The Empress Chambers.
The current empress of Amazon Lily, with her jet-black long hair styled in a traditional hime cut, lay quietly in the bathtub.
Her deep blue eyes, long and delicate at the corners, gazed unblinkingly at the ceiling. Her almond-shaped eyes exuded a hint of coldness, and her stunningly beautiful face wore an expression of icy detachment, as if warning others to keep their distance.
Boa Hancock!
A user of the Paramecia-type Mero Mero no Mi, and a possessor of Conqueror's Haki, Observation Haki, and Armament Haki! At the age of eighteen, she became the empress of the Amazon Lily.
Leading the Kuja Pirates on their first expedition, her formidable strength earned her a position as one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea under the World Government, marking a meteoric rise to the top right from the start.
At this moment, the area around the royal chambers was under strict lockdown. Not a single person, not even a bird flying over the chambers would escape instant elimination.
The reason was simple: the Empress of Amazon Lily was bathing.
Aside from her two younger sisters, no one was allowed near the chambers.
Of course, Hancock wasn't worried about being seen while bathing, as the Amazon Lily was a Kingdom of only women. The reason she enforced such strict security during her baths was that the three sisters harbored a secret that must never be revealed to outsiders.
Suddenly—
"Granny Nyon, Granny Nyon—"
"You can't go in! Big Sister is bathing!"
Outside the chamber doors, Granny Nyon, clutching a stack of newspapers, was stopped by two women guarding the entrance. They were Hancock younger sisters, Boa Sandersonia and Boa Marigold.
Unlike Hancock, whose unparalleled beauty earned her the title of the world most beautiful woman, Sandersonia and Marigold appearances were… let's just say, unconventional.
Sandersonia had a head disproportionately large for her body, while Marigold was small-headed but fat.
"Move aside! Something big has happened!" Ignoring the sisters, Granny Nyon squeezed past them with her frail frame.
As soon as she pushed open the door and entered the chambers, she shouted urgently.
"Hancock, Hancock, come out!"
Without waiting for Hancock response from the bathroom, Granny Nyon yanked open the curtain and rushed to the bathtub, exclaiming.
"How can you still be bathing here? The world is turning upside down!"
Sandersonia, who had followed closely behind, quickly approached. Granny Nyon urgency had her on edge as well.
"Granny Nyon, what's happened outside?"
"See for yourselves!"
With that, Granny Nyon tossed the newspapers to Sandersonia.
Sandersonia took the papers, her face filled with confusion as she glanced at them. Then, awkwardly, she admitted.
"I can't read all the words. Let Big Sister take a look."
While Granny Nyon and Sandersonia were talking, Hancock had already risen from the bathtub and draped herself in a robe. Silently, she took the newspaper. Her expression, initially cold, changed drastically the moment she saw the headline.
"Big Sister!" Noticing Hancock reaction, Sandersonia and Marigold tentatively called out.
Hancock remained silent.
After quickly reading the first page, she eagerly snatched the entire stack of newspapers from Granny Nyon hands. Once she had finished reading, Hancock, suppressing her shock, turned to Granny Nyon in disbelief.
"He completely took over the Navy in just one day and even signed the Mary Geoise Treaty with the World Goverment. How have I never heard of this man before?"
As she spoke, she unfolded one of the newspapers again, her gaze lingering on the large group photo of the Marine Headquarters that occupied most of the page. Her eyes fixed on the young Marshal sitting confidently in the center, exuding an air of ambition.
Her breathing became inexplicably rapid, and she exclaimed excitedly.
"Granny Nyon, is there a clause in the Mary Geoise Treaty that grants the Marines the authority to arrest Celestial Dragons who violate justice?"
Granny Nyon nodded. "That's what the newspaper says!"
Hancock breathing grew even more hurried, and she asked uncertainly.
"Does the Mary Geoise Treaty also mention that the Warlord recruitment orders now fall under the jurisdiction of the Marine Headquarters…"
Before she could finish, Hancock suddenly turned around, as if she had lost her composure, and declared excitedly.
"I shall go meet this new Marine Fleet Admiral right now!"
"Big Sister, Big Sister!" Surprised by Hancock reaction, Sandersonia and Marigold quickly called out to remind her.
"You… you haven't even wear your clothes yet!"
At that moment, Granny Nyon also shouted.
"Hancock! There's no need to rush. This young Fleet Admiral, known for his iron-fisted approach, will soon issue the Warlord recruitment orders. What you should be concerned about now isn't meeting him, but whether you can retain your position as a Warlord! Don't forget why you joined the Warlords in the first place!"
Hearing this, Hancock body stiffened. Back then, she had accepted the World Government invitation to become one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea solely to protect Amazon Lily from invasion.
Personally, she held no fondness for the World Government, especially the so-called "nobles of the world," the Celestial Dragons whom the government supported. Not only did she feel no fondness, but she also harbored deep hatred for them.
As children, she and her two sisters had been kidnapped by human traffickers and sold as slaves to the Celestial Dragons, who branded them with the humiliating mark of the "Heavenly Dragon Hoof" on their backs.
Yet despite this, as the Empress of Amazon Lily, she had to set aside her personal hatred and become a Warlord to protect her people. Most importantly, faced with the colossal entity that was the World Government, even with her overwhelming hatred, she dared not seek revenge against the Celestial Dragons!
Now, with the Warlord recruitment orders transferred from the World Government to the Marine Headquarters due to that man coup, it was entirely necessary for her as a Warlord, to meet this "new boss."
Of course, that was only a small, small part of the reason.
The real reason for her eagerness was that, although this world was filled with powerful figures, neither the Emperors ruling the New World nor the Revolutionary Army spreading like wildfire across the globe dared to act recklessly against the Celestial Dragons.
Yet, this new Marine Fleet Admiral, Orion, had not only deviated from the Marines' traditional approach but had also forced the Holy Land Chamber of Power to make concessions, granting the Marines the authority to arrest Celestial Dragons who violated justice!
This was something unimaginable in any previous era, yet it had now become a reality.
Although her experience of being kidnapped from the Kuja Pirates' ship and sold to the Celestial Dragons had made her deeply averse to men over the years, at this moment, she was filled with an intense desire to meet this man who had dared to stage a coup and forced the World Government to compromise!
As for what she would say when she met him, she hadn't thought that far. She simply wanted to see him as soon as possible.
"Empress—"
Suddenly, a somewhat panicked voice came from outside the palace.
"Navy Vice Admiral Momonga, carrying the Warlord Summoning Order, has led a fleet across the Calm Belt and conveyed a message demanding that Empress Boa Hancock must attend the Warlord meeting convened by the new Fleet Admiral in three days..."
Before the person outside could finish speaking, Hancock immediately said.
"I shall go and change my attire now."
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