章 16: Arrival

On the deck, Boa Hancock, the young empress of Amazon Lily, faced the gigantic Sea King blocking her path.

"What?! A billion Berries?!" Hancock's voice resonated with indignation.

Regaining some of her composure, she continued: "Why have I heard that you only asked for 100 million from other pirate ships? What makes you think we're worth ten times more?"

Morgan, whose enormous draconian head loomed over the ship like a living mountain, let out a laugh.

"Because they're not from Amazon Lily, little one!" Morgan roared, laden with sarcasm. "I think you 'took very good care of me' when I was young. Or have you forgotten? I still vividly remember the two arrows from that white-haired woman."

But Morgan's eyes narrowed as he examined Hancock more closely. "But your gaze... there's something familiar about it. Tell me, little one, what's your name?"

Hancock, feeling indignant that they didn't know her name, straightened up and responded, pronouncing each syllable with deliberate slowness: "I am Boa Hancock, Empress of Amazon Lily and captain of the Kuja Pirates."

Hancock's brow furrowed as she stared at Morgan, trying to decipher why this monster seemed to know her.

Morgan's reaction was instantaneous. His eyes widened, and for a moment, he seemed to be at a loss for words. "What? No... it can't be." He observed the young woman more closely, and suddenly, understanding illuminated his face.

"I remember now!" Morgan exclaimed with amusement. "You're that little girl who appeared on the coast a few years ago! Hahaha, how could I forget? You fainted from fear before I even... Huh?!"

His laughter abruptly cut off when he saw Hancock move.

The young empress, driven by a mixture of shame and fury, had quickly leaped from the deck.

"D-don't you dare talk about that!" Hancock shouted, her voice betraying her embarrassment. Her cheeks were dyed a deep red, a combination of anger and humiliation.

Running along Morgan's outstretched arm, "I-I'm not that weak girl!" she exclaimed as she jumped towards Morgan's head. "I am Boa Hancock, the strongest woman in Amazon Lily!"

Morgan, surprised by Hancock's audacity, barely had time to register the young woman's flushed face before she launched her attack.

"S-shut up, monster!" Hancock shouted, her voice cracking slightly with emotion. She threw a kick with all the force she could muster, channeling years of training and frustration into a single strike.

The impact resounded like thunder in the Calm Belt. A surge of force emanated from the point of contact, causing Morgan to lower his head.

However, for the colossal Sea King, the attack was barely more than a mosquito bite.

"Oh, my," Morgan mocked. "It seems the little one has grown up. But I'm afraid you still have a long way to go. At your age, even without a Devil Fruit, you barely reach the level of a Rear Admiral. Impressive for a human, I admit, but against someone like me..." he let the sentence fade, his smile showing rows of white teeth.

Hancock, panting from the effort, took a few steps back on her ship.

The reality of the power difference between them began to sink in, and the confidence she had shown moments before started to crumble.

Morgan, sensing Hancock's hesitation, decided to press further. "Tell me, little Hancock," he said, his voice laden with malice, "Could it be that that incident became such a big obstacle for your heart? Does the great Empress of Amazon Lily still have nightmares about the big black serpent?"

Morgan's words hit Hancock like a sledgehammer. Her eyes widened, and for a moment, it seemed she was going to lose her balance. "N-no... I don't..." she stammered, her facade of strength completely crumbling.

Morgan was right, and they both knew it.

Since that fateful day, the image of the enormous black serpent had haunted Hancock in her dreams. Night after night, she would wake up drenched in cold sweat, the echo of the serpent's roar resounding in her ears.

For years, those nightmares had been her driving force. She had trained desperately, pushing her body and mind to the limit, all in the hope of one day finding and defeating the creature that had humiliated her.

And now, face to face with her nemesis, Hancock realized how far she still was from her goal.

"I... I..." Hancock struggled to find the words, her voice barely a whisper. Tears threatened to spill from her eyes, something she would never allow anyone to see.

Her sisters watched this with horror. Morgan, for his part, savored every moment of his psychological victory.

With her breathing ragged and her face still flushed with shame and anger, she took a step forward. Her eyes, usually serene, now shone with fierce determination.

"Don't mess with me!" Hancock shouted from the bottom of her heart.

From that scream, a wave of invisible energy emerged from her body, expanding in all directions like a ghostly wave. The air seemed to ripple, and an aura of power emanated from Hancock.

The Kuja Pirates on the ship gasped in unison, their eyes wide open. "Conqueror's Haki!" they exclaimed with pride.

Morgan, however, barely blinked at this display of power. His eyes narrowed with predatory interest. "I had forgotten..." he murmured. "So you've awakened Haki... Interesting. Maybe if I devour you, I can evolve into a true dragon."

With these words, Morgan's aura intensified exponentially. The air around him not only vibrated but seemed to distort.

Hancock felt a deafening buzz in her head, as if a thousand bees had stung her skull.

When she managed to focus her vision again, she encountered another scene: her entire crew, including the enormous Yudas pulling the ship, lay unconscious, their bodies inert.

Panic began to take hold of her. For the first time since becoming empress, she felt truly alone.

But before she could react, something changed in the environment.

A sudden, intense cold invaded the area. Ice crystals began to form in the air, falling like a snowfall in the middle of the sea.

The water around the ship began to freeze, expanding in a perfect circle that grew at an astonishing speed.

"Arara," resonated a lazy voice, but with an undeniable touch of authority. "It's not nice to intimidate a girl like that, you know?"

Morgan turned his enormous head, his eyes fixed on the figure now rising on a newly formed ice platform.

There, with his hands in his pockets and a bored expression on his face, stood Aokiji, the newly promoted Admiral of the Navy.

"Oooh," Aokiji continued, yawning exaggeratedly. "It seems today is my lucky day. A troublesome Sea King and the famous Pirate Empress, Boa Hancock. Not a bad catch for a simple stroll, don't you think?"

Hancock, feeling her heart race. "A-Admiral Aokiji!" She screamed.

Morgan growled, his voice laden with disdain. "Have you brought enough money to buy your life, human?" he roared, launching into the attack without waiting for an answer.

His claws cut through the air and ice, heading directly towards Aokiji.

But the Admiral didn't even blink. At the last second, his body transformed into pure ice, shattering into a thousand pieces upon impact.

"How troublesome," Aokiji murmured as his body reformed, this time standing on a new ice platform. "You know, big guy, I'm not here to fight with you. My business is with the young lady."

"YOU DON'T DECIDE WHO I FIGHT WITH!" Morgan roared, launching another attack.

Again and again, Aokiji's body disintegrated and reformed, each time appearing in a different place, as if he were playing.

"Look," Aokiji said casually, "I'm a Logia user. If you don't know Armament Haki, you can't hurt me. It's a bit unfair, I know, but that's how things are."

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