"Empress, the man we found on the island has regained consciousness," reported an Amazon warrior outside the curtain, her head bowed low.
"So what if he's awake? Must you disturb me over such a trivial matter?"
A lazy yet seductive voice replied from behind the curtain, tinged with irritation. Clearly, the Empress hadn't slept well, and her temper was anything but pleasant.
"But he claims… he was once a slave of the Celestial Dragons and has important information about the World Government—information he insists only you are qualified to hear."
The Amazon warrior outside was clearly under great pressure. After all, the man had trespassed on the forbidden lands of Amazon Lily—a male invader who washed ashore after a shipwreck. Given the Empress's formidable strength and notoriously foul temper, it wouldn't be surprising if she took out her anger on her own people.
But the secrets he claimed to hold were not something ordinary soldiers like them could handle. The man refused to speak to anyone but the Empress, forcing them to report the matter up the chain of command until it reached her ears.
"Hancock, meet with him."
A hoarse, elderly voice cut in. A tiny old woman, dressed in flamboyant garb, barely reaching the Amazon warrior's thigh, hobbled into the royal bedchamber. Her sudden appearance only further agitated the woman behind the curtain.
"You old hag! What are you doing here again?!"
"Hmph! I would walk through fire and death for the good of our nation!" The old woman gave a theatrical harrumph, but then her tone turned solemn and sincere. "You truly should meet him, Hancock."
In front of others, she always referred to her as "Your Majesty." But when serious matters were at hand, she used her real name—Hancock. As the former Empress who had once brought Hancock and her sisters back from Fisher Tiger's raid and installed her as ruler of Amazon Lily, the old woman still held weight in Hancock's heart. Their love-hate relationship aside, the Empress always heeded her opinion when it mattered most.
There was a pause behind the curtain. Then a pale hand rose slightly.
"Bring him in."
"…And have Sandersonia and Marigold come too."
The Amazon warrior outside thought it was a sign of trust—that Her Majesty wanted her two sisters to bear witness to such an important conversation.
But Gloriosa, the former Empress, knew better.
She knew Hancock was afraid.
Afraid of the hoof mark on her back.
Afraid of the Celestial Dragons' name.
Afraid of the word slave.
That's why she didn't even mention it directly. That's why she needed her sisters there—not to witness, but to give her courage.
Who would have thought that the Pirate Empress—master of Conqueror's Haki, Armament Haki, and Observation Haki—was, deep down, still just a vulnerable girl?
Not long after, Hancock's two sisters, Marigold and Sandersonia, arrived from the palace. Right behind them was the shipwrecked man they had rescued from the sea.
A former slave of the Celestial Dragons.
He was barefoot, dressed only in a bathrobe meant for Amazon Lily's women. It hung loosely on his broad shoulders, revealing chiseled muscles underneath. His short hair was neatly trimmed, and under his sword-like brows were a pair of deep, starry eyes that seemed to speak without words. His appearance and physique, while handsome, became secondary compared to the quiet intensity of his gaze.
"Thank you for saving my life." He bowed at a perfect ninety degrees to the towering sisters who flanked the Empress like divine guardians—Sandersonia and Marigold, both well over four meters tall.
His gesture instantly earned the favor of the three women outside the curtain.
In this world, recklessness is common. Rudeness is the norm. Ninety-nine percent of people are ill-mannered or uncultured.
So someone polite and well-spoken? That's rare—and oddly charming. After all, who doesn't appreciate respect?
"Spare me the pleasantries," said the woman behind the curtain.
Her voice wasn't like a coquettish girl's or the high-pitched squeals of popular streamers. It was low, commanding—but strangely pleasing to the ear. The kind of voice you wanted to keep listening to.
"You said you know something secret about Amazon Lily. What is it?"
The man straightened up. Though he wasn't particularly tall, once he stood fully upright, he reached the sisters' waists—about 185 centimeters. His posture was proud and unyielding, like a pine tree standing tall against the wind.
"Then let me start from the beginning."
He slid down the upper part of his robe, turned around, and revealed the unmistakable hoof mark—the slave brand of the Celestial Dragons—burned into his back.
"My name is Leo. I was once the steward of the Carmaille family—one of the Twenty Founding Families of the Celestial Dragons. I earned their complete trust. So much so, they let me handle their dealings with the World Government directly."
"That's why... most of the secrets of the world, I carry here—" He tapped his head gently. "—in my mind."
After revealing the brand, he didn't even glance at the visibly shaken Marigold and Sandersonia. He calmly put his robe back on, turned around, and locked eyes with the woman behind the curtain—his gaze sharp as a blade.
"I don't know how long I drifted at sea… or how long I've slept on Amazon Lily."
"But there's something I need to ask you to confirm the timeline."
"Has the Empress… accepted the position of Warlord of the Sea yet?"
From the look on the sisters' faces, Leo already knew the answer.
Still, he waited in the silence, allowing the Empress to respond at her own pace.
Because his target… was never anyone else in the room.
Only her—the one who ruled Amazon Lily, who led the Kuja Pirates.
The Pirate Empress—Boa Hancock.
There was a moment of silence.
Then, finally, the woman behind the curtain spoke, her voice calm and cool.
"Warlord of the Sea? What's that?"
Leo's lips curved into a faint smile.
His plan was already halfway to success.
The next step? Convincing her completely.
"It's a title every pirate in the world dreams of."