In One Piece, as Hashirama Senju

[100] Painful, But Still, A Deal Fulfilled

Chapter 100: Painful, But Still, A Deal Fulfilled

—

While Hashirama and Hancock were dealing with their misunderstandings, something peculiar was happening in Amazon Lily.

Gloriosa, the oldest member of the Kuja Pirates, and also the Snake Empress from three generations prior to Hancock herself, was in a room that was occupied by five statues. Four of them were of women of different ages, and the last one was of a duck.

Naturally, they were the petrified members of the Senju Pirates, excluding the captain himself. In hindsight, there was nothing interesting to see, other than the princess there was nobody else worth noting. However, it was precisely Princess Nefertari Vivi that had all of Gloriosa's attention.

Silently, she was observing the girl's face. It had been a while since she had been staring at the petrified young lady. Finally, Gloriosa moved her head to the side and looked at one of the walls of the room.

In the room, many portraits of women were hung. Those were the pictures of all the Snake Empresses of Amazon Lily to date. There weren't even ten hung pictures, actually. Since Amazon Lily had only been established eight-hundred years ago.

On the top of all the pictures, one large picture stood. Given how it was the beginning of the pictures, one may assume it's the first Snake Empress, and their assumption would be deemed correct.

"My... how uncanny."

It was the picture of a blue-haired woman, smiling as she wore a crown on her head. Her parted blue hair mirrored Vivi Nefertari's own, and even her facial features were very close. Suspiciously so, almost as if they were related.

Then again, they surely were.

"For Empress Lily's descendant to visit Amazon Lily all of a sudden..."

Nefertari Lily, one of the 20 rulers that formed the World Government, and the only one who didn't join it. Eight hundred years ago, after the formation of WG, she sailed for her country, but she never reached Alabasta. People didn't know what happened to her, and even Amazonians of this era didn't know much, but they knew one thing. Somehow that woman had found herself on an island in Calm Belt, perhaps to hide from a certain force, and there she formed the country of Amazon Lily, naming it after her own name.

Gloriosa sighed and shook her head, turning away and walking out of the room.

"I hope this is a good omen and not a bad one. Since Hancock, that brat, turned her into stone..."

Sighing in worry and concern, the old woman walked away from the room. She wasn't in the least worried about Hancock going missing — after all, if anything she trusted in that girl, it would be powers. Hancock should be enough to go against a little boy. Even if that boy was quite something, admittedly.

* * *

Gloriosa's faith wasn't exactly misplaced, but her assumption about Hashirama just didn't catch everything he stood for. After all, she hadn't seen his main powers in action. If not, she may have accurately predicted the current state that Hancock was in.

"You are..."

"If you say 'you are joking' I am going to slap you. I literally showed you my powers in person, stupid woman."

Boa Hancock who was still in her prior state, tied and raised in the air, tried to say something for the first time in a few minutes. But she shut up when he replied, looking at her in impatience, Hancock flinched back.

Ever since she had become the Empress... No, ever since she had eaten her devil fruit, causing her natural beauty to become a weapon, she had never felt unsafe. She always felt in control, no matter where she was, or who she was comforting. She said what was in her mind and she acted as she pleased.