Amazon Lily, Kuja Palace.
Hancock lounged sideways on her throne, listening as her younger sister Sandersonia finished reading the notice from the Marines. For a moment, that breathtaking face of hers went blank—then a trace of anger surfaced.
"What?! They're abolishing the Ōka Shichibukai? And they're putting Onee-sama back on the wanted list?!" Marigold, standing to the side, immediately turned pale with panic.
"The Marines are going back on their word!" Sandersonia said through clenched teeth, furious.
Hancock lifted her slender hand, stopping her sisters' outcries. This didn't feel that simple.
"Could it be the World Government's gotten this impatient and reckless because of that Lulusia incident?" Hancock couldn't help but wonder.
Seeing how unhurried Hancock looked, Sandersonia couldn't hold back. "Hancock-sama, warships have already appeared around the island—watching us! They're ready to move on us at any time!"
Marigold added anxiously, "Hancock-sama, once we lose the Ōka Shichibukai status, everything we used to do—raiding merchant ships—could be treated as straightforward piracy by the Marines. They could come 'subjugate' us on that pretext alone. And our country's location…"
They all understood: the island's secret—and the fact that the three sisters had once been slaves of the Celestial Dragons—were enormous risks waiting to explode. Once they lost the protection of the Ōka Shichibukai umbrella and were exposed directly to the Marines and the World Government, the consequences were unthinkable.
Hancock raised her chin slightly, forcing herself to maintain that proud hauteur. But the flicker of worry in her eyes didn't escape those closest to her.
"Insolent wretches! No matter what the Marines intend, I will not fear them!" Her voice carried a tension she couldn't quite hide. "It's just… the safety of my people!"
Elder Nyon stopped mid-step and let out a heavy sigh. "This isn't the time to act tough, Hancock! We need a countermeasure—and fast. The Marines are moving unusually quickly and decisively. There's probably a deeper reason behind it."
Just then, a Kuja warrior rushed into the grand hall, dropped to one knee, and spoke with reverent urgency. "Hancock-sama! Outside the palace… Rayleigh-san requests an audience!"
"Rayleigh?" Hancock and her sisters—and Elder Nyon—froze.
Rayleigh? Why would he suddenly come to Amazon Lily?
Before long, Rayleigh appeared at the doorway. He wore rough, simple clothes, but his silver hair was soaked and dripping, and his outfit was clearly waterlogged, plastered tight against him.
"Rayleigh, what happened to you?" Elder Nyon stared, stunned.
"Hahaha. Swam over. Time was tight—I didn't bother changing." Rayleigh casually flicked water from his hair.
He said it lightly, but the distance between the Sabaody Archipelago and Amazon Lily was no joke. At his age, having the stamina to do that was downright absurd.
"Rayleigh, you came because the Ōka Shichibukai are being abolished, didn't you?" Hancock asked bluntly. She had no patience for small talk.
Rayleigh nodded, his smile fading into a serious expression. "Shakky got word and worried something might happen on your end. She asked me to come take a look." He glanced at Elder Nyon. "Besides, Amazon Lily has ties to Shakky. I can't just sit by."
At the mention of Shakky, both Hancock and Elder Nyon eased slightly.
"The Marines moved this fast… have they already prepared to do something to us?" Sandersonia asked urgently.
"For now, it looks like surveillance and pressure," Rayleigh said, adjusting his glasses as he analyzed the situation. "If they actually strike, they still have to weigh the cost. Most of the Marines' main forces are in the New World. But without the Ōka Shichibukai status, your old 'legal raiding' becomes a handle they can grab anytime. You need to plan ahead."
"What exactly made the World Government suddenly decide to abolish the Ōka Shichibukai?" Elder Nyon asked, cutting to the heart of it. "That system's been around for years."
Rayleigh fell silent for a moment, as if choosing his words, then spoke slowly. "From what Shakky learned—and from a few bits and pieces that slipped out—the direct fuse was a proposal formally submitted at the recent Levely / World Summit. The one who put it forward was Ronan, the king of the Lulusia Kingdom."
"Lulusia Kingdom… Ronan?" Hancock's beautiful brows knit together. That name wasn't unfamiliar in the slightest. Not long ago, the newspapers had screamed with sensational headlines: a certain king had publicly executed nineteen Celestial Dragons—an act that shook the entire world.
When Hancock saw that report, something inside her had been hit hard—an ugly knot of emotions twisted together. Her hatred for the Celestial Dragons was carved into her bones, yet for countless reasons she had never been able to take revenge—no matter how much she wanted to. All she could do was hide the truth with her sisters and protect the secret.
And yet this young king named Ronan had done something she wouldn't even dare imagine. Even more shocking: the World Government had actually compromised, even allowing Lulusia to rejoin. That alone was enough to burn the name "Ronan" into her memory.
"He proposed it?" Hancock's voice held a note of displeasure. Abolishing the Ōka Shichibukai struck directly at Amazon Lily's core interests. Whatever complicated feelings she had about his punishment of the Celestial Dragons, she couldn't help but feel a grudge now.
"Why would he do it? To curry favor with the World Government? Or for some other scheme?"
"It wasn't abolishment for abolishment's sake," Rayleigh explained, sweeping his gaze across the hall. "Apparently, in his proposal he promised that once the Ōka Shichibukai were abolished, the 'maritime security' duties in the first half of the Grand Line would be taken over by his Lulusia Kingdom."
"What?!" Elder Nyon blurted out. "A tiny country in the first half of the Grand Line, with less than a million people—on what grounds can he take over security for the entire region?! And how could the World Government agree to something that ridiculous?!"
Sandersonia and Marigold wore the same disbelieving expressions. It sounded like pure fantasy.
Rayleigh sighed. "I don't know what happened between them, but in the end, the World Government agreed."
He looked at Hancock, his tone turning heavy in a way that was hard to describe. "Hancock… what I'm about to say may be beyond what you're prepared to accept. But this is Shakky's judgment, reached by pulling every channel she has and combining it with the signs she's seen: King Ronan—and the forces under him—likely possess absolute power strong enough to make the World Government both wary and willing to compromise."
Rayleigh paused, then enunciated each word. "According to reliable information, Ronan has several guards at his side. Among them, at least two or three have strength that's not below mine."
"Not below yours?!" This time, even Hancock couldn't stop herself. Shock filled her face. Sandersonia and Marigold gaped, and Elder Nyon nearly dropped her snake-staff on the floor.
Who was Rayleigh? The former right hand of the Pirate King—an outright legend. His strength stood among the true вершины of the sea. Hancock herself was a Warlord-class fighter, yet in front of Rayleigh she still felt a helpless pressure.
And now Rayleigh was saying Ronan's guards were on his level—two or three of them at minimum?
How was that possible?!
But if it was true, then everything lined up: why Ronan dared execute Celestial Dragons, why he dared propose abolishing the Ōka Shichibukai, and why the World Government ultimately chose compromise.
Because against a force like that, if you can't annihilate it in a single blow, the chain reaction later would be catastrophic.
"That's the other reason I came," Rayleigh said, his voice low as he watched them reel. "After abolishing the Ōka Shichibukai, the Marines may pick targets to make an example of—so they can reinforce their authority. And Amazon Lily is… special. It's isolated, its position is unusual, and…" He looked deeply at the three sisters. "Your past can also become an 'unstable factor' in certain people's eyes. If the Marines truly decide to move against you, with what you have right now… it'll be hard to hold them off."
His meaning was unmistakable: he feared Amazon Lily would become a sacrificial piece in the struggle between Ronan and the Marines—or the perfect "chicken" to kill in front of the "monkeys."
The palace fell into a long, crushing silence.
Hancock slowly straightened in her seat. The shock on her face gave way to firm resolve. What Rayleigh brought was far more staggering than any newspaper story—and far clearer. And it forced her to see the severity of the moment. The World Government, the Marines, and the Lulusia Kingdom were all surging with undercurrents, and Amazon Lily could no longer remain untouched on the sidelines.
"I understand," Hancock said, her voice returning to its usual cold pride. She faced Rayleigh. "Thank you, Rayleigh-san. And convey my thanks to Shakky as well."
Then her gaze snapped to her sisters and Elder Nyon. "Issue the order: the entire nation enters the highest alert immediately. Strengthen patrols around the island—especially monitor the Marines' movements at sea. And prepare to convene a national council. We need to find a new path forward."
Rayleigh watched Hancock calm herself and make a decision without hesitation. He nodded, approval flickering in his eyes. Wiping water from his brow, he added, "I'll stay on the island for a few days and see how things develop. If needed, we can discuss how to respond to whatever crisis comes."
With a legendary powerhouse like Rayleigh temporarily stationed here, Amazon Lily gained a measure of security.
Hancock's eyes held genuine gratitude as she looked at him.
(End of Chapter)
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