"Ugh... Where am I? What happened to me?"
Twelve-year-old Boa Hancock slowly woke up in an unfamiliar bed.
After a moment of confusion, her memories began to return.
She immediately recalled how she had been playing near the bow of the ship with her younger sisters, Sandersonia and Marigold—only to be abducted by a group of pirates!
She instantly looked to both sides of the bed and saw her two sisters still sound asleep.
It seemed her stronger power and potential had allowed her to wake up earlier than them.
But now... what should she do?
Although Hancock had been raised as the future Empress, at the end of the day, she was still just a twelve-year-old girl.
She had no real ability or experience to handle such a crisis.
Just then, the door creaked open.
"Oh, you're awake already."
A man dressed in a Marine uniform stepped inside. His platinum-blonde hair swayed slightly with the motion of the door, casting a glimmer of almost tangible Holy Light.
"A-A Marine!?"
Before Hancock's mind could even catch up, two older women—neither of whom seemed easy to pin down in age—rushed in from outside.
"Thank goodness, Hancock! You're okay, that's such a relief!"
"Mm-hmm, next time, don't go getting caught by pirates again, alright? That's not a good look for a future Empress."
Little Hancock blinked in confusion at the two stunning women before her. She had no idea who they were, or why they seemed to know her.
And why were they so concerned for her safety?
"Who... are you?"
That single question left Gloriosa and Shakky frozen in place.
It was the one question they found most difficult to answer.
After all, in the official records of Amazon Lily, Shakky—the empress two generations ago—had supposedly passed away from illness.
And Gloriosa, the empress three generations before, had merely gone "missing." But now, due to her entanglements with the Cross Guild, she couldn't reveal her true identity.
"I'll handle this one." Michael, seeing their awkward expressions, stepped forward and said, "These two were once residents of Amazon Lily. They went out to sea and never returned, eventually settling down elsewhere."
Hearing Michael's explanation, little Hancock immediately believed it.
This kind of situation wasn't uncommon in Amazon Lily. Citizens who settled outside the country often sent their daughters back to Amazon Lily to be raised.
That was one of the reasons the population of Amazon Lily had been able to stay healthy.
"Then... what exactly happened to me?"
"Hmm? Too much sedative, so your memory's still a bit fuzzy?" Michael raised a brow, then casually waved his hand. Three beams of light appeared from thin air and poured down onto the Hancock sisters.
Holy Healing—this was a technique Michael had developed in the past two years while unlocking his Devil Fruit's abilities.
It could instantly heal certain physical injuries and had a powerful effect on calming the mind and soothing emotions.
It worked much faster than using Holy Light directly—and, more importantly, didn't require physical touch to channel the light.
Under the effects of Holy Healing, Hancock's mind quickly became clear.
And soon enough, the two little girls, Sandersonia and Marigold, also began to stir.
Still adorably youthful in appearance, the two of them were already showing signs of growing into beauties just a step behind Hancock herself.
After all, they have not yet had time to eat the fruit and turned into the big, brawny versions of themselves seen in the original story.
Watching the three sisters cry and embrace one another, a soft smile tugged at Michael's lips.
For the past two years, he had been searching for an opportunity to formally intervene in Amazon Lily's affairs.
If he wanted to recruit them, violence was out of the question.
Otherwise, how would that be any different from the World Government?
If he wanted to take the soft approach, he had to pin all his hopes on the Hancock sisters' kidnapping—a historical event with a general timeframe, but no exact date or location.
But today, he finally understood: as a transmigrator, trouble would always find its way to him.
This kind of fate...
Could be summarized as: a magnet for drama.
Even while SWORD's Secret Special Force was out clearing mobs, they could stumble across the Hancock sisters.
Still, it solved one of Michael's little problems.
If not for this incident, Michael had been planning to fake amnesia, "drift" onto Amazon Lily's shores, and forcibly unlock the new map that way.
So without wasting time, Michael had immediately brought them to the Sabaody Archipelago, handing them over to Shakky.
As the sisters' sobs gradually faded, Michael finally spoke again:
"Let's go. I'll take you back to Amazon Lily."
"You're... not going to arrest us? We're members of the Kuja Pirates."
"Hmm, how should I put this..." Michael rubbed his chin, then suddenly flashed a devious grin. "Not for much longer, you're not."
"You—you—you! What's that supposed to mean!?" Hancock puffed up like an angry kitten.
Baring her teeth like that only made her look cuter.
Her aggressive stance looked more like she was trying to charm Michael than intimidate him.
Only now did Michael fully realize—without power, every move looked like an attempt to act cute.
"Alright, Michael, stop bullying the kid already. Let's get going!" said Gloriosa as she headed toward the door.
But Michael grabbed her and pulled her back.
"You're seriously going back to Amazon Lily? Do you want to put a target on its back for the World Government?" His words immediately silenced all the restlessness inside her. "Don't forget, this is the price you have to pay... Until the World Government is completely destroyed, you can't return to Amazon Lily."
"Michael's right. Let me handle this trip." Shakky lit a cigarette, brought it to her lips, took a drag, and exhaled slowly.
"Tell that old geezer Rayleigh to haul his ass over and watch the shop for me."
With that, she walked out the door.
Little Hancock glanced at Michael, then at the dark-faced Gloriosa. She didn't fully understand what had just happened, but still, she ran out after Shakky.
At the very least, someone from Amazon Lily seemed far more trustworthy than a Marine.
Sandersonia and Marigold closely followed behind their older sister.
"...Michael, do you think I'll live long enough to see that goal realized?"
"Do what you're meant to do. Leave the rest to me."
Michael turned and walked out, leaving Gloriosa alone.
"I will show you a world where everyone can live happily."