One Piece: I am the Empress, and the more sycophants I have, the stronger I become.

The bow of the Nine Serpents Perfume Cruise once again cut through the iconic calm surface of the windless sea.

The familiar outline of the island, covered by lush mountains and forests, gradually became clear.

The emperor, who had been away for a long time, finally returned.

The ship slowly approached the port dedicated to Kuja City, where a group of Kuja high-ranking officials and warriors, led by Sandasonia and Marigold, had already gathered.

Their faces were filled with anticipation and joy.

However, when they saw that next to the proud empress standing at the bow of the ship was a tall man with long, flowing golden hair, a cigar in his mouth, and an arrogant look in his eyes, they were surprised to find that...

Everyone's expressions froze instantly, then turned to astonishment and wariness!

"Big sister! You're back!"

Sandasonia and Marigold quickly approached, but their eyes were involuntarily fixed on Shiki, filled with scrutiny and incomprehension.

"Who is this...?"

Before Hancock could answer, Granny New, who had rushed over after receiving the news, arrived at the dock, panting heavily and leaning on her snake cane.

When she saw Shiki's face clearly, her old eyes widened instantly, as if she had seen a ghost, and she almost dropped the snake staff in her hand.

"Golden... Golden Lion Shiki?!"

Grandma Niu gasped in shock, her voice trembling.

"W-What are you doing here?! Hancock! Watch out! This guy is...!"

She stepped in front of Hancock, her face full of tension and vigilance.

Although it's not very useful.

Clearly, he was well aware of Shiki's infamous reputation, and may have even had contact with him back when they were in the Rocks Pirates.

Hancock looked at Granny New, who was on high alert, and her bewildered sisters, and a hint of helplessness appeared on her beautiful face.

She gently pushed Grandma New aside and announced in a calm tone.

"Grandma, don't be nervous. This is Shiki the Golden Lion, who is now the... vice-captain of our Kuja Pirates."

"First mate...first mate?!"

Grandma New's voice suddenly rose, almost piercing the sky. She pointed at Shiki, then looked at Hancock, her face full of disbelief.

"Hancock! Do you know what you're doing?! Do you know who he is?! A vicious and lawless monster! You made him the first mate?! Are you insane?!"

She was so anxious that she kept stamping her feet.

"He's nothing like that old bastard Rayleigh! At least Rayleigh had some manners and knew his limits! This old lion is a complete madman! Back on the Rocks ship..."

"Hey! You old hag! Who are you calling a madman?!"

When Granny New pointed her finger at him and started yelling at him, he immediately interrupted her, annoyed. He had a cigar in his mouth, looked down at Granny New, and spoke arrogantly.

"What's wrong with me, Golden Lion, being the first mate? Am I not good enough? Your Amazon Lily is honored to have me in charge!"

"Honor my foot!"

Grandma New, enraged, blurted out, "You're letting a wolf into the house! Hancock!"

Hancock raised her hand, stopping the argument from escalating.

She looked calmly at Grandma New, but her tone carried an undeniable authority.

"Mother, I know what I'm doing. Senior Shiki is a 'guest advisor' I invited as the vice-captain. He has freedom and will only act when necessary. This is more beneficial than harmful to the future of Kuja."

She briefly recounted her encounter on the floating island, the bet, and the terms of the cooperation.

The emphasis was placed on Shiki's "absolute freedom" and the potential benefits she could obtain.

Grandma Niu listened, her expression shifting constantly.

She knew Hancock's stubbornness and ambition, and understood what the addition of a legendary powerhouse meant, but the unpredictability of the Golden Lion made her very worried.

Looking into Hancock's determined eyes, she could only sigh heavily and mutter to herself.

"I hope you made the right decision this time... That old bastard is no pushover..."

Seeing that Granny New had given in, Shiki snorted smugly and was too lazy to argue with an "old hag" any longer.

His attention was quickly drawn to the unique scenery of Amazon Lily and... the beautiful women everywhere.

With Hancock's tacit approval, Shiki swaggered around Kuja Castle.

Wherever he went, he naturally caused a huge commotion.

The people of Kuja have almost never seen a man, let alone someone like Shiki, who has a unique temperament and is arrogant and domineering.

Many bold young female soldiers and residents watched from a distance, pointing and whispering, their eyes filled with curiosity and surprise.

Even... a glimmer of light drawn in by the powerful opposite sex and the sense of mystery.

Shiki enjoyed the attention, which brought back some of his former glory.

Driven by vanity, he decided to show off his skills in order to demonstrate his "ability" and charm.

He stood in the city square, and under the curious gazes of more and more women, he laughed and raised one hand in a gesture of support!

"Watch closely! This is the power of me... no, this is the power of the first mate!"

The next moment, amidst countless shocked gazes.

The distant hills, under the influence of an invisible force, slowly and steadily floated up!

It's tens of meters above the ground, suspended in mid-air!

"Wow--!"

"It's flying! It's flying!"

"That's amazing!"

"Is this all the first mate's capabilities are?"

……

A gasp of surprise erupted from the crowd, and the eyes of many young girls lit up.

The look in his eyes toward Shiki now held a hint of shallow admiration.

Shiki was smug, manipulating the hill to perform various spinning and tumbling movements in the air, eliciting gasps of surprise.

He enjoyed being surrounded by female adoration and began to boast eloquently.

"Hahaha! That's nothing! Back in the day, when I was controlling dozens of islands flying in the sky, that was truly spectacular!"

"Fight Roger? That's child's play!"

"Whitebeard? That old bastard's got some strength, but when it comes to variety of skills, you can only look to me!"

He boasted wildly, spitting as he spoke, as if he were still the once-powerful Flying Admiral.

Just then, a rather bold young female warrior with pigtails pointed at the conspicuous ship's wheel on Shiki's head and asked with curiosity and naivety.

"First Mate, what's that thing on your head...? Is it an accessory? It's quite unique!"

The entire square fell silent for a moment.

Shiki's smile froze, and the boastful words stuck in his throat.

He felt the ship's wheel on his head start to ache again.

He feigned composure, chuckled, and tried to bluff his way out:

"Huh? This... Haha, that's right! It's the design! The latest trendy design! It symbolizes Lao Tzu... uh, it symbolizes power and majesty! Yes, that's it!"

He quickly changed the subject and continued to manipulate Xiaoshan's performance, but the embarrassment in his eyes was impossible to hide.

In the distance, Hancock and Granny New witnessed the entire scene.

Grandma New's lips twitched, and she whispered.

"See? This old bastard is obsessed with saving face, talks a lot of nonsense, and is completely unreliable!"

Hancock chuckled lightly, unconcerned.

"It doesn't matter. As long as he can provide the strength and experience we need, what's wrong with letting him satisfy his vanity occasionally? Besides..."

She looked at the citizens in the square who had temporarily lowered their guard and even smiled because of Shiki's "performance" and said meaningfully.

"His arrival might bring some... a different atmosphere to the secluded Kuja."