Akemi took a deep breath.
BOOM!!
The ground beneath him cracked apart as rich blue chakra flared across his body.
His hair lifted wildly.
Crackle! Crackle!
Blue-white lightning wrapped around him, blasting nearby stones to dust.
"What is that?!"
"Lightning?!"
"He can release lightning from his body?!"
The Amazon warriors were stunned.
Even the Uchiha clan held their breath, faces tense.
Though they were from the same clan, few had actually seen Akemi fight.
But they had heard of his Five Great Sword Styles—representing Wind, Fire, Lightning, Earth, and Water.
The Lightning Sword was the fastest. Rumor had it that Akemi once used it to slay twenty jonin and over a hundred chunin from the Land of Lightning in an instant—forcing the entire Cloud Nation to retreat. That was the day Akemi's name shook the ninja world.
Every Uchiha with a Sharingan activated it, eager to witness the legendary sword technique.
"Bluffing!"
"Slave Arrows!!"
Hancock unleashed another wave of heart-shaped arrows.
"Thunder Breathing—First Form: Thunderclap and Flash!"
Crack!
Just before the arrows struck, Akemi's figure vanished. When he reappeared, he was behind Hancock.
Sensing danger, Hancock flipped forward to create distance and prepared to shoot again—
Crack!
One of her snake-shaped earrings snapped cleanly and fell to the ground, clinking against the stone.
She looked down at the fallen earring, seeing the perfect cut, her face paling.
"When?!"
She hadn't even noticed when he drew his blade.
Even the Uchiha using their Sharingan couldn't follow his speed.
"So fast!"
"Unbelievably fast!"
"This is the Sword God—Uchiha Akemi! Who in the ninja world could match that speed?!"
"Akemi-nii is amazing! He's so fast!"
The young Sasuke cheered. Because of his brother, he often visited Akemi's home. Their clan head, Uchiha Fugaku, even hoped Sasuke would become Akemi's student.
Itachi patted Sasuke's head and smiled. "No, this isn't even Akemi-nii's full speed."
"He can go even faster?!"
Fugaku himself was astonished. If this wasn't Akemi's limit, no wonder every great nation feared him.
At that moment, Hancock stared warily at Akemi. She knew the severed earring was a warning. If he'd aimed for her neck instead, she would already be dead.
And yet, she was confused—such a powerful clan, yet she'd never heard of them.
"Who… are you people?"
"We're just a group of unfortunate souls forced to leave our homeland."
"Forced? Who could possibly force you?"
She didn't believe him. She was a Warlord of the Sea—if she couldn't fight him, who could threaten them? The World Government itself?
"Our village's internal conflicts, and pressure from the outside. The higher-ups feared our clan's power, saw us as a threat, and suppressed us. Life became unbearable."
"And our enemies beyond the village hated us, coveted our abilities, and dissected any of us they captured."
"These here are all that remain of our clan. Looks like a lot, doesn't it? But do you know how many we once had?"
"Thirty thousand!!"
"At our peak, the Uchiha Clan had thirty thousand members. Now only three hundred remain. One percent survived."
"If this continues, we'll go extinct."
Akemi's voice trembled with emotion, moving everyone—especially the Uchiha, who had long felt oppressed. Some even teared up.
Of course, many were secretly puzzled—when did their clan ever have thirty thousand people? Three thousand would be more believable.
Shisui and Itachi exchanged looks, lips twitching. Akemi-nii was at it again—his infamous clan "PUA."
Those unlike us are enemies.
Better to betray the world than let the world betray me.
If you don't live for yourself, the heavens will curse you.
Nearly every Uchiha had been "brainwashed" by him at least once.
Sadness spread like wildfire.
The simple-hearted Kuja warriors were moved as well—thirthy thousand down to three hundred? It was too tragic.
"To survive, we had to plan a coup. But that would've led to chaos, and our enemies would've attacked during the turmoil."
"The village elders were cruel to us—but we can't be cruel to the village."
"To avoid bloodshed, I led my people away."
"Coming here was an accident… or perhaps fate."
"Fate brought us together. I believe we can become the most reliable of allies."
Many of the Amazon warriors were swayed by Akemi's words—partly out of sympathy, partly because they'd seen the Uchiha's strength firsthand.
The three strongest women of Amazon Lily, including their Empress, had all been defeated by him.
He could have conquered them by force, yet instead, he sought peace. That sincerity made his words all the more powerful.
And the emotions of the Uchiha didn't seem fake.
There were men, women, and children among them; fewer than a quarter were of fighting age.
But the most decisive factor was Akemi's overwhelming power. In the eyes of Amazon Lily's warrior women, he was now the most beautiful man in the world.
If not for the setting, many would've already dragged him home to bear his children.
A man that strong would surely father strong offspring.
Though Hancock didn't believe his story, she couldn't deny his strength.
If she fought him now, Amazon Lily would be wiped out—perhaps even annihilated entirely.
"The duel is over. Poinsettia, escort the Uchiha Clan to rest."
"Yes!" Poinsettia, the steward of Amazon City, was responsible for its daily affairs.
"You—come with me into the city."
Hancock shot Akemi a fierce glare and turned toward the palace.
Soon, Akemi followed her into Amazon City and entered the castle. Hancock's pet snake transformed into a chair, and the Empress sat upon it with authority.
The Empress's two sisters stood beside her.
"Speak. What's your real purpose for coming here? Don't repeat what you said earlier—I'm not some naive girl."
Akemi smiled when he heard Hancock's words. "Most of what I said before was true, but yes, I do have a goal. My real purpose is simple—to strengthen the Uchiha clan."
"Amazon Lily is an excellent place. It's in the Calm Belt, rarely disturbed, the perfect environment for peaceful development."
"Besides, its ecosystem is complete. My clan just migrated, so having a place this stable is ideal."
"You don't need to worry about us. If we wanted to seize this island, we would've already done it."
"We're not pirates. We don't take by force. The ninja way is cooperation—clients pay for missions, and we complete them for rewards."
"However, due to our awkward position in the village, we were mostly assigned guard duties—similar to your nation's warrior guards."
"And honestly, taking the island by force would bring us little benefit. Peaceful coexistence benefits both sides."
"If my clan settles here, and this island ever faces invasion, we will defend it."
"Though Amazon Lily lies in the Calm Belt, it's only relatively safe. For truly powerful forces, there's little difference between calm and stormy seas, isn't there?"
Hancock fell silent. He was right. The Calm Belt was only safe in theory. The World Government already possessed technology allowing ships to cross it safely.
Pirates might not, but they could always steal it from the Navy. The Emperors of the New World could already traverse the Calm Belt freely.
Even though she was a Warlord of the Sea now, the World Government could strip her title any day.
When that happened, Amazon Lily would face greater danger than ever.
She needed to prepare—and the best way was to bring this new power under her control.
Suddenly, a voice called out.
"Agree to his proposal!"
An old woman walked in, leaning on a snake-shaped cane.
"Elder Nyon?"
"Granny, why are you here?!"
Both Sandersonia and Marigold looked shocked.
"This concerns the survival of Amazon Lily. How could I not be involved?"
Hancock frowned. She never liked this loud, meddling old woman who still acted like she ruled. Hancock was the Empress—her pride couldn't tolerate being lectured.
"How annoying! Who do you think you are? Your time has long passed, Elder Gloriosa—the former Empress three generations ago!"
"Even if this nation were to fall because of me, they would still forgive me! Because… that's right—because I'm too beautiful!"
As she spoke, Hancock struck her trademark pose, tilting her chin arrogantly upward.
Akemi couldn't help but smile at the sight.
"What are you laughing at?"
"Nothing. It's just… that condescending pose of yours is quite amusing."
He had always thought it looked strange when watching One Piece—but seeing it in person was unexpectedly entertaining.
"Amusing?"
Hancock glared. That smile didn't amuse her at all—it embarrassed her. She turned away quickly, annoyed that she felt like the one being mocked.
She sat back down on her serpent throne.
"I can agree to let your Uchiha clan stay on Amazon Lily. But we don't feed freeloaders. You and your people must join my command."
"Fine."