Boa Hancock / I Just Awakened, I Couldn't Control It

Kori ventured an uncertain guess.

"Bingo! That's right. That woman named Stella was mauled to death by wild beasts in the Celestial Dragons' arena five years ago. Ever since then, he's been like this—completely out of his mind."

As though the painful memory had been stirred up once again, Tesoro's vacant gaze flickered slightly as he huddled in the corner, revealing a trace of obsession and madness.

"And I was a slave in that arena. I happened to see the whole thing. I watched this guy go from full of life to numb and lifeless. Fuck!"

The burly middle-aged man spat out a curse. It was unclear whether he was cursing Tesoro's foolishness or the Celestial Dragons' cruelty.

After hearing Tesoro's story, Kori felt a surge of pity and wanted to go over and comfort him. But after looking at Tesoro, whose whole bearing warned everyone to stay away, and feeling his stomach's insistent demands, he hesitated briefly before sitting cross-legged and picking up the food on the floor to resume his battle.

"Kid, finish eating and get some sleep. You've got a lot of hard labor waiting for you tomorrow morning. Not like me... heh..."

"What do you do in the arena?"

Kori was curious. The burly middle-aged man had mentioned earlier that he was a slave in the arena.

"Heh, what else can you do in an arena? Kill each other for those bastard Celestial Dragons' amusement, of course!"

The burly middle-aged man found a pile of straw and lay down. An arena sounded thrilling, like every man's dream, but... the arena in Mary Geoise was nothing more than a bloody slaughterhouse that provided those bored Celestial Dragons with a little entertainment.

Every day, the burly middle-aged man had to face different slaves as opponents. Sometimes, a Celestial Dragon might take an interest in a battle between man and beast. He walked the edge of death every day, with neither the time nor the energy to wallow in self-pity like Tesoro, even though his son and wife had both died at the Celestial Dragons' hands.

As long as he lived, there was hope...

Before long, the man's snores filled the dungeon. Kori soon finished his battle with the food as well, then stared blankly at the bars.

Freedom?

Kori was a little dazed. He was still young and harbored no deep-seated hatred toward the Celestial Dragons. His life as a slave had lasted only a few short days, so he felt no great longing for the freedom the others talked about.

Maybe spending my whole life here wouldn't be so bad...

Kori thought with a touch of self-mockery. With no family left in the world, wherever he went would be the same. At least Mary Geoise gave him something to eat. He might even get to see the legendary Celestial Dragons, the nobles of the world.

Kori's hometown was in the West Blue, a sea where gang culture flourished. A slave ship had captured him and brought him here to be sold. Like most ordinary people in this world of pirates, he had never seen a real Celestial Dragon. His limited understanding came only from what others said. Some hated them, some yearned to be like them, and some dismissed them with contempt.

Suddenly, as Kori sat lost in thought, a flicker of fire forced its way into his darkness-shrouded vision. The flames spread faster and faster, as though they would shatter the night and sound the call of dawn!

Kori snapped out of his daze, sprang up from the floor, and shouted.

"It's on fire! Has Mary Geoise been invaded?"

Kori could hardly believe it. According to everything the world's people were taught, Mary Geoise was the home of the Creator's descendants. How could anyone invade this supposed Holy Land?

"Hm?"

The burly middle-aged man, who had only just fallen asleep, woke at Kori's shout. He instinctively surveyed his surroundings, and the distant flames soon caught his attention.

I can get out...

A flash of hatred crossed the burly middle-aged man's eyes. His open hands clenched tightly, veins bulged along his arms, and his eyes reddened. His body trembled uncontrollably.

As though he had made some momentous decision, the burly middle-aged man let out a long breath. It was as if a heavy burden had fallen from his shoulders. Yet his gaze turned toward the thick wall, seeming to pierce through it toward a palace somewhere in Mary Geoise—the residence of a Celestial Dragon.

Tesoro stirred in the corner as well, moving his stiff limbs. A spark of life seemed to return to his eyes, like a man who had found a conviction—or perhaps an obsession...

Boa Hancock

The Red Line, the Holy Land of Mary Geoise.

Raging flames and cries of pent-up emotion had become the prevailing sounds and sights of this sleepless city.

Amid the flickering flames, a towering red Fish-Man led a crowd of freed slaves, forcing open cell after cell. More and more slaves joined the swelling procession.

Kori and the burly middle-aged man were among them, naturally. Even Tesoro, who had looked utterly despondent moments earlier, was moving with the crowd.

"Hey! Mister, where are you going?"

Looking anxious, Kori reached out and grabbed the burly middle-aged man beside him. It wasn't because he was afraid, but because... the man was heading in the opposite direction from the crowd!

"Where am I going? To get... revenge, of course!"

The burly middle-aged man practically ground the words out through his teeth. The initial calm and composure were gone from his eyes. The madness spilling from them made Kori instinctively step back, his grip loosening without him realizing it.

"Penny, Turner, I can finally avenge you... sob..."

His voice choked with tears, the burly middle-aged man staggered toward the Celestial Dragons' residences.

Kori watched his retreating back with mixed feelings. He couldn't truly understand what the man felt, but he knew... it must hurt terribly.

Fisher Tiger naturally noticed what was happening near Kori, but he made no move to stop the man. Everyone had their own choices to make, and he was no reckless fool. Rescuing these people and giving them a chance to choose was the most he could do.

"You useless idiots! Hurry up and bring my slaves back!"

The young Celestial Dragon, Saint Roswald, was beside himself with rage, constantly sniffling back his runny nose. He had eagerly planned to select a few male slaves to attend to him, only to learn that someone had let his slaves escape. Although he had shot several guards dead, his anger remained unsatisfied.

"Saint Roswald, CP0 has already moved to arrest the escaped slaves. The Five Elders have ordered that you must not leave the palace. There are lowly slaves everywhere outside. I'm afraid you might get caught in the crossfire!"

The trembling attendant beside him couldn't help reminding him. Though the shootings had terrified him, he would suffer a far worse death if anything happened to Saint Roswald. No matter what, he had to keep Saint Roswald from leaving the palace.

"I'm a Celestial Dragon! As if those slaves would dare lay a finger on me."

The young Saint Roswald clearly had yet to receive a harsh lesson in reality. He had inexplicable confidence in his status as a Celestial Dragon. Besides, he had already decided who would attend him in bed tonight. How could he change his plans? He was a supreme Celestial Dragon!

The attendant was at his wits' end. Then inspiration struck, and an ingratiating smile appeared on his face. "Saint Roswald, with so many slaves outside, even the air has become dirty. Besides, they haven't made themselves presentable. How could they be worthy of appearing before a noble of the world such as yourself?"

"Well..."

Saint Roswald hesitated, immediately beginning to reconsider. Having always taken pride in being a Celestial Dragon, he naturally believed those wretched slaves were unworthy of an audience with him.

"Fine, then. I won't go out. But you must bring my slaves back!"

"Yes! Honored Saint Roswald!"

"Mero Mero Mellow!"

Kori, who had accidentally become separated from the group and was fleeing aimlessly, suddenly froze. A gun-wielding guard hiding in the darkness beside him had turned into a human-shaped stone statue. His muzzle was pointed straight at Kori!

Once Kori understood what had happened, he broke into a cold sweat. If he had been shot just now, even if he had survived the initial wound, he probably would have had no chance of escaping Mary Geoise.

Turning toward the voice, he saw a beautiful young girl. Her slightly broad forehead was smooth, and the corners of her eyes were slender and delicate. Her almond-shaped eyes held a hint of indifference. She had a high nose bridge and a small, cute nose, while her lips looked soft without being overly sensual. Her long black hair fell straight down—the very image of the long, straight black hair every man dreamed of!

His gaze moved lower. She wore ordinary slave clothes, but despite her youth, her figure was already developing, like a lotus bud just beginning to emerge, youthful and lovely.

"Hey! You rude man, what are you looking at?"

Hancock was annoyed. She had saved him because they were fellow slaves, only for him to keep staring at her so impolitely. Her anger rose, and she was about to use her Devil Fruit ability to turn him to stone forever.

"Ah! Sister! Sister! Don't! Let's get out of here first. If the Celestial Dragons catch us again, we'll never be able to leave!"

Seeing Hancock's anger, Sandersonia anxiously threw her arms around her. They had already wasted too much time here. Their priority was to escape this filthy place.

"S-sorry! I didn't mean to stare!"

Kori panicked. It really wasn't entirely his fault. Even though Hancock was still young, she already possessed the beauty that would one day make her the most beautiful woman in the world. With the Love-Love Fruit enhancing her allure, it would have been strange if Kori could resist.

Hancock and the other two ignored him and hurried toward Mary Geoise's harbor. In the current situation, boarding a ship was the only way to escape safely.

"The situation in Mary Geoise is extremely urgent. Your Navy must send more men immediately. Those slaves must not be allowed to escape Mary Geoise. This would be an unprecedented scandal for the World Government. Otherwise... heh heh... you know what to do!"

Saint Nazzaro's cold chuckle came through the Den Den Mushi.

Click!

The call ended as Sengoku's expression darkened, abruptly souring what had been a good mood.

"Admiral Sengoku, has Mary Geoise been attacked?"

Atlas, who had listened to the entire conversation nearby, asked. She did have a vague recollection of it. Around the year 1507 of the Sea Circle Calendar, a Fish-Man named Fisher Tiger had breached the Holy Land of Mary Geoise. The future most beautiful woman in the world, the Pirate Empress—Boa Hancock—had also been rescued at this time.

"Yes."

Sengoku pondered briefly, then swiftly made arrangements. "Atlas, since you're here, take a warship to Mary Geoise and assist Cipher Pol with their mission. I'll arrange for Borsalino and Tokikake to follow you afterward!"

"What a pain. We're only assisting, right? Don't blame the Navy if the job doesn't get done..."

I just awakened it and couldn't control it properly

Marineford's harbor.

A warship lay quietly at anchor, with roughly two thousand Navy soldiers aboard, fully equipped and ready to depart. It was a large, standard-issue Navy warship.

There was no denying Sengoku's efficiency. He had barely issued her orders before the ship and soldiers were ready.

Still... Atlas might have to disappoint Sengoku this time. If she happened to slip up, that would be understandable, wouldn't it? After all, she was only a lowly Rear Admiral right now. As for Vice Admiral—what? The promotion ceremony hadn't happened yet.

"Oh, young lady, would you mind giving this old man a ride? Really, Admiral Sengoku... making me get up and work overtime at this hour..."

As Atlas was thinking, a sleazy voice came from behind her. Needless to say, aside from Tokikake, only Kizaru could embody sleaziness in every word and action.

"Vice Admiral Kizaru, how come you're so efficient this time? I thought you'd be following behind me."

Atlas turned and teased Kizaru.

"Nothing I can do, you know. My warship is still undergoing repairs, and Admiral Sengoku didn't prepare one for me. So I'll have to hitch a ride on yours, young lady."

Kizaru pulled a troubled face as he spoke.

"Well, that really is a problem... With only one warship, my work efficiency will take a serious hit!"

"Exactly. I wonder whether the Navy pays overtime. This old man doesn't work extra hours for free!"

Atlas and Kizaru exchanged a glance, playing along with each other in tacit understanding.

"All right, enough chatter. All hands! Destination: the Holy Land of Mary Geoise!"

The massive warship slowly departed Marineford's harbor, proceeding steadily along the route to Mary Geoise.

Dawn broke, and the first light appeared.

By the time the warship reached Mary Geoise, the flames engulfing the city lit up nearly half the sky. Fleeing slaves and pursuing guards were everywhere.

But not every slave was intent on escaping. A small number no longer cared whether they lived or died. Taking revenge amid the chaos might have been their only goal.

Only a handful, however, dared to challenge the authority of the Celestial Dragons like the burly middle-aged man had. The others, perhaps filled with anger but lacking an outlet, chose instead to take their revenge on the port city below Mary Geoise.

"The Navy? You're finally here. Why is there only one warship?"

As the warship docked, a man wearing a black-and-white mask, his entire figure concealed in darkness, approached Atlas and Kizaru while they were talking.

"Hm? Is a sewer rat like you trying to tell me how to do my job?"

Annoyed by his questioning tone, Atlas snapped back. She already disliked Cipher Pol's people, and the Navy wasn't subordinate to them. She had no reason to show him any courtesy.

"You..."

"Oh, oh, oh! All right, I'll leave this place to you, Atlas. This old man had better take a look around the Holy Land of Mary Geoise. It wouldn't be good if the nobles of the world were disturbed!"

Seeing that the masked man was about to make trouble, Kizaru quickly interrupted, bringing up the Celestial Dragons as a convenient shield.

The masked man could only let it go. Although the Navy and Cipher Pol had never gotten along, unlike the Navy, Cipher Pol served the Celestial Dragons wholeheartedly. Everything revolved around them. That was what its members had been taught since childhood, and anything could be set aside in the face of a Celestial Dragon's needs.

"No problem. Leave this place to me. My Conqueror's Haki is perfect for clearing the area!"

"Conqueror's Haki? How frightening!"

As soon as he finished speaking, Kizaru's entire body transformed into light and flew toward Mary Geoise, leaving a disgruntled Atlas behind. Had she not known that this was how Kizaru always spoke, she might have thought he was mocking her.

"Conqueror's Haki..."

The CP0 agent beside her was stunned. He had only heard of Sengoku displaying Conqueror's Haki within the Navy. He hadn't expected this young Navy officer to possess that same potential. He knew that people in the Navy and Cipher Pol were almost never able to awaken Conqueror's Haki, especially those in Cipher Pol.

"What a frightening bunch!"

Atlas's Observation Haki enveloped the entire port city, revealing countless people's movements down to the smallest detail. It was unclear whether the "frightening bunch" she meant was the Celestial Dragons or the rampaging slaves.

"Navy officer, sorry for the trouble, but please put an end to this riot quickly."

The CP0 agent's tone was much better this time. Perhaps spending too long around the Celestial Dragons had made him think he possessed the same right to act with impunity. His words always carried an air of lofty superiority.

"Honestly, what's the rush?"

Atlas impatiently rubbed between her brows. Her pupils quivered slightly, and a powerful surge of Haki erupted!

Buzzz!