Chapter 113: The Aftermath of the Great Battle (Part 2)
The actions Eric took had a far greater impact than he could have imagined.
Killing a Celestial Dragon in public, battling Admiral Akainu and forcing him to be rescued from the sea, defeating the ten Navy ships in the Buster Call, any of these would have been massive news for anyone else, but Eric 's crew managed to complete all three.
The seas began to stir once again.
"A new impressive rookie has appeared, ha ha ha..." Marshall D. Teach, missing a few teeth, was reading the newspaper while eating his favorite cherry pie.
"Yeah." Sachi, wearing his chef's outfit, agreed beside him.
"Hey, Sachi, Teach, time to go!" Marco, the captain of the first division, called out, "Let's show those pirates who dared to cause trouble in Whitebeard's territory who they are!"
"We're on our way!" The two quickly stood up, putting down their newspapers and joining Marco and the rest of the Whitebeard Pirates, ready to cause trouble for some unlucky pirate crew.
...
Located in the calm belt, Amazon Lily had no news birds visiting, and since it was a pirate nation, merchant ships avoided it, fearing robbery. Consequently, information was very scarce.
By chance, on this particular day, the Kuja Pirates had just returned from raiding the Grand Line when they saw a news bird flying overhead.
"I remember Granny New Boa kept saying she wanted to see the outside newspapers," one of the Kuja Pirates called to the news bird, asking it to land. They bought a newspaper for 100 Berries, planning to bring it back for Granny New Boa to read.
The woman known as Granny New Boa, Gorloria, came to her usual spot, grabbed the newspaper that had just been handed to her, and prepared to read.
A cup of tea, a newspaper, and a relaxing day spent reading – this was the normal life of a retired elder. Unfortunately, this was the Calm Belt, and newspapers were a rare commodity.
"!!"
"Pfft!"
As soon as Granny New Boa opened the newspaper and saw the latest content, she widened her eyes in shock, then immediately spit out the tea she had just sipped.
"Granny New Boa, take it easy with the tea," a nearby Amazonian waitress said, moving to wipe the table.
"Someone actually dared to lay hands on a Celestial Dragon?! Not only that, but they tortured and killed Carlamagne Saint!"
The newspaper in front of her reported that Esdeath, the "Ice Queen" from Eric 's pirate crew, had cruelly tortured Celestial Dragon Carlamagne Saint in a live broadcast, and Eric himself had stabbed Carlamagne Saint to death in front of everyone.
Admiral Akainu had arrived at Sabaody Archipelago for a battle with Eric 's crew, and the aftermath of the battle destroyed a Yarlichman Red Tree. During this, Eric 's crew managed to escape.
Each explosive detail made the elderly Gorloria's heart race.
Granny New Boa gasped, "This is a huge disaster!"
She immediately grabbed the newspaper and headed straight to the Kuja's palace to see the reigning Empress, Boa Hancock.
...
As soon as Granny New Boa entered Hancock's chambers, she shouted, "Snake Princess, a great disaster has occurred!"
Sitting on a large white snake with red spots, wearing a revealing outfit and regarded as the world's most beautiful woman, "fantasy expert" Boa Hancock, was not happy. "Granny New Boa, this is my room, why are you here?"
The green-haired woman beside her, Boa Sandersonia, who had eaten the Snake-Snake Fruit and transformed into a python, also asked in confusion, "Granny New Boa, how did you get in?"
"I can get in anywhere, Snake Princess, something big has happened!"
Hancock raised one of her long, snow-white legs and glanced at Granny New Boa with a dismissive look, "Are you trying to die?"
"Of course not!"
Hancock, always disdainful, spoke as usual, "Hmph, what could be such a big deal for you?"
"It's the Celestial Dragons! The Celestial Dragons!"
"Ding!"
It was as if a sharp sword pierced through Boa Hancock's chest, and all the suffering and experiences she had gone through surged back into her mind. Memories of the past came flooding in once again.
Even Sandersonia and Marigold, standing next to Hancock, looked troubled, their faces filled with pain.
Hancock lowered her head, trembling slightly as if enduring immense pain.
Her pale, delicate hand pressed on the soft bed, her fingers tightly gripping the sheets, leaving deep imprints as a sign of her heavy heart.
The disdain in Hancock's eyes turned into hatred as she looked at Granny New Boa, and deep in her eyes, there was a trace of irreparable pain.
Hancock screamed, "Throw her out!"
Granny New Boa, fully aware of Hancock's painful experiences, still dared to mention the Celestial Dragons in front of her, reopening the wounds she had hidden and provoking Hancock's anger.
Only four years had passed since escaping the Celestial Dragons' clutches, and many things were not so easy to forget. Ten years later, Sandersonia still cried in front of Luffy when mentioning the Celestial Dragons.
"Wait! Snake Princess!" Granny New Boa was grabbed by two of Hancock's guards, her short legs flailing around.
At that moment, a government messenger bat flew in through the window, dropping a letter marked with the Navy insignia before flying away.
One of Hancock's guards caught the letter as it fell and handed it to Hancock. "Snake Princess, here you go."
"Hmm." Hancock regained her composure and returned to her usual regal demeanor. She was still the revered Empress of Amazon Lily and the feared Pirate Empress.
"Hmph, the last government letter just informed me of the death of one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea, Moonlight Moria, and called me to the central base to discuss the next candidate. I wonder if another Warlord is dead? At this rate, the title of 'Warlord' is losing its prestige."
"I don't think so, Snake Princess." Granny New Boa spoke slowly, suspecting what the letter might contain.
Upon hearing her voice, Hancock, now calm, immediately became angry again. "Why are you still here? Get her out of here!"
"Wait!" Granny New Boa quickly spoke, "I think I know what the government is notifying you about. The letter is probably related to the latest big events, don't throw me out!"
Hancock stopped looking at Granny New Boa and, with a single motion, ripped open the envelope, taking out the letter to read. A cold laugh escaped her lips. "Heh, this Darin Eric and Esdeath who defeated Moria... The government actually wants me to deal with them, or contact Navy Headquarters if I see them."
"Why should I follow this ridiculous order? It's utterly boring!" Hancock, after reading the letter, prepared to rip it up, "And throw her out!"
"Wait, Snake Princess!" Granny New Boa anxiously shook the newspaper in her hands, "You'll be happy when you hear this news! Just read the paper yourself!"
"Give it here." Hancock ordered with an irrefutable tone.
One of her guards quickly grabbed the newspaper from Granny New Boa's hand and handed it to Hancock.
"This... What?!" Hancock widened her beautiful eyes in shock as the first headline of the newspaper read: "The Terrible Pirate Darin Eric Kills the World Noble Carlamagne Saint!"
Suspended in mid-air, Granny New Boa spoke, "It's because of this that the government sent you that letter and gave you such a strange order."
"..." After a brief silence, Hancock ordered, "Put her down, and you all leave the room."
"Yes, Snake Princess." The guards immediately left Hancock's room.
Once the door was closed, Hancock immediately asked, "What's really going on?!"
"This is what happened, Snake Princess." Granny New Boa replied casually, "This man liberated many slaves at the slave auction house, cruelly tortured the World Noble Carlamagne Saint in a live broadcast, and then stabbed him to death."
"!!" The Boa sisters, Sandersonia and Marigold, all looked shocked, their expressions changing.
"He... he actually dared to kill a World Noble... a Celestial Dragon?!"
"Yes, he committed this unheard-of disaster, and even fought against the Navy's top powerhouse, Akainu, and came out alive. Looks like his strength is formidable."
"I can't believe there are such idiots in the world..." Hancock suddenly said with a hint of admiration, "I really want to meet this person."
"Snake Princess, what should we do about the government's orders?"
"Hah? I didn't receive any letter from the government, and I don't know anything about these orders!" Hancock stood up and glared at Granny New Boa, "How could I go after that man!"
Far away, Eric sneezed twice, "Hmm, are there beautiful women thinking of me?"
(END CHAPTER)
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