As the cannon fire continued to reverberate across the once tranquil waters of the Calm Belt surrounding the iconic island of Amazon Lily, the one island where no man is allowed. The usually serene island paradise for women was now thrust into the heart of a Buster Call. With no warning and no hint of something of this magnitude happening, the women were caught unaware. But they were not warriors for nothing. They did not stall and immediately got to their battle stations to repel their enemies.
With her heart firm, Boa Hancock narrowed her eyes and quickly deduced that this was not an ordinary Buster Call. The distinct aura emanating from the ships hinted at the presence of not just one, but two Admirals, and among them, the unmistakable essence of the Fleet Admiral himself. She would never forget that aura - so full of rage and prejudice for everything not up to his sense of code.
The gravity of the situation painted a grim reality, however, she was the Pirate Empress, and she would not be cowered easily. And neither would her people.
Hancock shot out of her palace and made her way to the front lines, her eyes fixed on the approaching navy vessels. She could sense the fear and confusion among her subjects from the sudden intrusion. And mixed with that was the anger and fierce fighting spirit of her people at the invaders. Hancock commanded her subjects to prepare for the impending clash and to sink any government dogs they could.
Boa Hancock, the Snake Princess, stepped onto the shores of Amazon Lily with an air of authority. She stood in front of all her subjects looking at the vast fleet of ships on her doorstep.
Her eyes locked onto the flagship leading the naval assault, where the Gravity Admiral and the Fleet Admiral stood in resolute determination. The Pirate Empress was not one to be shy in the face of adversity; instead, she exuded an aura of unyielding confidence.
"Who dares disrupt the tranquillity of Amazon Lily?" Hancock's voice echoed with a mix of authority and indignation, reaching across the battlefield to both friend and foe alike. The Navy forces paused momentarily, struck by the mesmerizing beauty and commanding presence of the Snake Princess - most already had hearts in their eyes.
Fleet Admiral Sakazuki, the magma user known as Akainu, stepped forward, his stoic expression showing his immense disgust for pirates no matter how beautiful Hancock was. "Boa Hancock, you are hereby under arrest for harboring the infamous Monkey D. Luffy, the son of Dragon and thus leading to the chaos of Marineford two years ago. The World Government has decreed that this island will be purged for your defiance."
Hancock's eyes narrowed, and a sly smile graced her lips, accentuating her beauty as she effortlessly exuded an air of both confidence and defiance. "Defiance, you say?" she purred, her voice a beguiling melody that carried across the chaos. "I will not allow the Navy to trample on the freedom of Amazon Lily. Prepare yourselves, Admirals. The Kuja won't dance to your tune so easily. Why? Because I am Empress."
With that, the regal Empress stepped forward, her every movement a mesmerizing dance that commanded attention. She planted her feet, straightening up to her full height then tilted her head so that it looked backwards.
Akainu almost blew a vein at the arrogance of the Pirate Empress, his cigar burning red hot at the end. She was taking vain to the next level. Having dealt with her before Akainu was expecting this but it still made his blood boil. "Oh Sakazuk, I she's looking down on us so much that she is looking up." Fugitaro commented lightly.
"I don't want to hear that from you Fujitaro." Akainu said. He barked orders at the Marines around him. "Continue bombardment. There must be nothing left."
With that declaration, the battle between the Snake Princess and the might of the Navy unfolded on the shores of Amazon Lily, the outcome of which would resonate throughout the seas. The tranquillity of the Calm Belt was shattered, replaced by the clash of powers and a formidable Empress standing in defiance of the World Government.
XXX
Not too far away but still within the Calm Belt was an island with a population of one – the lone figure paced anxiously along the shore. Luffy couldn't contain his excitement for the upcoming reunion with his friend Hancock. After two years of rigorous training, the prospect of seeing his friends again filled him with joy.
However, as the sun dipped below the horizon and the shadows lengthened, Luffy's enthusiasm waned, replaced by a growing sense of unease. Hancock was supposed to have arrived hours ago to pick him up, and the anticipation that once fuelled his excitement had now transformed into a nagging worry. Luffy couldn't shake the feeling that something was amiss. There was no way Hancock would be late, not for something as important as this.
Luffy made up his mind when the sick feeling in his stomach continued to grow, urging him to act. Trusting his instincts, he acted. With a burst of steam and a surge of energy, Luffy activated Gear Second and soared through the air, covering the distance with astonishing swiftness.
His destination was crystal clear in his mind – Amazon Lily. Luffy's heart raced as he imagined the potential dangers that might have befallen his friends. The uncharacteristic delay from Hancock only fuelled his concern, and a sense of urgency gripped him like never before.
XXX
On the island of Amazon Lily, the only way to describe its current setting was that of something out of a nightmare. The mountains that stood in their uniqueness were destroyed and scattered. Fires burned everywhere on the island as all but one of its inhabitants lay on the ground unmoving. Hancock was the only one left standing to fight for her people's sacrifice.
Hancock stood, worse for wear with signed hair and torn clothes glaring hatefully at the two Admirals left standing in front of her. Through all the fighting, the warriors of Amazon Lily were unable to put up more than a meager resistance against the marines that raided their home.
There were only a handful of strong warriors that could contend with the Marines -with the Boa sisters being the strongest. But even that could hardly do much against the overwhelming numbers that they had faced. Added to that the strength of two Admirals, it was a fight they were destined to lose from the start.
Hancock fought with everything, injuring Akainu slightly but could only critically injure Fujituro thanks to her two sisters who had sacrificed themselves to distract the gravity man. She may be strong, but she could not fight both an army and the Admirals.
"Well well well, how the 'mighty' Pirate Empress has fallen. Now justice will prevail." Taunted Fleet Admiral Sakazuki calmly as he gazed down at the pirate.
"I was a Warlord. Even if I did help Luffy, that would not have warranted this. I have done much worse before. Why did the World Government move now?" demanded Hancock. It was the one thing that still confused her. There were no signs of this move against the Warlords.
"Pirate scum like you don't get to demand anything but since I'm in a happy mood I'll explain it to you before I finish you off. The World Government no longer has the need for pirate scum tainting its ranks thus the Seven-Warlord system is to be abolished. I just wanted a head start."
He calmly walked until he was two meters away from Hancock. "And thus, I targeted you first to lure my real prize." Hancock's eyes widened in surprise, she understood who they were trying to lure.
"You will not get to him. He will be on Sabaody by now heading to the New World. Once Luffy hears of this, you will be dead."
"Oh, is that right? Well, you won't be here to see it either way." He dismissed her threat.
Hancock watched as Sakazuki punched his magma fist towards her. Hancock Looked straight at her death with determined eyes. With her dead, only one other knew where Luffy was and with word of Amazon Lilys' destruction, Rayleigh would surely know that she had been unable to deliver Luffy on his journey. Thus, he could fetch him in her stead so that one day he may still be Pirate King. Her only regret was that she would not be able to see that day.
As the fist was but an inch from her face, a force knocked the Magma Admiral back into the rubble. Shocked that she wasn't dead yet, Hancock looked to the man who had saved her from death.
"Luffy!"
Luffy glanced sideways at Hancock not fully taking his eyes off the Fleet Admiral that had flown away and the injured Fujitora who was standing across from them.
"Hancock, can you still fight?"
"You're supposed to have waited for someone to fetch you. To reunite with your friends. Why come here?"
"I can't just leave my friends to die."
His answer pulled Hancock up short. Luffy could have avoided the might of the marines and continued on his journey to be the Pirate King but instead, he came to her aid even though it was a suicidal stand. It brought tears to her eyes and her heart swooned. Maybe he did love her.
"Straw Hat!"
The shout came from Akainu who had risen from where he had been thrown. He stood across from them glaring fiercely at the duo of pirates with Fujitora.
"So, you came after all. Not much will change though. All you pirate scum will die either way." Akainu stated angrily getting ready to battle again. Steam floated into the air from his body. Fujitora opened his blade again in preparation. "And so, it begins anew." The purple Admiral said.
"Let's do this Hancock." Luffy said confidently as he looked at her now standing proudly back on her feet. If she was going down, she would rather take one of the Admirals of the Marines with her.
The battle that took place lasted for two whole days as pirate 'Straw Hat' Monkey D. Luffy and 'Pirate Empress' lived up to their infamy by holding their own against the two Admirals at the same time. In the end, the two managed to heavily injure Akainu and put Fujitora on his deathbed. They could not do, however, any more damage even if they had wanted to. Their bodies were spent from being pushed to the limits thus resulting in their current position of being sprawled on their backs next to one another. The island was in flames around them and the Admirals had been taken to their ships by their subordinates for treatment. They would stay on an island that was starting to sink.
As they lay by one another, they knew full well that their journey was at an end. Luffy glanced at Hancock; - he had to say what had been on his mind for a while now. "Hancock, thank you."
Luffy could only hope that his eyes would convey what he wanted to Hancock, and she would understand his thanks. Even though Hancock could have saved her people, or at least gotten leniency for them and given him up she hadn't. He knew she would have never given him up but even still he was grateful to have been proven right.
He couldn't say much more as his strength failed him. Thankfully he saw the understanding cross her eyes at his words and she smiled at him lovingly. It brought a smile to his face as it was the last thing he saw before they were both consumed by lava. Pain consumed them both one final time until they knew no more.