"Wilhelm, hurry up when you're done here..."
At the port of Juice Island.
Aboard his own ship, Flour.
Katakuri stood on the deck, gazing toward the shore where Wilhelm was approaching. Wilhelm was set to return to Cake Island with Smoothie. In a deep voice, Katakuri said, "Mom already knows you're back. She's eager to see you."
"Got it..."
Wilhelm nodded and replied, "Then, big brother Katakuri, see you later. Explain things to Mom for me!"
Earlier, Shiryu of the Rain and Kuro the Feathered Serpent had contacted him, informing him that they had officially entered Totto Land's waters.
It wouldn't be long before they arrived at Juice Island.
Wilhelm planned to wait for Shiryu and the others to return with the corpses of Gecko Moria and the so-called Dragon Slayer. His goal was to resurrect the legendary swordsman Shimotsuki Ryuma before heading to Cake Island to meet the infamous Charlotte Linlin.
Standing beside Smoothie.
As Katakuri, the strongest of the Charlotte family's Sweet Commanders, left, Smoothie exhaled helplessly and said, "You really have no sense of urgency... You're the only one in the Charlotte family who dares to make Mom wait."
She glanced at Wilhelm, who remained completely unbothered.
"And this time, the Marines are coming in full force. Aren't you worried that something unexpected might happen?"
Since the start of the Great Pirate Era, countless ambitious and reckless individuals had taken to the seas, causing unprecedented chaos.
Even the massive Marine organization, with all its military strength, had started to feel stretched thin. It had taken years of effort just to stabilize the situation somewhat.
Now, the Navy had suddenly loosened its defenses in the first half of the Grand Line, despite the risk of undoing all that hard work. Instead, they were mobilizing a massive fleet to launch an expedition against the Big Mom Pirates in the New World.
It was clear that this undisputed force of the sea had made up its mind.
This wouldn't just be a minor skirmish.
Wilhelm was powerful, no doubt.
But their enemy was the Navy—an organization with deep foundations. That fact alone made Smoothie uneasy.
She couldn't forget how Wilhelm had once fought Akainu, the future Fleet Admiral. Even with his Transfer-Transfer Fruit abilities and his advantage at sea, he had still lost.
He couldn't even hold his ground against Akainu for long.
"There's nothing to worry about. It's all just people making their moves."
Wilhelm remained calm and collected.
He was nothing like he had been a few months ago.
Not only had his strength advanced to another level, but he had also discovered a way to exploit his abilities—using the soul energy of Homies as the cost for activating the Ten Rings power. It was practically a broken ability.
As long as he had a steady supply of Homies, he would never run out of stamina.
Even if he had to face Akainu on land one-on-one, as long as he had enough Homies to fuel his power, he could drag the fight out long enough to take down the future Marine Admiral.
As long as the Marine expeditionary fleet dared to attack...
On the vast and boundless sea, Wilhelm held the ultimate geographical advantage. He had no reason to fear them.
With his Transfer-Transfer Fruit—an ability that was practically broken and impossible to counter—he had nothing to worry about.
Other than a handful of top-tier Marine powerhouses, Wilhelm saw the rest as nothing more than moving targets.
No matter how many warships they sent, they were just floating coffins.
No matter how many so-called Marine elites they deployed, they were no different from livestock.
The only issue was their sheer numbers, making it a bit exhausting to wipe them all out.
But he didn't need to take them down one by one.
He could simply use the Door-Door Fruit to open a dimensional gateway.
Then, with his Transfer-Transfer Fruit, he could send both Marines and their warships straight into another dimension.
One month, two months, three months…
Sooner or later, they would all die.
Even if his plan to hunt down certain Marine "monsters" failed...
Even if the Big Mom Pirates, with all their combined strength, couldn't stop the Marines' strongest fighters...
At worst, he could use the lives of Marine elites as bargaining chips to force the Marine high command into submission.
One Marine, a hundred Marines, a thousand Marines...
Even if the top brass were willing to accept those losses as the price for destroying the Big Mom Pirates...
Tens of thousands of dead Marines?
That was a completely different story.
"Hope everything goes as you planned."
Seeing her younger brother so calm, Smoothie felt a little reassured.
Having witnessed Wilhelm's overwhelming ability firsthand, she couldn't help but trust him more.
With a relaxed smile, she let out a light laugh.
As the two siblings spoke, they made their way back to Juice Castle.
Just then, a figure suddenly ran toward them.
Boa Hancock stopped in front of Wilhelm, arms outstretched to block his path.
With a determined expression, she looked him in the eye and spoke loudly:
"Master Wilhelm! Please turn me into an adult!"
"Like Yamato!"
"Oh?" Smoothie raised an eyebrow in surprise.
Smoothie smiled at Boa Hancock and asked, "Hancock, do you want to be as big as Yamato too? This isn't a joke..."
"I heard from Pato that even though Yamato looks like an adult now, she was just a nine-year-old girl a few days ago..."
Twelve-year-old Hancock exclaimed, "I want to grow up too!"
Of course, she would never admit that her decision was influenced by seeing Yamato's perfect figure and feeling a little envious.
After catching a glimpse of her own thin and immature reflection in the mirror, she had recalled Wilhelm's evaluation of her as "average." The thought left her so frustrated that she made up her mind on the spot.
She had learned about it from Tanuki Pato.
That b had the nerve to claim she wanted to be Wilhelm's child bride! Bah!
The very idea made Hancock inexplicably annoyed, filling her with a sense of crisis she had never felt before.
Master Wilhelm is mine… I was the one who met him first!
Smoothie's expression grew serious as she looked at the little girl before her—one with Conqueror's Haki and limitless potential. In a solemn tone, she warned, "Do you understand the price of growing up? You'll lose ten years of your youth. It will shorten your lifespan by ten years!"
"I know! But I still want to grow up as soon as possible. At the very least, I want to be useful and help Lord Wilhelm! And more importantly, I want Sandersonia and Marigold to return to Amazon Lily safely!"
Memories flashed through her mind—of the fear and humiliation she and her sisters felt when they were auctioned off.
And then, just a few days ago, Wilhelm had thrown Sandersonia and Marigold from a great height just to test her potential. That moment had driven her to the brink of collapse, filling her with despair and helplessness.
Hancock clenched her fists so tightly that her nails dug into her palms without her noticing.
"Right now, I can't do anything!"
She looked at Wilhelm's unbelievably handsome face—the same face that had appeared in her dreams more times than she cared to admit.
Every time she thought of him, she couldn't help but blush, her heart pounding faster against her will.
Taking a deep bow, Hancock spoke with unwavering determination.
"Master Wilhelm, please grant me this request!"
At this moment, despite still being young, her natural beauty was already beginning to shine through. Having eaten the Love-Love Fruit, her presence now carried a faint but undeniable charm.
Tears welled up in her eyes as she gazed at Wilhelm with resolute determination, her expression so firm that even Smoothie momentarily lost herself in a daze.
"There's no turning back once you make this choice," Smoothie warned. "Once the Mature-Mature Fruit is used, it's irreversible. If you're truly determined, I won't stop you—but there's no cure for regret in this world."
Wilhelm watched Hancock closely, a bit surprised.
He had originally planned to use the Mature-Mature Fruit on her eventually, so she could reach her future self's prime ahead of schedule.
But he hadn't expected her to come asking for it on her own the moment she learned about Yamato.
"I won't regret it!"
Looking at Wilhelm's tall and imposing figure, Hancock bowed once again, her voice firm.
"Master Wilhelm, please make me an adult!"
Wilhelm:
Watching her serious little face, her "I'm so sincere, please agree!" expression, and her unwavering gaze, Wilhelm felt the corner of his mouth twitch slightly.
Why does this sound kind of… off?
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