Chapter 205: Amazon Lily

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Amazon Lily, the Kingdom of Kuja. At the island's center stood a grand palace, the residence of Boa Hancock, the Pirate Empress and ruler of the Amazon Lily Kingdom. 

The island was shrouded in darkness late at night, with most inhabitants asleep. 

However, the palace was brightly lit, and heated discussions echoed within its walls.

"Snake Princess, we must start planning the kingdom's future. We can't keep living aimlessly like this!" 

A short elderly woman standing inside the palace spoke urgently. 

She was Gloriosa, the former empress of Amazon Lily, affectionately known by the island's residents as Granny Nyon.

Seated on the high throne before her was a stunningly beautiful woman. 

Her long black hair flowed over her shoulders, her skin was as white as snow, and her clear, shimmering eyes carried a noble and elegant aura. 

Despite her cold, haughty demeanor, there was an undeniable allure to her—a beauty that seemed to captivate the soul at a single glance. 

This was Boa Hancock, the Pirate Empress. Hancock, around 27 or 28 years old, was in her prime, even more youthful and captivating than in the original storyline. 

In contrast to Granny Nyon's urgency, Hancock remained composed. 

Her long, smooth, radiant, slender legs crossed gracefully as she leaned back on the throne. 

Her presence was enchanting—capable of stirring desires even in other women.

"At the time, I didn't want to join the Seven Warlords of the Sea, but you insisted," Hancock said coldly. 

"I only joined for the sake of Amazon Lily, and now you're asking me to think about what to do after leaving the Warlords."

"I don't have the leisure to indulge in your nonsense." Granny Nyon anxiously struck her snake-headed cane against the floor. 

"Snake Princess, ever since the Marines and the World Government agreed to abolish the Warlord system, your position will inevitably be revoked." 

"You must prepare!"

Over the past few days, Granny Nyon had noticed newspaper reports. 

Two former Warlords—Hawkeyes Mihawk and "Knight of the Sea" Jinbe—had withdrawn from the system. 

Although the papers provided no details, Granny Nyon suspected other forces were working behind the scenes. 

She was relentless in trying to persuade Hancock to plan. Hancock, however, dismissed the warnings. "So what? It hasn't been abolished yet, has it?"

"I'm afraid that before it's officially dissolved, Amazon Lily will already face destruction!" Granny Nyon's voice rose.

Hancock frowned, her brow tightening as she gritted her teeth. Finally, her commanding aura surfaced. 

"Enough! Stop with your fearmongering. As long as I'm here, the kingdom will never fall!"

With that, Hancock motioned to the guards stationed nearby. "Escort her out." 

As the guards began to drag Granny Nyon away, she shouted, "Snake Princess! 

This is not the time for stubbornness. The kingdom's survival depends on your decisions!"

Hancock stood and slowly approached Granny Nyon. Her perfect figure was on full display, and her breathtakingly beautiful face exuded pride. 

"Even if this kingdom were to fall, I would still be forgiven. Because I… am simply too beautiful!"

In that moment, Hancock's charm radiated with an intensity beyond words. 

Everyone in the palace—Granny Nyon and the guards alike—was mesmerized, their eyes filling with heart-shaped pupils. 

Taking advantage of the moment, Hancock kicked Granny Nyon out of the palace and ordered her guards to prepare her bath. I want to relax before bed."

As Hancock left, her elegant figure swaying with every step, two cloaked figures perched in the shadows of the palace finally spoke. 

They were Byakuya and Tatsumaki, who had been observing the scene. Tatsumaki puffed out her cheeks in frustration.

"That woman is so narcissistic! Does she think she can do whatever she wants just because she's beautiful? And besides, she's not the only one who's beautiful!"

Byakuya looked at the fuming Tatsumaki and thought, Why must women make things difficult for other women? 

Even he and Tatsumaki, possessing strong psychic resistance, couldn't deny Hancock's overwhelming allure at that moment.

Tatsumaki, though undeniably beautiful herself, appeared more like a petite 13 or 14-year-old girl—a budding flower compared to Hancock, who was a fully bloomed, intoxicating peach. But for Byakuya? He wanted it all.

Looking at the now-empty palace, Tatsumaki asked, "So, what's the plan now?"

Byakuya grinned. "What else? Let's go have a little chat with Hancock."

Byakuya, who knew exactly how to handle Hancock, wouldn't let the opportunity slip by. 

After all, stumbling upon a beauty mid-bath was an event worth savoring. To not take a peek would be inhuman—or so he thought. 

If he managed to win Hancock over? That'd alter the storyline and net him the Sea's most stunning woman. A perfect plan.

Meanwhile, with his Observation Haki concealing their presence, Byakuya and Tatsumaki stealthily followed Hancock into the palace bathhouse. 

The structure exuded a classic design, with a large, square pool. Steam rose into the air, veiling the room in a dreamy mist.

Hancock entered, locking the door behind her. Under the soft glow of lanterns and the gentle haze, she approached the pool. 

Slowly, she shed her delicate robes, revealing a flawless, ethereal figure that words could scarcely describe. 

As she slid into the water, rose petals floating atop the surface brushed against her smooth, porcelain skin, enhancing the mesmerizing scene.

Leaning back in the pool, Hancock began to ponder. 

Though she had dismissed Granny Nyon's words earlier, the weight of her responsibilities as an empress bore heavily on her. 

When Hancock joined the Warlords, her primary goal was protecting Amazon Lily from Marine attacks.

The kingdom's location within the Calm Belt offered natural defense, with countless Sea Kings lurking beneath the waves. 

However, with the Marines' development of Sea Stone-coated ships, they could now navigate the Calm Belt unscathed. 

This breakthrough left Amazon Lily vulnerable to Marine offensives at any time.

Hancock now faced a dilemma: either relocate her kingdom to a hidden island or seek protection from a powerful force like one of the Four Emperors. 

While the Kuja Pirates were formidable, they lacked the strength to resist a direct Marine assault. 

But Hancock's pride and disdain for men made the latter option difficult to stomach.

Unbeknownst to her, Byakuya and Tatsumaki remained hidden, awaiting the perfect moment to move.

If that's the case, even if she were willing to join, her only viable option would be to align with the sole female Yonko, Big Mom, and join the Big Mom Pirates. 

However, the Big Mom Pirates recently had a conflict with the Night Organization, severely injuring Big Mom. 

With both sides now harboring deep-seated enmity, joining the Big Mom Pirates would likely make her a target of the mysterious Night Organization—potentially no better than facing attacks from the Marines.

Hancock was torn between difficult choices and deep internal conflict when a crisp and melodious young girl's voice suddenly came behind her.

"That mark on her back looks so ugly! It's like the claw marks left by a wild beast."

"Who's there?" Hancock shouted sharply, reaching for a nearby garment and slipping it on to cover her flawless figure. 

The thin, gauzy fabric was meant for sleeping, offering little coverage. 

Much of her snow-white skin remained exposed, glistening with water droplets from the bath. 

The garment clung to her skin, highlighting her perfect physique rather than concealing it.

In that fleeting moment, Byakuya caught a glimpse beneath the fabric—a tantalizing sight of twin cherry-like peaks and a faint hint of black. 

This tantalizing semi-revealed allure was almost too much for Byakuya to bear. 

Such an intoxicating scene might leave even someone like Sonic defenseless! 

The guards outside the door—Boa Sandersonia and Boa Marigold—rushed in upon hearing the commotion in the bath.

"Sister! What happened?"

"Who are you?"

The three Boa sisters instantly encircled Byakuya and Tatsumaki, adopting a combat-ready stance.

Byakuya, summoning incredible willpower, shook off the temptation and apologetically waved his hands, grinning sheepishly. 

"We were just passing by. The child spoke out of turn; please forgive us for the offense!"

"Child? Who are you calling a child?" Tatsumaki immediately countered.

Facing the two mysterious figures clad in enigmatic attire, Hancock's expression turned icy. 

Her tone chilled as she asked, "Did you see the mark on my back?"

Compared to being caught bathing, Hancock was far more concerned about someone seeing the mark on her back. 

Sandersonia and Marigold froze in shock, instantly grasping the gravity of the situation. 

The Boa sisters had a tragic past of being captured by human traffickers and enslaved by the Celestial Dragons. 

This harrowing ordeal left all three of them with the mark of the Celestial Dragons, the infamous "Hoof of the Soaring Dragon," burned onto their backs.

This brand was permanent and impossible to remove—cutting away the skin would only result in it reappearing after healing. 

To those enslaved by the Celestial Dragons, the mark was an inescapable symbol of shame, a constant reminder of their suffering. 

Even though they had escaped Mary Geoise and the clutches of the Celestial Dragons, the brand's existence made it impossible to forget their enslavement and the torment they endured.

Whenever Hancock recalled those days, she felt overwhelming terror and an icy chill. 

This profound hatred for the Celestial Dragons extended to her branded back, a source of unending loathing. 

She had never allowed anyone but her sisters to see it, guarding this secret vigilantly.

Even during her baths, Hancock relied on her sisters to stand guard at the door to ensure absolute privacy. 

But despite these precautions, two strangers had somehow infiltrated her heavily guarded palace.

When Byakuya opened his mouth to speak again, Tatsumaki boldly cut him off, saying, "So what if we saw it? It's just ugly anyway!"

These words nearly made the Boa sisters faint from anger. 

They had never encountered anyone so audacious as to justify peeping with such confidence. 

Byakuya nearly lost his temper at Tatsumaki's provocative remarks, wanting to pick her up and give her a stern lecture right in front of Hancock. 

Tatsumaki had no idea what the mark meant to Hancock, but Byakuya did. 

Her words had torn open Hancock's barely healed emotional scars and rubbed salt into them, enraging her to the core.

Hancock's almond-shaped eyes glared at Tatsumaki as waves of Conqueror's Haki erupted from her. 

She gritted her teeth and demanded, "What did you just say?!"

Tatsumaki nonchalantly retorted, "Are you going to attack us? If so, you should first consider who your enemy is—unless you want to bring disaster upon your nation."

Though strong, Hancock's Conqueror's Haki was insignificant compared to Shanks. 

Against Byakuya, it was completely ineffective, not even improving his proficiency in countering it. 

Though consumed by rage, Hancock retained enough composure to observe the mysterious pair's attire and felt a nagging sense of familiarity.

Tatsumaki's remark jogged her memory. Hancock suddenly recalled hearing about a mysterious organization that dressed similarly. 

A flash of realization struck her, and the intensity of her Conqueror's Haki faltered as she gasped, "You're from the Night Organization?!"

Tatsumaki's slight hum of acknowledgment confirmed it. Byakuya suddenly remembered his own identity. Right, who were they? 

They were members of the Night Organization! Byakuya mentally chided himself for almost forgetting their purpose due to a moment of indulgence. 

But he quickly brushed it off, reasoning that even prominent figures had moments of weakness.

Meanwhile, Hancock's situation had taken a turn for the worse. 

Just moments ago, she had been worrying about whether joining the Big Mom Pirates might provoke the Night Organization. 

Now, before she had even decided, the Night Organization had appeared and discovered her most closely guarded secret. 

This was truly a case of misfortune knocking at her door. Hancock directed her gaze toward Byakuya, her thoughts racing. 

If these two were truly from the Night Organization, the man before her must be Night himself—the infamous figure with a bounty of 3.7 billion berries.

Byakuya, now fully composed, locked eyes with Hancock and spoke coldly, "Our purpose in coming here is simple: you must voluntarily resign from the position of Warlord of the Sea."

"And if I refuse?" Hancock retorted defiantly.

"Then you'll leave us no choice but death," Tatsumaki interrupted, bluntly delivering the threat Byakuya had yet to voice.

Byakuya couldn't help but feel Tatsumaki was a child learning all the wrong things from him.

The Night Organization's blatant threat made Hancock's face grim.

Resigning as a Warlord of the Sea would likely invite retaliation from the World Government, while refusal could mean the destruction of her nation before dawn. 

The choice between early death and delayed death left Hancock in a terrible bind.

Byakuya gave her no time to deliberate. He began a countdown.

"Three!"

With that, Sandersonia and Marigold were immediately enveloped by a telekinetic force, suspended mid-air, their expressions filled with panic.

"Two!"

The pressure intensified, and blood began to trickle from their noses and mouths.

As Byakuya was about to utter "One," Hancock shouted, "I agree to resign!"

Byakuya calmly released his telekinetic hold, and the two sisters collapsed to the ground, gasping for air. 

Had Hancock delayed her response by half a second, her sisters would have been crushed into pulp.

Hancock, usually a proud and strong woman, now felt utterly powerless in the face of Byakuya's overwhelming dominance. 

It was as though she had returned to her days as a Celestial Dragon's slave, trapped in a nightmare where no one could save her.

Byakuya, looking at Hancock's delicate face, which still bore traces of fear, chuckled softly and said, "Good. You've made the right choice."

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