Over the past two days, Hancock had been temporarily staying at Elior's mansion, and both Reiju and the others were feeling the pressure.
After all, a woman like Hancock wasn't just breathtakingly beautiful — she was also overwhelmingly powerful.
What's more, it was obvious she had come to compete for Elior's affection.
Hiyori didn't care much. She wasn't as drawn to Elior as Reiju was.
Reiju, on the other hand, felt a twinge of jealousy—though she didn't dare show it in front of Elior.
In truth, Elior hadn't laid a finger on Hancock during her stay in his domain.
Not yet, anyway.
Two days had passed. Tomorrow, they would set sail for Whole Cake Island, where they would confront the Big Mom Pirates in battle.
As for Hancock, she was clearly overjoyed to stay in paradise.
In front of Elior, she acted like a tame kitten—but around Reiju and the others, she remained cold and aloof.
If Elior had allowed her to stay in his domain permanently, she would have abandoned Amazon Lily in a heartbeat just to serve him. Of course, Elior wouldn't permit that.
Amazon Lily was a unique and important place. Elior didn't want Hancock to abandon her country just for him.
At the moment, her status as a Shichibukai still held value — especially in an age of turmoil, where piracy was spreading like wildfire. The title helped protect Amazon Lily. But Hancock had now stayed in Paradise too long, and the World Government had begun to suspect collusion between her and Elior.
If those suspicions grew stronger, the government would revoke her Shichibukai status—and the Marine would be sent to arrest her.
So, the day before their departure for Whole Cake Island, Elior told Hancock it was time to leave.
When Reiju and the others saw her go, they all felt a bit of relief. Hancock had been too overwhelming — a powerful presence that had put them all under enormous pressure.
Even Hiyori came to realize: aside from her beauty… she really had nothing to offer.
The next day arrived quickly.
With the Elior Pirates preparing to set sail for Whole Cake Island, all weapons and strategies were ready.
Three massive ships left the newly-built harbor of paradise.
Although the ships weren't crowded, every person aboard was elite.
The Elior Pirates followed a high-efficiency, elite model.
Besides Elior's core crew and several powerful female fighters, four others joined them—Judge and his three sons. Their presence left a strong impression on Elior's subordinates.
Reiju was taken aback. She couldn't understand why her father now showed such respect to Elior. Even in the past, Judge had only shown grudging deference. But now, he was practically reverent—and so were her three brothers.
Reiju felt something was off. But no matter how hard she thought, she couldn't figure it out.
Had Judge and the others really submitted to Elior?
"Sugar, those people look so scary..."
Nearby, young Tama looked nervously at Sugar, who seemed about her age. The two had become close — Tama even called Sugar her big sister, which Sugar didn't quite know how to deal with.
Tama was innocent and pure, barely six years old, yet Elior had brought her aboard as well. Sugar had no idea what he was planning.
Though Tama's Devil Fruit ability was anything but simple — she possessed a Paramecia-type called the Millet-Millet Fruit, which allowed her to tame animals—it was similar in nature to Sugar's own Hobby-Hobby Fruit. Both had control-based powers.
The difference was: one controlled people, the other animals.
Still, Sugar knew Tama's abilities were undeveloped. She was just a child, likely unaware her powers could even evolve.
"Of course they're scary" Sugar muttered. "Only the craziest ones are here."
Even Doflamingo would've agreed—no pirate is truly a good person.
Sugar didn't say more; she doubted Tama would understand anyway.
Meanwhile, as Elior and his crew set sail for Whole Cake Island, the Marine's surveillance units stationed in nearby waters immediately alerted Marine Headquarters.
The Marines had deployed agents to secretly monitor all Yonko. But none were watched as heavily as Elior — the most dangerous of them all.
When the report came in, Marine HQ was shaken. Even the top brass grew visibly uneasy.
Sengoku, despite having stepped into semi-retirement, turned serious again.
Sengoku: "The last time Elior left his domain, he only brought two people. This time..."
ViTsuru said gravely, "The entire crew is moving. Including the new additions. Even the Germa 66 royal family is with them. What exactly are they planning?"
Akainu growled, "The Vinsmoke family is royalty within a World Government nation. And now they're riding with pirates. That's treason. Treason deserves death."
"What the hell is that lunatic planning?" another high-ranking officer muttered.
Kizaru, for once, didn't sound relaxed: "So what now? That force is big enough to sweep through the entire New World. There's no way they're just going on vacation, right?"
"Vacation? Impossible!" someone else snapped. "If you told me he was going to wipe out another Yonko, I'd believe you. That guy is a maniac!"
"If he really is going after another Yonko... that would be disastrous..."
Even Akainu, usually full of bluster, went silent with concern.
"Let me go check it out" said Ryokugyu, standing up. He had only just returned from crushing a recent pirate attack.
Tsuru warned him, "No direct confrontation. You're only one admiral. You can't take on Elior—not alone, and certainly not his entire crew."
Ryokugyu nodded. "So we're just gathering intel, seeing what they're up to, right?"
Sengoku: "Exactly. But be careful."
Ryokugyu: "Understood. Believe me, I wouldn't make a move on my own even if I wanted to."
…
While the Marine panicked, far off on Whole Cake Island, the Big Mom Pirates were blissfully unaware.
They were still singing, dancing, and partying—completely ignorant of the war that was about to crash down on them.