There are always some people in the world who willingly burn themselves, using their bodies as fuel to illuminate the path for others.
Naturally, that's how outsiders see it.
In truth, the reason they burn themselves might not be out of such noble intentions as lighting the way for someone else, but simply choosing a lifestyle they won't regret.
Hancock was one such person.
Rather than continuing to play nice with the World Government for the sake of the Maiden Country's safety, she would rather raise the banner of rebellion and shine with her own brilliance in this turbulent era.
"What a true heroine, not one bit inferior to any man!"
Suddenly, a depressed rumble of thunder echoed across the sky. Accompanied by rolling lightning, a majestic voice spread in all directions.
"So, are you truly prepared to die, Hancock?!"
Zī zī zī... whoosh!!
In the royal palace square of Amazon Lily, Hancock's eyes widened in shock the moment she heard the voice. A terrifying Thunder Pillar, its length unimaginable, tore through the sky and came crashing down from the direction of the harbor. It then rampaged along the coastline of Amazon Lily, carving a deep, scorched trench in its wake.
"Danger!!"
The mighty thunderlight swept sideways like a broom. Without hesitation, Hancock grabbed the decorative horn on the head of her pet Salome, flinging it away, and then leaped to the side herself.
Boom, rumble rumble!!
The lightning tore mercilessly through the plaza, brushing past her.
At that distance, she even had a misconception that she had already melted into the thunderlight itself. Along the way, no building or steel structure could withstand it in the slightest.
The Thunder Pillar then crashed into the royal palace, continued straight through the primeval forest, and only then finally vanished.
"Cough, cough! Hey, old hag, are you alright?!"
"Hmph! I'm not that old yet!"
The aged Gloriosa let out a cold snort and nimbly leapt down from the cracked stone slab. As a former former former Empress of Amazon Lily, she couldn't be treated like just any ordinary old woman.
But seeing the devastation around her, she quickly gasped in shock.
"This ability… It's the 'Thunder God', Soryu (Azure Dragon)!!"
"Yeah, I'm not blind!"
Hancock answered without looking back, her voice filled with tension.
Gloriosa turned her head and instantly froze in fright.
At some unknown moment, a towering figure had appeared in the center of the scorched trench carved by the Thunder Pillar. A pristine Justice cape fluttered in the smoke and wind, flapping loudly.
He held a dark, viciously designed, ridiculously large halberd in one hand. His expression was relaxed, and his eyes seemed to hold the stars themselves.
Though he hadn't released any aura, just casually strolling forward from a distance made it feel as though the heavens were collapsing.
It didn't feel like a man was walking toward them…
It felt like the sky itself was falling!
"The World Government… really won't let us go." Gloriosa swallowed nervously. "They actually sent this monster!"
Marine Admiral, Soryu (Azure Dragon)!
Though he was the youngest Admiral in history, at the age when he rose to that rank, Kizaru, Aokiji, and the others had only just joined the Marines.
Yet his battle record was dazzling, he was faintly known as the strongest Admiral in history!
If there was one name on this sea that could suppress everything by itself, it would be Soryu (Azure Dragon).
Not even "World Government" could compare,
Only Soryu (Azure Dragon)!
Seeing Soryu (Azure Dragon) appear, Hancock's eyes were filled with murderous intent. She grew even more tense, remembering the ability he possessed.
"You bastard, what did you do to the citizens of my country?!"
As a former Shichibukai, she was very familiar with Rowen's special Kenbunshoku Haki (Observation Haki), the Heavenly Network.
Since he had arrived so quickly, there was no doubt: the refugee ships that had just evacuated from Amazon Lily were surely unable to escape his perception.
"Hmm?"
Rowen raised an eyebrow, grinned, and tossed something forward, a scorched bone helmet, its crown completely caved in, which rolled across the ground and landed in the center of the plaza.
"If you're talking about this, then I don't need to explain, do I?"
"Sandersonia!!" Hancock's pupils contracted. How could she not recognize the helmet her younger sister wore in battle?
Now that the helmet was here, and in such a ruined state, didn't that mean...
"Don't make that face, like I'm some bully picking on the weak. The truth is, this was a choice you made, Boa Hancock!"
Pa-da!
Rowen stopped fifty meters in front of her. His voice was cold and sharp.
"Captain of the Kuja Pirates, Boa Hancock!"
"On behalf of the World Government, I hereby announce: as of this moment, you are stripped of your title as a Warlord of the Sea, and your bounty is reinstated. Effective immediately!"
The World Government had its pride to maintain. This was like the difference between a man divorcing his wife versus a woman breaking off an engagement. They couldn't have it look like Hancock was the one who walked away.
There had to be a formal declaration, "We dumped you, not the other way around."
But Hancock didn't have the mental capacity to care about that anymore.
She stared blankly at the helmet, slowly knelt down, and held it in her arms.
"Sandersonia…"
"Additionally!"
Rowen continued his speech.
"Because of your open betrayal against the World Government, the Five Elders are furious. They have given me direct orders to arrest you and bring you in!"
He tilted his head slightly.
"Save yourself some pain, come with me quietly."
The only response he got was a violent surge of Haki and a gust of raging wind.
Perfume Femur!
Boom!!
"So this is the power of the Love-Love Fruit... huh?"
Rowen narrowed his eyes slightly and raised his left hand to his forehead, blocking her surprise heel strike.
Pī li pā lā...
Even though he had already used Armament Haki to defend, the skin and muscles in the area still showed clear signs of petrification.
Armament Haki had never been some catch-all counter to Devil Fruits, it was just a weapon, a tool.
The effectiveness of a Devil Fruit power against a target using Armament Haki versus an unguarded body was like the difference between Rowen assimilating gold versus assimilating burlap cloth with his awakened fruit, it came down to varying degrees of "difficulty."
"Now I understand why the Government invited you back then. Even if one isn't bewitched by your beauty, the unreasonable power of your fruit alone drastically raises your threat level."
"However…"
Rowen suddenly clenched his fist.
The stone-crusted parts of his petrified hand cracked and shattered into fine powder under his force.
Hancock's eyes went wide in shock. Any normal person who got petrified would handle their body with extreme care, terrified of damage. But this man, he did the exact opposite.
"This level of injury means nothing to me!"
Huā lā lā!
Blood and flesh surged like a tide, rapidly regenerating the lost parts of his hand. Before the muscle and skin even fully closed up, Rowen raised his thunder halberd and slammed it down.
Heaven-Resisting Thunder Cry: Second Style – Azure Dragon's Roar!
Buzz!!
Thunderlight exploded across the sky. A dazzling arc of lightning, over a kilometer long, shot out. Under that overwhelming light, the world itself seemed dim and dull. A terrifying, oppressive aura spread like a tidal wave, unstoppable.
Screeeech,!
With a piercing screech, the massive mountain of Amazon Lily split open on the spot. Towering over a thousand meters tall, the mountain was cleaved cleanly in half by an unknown force, front to back, a clean, visible cut.
"Pfft!"
Hancock had done everything to avoid the brunt of the attack, but Rowen was too fast, so fast that she barely had time to react.
Her qipao was ripped open from the shoulder to her left chest, revealing not alluring white skin, but a shocking slash of crimson.
The shattered edge of a painted pole jammed into her scapula saved her from being completely torn apart by the halberd.
"Die, you bastard!!"
With a bloody hand clutching the thunder halberd, Hancock's stunning face was filled with hatred. She launched a counterattack again.
(End of Chapter)
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