One Piece: Rising to Fleet Admiral Through a Coup

Calm Belt, on the deck of a Marine warship.

Standing opposite him was the Pirate Empress, Boa Hancock, clad in a cheongsam and draped in a floral-patterned cape. Every movement she made exuded an endless charm. Vice Admiral Momonga found himself utterly baffled, his mind filled with question marks.

When approaching the Calm Belt near Nine Snakes City, Momonga had discreetly prepared a dagger, just in case Hancock used her Devil Fruit ability to turn him into stone.

It wasn't that he was overly cautious—he had simply learned his lesson from their last encounter.

The previous time the World Government issued a mandatory summons for the Seven Warlords of the Sea, it had been Momonga's responsibility to deal with Hancock. Back then, he hadn't fully grasped the gravity of the situation. He had arrived full of confidence, only to nearly be petrified on the spot by Hancock's Love-Love Fruit powers.

Fortunately, he had acted decisively, stabbing himself with his own sword to use the pain to stimulate his brain and weaken the effects of Hancock's ability, narrowly avoiding petrification.

However, while he managed to resist, his subordinates weren't so lucky. They were either petrified mid-action with hearts in their eyes or turned into human-shaped stone statues with a heart protruding from their chests.

The root of this wasn't solely Hancock's unparalleled beauty, which could make anyone's heart race, but also the terrifying power of her Paramecia-type Love-Love Fruit, which could petrify anyone who harbored feelings of infatuation for her. She could also directly use her abilities to petrify opponents and objects alike.

The most frightening part was that once petrified by Hancock's Devil Fruit ability, the effect wouldn't be undone even if she died.

With this prior experience, Momonga naturally exercised extreme caution. This time, he brought no subordinates and secretly kept a dagger in hand.

However—

Unlike the last time he visited, when Hancock had been the epitome of arrogance and willfulness, looking down on him despite his rank as a Vice Admiral of Marine Headquarters, this time she was different. While still exuding an air of pride, she was no longer willful. To his surprise, she had even leapt onto his warship herself, rather than staying aboard the Kuja Pirates' ship as she had before.

"Vice Admiral Momonga, let's set off!"

Standing on the deck of the warship, Hancock spoke impatiently, her back to Momonga. "I shall attend the Seven Warlords meeting immediately!"

"Uh..."

Caught off guard, Momonga hesitantly replied, "Hancock, perhaps your people didn't convey the message clearly. The Seven Warlords meeting is scheduled for three days from now. You still have a day to prepare—"

"No need!"

Hancock turned around, placing one hand on her hip and pointing at Momonga with the other. She tilted her head back in an exaggerated pose and declared succinctly, "I do not need it!"

"Alright... alright then."

Still haunted by shadows of their last encounter, Momonga decided not to argue further. He turned and headed toward the control room without another word.

By the time Momonga's warship, with Hancock aboard, arrived at the port of Marineford, night had already fallen.

Just as the warship docked, a luxurious ship flying the World Government's flag pulled up beside it.

Before Momonga or Hancock could react, Gunshi, draped in a cloak and with her long sleeves trailing behind her, leapt off the ship and landed on the dock ahead of them.

Glancing at the grand ship docked beside them and the figures of Shamrock and a long-haired woman standing on its deck, a flicker of doubt crossed Momonga's eyes. "What are they doing here?"

Hmm?

Noticing an unusual silence next to him, Momonga instinctively turned his head toward Hancock.

He had expected Hancock to be furious and throw a fit because someone had landed before her. But to his surprise, she remained silent, her beautiful eyes fixed on the long-haired woman standing beside Shamrock. A faint trace of hatred seemed to flicker in her gaze.

"Hancock?"

Sensing something was off, Momonga quickly called out, "We've arrived. However, since you've arrived earlier than scheduled, I'll need to report to the Fleet Admiral first."

"They're... the Holy Knights!"

It was as if Hancock hadn't heard Momonga at all. She continued to stare at the long-haired woman next to Shamrock, clenching her teeth as she spat out her words, "I've seen her before!"

Not just seen—years ago, during Fisher Tiger's raid on the Holy Land, Hancock had taken advantage of the chaos to escape with her two sisters. They had narrowly avoided being captured by this long-haired woman. If not for Granny Za and the others arriving in time, she might still be a slave in the Holy Land.

Hearing the hatred in Hancock's voice, Momonga immediately tried to calm her down. "Hancock, don't do anything rash. This is Marine Headquarters!"

"So what?"

Hancock took a bold step forward, her gaze locked onto the long-haired woman aboard the other ship. "No matter what I do, the world will forgive me!"

Then, she suddenly turned back and smiled. "Because I am far too beautiful!"

Before Momonga could react, Hancock's aura surged. A ripple spread across the ground as her Love-Love Fruit ability was unleashed.

"Damn it, this woman—"

Nearly succumbing to her charm when she turned back and smiled, Momonga wiped a cold sweat from his brow. Reacting quickly, he shouted, "Hancock, I don't know if the world will forgive you, but if you cause trouble here, the Fleet Admiral will undoubtedly strip you of your Warlord status and deal with you on the spot!"

"Put away your Devil Fruit ability—this is your final warning!"

Before Momonga's words had even finished, Hancock snapped out of it. She quickly retracted her Devil Fruit ability, though her gaze remained resentful as she looked at the long-haired woman across from her.

As the saying goes, "Enemies meet, and their eyes blaze with hatred." The memories of her harrowing escape from the Holy Land had momentarily clouded Hancock's judgment. Fortunately, Momonga's timely warning prevented her from making a grave mistake.

After all, the Marines were now led by Xayuki, the new Fleet Admiral who had forced the World Government to compromise. If she had lost control and attacked, Xayuki would undoubtedly have responded with fury. Losing her Seven Warlords status would have been a minor consequence compared to the potential repercussions for the people of Amazon Lily.

Meanwhile, aboard the ship docked nearby, the long-haired woman, who had already noticed Hancock, blinked in surprise. "That woman... I feel like I've seen her somewhere before."

"Boa Hancock, Pirate Empress of the Seven Warlords of the Sea," Shamrock replied, stepping forward with a hand on the hilt of his sword. "She seems to have some grudge against you. Shall I teach her a lesson?"

The long-haired woman shrugged slightly. "As long as you're not afraid of provoking Xayuki's wrath, you can even kill her for all I care."

Hearing this, Shamrock turned to the long-haired woman, his gaze sharp. "Even you think I'm no match for him?"

The long-haired woman smiled faintly and then turned gracefully. "I've never denied your strength, Shamrock. But haven't you realized by now? The reason the Holy Land compromised with Xayuki isn't because he's invincible. It's because his existence might very well be the variable between Nika and Imu."

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