Chapter 456: Hancock's Trouble
Chapter 456: Hancock's Trouble
Not even half a month into her journey to find Feng Ye, Hancock encountered trouble.
Due to Feng Ye's presence, the plot had deviated significantly, or rather, Hancock's psychology had shifted drastically. She feared neither the Celestial Dragons nor the World Government.
The scene where Feng Ye destroyed the holy land of Mariejois still haunted her dreams, even after she became the empress of Amazon Lily.
For this reason,
she rejected the World Government's invitation to become a Warlord of the Sea.
Currently, Hancock does not hold the position of one of the Seven Warlords, and her relationship with the World Government remains hostile. Additionally, Amazon Lily does not fly under Feng Ye's flag, becoming a subordinate force.
Even if things stood as they were, she could still move freely in the East Blue, as there were no Marines there capable of stopping her. However, the East Blue had been particularly lively lately.
First, there was Golden Lion Shiki.
Then, Red-Haired Shanks, Revolutionary Army Dragon, and the traveler Feng Ye all appeared in the East Blue one after another, causing the area to be on high alert throughout this period.
Garp was busy disciplining his grandson, Luffy, but that was beside the point. Kuzan had his hands full dealing with the aftermath of the Golden Lion Pirates' destruction and had not yet returned to Marine Headquarters.
Furthermore,
in addition to Kuzan, four other vice admirals from headquarters were in the East Blue.
Among the other four vice admirals, the recently promoted Squirrel and Volcano had average strengths, but there was also one whose power rivaled Kuzan's—Vice Admiral Momonga!
This lineup was originally prepared for the Golden Lion Pirates. After Feng Ye annihilated them, the vice admirals stayed in the East Blue to handle the aftermath.
Thus, Hancock, rampaging through the East Blue, was quickly discovered by the Marines, sparking a large-scale operation.
In a certain sea area.
An intense naval battle was taking place.
A ship from Amazon Lily was holding its own against three large warships from Marine Headquarters, with both sides exchanging relentless cannon fire. The naval officers and the female warriors of Amazon Lily aboard the ships worked tirelessly to block the incoming projectiles.
However, these were not the focal points of the battle. All eyes were on the center of the battlefield, where two women faced off at the stern of one of the warships.
One of them, dressed in a purple cheongsam, unleashed a series of intricate kicking techniques, each strike infused with Haki and the power of her Devil Fruit.
It was none other than the Pirate Empress, Boa Hancock.
On the other side.
Facing Hancock was a woman wielding a famous sword and clad in the Marine justice cloak—Vice Admiral Momonga, one of the candidates for the position of fleet admiral!
Hancock was only nineteen years old, but due to Feng Ye's influence, she had worked harder than in the original storyline, and her current strength was formidable. She was only slightly weaker than Jack, one of the top commanders of the Beast Pirates.
Yet, she was still no match for Momonga.
Momonga's strength was a notch below Kuzan's, but she was also a candidate for the position of fleet admiral. Her current power might not have reached the level of an admiral, but she was slightly stronger than Jack, and with a little more growth, she would be close to their level.
Against Momonga's attacks, Hancock struggled to keep up. If not for the charm of the Love-Love Fruit and her Haoshoku Haki affecting Momonga to some extent, she might have lost in pure combat within a few dozen moves.
Fighting Momonga on the warship was a desperate move.
The Amazon Lily ship was surrounded by Marine warships, and if she didn't take on Momonga in a one-on-one battle, Momonga would continue to use her long-range slashes and sword aura to attack the Amazon Lily ship from a distance.
While the Love-Love Fruit also had long-range attack capabilities, it would be extremely difficult to defend against Momonga's relentless slashes, and a single mistake could lead to the ship's destruction.
Despite being at a disadvantage, Hancock's gaze remained unwavering, her face cold as she replied, "How could I possibly be stopped by you here!"
"At such a young age, you became the Empress of Amazon Lily, and your talent is indeed formidable. However, since you rejected the World Government's invitation to become a Warlord of the Sea, your arrest is inevitable."
Momonga horizontally blocked Hancock's attack with her sword, her tone calm as she spoke.
Amazon Lily was located within the Calm Belt, and with Hancock's previous refusal of the Warlord position, the World Government had no leverage over her. But now that she had ventured into the East Blue, the situation was different.
"... "
Hancock clenched her teeth slightly.
A thought crossed her mind—if she were arrested and imprisoned by the Navy, would Feng Ye come to her rescue?
Perhaps he would.
But she didn't want that.
Because it would be too humiliating, and she would lose face in front of Feng Ye.
"I've said it before," Hancock declared, taking a breath and continuing with determination, "I will absolutely not lose to you Navy people!"
At that moment, her willpower caused her Haki to grow stronger, slightly turning the tides of the precarious situation.
Noticing Hancock's unwavering determination even in this difficult situation, Momonga's eyes flickered with surprise as she sensed the strengthening of Hancock's Haki.
"Her Haki is growing stronger..."
"This woman..."
Momonga took a breath, realizing she couldn't delay any further. She tightened her grip on her sword, and a cold light flashed in her eyes as she prepared to abandon the idea of capturing Hancock alive and instead unleash her full swordsmanship.
Just as she raised her sword to strike at Hancock, a black fissure abruptly appeared in front of her blade.
Then, a hand reached out from the fissure.
The hand looked ordinary, neither large nor small, resembling a typical human hand. After extending out, the hand curled its index finger and lightly tapped the sword's edge.
Ding!!!
A crisp sound rang out from the blade.
With just that simple tap, Momonga felt an overwhelming force transmitted along her sword, causing her hand to tremble violently.
The force traveled up her arm, and she gripped the hilt with all her might to prevent the sword from flying out of her hand. Nonetheless, she stumbled back several steps.
"Who are you?!"
Momonga exclaimed in shock, her eyes widening as she stared at the black fissure.
The ability to stop her attack with just a finger tap and push her back was terrifying. There were probably very few people in the entire sea who could achieve such a feat!
Names like Garp and Whitebeard flashed through her mind but were quickly dismissed, as their hands didn't resemble this one.
Finally, her thoughts settled on one person.
The traveler—
Feng Ye!
Aside from Whitebeard and Garp, only that man was likely to possess such terrifying power!
And as if in response to her thoughts, Feng Ye stepped out from the pitch-black fissure, waving his hand toward the sea.
Silence fell.
The cannons fired by the Navy ships and Amazon Lily's pirate ship froze in mid-air as if time had stopped, hanging motionlessly.
Feng Ye then lifted his left hand, making a grasping motion, and the dozens of cannons flew upward, converging at a point in the sky. They compressed together before exploding with a loud bang.
"How did you end up in the East Blue?"
After dealing with the cannons, Feng Ye turned to Hancock and smiled gently.
(End of Chapter)
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