Chapter 206: Hancock joins Night Organization

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"I can choose to resign from the Shichibukai, but I have one condition." Hancock stared straight into Byakuya's eyes. 

Byakuya chuckled softly, taking unhurried steps forward until he stood before her. 

The proximity was so close that he could smell the alluring fragrance emanating from her—a scent capable of stirring a man's deepest desires. 

Lowering his gaze, he was greeted by an expanse of flawless, snow-white skin.

Hancock bit her luscious red lip with her pearl-like teeth, suppressing the urge to strike, yet stood her ground without retreating a single step. 

Since her escape from Mary Geoise, she had never been this close to a man. Byakuya's tone turned cold. "Do you think you're in any position to make demands?"

Hancock's expression showed a hint of vulnerability, but her voice was firm. "The warriors of Amazon Lily are born fighters, and the Kuja Pirates are strong…" 

She paused before continuing, "And along with myself, I only ask that you agree to one thing."

"Oh? Let's hear it."

Taking a deep breath as if making a momentous decision, Hancock declared, "Let the Kuja Pirates join the Night Organization. Allow the Amazon Lily Kingdom to fly the flag of your organization."

Byakuya raised an eyebrow, scrutinizing Hancock with newfound interest. 

From what he recalled of her character in the original story, she was portrayed as exceptionally proud, willful, and disdainful of others. 

Matters concerning her kingdom didn't seem to hold her attention nearly as much as her predecessors. 

However, after today's encounter, Byakuya realized that Hancock was deeply concerned about Amazon Lily's safety. 

Her willingness to go to such lengths to join the Night Organization made that abundantly clear.

Her usual arrogance, it seemed, was a façade—something she cultivated to uphold her image as Empress. After all, people often overcompensate for what they lack. 

But in Byakuya's presence, she had no room to maintain that façade. 

A single misstep could ruin her kingdom and even herself, especially with her deepest secrets already exposed by two members of the Night Organization. 

Her proposal to join was a testament to her desperation. For Byakuya, the idea wasn't entirely surprising upon reflection. 

The Night Organization, considered the fifth emperor of the seas, wielded immense power and mystery. Few dared provoke them. 

Even the World Government would have to proceed cautiously before making any moves against them. 

With Amazon Lily losing its protection under the Shichibukai system, aligning with the Night Organization was a logical way to ensure its survival.

It was a natural evolution of her plan to join a Yonko crew, though now aimed at Byakuya's organization instead.

As for Hancock's claims about Amazon Lily's strength—where nearly every woman was adept in Armament Haki—while impressive, it was still insignificant to Byakuya. 

If he truly wanted an army, he could use World Source Energy to exchange for Monster Cells. 

These would enhance his followers' strength significantly while ensuring absolute loyalty. Such advantages rendered Hancock's offer relatively trivial.

Still, there was one aspect that intrigued Byakuya. 

Anyone with an eye for detail could see that Hancock was driven to this decision out of sheer necessity, not sincerity. 

But Byakuya didn't mind. A forced alliance might not be sweet, but it quenched his thirst for strategic gain. 

As long as it helped accumulate World Source Energy—even if it involved replacing Luffy's straw hat with a green one—the process didn't matter. 

The climax was all that counted. Byakuya smirked with a hint of mockery. "Are you sure about this?"

Sandersonia and Marigold immediately tried to dissuade her. "Sister, you don't have to go this far!"

But Hancock silenced her sisters with a gesture, turning to Byakuya. "As the Empress of Amazon Lily, this is my responsibility."

"Good!" Byakuya clapped his hands. "From today onward, the Kuja Pirates are officially part of the Night Organization. However, all others will remain auxiliary members. Only you will be a core member."

Hancock nodded without hesitation. This distinction was something she had already anticipated.

Byakuya retrieved three vials of rapid-healing serum from his system's shop and tossed them to Hancock.

"As a welcome gift for joining the organization, these serums can remove the 'Heavenly Dragon's Hoof' brand on your backs."

Hancock's eyes lit up with hope as she clutched the serums like precious treasures. 

"Lord… Night, is this true? Will this remove the mark?" Her voice trembled with emotion, betraying her usual composed demeanour.

Byakuya nodded. "Yes. Simply inject the serum into your body. The process will be painful, but you must endure until the effects are complete."

This serum could heal long-standing internal injuries, let alone a mere brand. 

For Hancock and her sisters, the prospect of enduring pain was trivial compared to the torment of their past enslavement in Mary Geoise.

Hancock volunteered to go first, allowing the glistening needle to pierce her delicate skin. 

As the green serum entered her body, waves of searing pain radiated through her, especially from her back, which felt like countless ants were devouring it. 

Yet, despite the agony, she didn't utter a single sound. Instead, her pale, sweat-drenched face reflected relief and joy. 

Pain meant the serum was working. When the ordeal ended, Hancock hastily bared her back and asked, "Is the mark gone?"

Byakuya gazed at the now flawless, porcelain skin of her back and chuckled. "It's gone."

Her sisters cheered in unison. "Sister, it's gone!"

Hancock turned around, her face flushed with happiness, only to realize the state of her attire—or lack thereof. 

Embarrassed, she offered Byakuya a deep bow. "Thank you, Lord Night, for this gift."

"There's no need for formalities. We're family now," Byakuya replied with a knowing smile.

Hancock's perception of Byakuya began to shift. Where once she resisted, a faint sense of gratitude now took root. 

However, the effects of the serum had left her drenched in sweat, making her already revealing outfit even more so.

A few days later, aboard the Ship, Byakuya departed from Amazon Lily, leaving Tatsumaki behind to handle any unexpected issues. 

Though Hancock was now aligned with the Night Organization, she hadn't immediately announced her resignation from the Shichibukai. 

Byakuya understood her reasoning. Flying the Night Organization's flag offered immense protection, but no safeguard was absolute. 

His ultimate solution? Transforming Amazon Lily into a floating island akin to Skypiea, beyond the reach of any adversary.

As Byakuya contemplated this plan, a nagging thought crossed his mind. Had he forgotten about an important figure? 

Judging by the timeline, that person should move to East Blue soon. If they crossed paths, Byakuya decided, he'd settle the matter swiftly.

Meanwhile, Sonic and his team finally arrived in the Florian Triangle. 

"What's with all this fog?" Enel grumbled, unused to such gloom after basking in the perpetual sunlight of Skypiea.

Lucci said, "The sooner we deal with Moria, the sooner we can get out of this cursed place."

"Can your Heart Network in a place like this?" Sonic asked. 

Enel, hearing this, activated his Observation Haki and his Rumble-Rumble Fruit powers to conduct a broad scan. 

"It can, but its range is somewhat smaller compared to when I'm on Skypiea."

"Good, then let's begin."

Enel initiated a large-scale search without sparing his strength, quickly pinpointing the exact location of Moria and his group.

The four traversed a bizarre forest and arrived at a cemetery garden. 

Rows of broken, weathered gravestones protruded from the ground, and thick fog swirled ominously, giving the impression of an ominous force hidden all around. 

They had to cross through this cemetery to reach Moria's Bat Castle. 

Sonic, being a ninja, keenly observed his surroundings and warned, "The soil in most of these graves looks freshly turned. Something's likely to emerge."

Just as he finished speaking, a skeletal arm with bits of decaying flesh burst from the soil, grabbing for Lucci's right ankle.

Anticipating this, Lucci remained unflustered. Instead of dodging, he kicked back with immense force, shattering the arm into fragments. 

However, that single kick seemed to trigger the cemetery like a switch. Hundreds of graves shook violently as zombie-like creatures clawed their way out of the dirt.

The air was filled with the stench of decay, making it almost unbearable. 

The four were surrounded by hundreds of zombies, creating a dire situation. Suddenly, from behind a nearby empty wall, a sly voice echoed.

"Scared, aren't you? Even if you're from the Night Order, you'll be no match for the mighty Absalom!"

Using his telescope, Absalom observed Sonic's group with a smug grin. 

As a Transparent-Transparent Fruit user, Absalom had been monitoring their movements since they landed on the island and confirmed their identities. 

Yet, instead of reporting this to Moria, he believed his power was enough to handle them.

However, what happened next completely shattered Absalom's expectations.

Faced with the horde of zombies, Enel sneered. Lightning began radiating from his body, illuminating the area as if it were broad daylight. 

A massive, lifelike thunder dragon roared to life, opening its jaws wide as it surged toward the zombies. 

The moment the thunder dragon touched the grotesque creatures, they were instantly reduced to smouldering ash.

In less than a second, the hundreds of zombies were wiped out.

"How is this possible?!" Absalom exclaimed in disbelief. Years of painstakingly accumulated zombie soldiers had been eradicated in the blink of an eye.

Meanwhile, with his Heart Net activated, Enel sensed another presence not far away. In a flash of electricity, he appeared right in front of Absalom.

"No one here?" Enel muttered, furrowing his brow as he scanned the seemingly empty spot. Did his Heart Net malfunction?

Now trembling in fear at Enel's sudden appearance, Absalom nearly wet himself. If he were discovered, he'd undoubtedly end up like the zombies. 

In desperation, Absalom activated his strongest backup plan: three Zombie Generals personally crafted by Moria. 

These were corpses of powerful individuals from the seas, transformed into zombies of unmatched strength compared to the cannon fodder.

The ground trembled again as three nearly intact zombies emerged, their appearances alone signifying their superiority.

"There's more?" Lucci dashed toward one of the Zombie Generals, delivering a punch that shattered its head into pieces.

"A fellow Warlord of the Sea, yet all Moria does is hide in this place and produce trash like this?" 

Lucci said with disdain, shaking the grime off his fist. He felt that finding Moria was more troublesome than fighting him. 

Once located, any one of their group could easily crush Moria's pirate crew.

At the same time, Sonic swiftly sliced another Zombie General in half, showing his lack of interest in the mission.

Law, on the other hand, exhibited excitement. Eyeing the weapon held by the third Zombie General, he exclaimed, "This… this is one of the 21 Great Grade Swords—'Shusui'!"

Unlike ordinary zombie soldiers, Zombie Generals retained fragments of their memories. 

The zombie-wielding Shusui spoke, "I am Ryuma, a samurai of Wano. This blade, Shusui—"

Before he could finish, Law activated his powers. "ROOM!"

In an instant, Law's sword, Kikoku, slashed multiple times through the air, cutting Ryuma's body into pieces. 

Shusui materialized in front of Law, who seized it eagerly.

"Who cares about history lessons? I'm not interested," Law said, examining the sword excitedly. 

What seemed like a dull task had unexpectedly yielded a precious treasure.

Absalom, meanwhile, stared in horror as his trump cards, the Zombie Generals, were effortlessly dispatched. 

"Are these people even human?" he thought, feeling his pants might fall off from fear. 

The strength of the seas today felt leagues apart from ten years ago. Absalom nervously watched Enel, gulping hard. 

"I just need to stay hidden until they leave," he thought. "Then I'll warn Moria-sama immediately."

But Enel frowned and muttered, "Still right in front of me?" Though he couldn't see the enemy, it didn't pose a challenge. 

Purple lightning surged from Enel's feet into the ground, electrocuting Absalom, revealing his charred and trembling form.

Law glanced at Absalom and scoffed, "This guy's body is stitched together with animal parts. 

Such crude handiwork. Your ship's doctor needs better training."

Despite being heavily shocked, Absalom remained alive, albeit barely. His heart sank as his secrets were laid bare.

Sonic coldly said, "Take us to Moria."

Absalom, barely able to speak, coughed out a wisp of smoke. "W-why do you want to see Moria-sama?"

Before he could finish, Sonic's blade severed Absalom's right arm. Sonic growled, pointing his ninja sword at Absalom's face, "Too much talking. Lead us, or die."

"I'll take you! I'll take you!" Absalom, now panicked, clutched his severed arm as he reluctantly led the way.

Unbeknownst to the group, Absalom covertly sent a warning to Moria, urging him to prepare for an invasion.

Inside the Bat Castle, a shadowy bat flew through a small window and merged with the massive figure resting on a bed. 

Moria, the Shadow-Shadow Fruit user, sat up with a frown. "Intruders?"

Ever since his defeat by Kaido of the Beasts in the New World years ago, where most of his crew perished, Moria had hidden in the Florian Triangle with his remaining subordinates, dreaming of returning to the New World to take revenge. 

Aside from becoming a Warlord of the Sea, he had done little to draw attention. Yet even in such obscurity, someone had come for him.

"Are they really here to bully the defenseless?" he muttered.

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