The Strongest Lunarian in One Piece

That Night

Gloriosa returned to Amazon Lily. But this time, she wasn't alone—El himself had come with her.

Gloriosa had finally made up her mind to officially abdicate as the Empress of Amazon Lily and pass on the throne to Shakuyaku, who, despite being only twenty years old, was already the strongest warrior under her rule.

…

"What?"

They were inside the brightly lit palace. The now fully matured, stunningly beautiful, and valiant Shakuyaku widened her eyes in disbelief. She stared at Gloriosa, then shifted her gaze to El, who sat beside her with a faint smile, completely stunned.

"You want me to be the Empress of the Kuja?"

"Gloriosa-sama, please don't joke about something like this!"

She had always been confident in her strength, but the gap between her and Gloriosa-sama was immense. How could she possibly take on such a heavy responsibility?

"No, I'm not joking, Shakuyaku…"

Gloriosa—still as dazzlingly beautiful as ever despite being in her thirties—spoke with a serious expression:

"I took on the burden of leading Amazon Lily at seventeen and have protected this nation for over a decade. But I'm truly… exhausted."

"And you're already capable of standing on your own. I can entrust the Kuja to you with confidence."

"But… with my strength…"

"Don't worry."

Gloriosa patted Shakuyaku's shoulder and smiled.

"With your power, you should have no issue protecting Amazon Lily and leading the Kuja Pirates on expeditions."

"After all, I'm stepping down as Empress simply so I can spend more time by El's side—not to cut ties with the Kuja and abandon everything."

"If the Kuja are ever in danger, of course, I won't just stand by and watch."

"I see…"

Shakuyaku's expression turned complicated. After some hesitation, she finally sighed and reluctantly agreed. But then, as if remembering something, she glanced at El before firmly adding:

"But Gloriosa-sama, El-sama—you two must promise me one thing."

"Oh?"

El raised a brow and chuckled. "And what might that be?"

"When the time comes, Medusa must be the next Empress of the Kuja."

Shakuyaku declared bluntly, "You cannot keep her in Totto Land."

"If you promise me that, I'll take the throne for now and step down once she turns sixteen."

"You want to relax and stay by El-sama's side? Well, so do I."

She licked her lips, her eyes burning with longing as she gazed at El. She had met many men in her life, but none could compare to this one. With how often El visited Amazon Lily and personally guided her training, how could she possibly settle for a mediocre man? She had long since made up her mind—and her bold advances had already made that abundantly clear.

"Medusa, huh?" Gloriosa was caught off guard. She had already known about Shakuyaku and El, but she hadn't really cared. After all, El had many women—one more wasn't going to make a difference. She knew all too well the kind of destructive charm El had over the women of Amazon Lily. There were even times when she had to summon the Guardian Warriors to "rescue" her; otherwise, she simply couldn't keep up.

She glanced at El and, seeing that he had no objections to Medusa inheriting the throne, she nodded lightly. "Alright, that's fine."

"Then it's settled!" Shakuyaku beamed. Now, she only needed to be Empress for six years, and then she would finally be free to stay by El's side. She knew exactly how much potential Medusa had. Among the younger generation, no one could surpass her. Even though she was only ten, her icy beauty combined with her Love-Love Fruit made her incredibly dangerous. Even now, Shakuyaku wasn't entirely sure if she could defeat Medusa in a serious fight. Her ability was simply too terrifying.

"I'll announce my abdication tomorrow," Gloriosa said with a smile. "The coronation will be in three days—any objections?"

"Three days? Isn't that a little… rushed?"

Shakuyaku's eyes widened. "It's already been over a decade—I'd say I've waited long enough."

Gloriosa boldly seated herself on El's lap—having shrunk her body to three meters using Life Return. She wrapped her arms around his neck, her gaze filled with deep affection. To be honest, from the moment she met El, she had wanted to throw everything away and run off with him. Looking back, she was grateful that El had talked her out of it. Otherwise, in her lovestruck haze, she had no doubt that she would have abandoned her people, and Amazon Lily would have been left in chaos.

"Fine…" Shakuyaku sighed. She reluctantly took one last longing look at El and prepared to leave.

"Then, Gloriosa-sama, El-sama—I'll take my leave—"

"No need to be in such a rush. Stay a while."

El's golden eyes twinkled mischievously as he gazed at the soon-to-be former and future Empresses of the Kuja. He had never hidden his intentions from Gloriosa.

"H-Huh?" Shakuyaku's face flushed red in an instant. She hadn't expected El to say something so bold.

"Come on, you little liar—stop pretending." Gloriosa narrowed her eyes and smirked. "You've been staring at him this whole time—your feet probably wouldn't move even if you tried to leave."

"Hmph! You're one to talk, Gloriosa-sama." Shakuyaku, ever fearless, shot back without hesitation. She cared nothing for Gloriosa's title as Empress. She boldly stepped forward, seating herself on El's other leg, and wrapped her arms around his neck like a serpent.

"Is this enough?" Gloriosa, radiating allure, flashed El a teasing smile. "Or should I summon Lily and the others too?"

"Not this time." El laughed. Though he spent much of his time training intensely on the Red Line, pushing his body and will to the limit, he had never once neglected the beauty of life. Blood, sweat, and toil were essential for becoming stronger. But power was meaningless if one did not also appreciate life's pleasures. He had no intention of denying himself those pleasures.

~~~

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