BOOM!!!
A zombie the size of a small mountain was sent flying by the massive tail of a giant serpent, slamming hard into the earth.
Sandasonia flickered back, shrinking from her python form to her human shape in a flash.
Spinning around anxiously, she called out to Hancock, "Sister! There's something strange about this place! These creatures, no matter what kind of fatal injury they suffer, they don't feel pain! They fight like they're not afraid of death!"
Nearby, a Kuja warrior thrust a long spear coated with a pitch-black layer of Armament Haki deep into a monster's body. The blade drove clean through, exiting from its back. Yet the monster acted like it didn't feel a thing, jaws still gaping wide as its sharp claws lunged for the now disarmed warrior.
Whip!
Another giant snake tail lashed out, snatching the warrior away just in time.
"Help others!" Marigold shouted to the shaken warrior before dashing off toward another battle.
Soon, Marigold was forced to retreat to Hancock's side, panting from exertion. She cleaved through a charging rhino-like beast with a single swing of her blade, but watched in dismay as it rose again without hesitation and rejoined the fight, completely unfazed.
A bead of cold sweat ran down her temple. "Sister, we have to fall back! At this rate, our warriors will be overrun!"
But Hancock's eyes remained calm and steely as she gazed across the battlefield where the Kuja Pirates were steadily being pushed back.
"Hmph…" She scoffed at the grotesque zombies swarming the field. Her lips curled in disdain as she said, "In this queen's vocabulary, the word 'retreat' does not exist."
With that, Hancock stepped forward, her majestic figure radiating confidence. She raised a slender finger toward a sea king-sized zombie in the fray. Her gaze, cold, proud, commanding, held a power that seemed to dominate the world itself.
"You wretched creatures," she declared, voice thunderous with arrogance, "submit to the beauty of your queen!"
In that instant, an overwhelming surge of Conqueror's Haki erupted from her body, fearsome and divine. Like the swell of her regal presence, the force engulfed the battlefield. The sky darkened. The world turned black and white.
The zombies caught in the blast froze, pupils constricting, then dilating. Their eyes rolled back, color drained from their faces, and their grotesque expressions went slack. One by one, they collapsed like dominoes.
Thud. Thud. Thud.
Dozens fell unconscious in an instant, their minds crushed beneath Hancock's unrelenting will.
"That's… big sister's Conqueror's Haki!" Marigold and Sandasonia, though no strangers to it, were once again awed. Only one in a million was born with such royal potential.
"So beautiful, Lady Empress!" cried the warriors of the Kuja Pirates, overcome with admiration.
Hancock, as always exuding irresistible allure, casually brushed a lock of hair behind her ear, eliciting another round of cheers from her people.
At just over twenty, she had been recognized by the World Government and summoned to join the Seven Warlords of the Sea. This wasn't just thanks to the Kuja's mastery of Haki, but primarily due to Boa Hancock's overwhelming strength, which had even stunned naval observers.
"Kishishishi!"
Just as the group finished off a horde of these strange creatures, the ground suddenly trembled beneath their feet. Several younger warriors, still weary from battle, stumbled.
Boom… Boom… Boom…
The tremors grew heavier. A strange, mocking laugh echoed across the battlefield. Everyone turned toward the island's center.
There, a massive yellowish-brown creature was slowly lumbering toward them. With each step, it sank deep into the earth, leaving crater-sized footprints behind.
As it approached, tension thickened in the air.
"So... so big!" gasped a young Kuja warrior on her first voyage beyond their island.
The rest gripped their weapons tightly. Their blades glowed with darkened Armament Haki, all eyes locked on the approaching beast, Shukaku, the One-Tail.
Its sheer size was enough to unnerve even the most seasoned fighters.
"Kishishishi…"
The eerie laughter rang out again.
This time, the Kuja warriors noticed several figures standing atop the giant monster's head. That unsettling laugh came from one of them.
Until now, their attention had been so fixed on the beast that they hadn't noticed the group atop it, among them, Luffy and Moria.
From the start, only the three Hancock sisters had focused on those two.
It was an instinct, one that only true warriors possessed. The unspoken pull between powerful beings.
High above, Luffy peered down at the scantily clad women below. His gaze settled on the proud woman leading them, Boa Hancock.
She was undoubtedly beautiful. But what struck him more was the force of her will, a mental allure.
Still, for someone like Luffy, whose Mental Power was abnormally strong, such charm held no sway.
He glanced at his crew, some already dazed, and released a faint burst of his own Conqueror's Haki, snapping them out of the enchantment with a mental jolt.
"Hmph! A bunch of busty weirdos!" Perona sneered from above, floating in mid-air with arms akimbo and her chest pushed forward as if trying to compete.
She gave a quick, bitter glance at Robin beside Luffy.
"Hmph!"
The towering Shukaku lowered its head, pressing its chin to the earth like a loyal beast awaiting a master's command.
Luffy and Brook leapt gracefully from its head, plummeting more than a hundred meters.
Brook's bony form twisted midair, legs bending to absorb the impact. He landed effortlessly.
Luffy's gauntlets flared with fire as he slowed his descent, landing softly beside Brook.
A shadow dropped in behind them. Cracks spread across its face like shattered porcelain, revealing pale skin, strange horns, a wide mouth full of fangs, and the massive frame of Moria.
Robin fluttered down, sakura-pink wings of her own making gently beating the air. She landed behind Luffy like a descending angel.
Perona, pouting, stared at the big-chested warriors below as if wishing she could drink from them, then floated behind Moria.
Still atop Shukaku, Absalom glanced down awkwardly. Everyone had jumped down in style, leaving him alone and freezing in the wind.
He had struck a pose with arms crossed, but now he was unsure what to do.
Eventually, he activated his invisibility and awkwardly climbed down Shukaku's face.
Reappearing beside Moria in the same crossed-arms pose, he thought, "Surely that didn't look too bad…"
Little did he know, most of those present were proficient Haki users. The moment he vanished, their Observation Haki tracked his every move.
Still… he tried hard to look cool. And that counts for something.
Ignoring him, the Hancock sisters fixed their gaze on Luffy and Moria once more.
Hancock was certain now, one of those two was the island's master.
Moria glanced at Luffy for permission.
Luffy shook his head. Moria understood.
He stepped forward and bellowed, "Kishishishi! Who would've thought such an important figure would visit our little island, none other than the Pirate Empress herself, Boa Hancock of the Seven Warlords!"
Moria had recognized her immediately from the headlines, but he wasn't one to be swayed by beauty. He still found Shukaku more impressive than her.
Since being defeated by Luffy, however, Moria had changed, learning never to underestimate anyone again.
Especially not someone who radiated that much spiritual pressure.
Sandasonia whispered nervously to Hancock, "Sister, I think he's that pirate from the last era, Gecko Moria. The one who escaped the New World after losing to Kaido."
"Gecko Moria?" Hancock murmured his name softly, but her gaze never left Luffy, the small-statured figure behind Moria.
Among the group, only the floating girl was shorter than him. Yet Moria's every action screamed that this was the one in charge.
Still, in the world of pirates, survival wasn't about whims. And as the Kuja's empress, Hancock had her pride.
She stepped forward, chest thrust out, shielding her warriors behind her and addressed Luffy directly:
"Hey. You're the one in charge here, aren't you? From now on, everything on this island… belongs to me!"
Her cold, flawless eyes, slightly furrowed brows, fair, flawless skin, and delicate lips were impossible to ignore.
Unfortunately, her outrageous claim was met with silence… until,
"Yes, Lady Empress!" Absalom drooled, eyes glazed, utterly bewitched.
Perona screamed, "Don't embarrass us, you idiot! Negative Ghost!"
A ghost shot through Absalom, dropping him to his knees in despair.
"I'm worse than a worm… Just let me die already…" he sobbed.
Luffy watched the clownish pair with a blank stare and muttered, "Now that's embarrassing…"
Moria grit his teeth as Hancock ignored him entirely. Even if he had lost to Kaido, this was the first time he'd ever been outright dismissed.
But after a moment, he swallowed his pride and stepped aside, giving Hancock and Luffy the floor.
Luffy stepped forward with a smirk.
"I've heard the Pirate Empress is the most beautiful woman in the world," he said. "But honestly… Robin's prettier."
He didn't mean it, of course. Even without her Devil Fruit powers, Hancock was gorgeous. Robin was lovely, but no match.
Still, with the two groups on opposing sides, Luffy wasn't about to flatter the enemy.
But he didn't realize how devastating those words were.
"W-What!? Luffy thinks I'm prettier than her? No way! But she's clearly more beautiful… Could it be? Is this what they call 'love is blind'?!" Robin's thoughts raced like Chopper on three Rumble Balls.
Hancock, meanwhile, was stunned.
Someone… had called her not pretty?
For the first time in her life.
An unbearable insult.
"You despicable man!!! I'm going to rip your eyes out and scrub them clean!!!"
Her fury erupted like a volcano. No one could ignore her beauty, not without consequence.
Anyone who did… would die.
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