Chapter 146: Trouble in the Amazon Kingdom
"Let me see…" Roy yawned as he flipped through the newspaper. "Hmm?"
"What is it…" Hancock paused mid bite, rested her chin on his arm, and lazily followed his gaze to the page.
"Huh?"
Then Hancock shot upright.
The same woman who looked half asleep a second ago was wide awake now. She snatched the paper, eyes locked on the headlines, her expression instantly turning grim.
"?"
"What happened?" Sanji stared at them, confused. Luffy blinked too, equally lost.
"Roy, I have to go back!" Hancock said sharply.
"Alright," Roy replied without hesitation. "When do we leave?"
"Now!" Hancock said, not even pausing to breathe.
The Kuja Pirates, an all female force of warriors, set sail again, and suffered a crushing defeat.
The newspaper was packed with coverage about the Kuja Pirates of Amazon Lily.
This year, the Kuja Pirates, led by Boa Sandersonia, Boa Marigold, and the other women, had gone out to sea again.
Originally, the course of history should have been simple. Boa Hancock would inherit the title of Empress, lead them out, and the moment she set sail she would earn an 80 million Berries bounty. To protect the country, she would then accept the Seven Warlords of the Sea.
But history had changed.
Without Hancock's overwhelming power, Amazon Lily still had many fierce, imposing warriors, yet none of them could match her.
No.
They could still win against most enemies.
But this time, they ran into a Marine admiral, the same one Hancock should have defeated, and they lost.
The Kuja Pirates fled back to Amazon Lily in a sorry state.
Fortunately, the admiral did not press them further. He simply drove them out of the Navy's protected waters and let them go.
Even so, a defeat like that, and losses that heavy, were no small matter. Amazon Lily would almost certainly fall into turmoil.
"I need to go back and handle it," Hancock said, looking at Roy with apology in her eyes. "Otherwise I won't be able to rest."
She had wanted to keep traveling with him.
But she was still worried about her home.
That was only natural. How could she truly abandon the country where she grew up?
"I'll go with you," Roy said, patting her hand in reassurance.
"No." Hancock shook her head firmly. "You can't break your promise."
"You promised that little girl you'd come back and tell her more sailing stories."
"The man I chose is the most outstanding, and the gentlest, in my eyes. He cannot break his word."
"And even though I really dislike that girl, you…"
Roy chuckled, helpless. "So I can't go back on my word, right?"
"Yes." Hancock nodded, smiling.
She did not know how long she would need to stay in Amazon Lily this time. With something this big, the island would be chaos.
She also did not want Roy to worry, so she intended to return and deal with it herself.
And there was another truth she did not say out loud.
Roy living in Amazon Lily was not a pleasant life, it was torture.
The whole island was women. The former Snake Princess kept a hawk's eye on Roy, constantly warning him not to do anything improper. Even if Roy exchanged a few harmless words with a girl, the Snake Princess would glare and tell the girl she was forbidden from speaking to the outsider again.
Hancock knew Roy was uncomfortable there. That was why she had taken him away in the first place.
And if Roy returned with her now, it would only make rebuilding Amazon Lily harder.
Amazon Lily would never accept a man just because one woman fell in love.
Then, a thought rose in Hancock's mind.
Become the Snake Princess.
Become the Empress.
Then use her strength and authority to kick that gossip loving former Snake Princess out of the way.
If she did that, reorganizing Amazon Lily would be far easier, and no one would dare whisper about her being with Roy in the future.
"Then we'll leave tomorrow." Roy swallowed an egg in one gulp and looked at her with pitiful eyes.
"Are you sure?" Hancock stared at him seriously. Do not be stubborn.
"Just one more night," Roy said, taking a bite of grilled fish and pretending to be annoyed. "It's such a small request."
"Heh. I'm just worried about you," Hancock said, sitting back down beside him, smiling.
"Are you underestimating me?" Roy dropped his head and shoveled food into his mouth like a man possessed. Then he grabbed her hand and walked out, heading for the ship.
Hancock watched him, half amused, half exasperated.
You are fine, but I am about to be in trouble.
…
The next day.
Sanji had slept at Luffy's little house last night.
He had no idea the ship had been incredibly noisy.
It felt like a party that never ended.
"Go away."
In the kitchen, Roy chopped vegetables and prepared breakfast while watching Hancock lounge in the cabin like she had been defeated by life itself.
"Let me rest…" Hancock did not want to move. She regretted it. She understood it. She admitted it.
I should not have teased Roy yesterday.
Roy was monstrous in every possible way.
They said they were exhausted, but they truly could not endure it.
And that bastard…
Like the sea's surface, with just a little effort…
There was always more.
Roy kept saying, "This time it's really over!"
Just like the gamer he used to be in his previous life, always saying, "Last game," and then it would be the last game after all.
After playing so many "last games," a whole day and night disappeared.
Hancock was wrong.
She would never believe Roy's words again.
...
"This really is the last time!"
...
Around noon, Sanji still had not returned. He was probably eating lunch with Luffy at Makino's bar.
Roy finished making lunch and waved toward the cabin.
"Wake up and eat. You still have to go back to Amazon Lily later."
"I'll sleep a little longer. My legs don't feel good…" Hancock rolled over on the sofa and nearly fell off.
She scrambled, rubbed her messy hair, forced herself upright, and sat down to eat.
"That won't do," Roy said, sitting beside her with his own lunch. "You said you wanted to go back quickly. In a little while, Aonami will carry you across the Calm Belt, through Paradise, and then into the Calm Belt again. You'll be back at Amazon Lily."
"I was wrong," Hancock pleaded pitifully. "Can I rest a little before I go back?"
"Really?" Roy's eyes lit up.
"Never mind, I'll leave after I finish eating!" Hancock jolted, instantly alert.
That despicable man…
I will have to bribe myself with bread and milk again.
Lunch ended.
Hancock licked her lips, stepped out of the cabin, slung her bag over her shoulder, and walked to the side of the giant snake, Aonami.
Her pet snake was there too.
"Horus, go back with her as well and help her out," Roy said, patting Horus. "Toki won't be back for many years, so don't worry too much. We'll go get her then."
Okay.
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