"Comrade"—a person who shares the same ideals and goals.
Truth be told, Hancock didn't have much room to negotiate.
The conditions for becoming a Warlord of the Sea were set in stone. Though the World Government might overlook past and future crimes for those they recruited, the Kuja Pirates were far less problematic than figures like "Heavenly Yaksha" Donquixote Doflamingo or Crocodile. Those two had used the Warlord status to truly create headaches for the government. In comparison, the threat posed by the Kuja Pirates was limited.
Especially after being incorporated into the system—once Impel Down and Mary Geoise's security was ensured—the Kuja Pirates couldn't expand externally in any meaningful way.
After all, the strength of the Kuja Pirates was inherently tied to the population of Amazon Lily. Their numbers alone meant they could never rise to the level of true global menace.
As for Leo, his objective had already been achieved.
Though he stayed quietly mingled within the crowd, he had been somewhat concerned that Vice Admiral Tsuru or the sharp-eyed Tashigi and Gion might spot the "outsider" hiding among the Kuja Pirates with their Observation Haki.
Fortunately, Hancock's overwhelming display of power from the start had thrown most of the Navy into disarray, leaving little opportunity for those three to actively scan the crowd. Leo remained undetected.
When Hancock eventually lifted her Mero Mero Mellow ability, the petrified Marines looked as if time itself had halted—they didn't even realize how much time had passed.
"Indeed, fruits like the Time-Time Fruit, the Rewind-Rewind Fruit, and the Love-Love Fruit all seem to distort time in their own way. Even if that 'paused time' feels unbearable, when used right, it can produce shocking effects."
Leo didn't dwell on the theoretical implications, but he knew this: the Time-Time Fruit could send people into the future, and Hancock's Love-Love Fruit could effectively pause someone's life. Petrify them, unseal them decades later—voilà, instant time travel.
Completely breaks the laws of physics—but that's just how things work in the world of One Piece.
With those thoughts lingering, Leo observed as the warrior women of Amazon Lily erupted into cheers.
To them, this was a total victory. They didn't fully understand why the Navy had appeared or what it meant to bestow the title of Warlord upon their Empress, but one thing was clear: they had won the right to sail the seas without being hunted down by the Navy.
They had won this battle.
"But it's only a tactical victory. Strategically, the Navy came out on top."
"What's the difference between tactics and strategy?" Lan asked curiously while eating. Ever since Leo woke up, she'd grown close to him, and now all the warriors around were listening in on the conversation as they ate together.
Hancock had initially wanted Leo to dine in her private quarters, but he turned her down with cryptic remarks like, "From the people I come, to the people I shall return." Instead, he insisted on eating in the public mess hall with the regular Amazon warriors—and even tried to persuade the Empress to do the same.
Naturally, Hancock declined.
After all, she was only drawn to Leo because of his goals. Like people striving to overthrow a monarchy, they might share the same destination for now—but once they got there, their paths would surely diverge.
This shared goal was just a crossroads.
But Leo's dream was big—so big that it might keep Hancock walking beside him until the very end, just to see where the journey would lead.
And on that journey, Leo was confident he'd eventually win her over—not just as an ally…
…but as a true comrade.
At the moment, Hancock still carried the pride of a ruler. She held herself above the others. But in Leo's view, her rule was no different from a tribal chief. All of Amazon Lily only had about 5,000 people—2,000 of which were warriors. Strong, sure, but no match for the World Government. They couldn't even withstand a single Buster Call.
So she wasn't really an "Empress." More like a chieftain.
Once Leo became familiar with the warrior women, he casually began spreading his ideals.
After swallowing a bite of food, he began, "Tactics are what you use when you run into a pirate crew at sea and engage them in battle. Win that fight, and your tactics worked."
This mess hall was reserved for the elite—the Kuja Pirate officers and the Kingdom's Royal Guard. No other warriors were allowed inside.
Leo received just as much attention here as outside. Fewer people, yes, but of higher caliber. It spared him the need to filter his audience.
Everyone turned to him, curious about what he had to say. One of the Royal Guard warriors—a tall, strong woman named Fiorandora, nearly three meters in height but surprisingly well-proportioned—asked eagerly, "Then what's strategy?"
"Strategy is what the Navy achieved today," Leo explained calmly. "They've now brought the Kuja Pirates under their control. You won't be attacking the Navy anymore or causing trouble for them. That alone saves them a ton of manpower they can allocate elsewhere. And by sailing a Seastone warship into Amazon Lily, they've established a deterrent. From now on, you'll be forced to leave more fighters behind to guard your homeland. You won't be able to take all your strongest warriors to sea."
"In short, the Navy hit two birds with one stone. No matter how good they make it sound, they've put you in check. You won't be able to sail too far from home, and your home defense can't be weak either. Just by showing up here, they've already won. Amazon Lily is now on the defensive."
"Oh no... what do we do?" someone murmured.
Not everyone was a strategist. Most of these women had never even left the Calm Belt. The only capable outsiders they'd ever met were their own leaders—and Leo.
One of the Royal Guard captains, a cold and striking woman with phoenix eyes and crimson lips named Kikyo, furrowed her brow and asked, "Then how do we fix this, Leo?"