"No way… do none of you really know who I am?"
"You all seriously don't read the news?"
Lynch barely stuck his head out of the sedan before someone shoved him back inside.
"Stay still, little sacrifice. You'll be offered to the Empress soon."
"And keep that wreath on your head—unless you want your head twisted off instead."
Lynch felt like he had just been struck by lightning.
"Why is it so lively today?" Granny Nyonba asked as she stood on the top of the mountain holding a snake-headed scepter, looking at the vast procession of "bringing off" below.
Nyonba was the previous queen of Amazon Lily, and she was also one of the three beauties of Rocks Pirate.
Her appearance when she was young was comparable to that of a young Big Mom.
But time is merciless, and now she had become a short, wrinkled old woman.
"You still don't know, it is said that everyone who went to sea tied up a handsome boy for Our Empress~"
"Well, this girl Hancock has reached the age to get married and have children." Nyonba nodded.
To her, the three boa sisters were like her own children.
Seeing Hancock grow older yet still despising men, Granny Nyonba couldn't help but worry.
"If this goes on," she thought, "when will I ever hold a granddaughter in my arms?"
Meanwhile, the Empress herself had no idea what awaited her.
A group of warriors escorted Lynch straight to the palace, while Margaret entered alone to report.
"My Lady, Empress, this time, we found a man for you. He's incredibly handsome!"
Hancock, lounging on her massive snake, slowly sat up.
"What did you just say?"
Margaret straightened up. "I said, we found a handsome man at sea and brought him as an offering to you."
"Don't you know that what I hate the most is men?"
The empress said with a frosty face, "Why don't you get out of here!"
"But, My Lady, this man is really good-looking. If you just take a look, I promise you'll like him!"
The empress stood up gracefully and walked up to Margaret with her perfect legs.
Margaret, who was kneeling on the ground, raised her head in confusion.
Bang!
Hancock kicked her, sending her flying over ten meters. Margaret crashed into a pillar, blood trickling from the corner of her mouth.
"I've indulged you all too much"
"Since when do you make decisions for me?"
The big snake slowly swam over from the ground, and the empress lifted up her skirt and sat on it, crossing her legs seductively in front of her.
From beginning to end, she never gave Margaret a straight look.
"I-I'm sorry, My Lady, I shouldn't make decisions for you."
Margaret didn't dare to wipe the blood from the corner of her mouth, got up and knelt down quickly, and asked carefully: "What about that man?"
"Throw it into the snake's nest and feed it to the snake."
"Yes, My Lady." Margaret lowered her head and left through the door.
Outside.
After Margaret entered, Nyonba couldn't help but be curious and wanted to know what kind of handsome man it would be to make those little girls think Hancock would like him.
She walked over, opened the curtain of the sedan chair, and then—
She froze.
Inside sat the Emperor of the West Blue.
After a quick glance, the old woman was so frightened that she quickly closed the curtain.
"No, no, I must have seen it wrong."
Taking a deep breath, Nyonba used the snake-head stick to lift the curtain of the car again.
Same face. Same man. Same terrifying reality.
"Hello, Granny Nyonba." Lynch greeted.
Clatter!
The snake-headed staff slipped from her hand, hitting the ground with a dull thud.
Nyonba felt that she was about to collapse,
"You little troublemakers..."
"Do you have any idea what you've brought back?!"
This, this, this... is obviously an evil god.
Unceremoniously speaking, if he wanted to, he could destroy Amazon Lily single-handedly.
"What the hell, Nyonba-sama? The ground is cold. Why are you still sitting there? Get up already."
Nyonba was one of the most respected figures on Amazon Lily. The moment she sat down, dozens of warriors rushed over, worried.
"M-My legs feel weak... Help me up,"
Just then, Margaret stepped out of the palace and saw the commotion.
"Nyonba, are you alright?" she asked, then turned to the warriors nearby.
"The Empress has ordered this man to be thrown into the snake's den."
She didn't want to do this, but an order was an order.
"Yes, Lady Margaret," the warriors replied. A few tall, muscular women moved to grab Lynch.
But before they could—
"Stop! You idiots, don't do it!"
Nyonba shot up like a bolt of lightning, grabbing their arms with unexpected strength.
"Mother-in-law?! What's wrong with you?" The warriors were stunned.
"Shut up! Do you even know who this is?!"
"Who?"
"The Emperor!"
"Which Emperor? What are you talking about, Nyonba?"
Nyonba ignored the clueless girls. If she didn't step in, Amazon Lily might not see another sunrise.
With a forced smile, she personally lifted the curtain and bowed.
"I humbly pay my respects to the Emperor. Please forgive us for failing to welcome you properly."
"Huh?"
Margaret's mouth hung open, her mind short-circuiting.
Emperor?
There was only one person in the world that Nyonba would address with such reverence.
Lynch.
The Emperor of West Blue.
And now that she thought about it... didn't the man they kidnapped look an awful lot like the one in the newspapers?
'Not only did we abduct the Emperor of West Blue, but we also planned to throw him into a snake pit?!'
Margaret felt her stomach drop.
Her face paled, her legs trembled—
She was about to cry.
It had been over half a year since Lynch last appeared in the newspapers.
Who would connect the man in the headlines with the man they tied up so easily?
Who would imagine that a mighty emperor would travel without an army of civilians crowding him or a fleet of warships escorting him?
And most importantly— why didn't he resist?!
Margaret felt like her soul was leaving her body.
The man they had tied up without a fight… was that Lynch.
'Did the heavens send you just to mess with me?!'
"Greetings to the Emperor!"
"Greetings, my lord!"
The stunned warriors of Amazon Lily dropped to their knees.
The more they realized who he was, the more terrified they became.
Several veteran pirates who had sailed the Grand Line trembled as they recalled the legends of Lynch's strength.
They had actually offended such a big shot.
Would Amazon Lily... be destroyed?
"Did you invite me from afar? No, you personally brought me here." Lynch's voice was calm, but his expression was unreadable.
'His tone… it's bad.'
Even though it was summer, Nyonba felt a chill crawl up her spine.
Forcing a smile, she said, "You must be joking."
"If these girls had known it was you, they wouldn't have dared to do this, even at the cost of their lives. I sincerely apologize on their behalf."
Margaret and the others immediately stepped forward.
"Your Majesty, we're sorry! We didn't know it was you."
"Please forgive us!"
Lynch remained seated high in the sedan chair, like a judge presiding over a trial.
"I was enjoying my vacation, and you kidnapped me without warning."
"If you want my forgiveness... you'll have to pay a price."
.
.
TO BE CONTINUED
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