"Hathaway, look! There are so many people on the shore!" Kuina quickly forgot her earlier unhappiness, pointing at Amazon Lily with excitement.
"That beauty in the very center, is she the Pirate Empress Boa Hancock? She's indeed as beautiful as the legends say."
Hathaway frowned, looking at the opponent's formation. She felt the atmosphere was a bit off, but she didn't believe that a mere Kuja would dare to attack Nero's vessel.
However, the next moment, Hathaway was proven wrong. A sky full of arrows, imbued with Haki, came flying towards them.
Hathaway's eyes widened in disbelief. Are all the Seven Warlords of the Sea just a bunch of brutes?
Compared to Hathaway's disbelief, the Kuja side fell into an even deeper silence after launching the first wave of attack.
"They really... attacked!" Someone stammered out.
"Towards the golden rose, Emperor Nero's vessel, I... I didn't expect..."
"There's no turning back now."
The Amazon Lily warriors on the shore spoke one after another, their expressions dazed as if sleepwalking.
Hancock, however, felt a sense of relief and a sharp decrease in pressure. This way, there was no turning back, and all that was left was to go all out.
And the good news was that Nero didn't seem to be on the ship. Her Observation Haki only sensed the two people she could see.
Demon/Devil Child Hathaway and a little girl. If they could successfully capture Hathaway, they might be able to make Nero hesitate.
Her leg muscles tensed, and Hancock, using Moonwalk, moved like a flash, constantly changing her position in the air as she rushed towards the golden rose.
The arrows were naturally blocked by Hathaway with ease. Holding up her two guns, she was still at a loss.
After Nero had just displayed her unparalleled power, why were there even more people looking for trouble?
Currently, it seemed like Nero could easily turn the world upside down, but considering the span of time, Nero was definitely a recluse in her daily life.
She had only gone out to sea a few times in ten years, mostly for short periods of about a month, and the longest was during little Robin's incident.
Silence on the sea meant oblivion, Hathaway knew this, but that was Nero!
The World's Strongest! Celestial Dragons! Crimson Blood Scourge! Rose Emperor! Red Dragon Queen... just one such title would be enough to be called a legend, yet Nero had too many to count.
So, are the Seven Warlords of the Sea chosen based on intelligence?
Hathaway fired a shot, and Haki, black and azure, transformed into a light cannon, surging powerfully towards Hancock.
"Perfume Femur!"
Haki-infused, Hancock kicked away Hathaway's attack, and the golden rose slightly dipped. Hancock landed on the railing at the bow of the ship.
A glint of crimson flashed in her eyes, and her Conqueror's Haki domain expanded. Hancock stretched out a finger and bent backwards, striking a pose to look down on others.
"Demon/Devil Child Hathaway, Nero's maid, what brings you to concubine's country?"
This was a self-centered woman, yet Hathaway felt a strange familiarity.
Although the other party's attitude was terrible, Hathaway somehow felt that the other party was like a little girl who had given up.
"We're just here for sightseeing. Did you misunderstand something?"
"Hmph, still trying to deceive concubine with such a low-level excuse? Your intentions have long been exposed, Celestial Dragons' running dog!"
Hancock sneered, not even bothering to put effort into her pretense. It seemed they were really determined to capture her.
"You're trying to say you crossed the Calm Belt from the New World just to sightsee in Amazon Lily?"
It seems this Shichibukai, the Queen of Amazon Lily, who made an agreement with the World Government, still harbors resentment towards the Celestial Dragons?
Could it be the Great Slave Escape incident? Hathaway almost guessed the truth of the matter with just a few words.
But that shouldn't be right? His Majesty Nero was also at the scene of the slave rescue that day, and Tiger should have mentioned His Majesty's existence to them?
That should have been the time His Majesty became a Celestial Dragon. It seems to be a misunderstanding!
Hathaway reached a conclusion, but she had no intention of explaining. She understood the rules among pirates.
Conversation should take place after the battle.
And Hancock indeed didn't know that Nero had also contributed to Tiger's slave liberation incident.
When Nero killed a Celestial Dragon in Sabaody Archipelago, the news was completely suppressed by the World Government, and the incident in East Blue was even more familiar territory.
Not to mention, during the Sabaody Archipelago incident, Hancock was still in Mary Geoise.
After escaping from Mary Geoise, the three Hancock sisters did not travel with Tiger but were rescued by Shakky and Rayleigh, who were living in seclusion on the Sabaody Archipelago, and brought back to Amazon Lily.
Nero's covert support during the slave escape incident was only known by the Fishmen and a small number of humans who escaped with Tiger.
This was also one of the reasons why most of the Fishmen chose to leave obediently when Nero expelled them.
Hathaway slowly exhaled, Haki flowing through her body and transforming into a sky blue, burning fiercely like a flame in her heart.
'What's going on? This unusual Haki.' Hancock's muscles tensed, like a nimble leopard ready to pounce on its prey at any moment.
"Although it's not Conqueror's Haki, this amount is too abnormal!"
"Pistol Kiss!"
Touching her lips with her finger, a small pink heart shot from Hancock's fingertip.
Hathaway's eyes turned icy, and she lightly parted her red lips.
"First Gear!"
No bullets were fired from the gun; thumb-thick Haki shot out like a laser towards the small pink heart.
A loud boom echoed in the air as both their techniques canceled each other out simultaneously.
In fact, Hathaway had lied during her fight with Crocodile. She was indeed skilled in gun-fu, but she was even better at long-range shooting.
Otherwise, she wouldn't have chosen two guns as weapons. To become Nero's head maid, Hathaway was undoubtedly talented.
However, this talent was only fully revealed after she came into contact with Haki. Her immense amount of Haki, far exceeding that of ordinary people, and her vigorous life force, comparable to that of the Giant Race, were all concentrated within this 'fragile' body.
Before Nero ate the Red Dragon Fruit, even she was no match for Hathaway in terms of arm strength alone.
And this dense Haki, compressed in her hands by two guns made of the same material as the Primal Fire, ultimately manifested in the form of a light cannon.
Hathaway didn't master many special moves like others. Her Haki output was divided into several gears, for a saturation bombardment.
All of these combined meant that when Hathaway fought with her full strength, she often caused massive changes to the terrain, which was the true reason she was known as the Demon/Devil Child.
"Then, Miss Hancock, please be careful next." Hathaway raised both guns simultaneously this time, warning her.
Standing on one leg, black electrical arcs flashed. This time, the Haki entwined around Hancock's leg was no longer ordinary Armament Haki, but Conqueror's Haki.
"Cough!"
---------------------------------
If you'd like to read the next 70 chapters in advance, you can support me on Patreon.
I regularly post chapter previews there, so you'll always be up-to-date and won't have to wait too long.
patreon.com/SolyuraMT
And if you enjoy the story, don't forget to give me a Power Stone. Your support really motivates me to continue translating!