In the end, the meeting came to a hasty and farcical conclusion, with Garp taking Su Yue home.
Since Su Yue was neither a marine family member nor qualified for housing allocated by the Marines, he had been staying at Garp's house all these days.
Su Yue had assumed that once they got home, Garp would ask him many questions.
For instance, where his Devil Fruit ability came from.
Or how he had gotten involved with the Five Elders of the World Government.
Even what his purpose was in infiltrating Garp's side.
Regarding this, with the help of the other Su Yues, the chef version of Su Yue had already prepared a story the night before.
As it turned out, the old man, now seventy-six years old, asked nothing at all. He simply patted Su Yue on the head, and a warm, beaming smile spread across his deeply wrinkled face.
"The Grand Line is no peaceful place. Once you become a captain, you'll set sail with me. On the ever-changing Grand Line, strength alone doesn't mean everything!"
Moved by the realization that Garp meant well for him, Su Yue nodded firmly.
"Yes!"
…
In the afternoon, Su Yue's appointment was quietly completed.
At the end of the captain column on the Marines' roster, Su Yue's name silently appeared.
Su Yue also received a captain's uniform suited to his physique.
After all, with giants, long-leg tribes, and dwarfs, the Marines had members of all races, so it wasn't surprising that there was a uniform that fit him.
Although Sengoku had agreed to promote Su Yue to captain, this matter, destined to stir up huge waves and strong reactions within the Marines, was better kept under wraps for as long as possible, giving him and Tsuru time to prepare.
In fact, even Su Yue's nominal flagship and subordinates only knew that they had been assigned to Garp's fleet, without even knowing who their superior was.
That in itself was quite a rarity in the Marines.
Su Yue quietly resigned from the cafeteria. The cafeteria announced that Su Yue had gone to serve on some ship with a dedicated position, leaving many Marines feeling a sense of loss.
That delicious golden egg fried rice might never be tasted again!
Which admiral in the Marines had taken Su Yue away for personal gain?
Meanwhile, while the Imu version of Su Yue and the chef version of Su Yue were taking action, the other Su Yues were not idle either.
…
The Calm Belt, Amazon Lily.
Today happened to be the day Katakuri, representing the Big Mom Pirates, came to trade with Boa Hancock, the Empress of Amazon Lily.
In truth, the value of this trade was negligible given the massive scale of the Big Mom Pirates—just replenishing some routine supplies—but it was quite important to Amazon Lily.
Still, since Katakuri insisted on coming, no one else would say anything.
It was just that Charlotte Cracker—I mean, Cracker—who occasionally accompanied him to Amazon Lily but often had to stay on the ship due to the rule that "no man may set foot on Amazon Lily," would complain.
"Brother, is that so-called 'Pirate Empress' really that beautiful? That you'd spend several days each month coming here just to catch a glimpse of her?"
He sat in front of a grill, idly roasting a Sea King they had unfortunately encountered on their way, and looked up at Katakuri standing on the deck.
"Even though you're a man too, why are you allowed on the island? If you ask me, just snatch her up and take her back! Who cares about the Seven Warlords of the Sea or the female warriors of Amazon Lily? The Big Mom Pirates don't give a damn about them!"
Actually, Cracker had another worry in his heart.
To avoid frightening his younger siblings, his brother's appearance had always been hidden beneath his scarf.
What if that Boa Hancock was moved by his brother's persistence and sincerity, only to reject him because of his looks? How heartbroken would his brother, who seemed to have fallen deeply in love, be?
It was said that this Pirate Empress was quite the willful one!
Though, that title of Pirate Empress was only worth mentioning in the remote first half of the Grand Line.
Cracker curled his lip.
If she dared to call herself Pirate Empress in the second half of the Grand Line?
She probably hadn't tasted Mama's iron fist yet!
"It's fine, Snackrack."
Katakuri gazed toward the direction of Amazon Lily's palace, revealing a corner of his mouth as ferocious as a demon's.
"I've mastered a special technique! Maybe in a few months, you'll be attending my wedding!"
"I keep telling you, Katakuri-nii, where on earth did you even come up with that nickname 'Snackrack' for me!"
Cracker rolled his eyes.
"There's clearly no connection at all."
"Haha."
Katakuri laughed heartily, saying nothing more.
You don't know what Snickers is, and that's for the best. If you actually did, that would be what terrifies me!
"Alright, Snackrack. Same as always—wait for me here."
Katakuri rose and leaped off the deck, his figure quickly vanishing from Cracker's sight.
Leaving Cracker behind, watching the Amazon Lily warriors haul cargo while sighing on the ship.
"Honestly, Katakuri-nii. Now that you've found someone you like, you've abandoned your adorable little brother!"
…
Just a few minutes later, Katakuri, filled with longing and joy, arrived at the palace of Amazon Lily and met Boa Hancock.
As a result, upon seeing him, she merely gave a cold, indifferent nod as always.
"Hmm, man, you've come."
In the Empress's view, receiving a nod from herself—one blessed with absolute beauty, forgiven for whatever she did—was already the greatest reward she could bestow upon Katakuri.
Speaking of which, Katakuri felt quite wronged.
Back then, he had done the exact same things Luffy did.
Infiltrating Amazon Lily—deliberately getting caught by the female warriors—fighting the Empress and unleashing Conqueror's Haki—tearing the clothes on her back, then shielding the mark of the Celestial Dragon's hoof with his own body to keep others from seeing it.
Yet when Luffy did all that, what he got was 'a love that struck like a raging storm.'
And what he got was merely, 'Man, this body shall graciously permit you to set foot on Amazon Lily.'
Wasn't the difference a bit too big?
Where was he supposed to seek justice for that?
But after today, that would change!
Katakuri said to himself.
I've already obtained the decisive blow!
"Hancock!"
He pulled off his scarf, took a deep breath, and his expression suddenly turned solemn.
What Snackrack hadn't guessed was that his face had long been revealed to Hancock.
In fact, this demonic appearance, due to their shared bond of 'secrets that needed to be hidden,' had even brought the two of them closer together.
"Man, what is it you want?"
Hancock turned her head with some impatience.
But beside her, the former former former empress of Amazon Lily, Gloriosa, wore a look of dismay.
Oh no, oh no!
Could this Katakuri fellow possibly be planning to confess his feelings to Hancock?
Cold sweat immediately trickled down her forehead.
Although the two barely counted as friends, they were still a fair distance from even "more than friends, less than lovers."
If Katakuri spoke up now, the odds of rejection would be 99.99%!
And once rejected, the trade relationship between Big Mom and Amazon Lily—currently held together entirely by Katakuri's goodwill toward Hancock—could very well be terminated, stalling Amazon Lily's development.
Worse still, as a pirate, Katakuri might abandon gentle persuasion for force if rejected, turning on Hancock on the spot and carrying her off by strength!
Unlike the proud and haughty Hancock, Gloriosa understood perfectly well that as a top-tier combatant beneath the Four Emperors, Katakuri's power was absolutely something Amazon Lily could not resist!
He wouldn't even need to lift a finger himself. Simply leaking the fact that they—as Seven Warlords of the Sea—were conducting trade with a "Four Emperor" would bring the Marines down on them in full force!
After all, the Seven Warlords of the Sea were a legitimate pirate organization originally established to counterbalance the Four Emperors, and they were already deeply despised by the Marines.
If the dog you kept not only refused to help you but went to help outsiders instead, then why keep feeding it at all?
At that point, Amazon Lily would surely be destroyed!
But thankfully for Gloriosa, Katakuri wasn't about to propose marriage to Hancock.
No—what he said shocked Hancock even more than a proposal would have!
"I've found it, Hancock!"
He pulled a piece of paper from his pocket, on which two prescriptions were written.
"The way to let you wear a beautiful bikini too!"
Hancock: !!
Gloriosa: !!
Hancock's two sisters: !!
Of course, "beautiful bikini" was merely a euphemism.
After all, saying outright "I can solve the problem of the Dragon's Brand on your back" would be deliberately rubbing salt in the wound, wouldn't it?
Pointing at a monk while cursing the bald man beside him?
But likewise, Hancock immediately caught the sheer weight of information in Katakuri's words.
Her long, smooth legs pounded against the ground as she flashed to his side in an instant, both hands gripping Katakuri's arms so tightly that her fingernails dug deep into the solid muscle of his biceps.
"What did you say?"
At the same time, her two sisters crowded around excitedly as well.
Gloriosa was so startled that her cane dropped from her hand, her mouth hanging wide open.
"Katakuri, are you telling the truth?"
"Hancock, should we perhaps find somewhere more private?"
Katakuri naturally understood what the Dragon's Brand meant to Hancock, and her agitation came as no surprise to him.
He smiled at her with quiet confidence.
"This kind of matter isn't something we should discuss right here, is it?"
"Hah."
Hancock took a deep breath, withdrawing her trembling hands.
"Follow me."
…
The scene shifted, and Katakuri found himself in Hancock's private chambers.
"Speak."
After several minutes of contemplation, although Hancock's mind was still racing with excitement, she had at least regained her composure from earlier.
Her two sisters, however, wore their longing and anticipation plainly on their faces.
"The mark of the Celestial Dragon's hoof is not simply an ordinary burn scar. The special branding iron they use leaves an imprint not just on the skin, but also on the muscle tissue beneath, shaped exactly like this."
Katakuri first explained why the Celestial Dragon's hoof mark was so difficult to remove.
"Therefore, even if you were to shave off this layer of skin with a blade, the skin that regrows would still bear the same Celestial Dragon's hoof mark."
"If you were to cover the mark with new scars, like the Sun Pirate Crew did, that could be one way. But clearly, Hancock, it's impossible for you to do that—and you wouldn't, either."
Seeing that Hancock was merely staring intently at him, giving a slight nod without speaking, Katakuri tossed the paper in his hand gently toward her.
In this state, Hancock was no longer receptive to words—anything he said would fall on deaf ears.
Hancock caught the paper with confusion, listening as Katakuri continued.
"This is a prescription I obtained from a friend—an ointment specifically designed to erase the traces of the Celestial Dragon's hoof mark. Apply the one on top externally, take the one inside orally, three times a day. Within three days, the mark will be completely gone."
This was the prescription that Imu-version Su Yue had provided after Katakuri made his request.
Incidentally, the Celestial Dragon's hoof mark itself was also something Imu-version Su Yue had invented out of boredom.