Hanafuda was stunned at first.
He had considered that this woman might be hiding some strength—after all, she was a Revolutionary Army officer.
How else could she remain so calm while imprisoned?
But he never expected...
Shenj was such a formidable opponent.
Anyone with eyes could tell that the technique she had just used was a derivative of the Marine's Six Powers.
In other words, this woman wasn't from the Revolutionary Army—she was a Marine!
"You're a Marine! Damn it!"
Hanafuda reacted instantly, swinging his scythe toward Hancock with lightning speed.
What seemed like a thunderous strike to others was, in Hancock's eyes, rather unimpressive.
He had some skill, but in her view, it simply wasn't enough.
With a slight tilt of her head, she effortlessly dodged the attack.
"Listen, I'll give you one chance. Run away now, and I promise I won't pursue you." Hancock gently smoothed her hair, her long, raven-black locks fluttering in the wind—exuding both allure... and deadly danger.
"Don't screw with me!"
Hanafuda roared, the earlier lust in his eyes now completely vanished.
The way this woman had dodged his strike just now... She was anything but ordinary!
Without hesitation, he activated his Devil Fruit transformation.
Lizard-Lizard Fruit, Ancient Zoan: Komodo Dragon Form.
In an instant, Hanafuda's body became covered in tough gray scales, his head morphing into that of a lizard.
But his build was far too massive for a mere lizard...
It was more like a Dragon!
This was also one of the reasons Kaido sought to recruit Hanafuda—in a sense, Hanafuda's crew...
Could integrate almost perfectly into the Beasts Pirates.
As Hanafuda let out a skyward roar after transforming, two more pirates who clearly possessed some strength burst out from the ship's cabin.
With their own roars, they too transformed immediately.
Crocodile-Crocodile Fruit, Ancient Zoan: Saltwater Crocodile Form.
Dragon-Dragon Fruit, Ancient Zoan: Velociraptor Form.
Three Ancient Zoan-type Devil Fruits within the same pirate crew—quite a rare sight indeed.
When these three pirates formed a triangular formation around Hancock, Weevil suddenly grew restless.
Once again, he tried to break free from the seastone shackles mixed with other metals and the chains piercing his collarbones and shoulder blades.
"Hey! What the hell are you doing, you idiot?!" Hancock glared at Weevil, torn between amusement and exasperation.
"Didn't I tell you to stop trying to break those chains yourself?"
"No way! You're Michael's person, so that makes you my friend! Pops always said you gotta go all out for your friends! How can I let you face three enemies alone?!"
The idiot Weevil muttered this while continuing to wordlessly, expressionlessly tug at the chains, flesh once again tearing from his wounds as the chains shifted.
The sight sent phantom pains through everyone watching.
Hancock leapt up and smacked the back of Weevil's neck with a resounding slap.
"Stop this nonsense!"
"Just stay put and wait while I slaughter these three losers, then we'll make our escape!"
She shook her hand afterward.
'What the hell was this idiot made of?'
'Damn, he's tough!'
But her internal complaints only lasted a moment.
When Hancock turned back around, her expression had already turned icy.
Truly worthy of being Michael's personally appointed strongest in the current SWORD Forces—the ace among aces.
The Empress, Boa Hancock.
"Listen, I have no interest in playing any probing games with you."
"If you survive this next move, you get to keep living."
"If not... well, that'd be a shame."
As she spoke, Hancock's hair began floating without wind, black lightning gradually crackling around her.
Then, with a cruel smile, she leapt high into the air.
At the peak of her jump, she twisted her body into an inverted hook kick.
And this kick carried within it the Conqueror's Haki that marked her as one born to rule!
"You should die now, because..."
"I am... far too beautiful."
"Serpent Femur Impact!"
Combining her own understanding with the absurd techniques Garp had taught her from his Fist of Love series, she unleashed this attack—wreathed in Conqueror's Haki—sending an incredibly wide shockwave downward with her kick!
Instantaneously—
It pierced straight through the sea!
The explosive force of that single moment triggered a massive tsunami, also drawing the attention of Kaido and his forces.
Everyone looked up at Hancock, who was now holding Weevil while walking on air using Moon Steps.
"My, my, I might have overdone it a bit."
"Weevil, hold your breath—we're making our move now!"
"Ikuzo!"
And their escape route—
Led straight toward Wano Country.
...
Wano Country, coastline.
Michael and Rosinante stood side by side.
"Brother, I'm still worried about Hancock... This is her first undercover mission!"
"I've told you before, Rosinante. Your mother-hen personality is great as a friend and an older brother, but when you're the supreme commander of the SWORD Forces, you can't be like this..." Michael glanced at Rosinante, whose face was clouded with unease.
"I know you don't want anyone in the SWORD Forces to face danger, but we do the most dangerous work in the world. You can't tuck every single person under your wings like a mother hen..."
"But..."
"No buts, Rosinante. We've all been through the thick of battle—don't embarrass yourself!" Michael reached out and patted Rosinante on the lower back.
"And how long has it been since you last evaluated Hancock's abilities?"
"Uh..." Rosinante scratched his cheek awkwardly. "About three years, I think..."
"Three years! A full three years! Do you really think someone with Hancock's talent wouldn't have made any progress at all?" Michael pointed at his own impossibly handsome face.
"In the entire SWORD Forces, when it comes to raw talent, Hancock is second only to me. Even freaks like Enel and Hawkeye have always been a step behind her in that regard."
"Not to mention, after enduring my hellish training, she also inherited the old man Garp's true teachings..."
"So when I say Hancock is currently the strongest in SWORD, I'm not exaggerating in the slightest."
Michael finished with a smile, his gaze drifting into the distance.
An Empress who'd never suffered mental trauma.
A Snake Princess who, instead of being abused as a slave in her youth, had been personally trained by Michael and Garp...
This world's Boa Hancock would bloom perfectly.
How far she'd bloom, even Michael couldn't say.
But at the very least...
In Michael's eyes, the current Hancock already had what it took to compete with Big Mom for the title of strongest woman in the One Piece World.
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