Chapter 327: The Pirate Empress Falls Ill, Intel Leaked!
Calm Belt, Amazon Lily.
Sunlight filtered through the sheer curtains of the Kuja Palace, falling on the throne. Boa Hancock woke up groggily from her nap.
Hmm? Why am I drooling again? Did I dream about that man again?
But what was the use of dreaming? Even if she was the Pirate Empress of the Kuja, a Warlord of the Sea, and recognized as the most beautiful woman in the world… What she couldn't have, she couldn't have.
She bit her lower lip, sitting up straight with a hint of resentment. Her slender fingers brushed against something, and she picked up a newspaper from the throne.
"Sonia, what is this?" she asked, glancing lazily at her sister.
"Sister, it's the latest newspaper Elder Nyon just brought," Sandersonia said with a smile. "I saw you were sleeping soundly, so I stopped her from waking you. But Elder Nyon said you'd be very happy to see it. Oh, and I think so too."
Is that so? Hancock rubbed her forehead with one hand and casually opened the newspaper with the other. The bold headline immediately caught her eye—[A HISTORICAL FIRST! THE TRUE VILLAINS OF THE WORLD GOVERNMENT AND MARINE HEADQUARTERS, THEIR WANTED POSTERS REVEALED!]
Rustle!
A stack of wanted posters fell out. Hancock instinctively scanned them…
[MARINE ADMIRAL, 'AKAINU' SAKAZUKI, BOUNTY: 3.5 BILLION BERRIES!]
[FIVE ELDERS, 'WARRIOR GOD OF FINANCE' NUSJURO, BOUNTY: 6 BILLION BERRIES!]
…
[ALL CELESTIAL DRAGONS, BOUNTY: 1 BILLION BERRIES EACH!]
"Celestial Dragons… are wanted?" Hancock froze. What is going on? Am I seeing things?
Just seeing those three words brought a flood of memories. The Hoof of the Flying Dragon branded on her back in her childhood, the cries in Mary Geoise, the twisted, triumphant smiles of those "gods" in their finery… her back burned with phantom pain.
Finally, it was their turn to be hunted?
Who did this?! Could it be… could it be…
Hancock's eyes lit up, and she quickly unfolded the newspaper to read the rest. Sure enough, there was a special report detailing the crimes of the Marines and the World Government's higher-ups, and the reasons behind the Curtain Call's issuance of the bounties. Finally, there was a declaration from the leader of the Curtain Call himself, stating that he would protect anyone who dared to attack a Celestial Dragon! The Curtain Call's territory was the true holy land where the World Government and the Celestial Dragons could never set foot!
For layout purposes, the special report naturally included a photo. In the photo, the handsome young man with flowing black hair exuded a wild arrogance, yet also an inexplicable gentleness and warmth.
Hancock stared at the photo, entranced.
"Sister?" Seeing Hancock suddenly freeze, Sandersonia and Marigold exchanged a worried look and called out softly.
Hancock didn't respond, remaining motionless. She stared at the face she thought of day and night, her breathing quickening, a flush rising on her pale cheeks.
"Oh no, is Sister going to have another episode?" The two sisters were alarmed. The last time she had fallen ill, it had taken a lot of effort to calm her down.
Sure enough, in the next second, "Ahhh~~~" Hancock let out a long sigh, slumping back onto her throne, her legs rubbing together unconsciously. "As expected of Lord Shane, to dare to put a bounty on the Celestial Dragons, even the Five Elders! Such a domineering, powerful man…" Her gaze grew misty, her fingers tracing Shane's photo in the newspaper, her voice becoming fainter and fainter. "This concubine… this concubine is already… ahn!"
She collapsed completely, struggling to breathe, her face flushed red.
"Sister!" Sandersonia rushed forward to support Hancock. Her forehead and skin were burning hot.
Marigold panicked too. "Sister, pull yourself together! It… it's just a newspaper! It's not like…"
"Newspaper?" Hancock gasped, struggling to breathe but forcing out the words. "No, this isn't a newspaper! Can't you see? These words are Lord Shane's will, they're glowing! That light, so dazzling…"
It's over. The two sisters felt a sense of doom. She was even hallucinating that the newspaper was glowing. This was clearly much worse than last time.
Purupurupuru~
Just as the sisters were flustered, the Den Den Mushi in the corner of the palace rang. Sandersonia hurried to answer it. As soon as she picked up, Elder Nyon's urgent voice came through. "Sonia! Put Snake Princess on the line! Fleet Admiral Kong himself is calling! He says a major war is about to start, and Snake Princess must attend a meeting at Marineford within seven days!"
"Now?" Sandersonia looked at the throne in distress. Hancock was currently curled up in a ball, clutching the newspaper, rubbing her flushed cheek against Shane's photo like a drunk kitten. "Uh, maybe you should come over first, Elder Nyon. We're having a bit of a problem here…" Sandersonia said tactfully. Ever since Hancock had been beaten up last time and had started treating Elder Nyon and the citizens with more respect, the two sisters had also started respecting the elder again. "Sister is… unable to take calls for the time being."
"Another episode?" Elder Nyon paused, immediately realizing what was happening, and sighed. "Fine, I'll come over. Oh, and don't panic. Get some cold towels and put them on Snake Princess's forehead."
"Understood, Elder Nyon."
After hanging up, Sandersonia rushed off to get cold towels. Marigold carefully reached out, trying to gently take the newspaper from Hancock's arms, but Hancock grabbed her wrist.
"No! Don't touch it!" Hancock opened her eyes groggily, her voice weak but stubborn. "This is a holy relic given to me by Lord Shane! It's still glowing! No one… no one can take it away…"
"Sister, please wake up!" Marigold sighed, rubbing her temples in worry. "Once or twice is fine, but if you keep indulging in these delusions, it wouldn't be strange if you died one day! If you miss that man so much, why don't you just go see him in person?"
"Because he despises me," Hancock pouted, tears welling up in her eyes. "He said I have a personality problem, that my character is lower than the brand on my back, that I don't deserve Fisher Tiger's rescue… and he hit me! Waaah, it really hurt…" Not only did her body hurt, but her heart and soul hurt too. As she spoke, tears streamed down her face, soaking the newspaper.
Sandersonia returned with a basin of water and saw this scene. "Let's just apply the cold compress for now."
Marigold was out of ideas. "She misses someone so much she's going crazy, but she's too scared to go see him. Isn't this a dead end…"
"Or perhaps this is the fate of the Pirate Empress of the Kuja," a long sigh came from the doorway.
"Elder Nyon!" The two sisters looked up in surprise.
"Don't look at me like that. I don't have a solution either," Elder Nyon walked to the throne, looking at the love-sick Hancock with a sigh. "It's just like me back then." When she was the Empress of this country, she had fallen recklessly in love with Roger. Unfortunately, Roger liked Shakky, and that hateful Shakky ignored Roger's advances and secretly loved Rayleigh. The Rocks Pirates next door were similar; Stussy clung to Whitebeard, but he only had eyes for Shakky… Looking back, it was all a sin!
But Hancock was even more pitiful than she had been back then. At least she had seen Roger often, and while he wasn't interested in romance, he had been friendly. Unlike Shane. Not only had he beaten Hancock mercilessly, but he had also humiliated and scolded her to her face. This had left the girl with such a psychological shadow that even now, after correcting most of her faults, she was still timid and afraid to even look at him.
"The physical symptoms seem to have eased after the cold compress," Elder Nyon said gravely. "Then I'll explain the situation first. Snake Princess, listen carefully…" She repeated Kong's words, but Hancock's eyes remained glazed, as if she hadn't heard a word.
Elder Nyon sighed and raised her voice. "Hancock! Marine Headquarters has issued an urgent summons for the Warlords! A war in the New World is imminent! You must—"
"New World?" Hancock suddenly jolted upright. "Wait! Lord Shane is in the New World!" Even in her poor state, with her cheeks still flushed, she grabbed Elder Nyon's sleeve tightly. "Are they going to attack Lord Shane? They must be! Right?! No! Absolutely not! I don't want to hurt him, and I won't allow anyone else to hurt him!"
"What nonsense are you talking about, Snake Princess!" Elder Nyon stamped her snake staff in frustration. "The New World is now divided among four Emperors, and there are plenty of other big pirates. How can you be so sure…"
"Is there any other possibility?!" Hancock raged, seeming to sober up a little. "Don't treat me like a child who knows nothing! Just after putting bounties on the Celestial Dragons and the Marines, Marine Headquarters launches a large-scale war? Who else could the target be but the Curtain Call! And after the Five Elders have personally intervened, they still need to summon the Warlords! In the whole world, who else is worthy of such treatment but Lord Shane!"
Elder Nyon was stunned by her sudden outburst. After a moment, she hesitated. "Uh, now that you mention it, it's true. But you are a Warlord. If you refuse the summons, it's tantamount to betraying the World Government and the alliance. Amazon Lily will lose its protection…"
"If I have to hurt Lord Shane for that little bit of grace… then I don't want that protection!" Hancock lifted her chin proudly. "Besides, who said I was going to refuse the summons?"
"Then what do you mean, Snake Princess?"
"I'll pretend I don't know anything, go to Marineford for the meeting, follow the Marines to the New World, and then at the critical moment…" Hancock sneered. "I'll turn on them and stab the Marines in the back!"
"Of course, I have to… no, right now! call Lord Shane right now and tell him this important information! If I can help the Curtain Call, maybe Lord Shane won't despise me as much. Maybe he'll even be gracious enough to let me see him… Waaah, just thinking about it makes me so happy I could cry!"
Seeing the Empress cupping her face and lost in her fantasies again, the two sisters and Elder Nyon looked at each other.
"Elder Nyon, what do we do…"
"Let's do as Snake Princess says," Elder Nyon sighed. "She's completely hopeless. 'Only the person who tied the bell can untie it.' Perhaps the only way to solve this is for that man to intervene personally…"
But if they did that, the Kuja's stance would change completely. Standing against the World Government for the sake of a man. Hancock, is it really… worth it?
Dawn Island, a secluded beach in a deserted bay.
BOOM!
Two figures collided on the shore, the shockwave sending ripples through the air.
"Ice Block: Pheasant Beak!"
CRACK!
With Aokiji's low cry, more than twenty large, sharp ice spears materialized in the air, radiating a bone-chilling cold as they shot towards the black-haired young man opposite him!
"Hey, hey, so many ice spears at once? Getting serious, huh? Then I'll turn it up a notch too… Galaxy Impact!!!"
With a hearty laugh, blinding black-and-red lightning erupted, illuminating the world. In the next moment, a violent shockwave shattered the incoming ice spears!
BOOM!
Ice crystals filled the air, refracting the sunlight into a dazzling display. The owner of the ice spears grunted and was sent flying into the mountains like a cannonball, kicking up a cloud of dust.
After a long while, "Ara, Galaxy Impact…" Aokiji walked out of the dust with a mournful expression. He was beaten black and blue, his sunglasses were gone, his hair was a mess of dust, and his right nostril was bleeding. "That felt familiar. But Captain, you haven't even used your full strength, have you? Even at this level, it feels like Garp-san's fist in his prime."
Aokiji scratched his head.
"You've only been with us for a few days, and you're already so good at flattering? But you're already a top officer. Any higher and you'd be usurping my position," Shane chuckled.
"It's not flattery, just the truth… hmm?" Seeing Shane land on the ground without a scratch, Aokiji's eye twitched. Not even a scratch? Although it was just a spar and he hadn't gone all out either, Shane's physical durability was truly terrifying. He was undoubtedly the strongest Yonko, by far! He could finally understand why Sakazuki and the others had suffered so much at his hands, all ending up crippled. He was lucky he had missed the previous battles. Otherwise… Aokiji looked down at his legs and felt a chill.
"Are you finally done sparring?" Just then, Kuina's voice drifted over. "Then I'll report directly. My lord, Hancock of the Kuja called the Garrison Corps headquarters today. She claimed that Marine Headquarters is secretly summoning the Warlords and preparing to launch an all-out war on the New World, targeting the Curtain Call. She wanted us to be on alert."
"Hancock?" Shane wiped the sweat from his forehead, surprised. "Would that woman be so kind…?" He didn't like her, and since he had beaten her up, she should hate him, right? Was this a trap for revenge? Or…
"Eh, wait," Shane suddenly realized something. "Where's Mochi? Did she go off to slack off somewhere again? Why are you the one delivering the message?"
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