Amazon Lily, Kuja Island.
At the edge of the island's coastline, Kuzan was waiting alone, sitting astride a bicycle.
Not far in front of him, more than a dozen Kuja warriors had drawn their bows, arrows nocked, Haki coiling around them as they stared at Kuzan with intense vigilance.
Leaning against a reef on the beach, Kuzan scratched the back of his head.
"Uh… didn't I already explain? I'm just here to deliver a letter and an invitation. I have absolutely no hostile intentions toward Amazon Lily. There's really no need to be this tense…"
None of the warriors replied. Their expressions remained rigid and guarded.
A few minutes later, movement came from behind the line of warriors.
"Lower your bows. That man is not an enemy. Leave the rest to me. You may withdraw."
A clear, commanding voice rang out from the rear.
The moment they heard it, the warriors' tension eased, replaced by confidence.
"Yes, Snake Princess-sama!"
Soon, the warriors withdrew, and Kuzan finally saw who was approaching.
She was very young. The one addressed as Snake Princess-sama could only be Boa Hancock, the Empress of Amazon Lily and Kuja Island.
She looked no more than her mid-teens, not yet twenty. And yet, despite her youth, every inch of her radiated an overwhelming allure. It wasn't a gaudy or provocative charm, but something purer.
Extreme beauty.
Even Kuzan, a Marine Admiral who had seen countless beautiful women, felt his heartbeat quicken uncontrollably the instant his eyes met the Snake Princess.
The very next second, however, as his heart accelerated, he sensed a lethal danger.
The lazy ease vanished from his expression at once. The slight stirrings in his heart were forcibly suppressed.
Once he reined in that momentary reaction, Kuzan focused again. The sense of deadly danger had already disappeared.
"What kind of ability is this?" Kuzan was shaken to the core.
Simply finding her beautiful. Simply appreciating that beauty. Just the faintest hint of distraction.
And yet it was enough to make a Marine Admiral feel mortal danger. What in the world was that?
As Kuzan was still reeling internally, the Snake Princess of Kuja Island walked up and stopped a short distance in front of him.
She was indeed Boa Hancock.
Back when Ortoren had rescued her from Mary Geoise, she had still been a child, not yet fully grown. Even then, she had shown the makings of a future unrivaled beauty, but she was nowhere near this level of presence.
She wore a form-fitting red cheongsam embroidered with serpents and dragons. The slit beneath her waist was shockingly high, revealing a leg that Kuzan felt was longer than his own life.
Her delicate face was flawless from any angle, not a single blemish to be found. If he had to sum up her features in two words, they would be perfect.
Golden snake-shaped earrings hung from her earlobes. Her hair was styled in a princess cut, sleek and glossy black, cascading smoothly over her shoulders and flowing straight down to her waist.
In short, she was beauty itself.
It was as though her very existence defined what "beauty" meant.
"You are the Marine Admiral, Aokiji?" Hancock glanced at Kuzan, then swept her gaze behind him. A trace of regret surfaced in her eyes as she asked, "Did Benn-sama not come?"
Kuzan caught that fleeting emotion with his usual sharpness, and in that instant, he suddenly understood Tokikake's frustration a little better.
Damn it, Ortoren.
How is it that even a woman this stunning seems to be thinking about you? You bastard.
Though his thoughts were anything but calm, Kuzan's expression remained steady as he replied, "No. There's been some unrest in the New World. Ortoren needed to stay there and oversee things as the governing Admiral, so he didn't have the time to come. I came in his place."
Once Kuzan confirmed that Ortoren truly wasn't here, Hancock's mood visibly dimmed. Still, remembering how Ortoren had described Kuzan as his good friend in the letter, she didn't take it out on him. After composing herself, she spoke again.
"As for the matter of the Shichibukai, since it is Benn-sama's will, this one will comply. Is there anything else?"
"Huh?" Kuzan was genuinely taken aback.
That was it? No conditions, no negotiations, just a flat agreement?
Judging by the Snake Princess's attitude, it felt like he didn't even need to be here. A random Marine officer probably could have delivered the message and gotten the same answer.
Hancock agreed so quickly that Kuzan felt almost unreal about it. He scratched his head and said, "As one of the Shichibukai, you're allowed to make requests. The Marines and the World Government will do their best to accommodate them… Don't you have any?"
Kuzan wasn't sure why he brought it up. Strictly speaking, it wasn't even his place to say that, but the words slipped out anyway.
Hancock shook her head. "Benn-sama would never harm me, so—"
Before she could finish, her eyes suddenly lit up, as if a thought had just struck her.
"Then… does that mean I can go and speak with Benn-sama in person about Kuja Island's needs?"
Kuzan thought it over briefly, then nodded. "Of course. He's the one responsible for your joining the Shichibukai in the first place. If you have matters you want to discuss face to face, it's only natural to go to him."
Hancock's excitement was impossible to hide.
"Then I shall personally travel to the New World to discuss the conditions and requests of my position as a Shichibukai with Benn-sama!"
At last, she had a proper reason to set sail and seek out Benn-sama.
After a brief pause, Hancock calmed herself and returned to her usual cool, aloof demeanor as she looked at Kuzan.
"Is there anything else?"
"Ahem…" Kuzan had actually been wondering if he could suggest visiting Kuja Island's Land of Women, purely to broaden his horizons, nothing more.
But seeing Hancock's distant, unapproachable expression, he decided against it. Even if he asked, he'd almost certainly be rejected. That would just be embarrassing.
After hesitating for a moment, he shook his head. "No. That's all."
"Is that so? Then I won't see you off."
She said that, but remained standing where she was.
It was obvious she intended to watch Kuzan leave Kuja Island with her own eyes.
Kuzan felt awkward. He raised a hand, unsure what to say, rubbed his nose, kicked down the bicycle stand, and swung himself onto the seat. He pedaled off, wobbling slightly as he left Kuja Island.
Hancock didn't bother watching him until he disappeared from view. Once Kuzan made his move to leave, she lost interest entirely. Turning around, she walked back into the dense forest behind her.
The moment she entered the woods, she seemed to turn giddy. After glancing around to make sure no one was nearby, she immediately took out Ortoren's handwritten letter, pressed it to her cheek, and rubbed it gently.
"I have to frame it. I absolutely have to frame it when I get back. I can't let it get damaged… Ahhh—Benn-sama…"
Just as Hancock was lost in her infatuation, Gloriosa suddenly emerged from the forest as if out of nowhere.
"Snake Princess, what are you doing? Has that Marine Admiral already left?"
Hancock shot Gloriosa an annoyed glare for interrupting her and replied impatiently, "He's gone. I've already agreed to the matter of the Shichibukai. Next, I'm going to the New World…"
"The New World!?" Gloriosa exclaimed. "What are you going there for?"
"As a Shichibukai, one may make requests of the World Government and the Navy. I intend to discuss those matters with Benn-sama," Hancock explained.
But seeing her flushed expression and lovestruck demeanor, Gloriosa instantly understood what was really going on.
"Hancock," she said quickly, "Benn-sama already has a family. There won't be a future for you and him."
"Benn-sama already has two wives," Hancock snapped, glaring at Gloriosa. "If he can have two, why can't he have more? Besides, the strong deserve more. That's the tradition of Amazon Lily. Strength is beauty. Strength is reason. Strength is everything. Are you denying our tradition?"
Gloriosa was left speechless.
After a moment, she seemed to realize that if Hancock truly managed to win over Benn Ortoren, it would be an enormous boon for Kuja Island.
In the end, she stopped arguing. Since Hancock had both the desire and the confidence, she might as well let her try.