Without the slightest hesitation, Hancock released the ten chains, each over a hundred meters long, causing the entangled Celestial Dragons to plummet together into the bottomless abyss.
As she watched the Celestial Dragons continue their descent, a slightly manic smile flickered across Hancock's face.
Then, she retrieved ten identical chains from her storage ring and flew toward the remaining Celestial Dragons.
For the next period of time, Hancock repeated the same process—chaining a thousand Celestial Dragons, dragging them a certain distance as torture, and finally throwing them into the bottomless chasm.
After several hours, 99.9% of the Celestial Dragons in the Holy Land of Mary Geoise had been dealt with by Hancock.
The only ones left were the Five Elders, still seated in the Room of Authority.
At this moment, the Five Elders stared at the screen with expressions of utter despair. Ever since Pangaea Castle and Imu had been simultaneously annihilated, they had already lost all hope.
With each wave of Celestial Dragons that Hancock tossed into the abyss, their despair and terror only deepened further.
However, when despair and fear reach their peak, a person's emotions either completely collapse or transform into extreme rage—and for the Five Elders, it was the latter.
Thus, when Hancock appeared in the Room of Authority, they attacked her without hesitation, unleashing their most powerful techniques.
There was a reason the Five Elders held the highest leadership within the World Government—each of them possessed strength on par with an admiral.
The elderly man in a robe wielding a katana was an especially formidable master swordsman, and his katana was one of the twelve Supreme Grade Blades.
Yet, to the current Hancock, their combined assault was no different from children playing. She effortlessly blocked their attacks and, in an instant, turned all five of them into stone statues.
The difference in power between them was simply beyond comprehension.
By this point, most of the world's civilians were utterly shocked by Hancock's ruthless methods. In just a few short hours, she had wiped out nearly all of the Celestial Dragons. Even though the Celestial Dragons were universally despised, the sheer brutality of her actions instilled an overwhelming sense of fear toward her.
However, this broadcast had also made Hancock's strength known to the world, ensuring that no one would dare provoke the Amazon Lily Kingdom in the future.
By the time Eriri and her group ended the broadcast and departed from Mary Geoise, it was already past 5 PM in the evening. As for the Holy Land itself, they chose not to destroy it.
After all, with the despicable Celestial Dragons completely wiped out, it hardly mattered whether the Holy Land remained or not.
At the same time, Hancock made sure to liberate all the slaves who had been imprisoned by the Celestial Dragons.
Meanwhile, at the Revolutionary Army's headquarters in Baltigo on the Grand Line, all the top-ranking officials had gathered in a conference room.
However, under the leadership of Monkey D. Dragon, the Revolutionary Army's senior members wore expressions of utter confusion.
Their goal as the Revolutionary Army had always been to overthrow the rule of the Celestial Dragons, and they had fought for this cause for over a decade.
However, now that the Celestial Dragons had been exterminated by the Pirate Empress and the World Government was nothing more than an empty shell, they found it difficult to grasp the reality of the situation.
Of course, the fall of the Celestial Dragons was something they were truly delighted about. It was just that, for the moment, losing their objective left them feeling somewhat lost.
But this feeling was only temporary. The collapse of the World Government signified the arrival of an age of turmoil, and when that time came, the Revolutionary Army would once again shine in its own right.
…
Stepping out of Bubble Pod No. 1, Eriri and the others found themselves once again on the streets of Red Port.
The moment they appeared, the residents along the street immediately panicked and hid, especially when they caught sight of Hancock—their eyes filled with fear.
However, Eriri and the others paid no attention to this reaction. After all, they had no intention of staying here for long, and whatever these residents thought had nothing to do with them.
Of course, not everyone was afraid of Hancock. Those who had once suffered under the oppression of the Celestial Dragons were deeply grateful to Hancock, Eriri, and their group.
Before long, Eriri and the others returned to the Voyage, which was docked at the port, and soon after, the ship set sail toward Amazon Lily.
"Eriri, I can't thank you enough. If it weren't for you, today's events might never have come to pass."
On the deck of the Voyage, Hancock gazed at Eriri, who sat across from her, her expression filled with excitement. Even now, she had yet to completely calm down from the thrill of annihilating the Celestial Dragons.
Just recalling the events for even a moment was enough to send a new wave of exhilaration through her.
"You've already thanked me, so there's no need to say it again," Eriri replied with a light smile, unconcerned.
"Besides, you carried out my request perfectly, didn't you?"
To Eriri, Hancock's massacre of the Celestial Dragons had been nothing more than an entertaining spectacle from beginning to end.
And Hancock's "performance" had left Eriri very satisfied.
"That's not how it works. No matter how many times I say it, my gratitude toward you will never be enough. Perhaps meeting you is the greatest fortune of my life. Truly, thank you, Eriri." Hancock spoke with utmost sincerity, the words of gratitude once again spilling from her lips.
"If there's anything you ever need me to do, just say the word. No matter what it is, I will do it—even if…"
At this point, Hancock covered her cheeks with both hands, her face tinged with an alluring blush, as she suddenly became shy and flustered.
After living together for several days, it was impossible for Hancock not to notice Eriri's sexual orientation—after all, Eriri and Arifureta frequently displayed their affection without concern for the occasion.
In truth, same-sex relationships were not uncommon on Amazon Lily, an island inhabited solely by women, so Hancock was not particularly surprised by it.
Moreover, due to the trauma of her childhood, Hancock harbored an intense hatred toward men.
One could say that accepting a relationship between two women was far easier for her than accepting one between a man and a woman. However, because of the "Hoof of the Flying Dragon" brand on her back—something she absolutely could not expose—and the fact that no one had ever truly caught her eye before, she had remained single all the way to the age of twenty-nine.
"Since that's the case, let me borrow your thigh for a moment."
"Of course! It would be my pleasure!" Although Hancock had no idea what Eriri intended to do with her thigh, she agreed without hesitation.
Under Hancock's expectant gaze, Eriri directed her to kneel on the soft, clean grass of the deck in a seiza-like sitting position.
Then, Eriri lay down on the grass, facing Hancock directly, and rested her head on Hancock's smooth, fair thighs.
Looking down at Eriri's delicate face just inches away, Hancock couldn't help but let a slight smile curl at the corners of her lips.
By the time the Voyage docked at Amazon Lily's port, it was already past ten o'clock at night.
Yet, despite the late hour, the Amazon Lily Kingdom was as lively as if it were in the middle of a grand celebration.
Since the guards had long noticed the Voyage's arrival, by the time Eriri and the others set foot on Amazon Lily, the streets were already lined with people.
At the forefront, Sandersonia and Marigold immediately stepped forward to greet them.
"Big Sister! Lady Eriri! Everyone, welcome back!" Sandersonia exclaimed excitedly. Beside her, Marigold also offered a greeting to the group.
Having watched as their elder sister tormented batch after batch of Celestial Dragons before tossing them into the inescapable abyss, the excitement and exhilaration the two sisters felt were no less intense than Hancock's own.
"Mm, we're back." Hancock nodded toward her two younger sisters. Now that the shadows of her past had been completely erased, her personality had begun to change.
The persona she had once worn as a mask was gradually fading, and her true self was starting to emerge.
The group didn't linger in conversation and soon made their way toward Kuja Castle, with Sandersonia and Marigold naturally blending into the procession.
As they walked through the streets, piercing screams erupted from the gathered crowd on both sides.
Unlike the ordinary civilians in the outside world, the people of Amazon Lily felt no fear toward their Empress's actions. Instead, they were ecstatic, their admiration for Hancock reaching unprecedented heights.
Though they were overwhelmed with excitement and reverence, the citizens were disciplined—none of them stepped forward to disrupt Eriri and her companions' march.
Before long, Hancock, Eriri, and the others arrived at Kuja Castle.
…
"Eriri, can't you stay just a little longer?"
At Amazon Lily's port, Hancock gazed at Eriri with deep reluctance.
It had now been two days since she and Eriri had returned to Amazon Lily.
Originally, Eriri had planned to leave the next day, but under Hancock's pitiful pleading, they had ended up extending their stay by two more days.
"No can do~ We've only just finished exploring the East Blue and the first half of the Grand Line. There's still a long way to go before we've traveled around the entire world. If you can't bear to part with us, why not come along and explore the world with us?"
Hancock was slightly tempted by Eriri's suggestion. Traveling the world itself wasn't important—what mattered was being with Eriri.
However, when she thought about her position, she had no choice but to suppress this enticing idea.
As an empress, she could not abandon her people.
"Once you've finished your journey around the world, you'll be leaving this world, won't you?" Hancock asked worriedly.
At this moment, she truly felt an impulse to renounce her throne and follow Eriri out of this world.
But she knew she couldn't do that. She was not alone in this world.
"Yes, that's right," Eriri nodded without hesitation.
"I see… Then, will you ever return to this world?"
"Hmm… Most likely not."
"I see…"
Seeing Hancock's mood sink even lower, as if she were about to cry, Eriri suddenly burst into laughter with a "pfft."
"Eh?" Hancock was completely confused as she looked at Eriri, who was laughing out of nowhere.
"Alright, don't take it so seriously. It's not like we'll never see each other again," Eriri said with a smile.
With that, Eriri stretched out her right hand and pressed her palm against Hancock's forehead.
A full ten seconds passed before Eriri finally removed her hand.
"Alright, Hancock. I've left a special energy inside your mind. You can feel it, right?"
"Yes, I can feel it. Is this another type of energy seed that enhances strength?"
"No, this energy won't increase your power, but it has a special function."
"What function?" Hancock asked with anticipation, already suspecting that this energy had something to do with meeting Eriri again.
"As long as you use your own energy to activate it, this energy will open a dimensional passage in front of you. On the other side of the passage is a small world that I created."
"Then, by simply entering my small world and silently reciting my name while activating the energy, you can let me sense your arrival. At that point, I can pull you directly to my side."
"When you want to return, I'll send you back to the small world. Then, as long as you activate the energy without reciting my name, you'll open a passage back to the One Piece world."
The world Eriri was referring to was the one where she hosted the Chat Group Martial Arts Tournament—it was also the world where she planned to lure Princess Shirahoshi and some mermaids to live.
As the creator of that world, Eriri held absolute control over it. If she wished, she could perceive everything that happened within it with perfect clarity.
However, in her daily life, Eriri kept most of her senses shut off and naturally wouldn't go out of her way to pay attention to the everyday happenings in the Martial Arts Tournament world.
"So that's how it works! That's great!" Eriri's explanation instantly lifted Hancock's spirits, but then her tone suddenly shifted. "By the way, you said that if I activate the energy inside me while silently reciting your name, you'll be able to sense it. So, if I do that right now in this world, would you be able to sense it?"
"If we're in the same world, of course, I would be able to sense it. However, if we are in different worlds—different universes—then at my current state, I wouldn't be able to detect it unless my evolution is complete."
At Level 8, Stage 9, Eriri still couldn't perceive minute energy signals across universes. The reason she could do so in the Martial Arts Tournament world was because that world was one she had personally created.
Once her evolution was complete and she ascended to Level 9, then everything that transpired across all worlds and universes would be within her grasp.
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