with arrogance.

Shiki facepalmed.

This kid... why does she love getting beaten so much?

That brat could thrash you like he’s spanking his own child.

And yet, you’re charging straight into it...

Marco, too, realized there was no stopping this.

Maybe letting Jina learn a lesson from Vir wasn’t such a bad thing...

"Vir..."

Marco put on a solemn expression and spoke up.

But before he could finish.

Vir—who had handed Chopper to Robin and was already walking outside—raised a finger and waved it, cutting Marco off.

Marco paused for a moment.

Then, the corners of his lips curled upward.

He understood.

Vir had caught his meaning.

And he had caught Vir’s.

That wave wasn’t a refusal—it was a silent agreement. No need for further words...

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