Chapter 22: Becoming a Pirate

After a long time away, I finally returned to Amazon Lily.

And with that return, I was able to see Captain Belusa again.

“It’s been a while, Hancock.”

“You too, Captain. With this, Amazon Lily should be safe even in this new era of great pirates, right?”

“Yes, and it’s all thanks to you. The Navy has resumed patrols. If we reassemble the Kusa Pirates to protect the island, Amazon Lily may be able to maintain its former glory.”

“I see…”

I nodded slowly.

Captain Belusa, who had been watching me, soon spoke again after a brief silence.

“That’s why, Hancock. You should leave.”

“…Pardon?”

“You don’t need to return to the Kusa Pirates anymore. That crew is no longer worthy of holding someone like you.”

“What are you saying…”

“From now on, Amazon Lily will be protected by the Navy and the Kusa Pirates, but eventually it’ll return to being a place overrun with nobodies. And if you stay here, your own growth will stagnate.”

I had no choice but to stay silent.

She was right. If I remained on Amazon Lily, I would begin to dull over time.

I could still thrive in other worlds, but it was clear that obtaining powerful Devil Fruits in Oda’s world would become far more difficult.

I had been considering leaving, but she had seen right through me.

As expected of a captain, perhaps?

“You have the potential to become queen. And now that Amazon Lily is aligned with the Navy as a Warlord’s territory, we need to maintain peace by making ourselves indispensable to them.

Unfortunately, even my mother wouldn’t be able to defeat you now. Amazon Lily is strong, yes—but in the New World, there are monsters beyond even us. That goes for the queen too.”

“I understand… Which is why I…”

“Exactly. As things stand, it’s likely that someone else will take the Warlord title from us. So before that happens… Hancock. Grow stronger. And claim the queen’s throne for yourself.”

Captain Belusa was a true soldier, sincerely concerned about Amazon Lily’s future.

And I was her answer.

She believed that if I grew powerful enough to become queen, the Navy would see continued value in keeping Amazon Lily among the Warlords.

Looking back, when Boa Hancock did eventually become queen, Amazon Lily remained a Warlord-affiliated island.

A wise decision indeed.

‘It’s good for me… and good for her, too.’

I finally nodded at her proposal.

“Understood. I’ll grow as strong as I can, then return to Amazon Lily and inherit both the queen’s throne and the title of Warlord.”

“…Phew… Thank goodness. Then I’ll defend Amazon Lily until your return. Come back as quickly as you can.”

“Yes, ma’am.”

Three to four years should be enough.

With that resolve, before setting out, I focused on fully awakening the Copy-Copy Fruit.

After additional training on a deserted island, I finally succeeded.

“It’s done…”

With the Copy-Copy Fruit awakened, I could now copy anything in the world.

Even other Devil Fruits.

Of course, due to the nature of Devil Fruits, I couldn’t wield two powers at once—activating another Fruit’s power would temporarily seal the Copy-Copy Fruit.

But that was enough.

Once the copied power was deactivated, the original ability returned, and I could swap abilities by re-copying them as needed.

Moreover, each copied ability could retain data and information…

If I wanted, I could even rotate between several Devil Fruit powers.

‘But to do that, I still need the actual Devil Fruits to copy.’

I began gathering information about them and prepared to set out in search of ability users.

“Uwaaaah!! Hancock!! You have to come back safe!!!”

“Don’t make us worry too much!! And write us letters regularly!!”

“We entrust Amazon Lily’s future to your shoulders…”

From Second Captain Glenda to Third Captain Breina and finally Captain Belusa—each of them patted my shoulder with concern and gave me their blessings.

I waved goodbye and shouted that I would return, and then I set sail for the New World.

It was a single-seater boat, but built from Adam wood—strong enough that I didn’t need to worry about capsizing.

And so, my journey truly began.

In this era…

***

“Did you say Boa Hancock has left Amazon Lily?”

“Yes, Captain!!”

“Hrmm… That’s some very good news, huh…? I thought there was no chance to touch her while she was under Zephyr’s watch…!! KRAHAHAHA!! Alright, boys!! Grab your gear!! We’re going for a big one!!!”

As soon as word spread that Hancock had left, countless pirates across the seas began moving toward her.

Unbeknownst to Hancock, she had already become incredibly famous due to her blossoming beauty and strength while sailing under Zephyr’s flag.

That fame had even reached the Celestial Dragons, and one of them had placed an enormous bounty on her for her looks.

The Navy had tried to suppress this, but pirates? Pirates couldn’t be stopped.

With “Black Arm” Zephyr no longer at her side, they were eager to capture her and hand her over to the Celestial Dragons in exchange for a fortune.

They didn’t realize how powerful she truly was—like moths to a flame.

***

“…Hmm…”

As I began my journey, I counted the years I had spent in this world.

Three years. I had already been in the Oda World for that long.

Maybe it was time for a little break.

To commemorate my departure, I decided to pause the game and briefly visit the real world—or another world.

With that in mind, I activated the pause function and returned to reality.

“Fwaaah!!”

In the real world, barely ten minutes had passed since my awakening.

It felt a little strange after spending years in a dream life, but I adjusted quickly.

Now that I was back, I thought about what I wanted to do.

“…Should I stay in reality for a while? Or try visiting another world?”

Come to think of it, staying active in the real world might not be so bad.

There were no supernatural powers or life-threatening dangers here, unlike the comic worlds.

Still, I’d seen plenty of TS novels where the protagonist became a streamer…

What if I became one too?

‘If I turn on a cam and start streaming, I could make a ton of money. Even without superpowers, I’ve got a trained body and sharp instincts—acting or singing could be within reach, too…’

“This might actually be fun…?”

On second thought, I really should lay a foundation in reality as well.

If I kept drifting around like a swan, I’d eventually run out of money.

The income from the game life wasn’t bad, but I didn’t want to cause unnecessary trouble.

Using the skills I gained from the game to earn a decent living in reality seemed like a smarter move.

‘If I enter Night Run, I might be able to learn their SF-style scientific tech too…’

With that knowledge, I could start a company. Or go with the cliché and become a streamer…

After some thought, I decided to rest for a while in the real world before making my next move.