No matter where he was, as long as there was a banquet, food, and drink, Luffy would always be cheerful and full of energy.
Xiao San, Jango, and Usopp were swept up in Luffy's enthusiasm. They danced wildly and heartily, causing the women of Amazon Lily to laugh until their stomachs ached. As for Sanji, while he helped with the cooking, he made sure to flirt with the local women.
The party continued well past midnight.
While Sanji, Xiao San, Jango, and Usopp collapsed and slept on the ground, Luffy was carried back to the palace.
Inside the palace, Boa Hancock and her two younger sisters were waiting, along with the former Empress, Elder Nyon.
Luffy was fast asleep. Sandersonia and Marigold tried their hardest to wake him, but they couldn't stir him at all. It was the first time they had met someone so difficult to wake up. Finally, they casually mentioned the word meat, and Luffy instantly woke up.
Was he hard to wake up, or easy to wake up?! they wondered.
"Huh? Isn't there meat? Where is the meat? Where am I?" Luffy was still a little confused.
"Luffy, it is your Empress who wished to see you," Hancock said nervously. "I wanted to show you something."
"Show me what?"
Hancock didn't reply verbally. Instead, she took off the robes covering her body, then turned her back and brushed her long hair aside, revealing the brand of the celestial dragon's hoof on her back. Hancock was tense, expecting his reaction.
"What is that?" Luffy asked, puzzled.
"That is the slave mark of the Celestial Dragons!"
Hancock clenched her fists, her eyes downcast. "Luffy, I trust you, so I'm telling you this. My two sisters and I were once slaves of the Celestial Dragons. We were rescued by Fisher Tiger." She continued, her voice trembling, "Over the years, this secret has never been known, and we have always been afraid of anyone finding out…"
Luffy saw that Hancock was trembling and that her two sisters were covering their faces and crying. His expression became extremely serious.
Hancock continued, "We will never forget those days of enslavement. We hated the Celestial Dragons to the ultimate degree, which is why we have always been grateful to Fisher Tiger from the bottom of our hearts. The day I found out you had killed a Celestial Dragon, I admired you greatly. I asked you to help me this time because I felt I shouldn't hide this from you." She looked up at him, "Luffy, I used to be a lowly slave. Will you look down on me because of this?"
Luffy pushed his straw hat down, revealing a wide, sincere grin. "What are you talking about, Hancock? Aren't we friends? Besides, I hate the Celestial Dragons!"
A surge of unexpected joy welled up in Hancock's heart, and her face turned bright red.
She turned to face Luffy, smiling. "Hehe, Luffy, I like you very much! You're right, we are friends!"
Elder Nyon, watching from the side, immediately realized something, and her expression changed completely. She had originally thought that Hancock only felt some affection for Luffy, but now it seemed the Empress had fallen completely.
"Grandmother, something is wrong with my older sister; her face is so red!" Her two younger sisters looked worried.
"Something is wrong because the Empress is already seriously ill!" Elder Nyon said gravely.
"What?! Sister has always been in perfect health. Why did she suddenly get sick? What kind of illness is so aggressive?!"
"This is a disease that many generations of empresses have suffered from. It is love! Yes, as the saying goes, love is like a storm that cannot be stopped!"
"Eh?!!!"
"That's right! The Snake Princess has fallen in love with Straw Hat Luffy." Elder Nyon sighed, "However, what happens next is the most dangerous part. Straw Hat Luffy cannot stay on Amazon Lily forever, and they will soon be separated for a long time. The Snake Princess, unable to obtain her love, will suffer great pain. In the end, she may die from unrequited love. The queens of every dynasty have died because of this! Even this old woman had to run out of Amazon Lily to save her own life!"
"Nani?!"
Sandersonia and Marigold's expressions changed drastically. They hadn't realized the matter was so serious. They watched their sister Hancock chat with Straw Hat Luffy with a beaming smile. This was the first time they had ever seen Hancock like this. When Straw Hat Luffy mentioned that he needed to go back to the Sabaody Archipelago tomorrow, Hancock's face visibly stiffened, and the reluctance was undeniable.
Surely, she's already caught the sickness?!
After Luffy was sent off to eat a late supper, Hancock slumped directly onto her throne, her face flushed and her breathing labored.
"Sister, are you alright?!" Sandersonia and Marigold rushed to her side, very nervous.
"I… I don't know what's going on," Hancock managed. "I can't help but feel happy when I see Luffy, and my heart aches when I hear he's leaving." She held her heart, looking uncomfortable.
"Snake Princess, you are in love!" Elder Nyon stated plainly.
"In love? Is your Empress in love with Luffy?" Hancock couldn't help cupping her own flushed cheeks.
"That's right, but your situation is very dangerous. Once you are separated from Straw Hat Luffy for a long time, unrequited love is extremely painful. You might actually die from it!"
"I might… die?"
Hancock understood the seriousness of the problem, but she didn't seem to care. Her mind was filled entirely with Luffy's voice and smile, and she was wildly dreaming thoughts she couldn't control.
Sandersonia and Marigold pleaded, "Grandmother, what should we do! Don't let our sister die!"
Elder Nyon said helplessly, "I don't know what to do, so we can only take it one step at a time. Empress, you must be responsible for taking Straw Hat Luffy back to the Sabaody Archipelago tomorrow. You must spend as much time with him as possible right now, and then you must get used to the separation as soon as possible, otherwise, you truly will die!"
Hancock immediately agreed. "Okay! I will personally escort Luffy and prepare some things for him." She began instructing her sisters, "By the way, Luffy loves to eat meat, so choose the best meat for him. And clothes! The weather in the New World changes quickly; Luffy's clothes are too thin, and he might freeze. Prepare the best cotton coat…"
She had completely stepped into the role of a devoted wife.
Elder Nyon shook her head helplessly, only able to pray that Hancock would survive.
The sun rose over the horizon.
The shops of the Sabaody Archipelago had not yet opened, but a massive fleet of Marine warships had surrounded the entire island.
Carl sat on his giant plank-door sword, suspended high in the air. He watched the warships encircling the area and couldn't help but smile slightly.
It looked like the Marines intended to surround the entire island, but the island wasn't small. Therefore, the Marine forces were too scattered, and it wouldn't be difficult to rush past them.
Carl mused, It seems this formation wasn't Kizaru's idea. It couldn't have been Fujitora, could it?
After all, the Marines weren't usually that stupid. Even if Kizaru, the mission commander, was known for "fishing" or holding back, he wouldn't set up such a poor formation. Even if they intended to surround the pirates, they shouldn't be surrounding the area with warships; they should quickly land on the island from one spot and encircle the target with a large number of troops on the shore.
As it was now, any decent flyer could easily grab a warship and run away!
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