Boa Hancock's lips curled into an enigmatic smile.
"Impressive, Vice Admiral Momonga. Using intense pain to suppress impure thoughts... Hmph. What a pitiful technique," she said, crossing her arms with disdain.
Momonga clenched his teeth, veins bulging on his forehead, but kept his gaze steady.
From the upper deck, Hancock's eyes briefly shifted. She glanced toward the warship's cannon, where a certain straw-hatted youth was casually devouring an apple, as if the entire situation were just a theatrical performance.
Since her arrival, he hadn't stopped talking.
"You're not doing so great, Vice Admiral," Luffy mocked, still chewing on a bite of the apple.
"You warned me to be careful, but look at you…"
"Straw Hat…" Momonga muttered, his pride eroding under a wave of humiliation.
Hancock didn't even turn her face. Her gaze slid over Luffy as if he were nothing but air.
"You mentioned earlier, Vice Admiral... This ship is top of the line, equipped with Seastone to prevent attacks from Sea Kings," she said, her voice calm but sharp as a blade.
"But if you remain in this area for too long, you'll be discovered."
"What are you trying to do?" asked Momonga through gritted teeth, feeling cornered.
"Nothing," she replied indifferently.
"Your subordinates have been defeated. Alone, you can't operate a ship of this size. Even if I leave, the Sea Kings will find you. And devour you."
She blinked, turned around, and slowly walked away.
"Magnificent!" exclaimed one of the Amazon Lily warriors on deck.
"Let these stinking men defend themselves!"
"How long can you hold out, Vice Admiral?!" others shouted, proudly praising their queen.
Taking a deep breath, Momonga stood up with difficulty. He drew his small dagger again and cut a piece of his cape to stop the bleeding.
"The public execution of Portgas D. Ace is scheduled," he said, his voice deep and formal.
"It will take place in Marineford's plaza. Boa Hancock… I'll wait here for two weeks. If you don't answer the call, you will face the consequences."
The Pirate Empress didn't turn. She gave no reply. She just walked forward—proud and silent.
"Damn you, Hancock…!" Momonga growled through his teeth.
"Shishishi… she sure is proud, huh?" Luffy chuckled, as casual as ever.
"How about this? Call the World Government, revoke her title right now, and request a Buster Call fleet to destroy Amazon Lily. Then just pin all the blame on her. Sounds like a plan, right?"
Momonga stared at him, utterly drained.
Clearly, he was not the protagonist of this story.
"My mission is to recruit as many forces as possible," Momonga said seriously.
"Hancock has power. And in the war against Whitebeard, every ally counts."
He pressed the makeshift bandage on his waist, ignoring the pain.
"The greater our strength, the fewer Marine lives will be lost. If necessary, I'll swallow my pride."
Luffy watched Hancock's ship sail away.
"She's not going to accept the summons," he said with a smile.
"But I'll help you along the way."
With that, he jumped from the cannon and landed lightly on Hancock's ship deck, as if it were the most normal thing in the world.
"Straw Hat?!" Momonga cried out in desperation.
"Men are forbidden from stepping foot on Amazon Lily!"
But Luffy was already there. Standing. Smiling.
Are they going to fight?
Please don't let her turn him to stone…
If that happens, I won't be able to explain anything to HQ!
Compared to Boa Hancock, Monkey D. Luffy—a wielder of Conqueror's Haki—was even more dangerous in battle.
As Luffy sailed toward Amazon Lily aboard the Kuja pirates' ship...
---
At Marine Headquarters – Marineford
In a vast room filled with classified documents, the legendary Monkey D. Garp silently flipped through reports. He had dismissed all officers. He was alone.
"The Gum-Gum Fruit… something's wrong with it," he muttered.
Back in Loguetown, Garp had sensed it. Luffy had shown, even if subtly, a new state. A warning sign?
It was supposed to be a Paramecia. But it exhibited traits of a Zoan.
In its awakened state, Luffy gained absurd speed and strength. He could even distort reality around him with that insane elasticity.
That punch he landed... I can still feel it in my bones, thought Garp, clenching his fists tightly.
"That damned fruit was brought by Shanks... and about ten years ago, Luffy ate it by accident."
Garp muttered with a furrowed brow, holding the encyclopedia in his calloused hands.
As a grandfather, he knew Luffy's past well. Even without spending much time in Foosha Village, he had known the moment his grandson became a Devil Fruit user.
Now, seated in his isolated office at Marine Headquarters, Garp flipped through the old Devil Fruit Encyclopedia—a relic older than even the Marine records themselves.
Each page he turned hardened his expression.
Until he reached the end.
"Nothing...?"
In disbelief, Garp flipped through again. Page by page.
No sign of it.
"Impossible!" he exclaimed, slamming his fist.
The legendary encyclopedia had not been written by the Marines, but had appeared in ancient times, along with the fruits themselves.
"Then... what the hell kind of fruit is this?" he slammed his fist on the table. "What did that damn redhead give my grandson?!"
Two possibilities came to mind.
First: an artificial Devil Fruit. Vegapunk had been making dangerous strides in that field... perhaps something new had slipped out of control.
Second: the fruit wasn't listed because it harbored a deep secret. Something even the Government didn't want the world to know.
"Are they hiding something… even from us?" he muttered, deep in thought.
Garp sighed.
"That brat is going to show up at the headquarters meeting soon… And when he does, I'll ask everything with my own fists."
He shut the encyclopedia with a sharp snap and leaned back, his eyes fixed on the ceiling. A nagging feeling spread within him.
His grandson had eaten a nameless fruit. Had become a pirate. And now...
He was about to be judged and executed alongside Ace, unless he did something.
---
[You have arrived at the new island: Amazon Lily. Reward: 10,000 adventure points.]
Luffy smiled as the system's mental notice appeared.
Another 10,000 points.
Just like in Skypiea. The reward was multiplied by ten for being outside the regular Grand Line.
"Alright... I remember there's an uninhabited island near here. There used to be a kingdom there, but it was destroyed."
In the original story, it was where he trained with Rayleigh.
"If I go there, I might earn another 10,000 coins..." Luffy pondered. "But first, maybe I can ask the Empress directly."
---
In Hancock's quarters aboard the Perfume Yuda
Empress Boa Hancock returned with her two sisters.
"Sister… are you really going to ignore the Vice Admiral?" asked Sandersonia, worried.
She knew his presence might be temporary... but the report would inevitably reach HQ. The risk was obvious.
"If he reports the summons was rejected… your title could be revoked. And then, Amazon Lily will become a target."
"Don't worry, sister," Marigold said, trying to reassure her. "Hancock-sama already accepted the summons once. We still have some room to maneuver."
"But… this time is different…"
The Empress remained silent. With a cold and distant gaze, she ignored her sisters and entered her private chamber.
The moment she opened the door… she froze.
There, sitting in her royal armchair, legs crossed and a glass of red wine in hand, was Luffy.
"Yo. Welcome back, Empress," he said casually, taking a sip. "I've been waiting for you. Nice decor, by the way."
Sandersonia, Marigold, and even Hancock herself stood frozen for a second, their expressions confused.
"...!"
Hancock's eyes widened. Her chest heaved. Anger boiled within her.
"You… dared to invade my chambers?! On my ship?!"
Luffy raised an eyebrow, completely calm.
"Invade? No, no. I snuck in without anyone noticing. That's different."
---
(End of chapter)
"Hmph. If you really want to be useful, then entertain me, try to throw those pathetic power stones at me. Let's see if even your insolence can amuse a king."