Amazon Lily, Imperial Palace
Four women gathered within the palace halls.
"Snake Princess, why this sudden decision to enter the New World?"
Elder Nyon leaned on her serpent-shaped cane, her aged face etched with confusion. The tolling of the bell earlier had made her doubt her own ears.
The aloof and domineering Snake Princess—leaving the Calm Belt?
She wouldn't believe it even if beaten to death!
"Yes, Big Sister, we're curious too," Sandersonia and Marigold chimed in almost immediately.
Hancock reclined on her throne, one leg crossed over the other, her delicate chin resting on her palm. A distant, wistful look graced her beautiful face—she wasn't listening to any of them.
The three exchanged bewildered glances, utterly lost as to what was going through Hancock's mind.
Then, abruptly, Hancock cupped her cheeks and shook her head gently, murmuring to herself, "I tried so hard not to think of him... yet why can't I help it?"
"What is happening to me? Why do I feel this way?"
Her soft mutterings only deepened their confusion.
Thud! Thud! Thud!
Elder Nyon rapped her cane against the floor, snapping Hancock out of her daze. "Snake Princess, what are you talking about? Did something happen?"
This time, Hancock finally registered her presence—and immediately glared down at the tiny elder with icy disdain.
"Gloriosa. Who gave you permission to address me so casually? Get out."
Marigold quickly interceded, "Big Sister, Elder Nyon came to advise us about the New World. We know nothing of those waters."
Sandersonia nodded in agreement. "Please, Big Sister. Let her share what she knows."
But Hancock ignored them both, her gaze drifting away again as she spoke, almost dreamily.
"...Earlier, a man came to see me. His name is Chris."
Her fingers absentmindedly twirled a lock of her raven-black hair. "He possesses immense strength—Admiral-level power."
"He intends to become a Warlord and proposed an alliance among us... a Warlord Coalition."
Then, without warning, her cheeks flushed a deep crimson as she clasped her face in her hands.
"And he's so... so... handsome. I quite fancy him!"
Silence.
A man had come to Amazon Lily?
A Warlord alliance?
And... Hancock fancied him?!
The sheer absurdity of it all short-circuited their minds. For a long moment, all three women could only stare, dumbstruck.
Elder Nyon, ever the quickest to recover, blurted out, "Snake Princess! How could anyone have reached this island undetected?!"
Marigold's voice trembled slightly. "B-Big Sister, you were in the bath earlier... How did you even meet him?"
Sandersonia's serpentine tongue flicked out anxiously. "We were guarding the entrance! We heard nothing!"
Hancock's expression cooled, her regal composure reasserting itself.
"He ate the Reject-Reject Fruit. With it, he can repel space itself."
A pause. Then, almost offhandedly—
"Oh, and he did visit me in the bath."
Another stunned silence.
Elder Nyon's cane clattered to the floor.
"S-Snake Princess! D-Did he... see your...?" Her voice was a strangled whisper.
Marigold and Sandersonia paled. "H-He couldn't have... right?!"
Hancock merely swept her hair back, unfazed.
"Naturally, he saw. But it matters not." A small, almost giddy smile played on her lips.
"He already knew."
Her fingers traced the edge of her throne idly.
"He knew of my past as a Celestial Dragon's slave... and he didn't care."
Her voice dropped to a whisper, yet carried the weight of a storm.
"Instead, he told me to grow stronger—to prepare."
Then, with a fire in her eyes that none had seen in years, she declared—
"To tear the Celestial Dragons from their throne—such words could only come from the man I've set my heart upon!"
Celestial Dragons.
The name alone sent Marigold and Sandersonia recoiling, their faces twisted in visceral terror. Memories long buried surged forth.
Elder Nyon, meanwhile, felt her mind fraying.
Hancock had spoken of them—freely. Without fear. Without hatred choking her voice.
This... This was impossible.
"Snake Princess," the elder croaked, "how could he possibly have known about your mark?! And to oppose the Celestial Dragons—that's insanity!"
Her voice rose in desperation.
"They are the creators of this world! No one dares defy them! No one!"
But Hancock's gaze turned glacial.
"Gloriosa." Her voice was a blade.
"Speak one more word against the man I've chosen..."
Her fingers curled into claws.
"...and I will personally throw you into the sea."
A beat. Then, with absolute, unshakable conviction—
"He is the greatest man this world has ever known."
"And I will tolerate NO insult to his name."
----------
T/N:
Access 35 chapters in advance on my Patreon: p@treon.com//OnePieceChronicles
+5 bonus chapters available to all members — including the free tier(Public)!