Long Time No See, Gloriosa
"Big sister, what should we do? Where exactly is this place?"
Boa Hancock slowly awoke from her drowsy state, only to find herself and her two sisters locked in a dark, damp cage.
Not only were their faces, hands, and feet locked up, but a strange collar was also put around their necks.
"Sister, I want to go back to the Amazon Lily, I want to go home..."
Sandasonia shivered. The damp cage and the dark, sunless environment made her feel uncomfortable all over. The hunger in her stomach left the 11-year-old girl with no strength at all.
"Sister Sonia, how can you be so spineless? Those damned human traffickers, once we escape, we'll definitely teach them a lesson!"
The youngest, yet the tallest, Marigold, spoke fiercely, her eyes filled with rage.
"They must be frantic, trying every possible way to find us. It's alright, our Emperor will definitely rescue us!"
As Boa Hancock spoke confidently, a deep, hoarse voice suddenly echoed from inside the cell next door.
"What? So you're just kids from Amazon Lily. Let me give you a piece of advice: if you want to avoid so much pain, you'd better just commit suicide."
Upon hearing this, the three sisters turned their heads and saw a thin, ragged man leaning against the wall in the cell next to theirs, speaking weakly.
"What are you talking about? Why would you commit suicide? Suicide is the act of a coward. In the Amazon Lily, you'll be looked down upon!"
Marigold retorted, but the man laughed, too weak to muster any strength.
"Heh... heh... you guys are pretty good-looking, you're bound to attract attention. Backstage at this slave auction, those treated like merchandise usually don't end up well..."
"And... the collars around your necks are Seastone bombs. If you try to break free, this will happen..."
At this point, the man gave them a maniacal laugh and forcefully tugged at the collar around his neck.
The next second, tick-tock tick-tock!!!
A chilling sound echoed through the cage, and pairs of extremely weak eyes turned to look.
"Haha, this guy tried to commit suicide again. I don't think he'll succeed this time either."
"Death is a good thing. At least I won't have to be tormented by those high-sounding, well-dressed nobles. Those guys are pure scum among humans!"
"Hehe, hahaha, if we were bought by the Celestial Dragons, that would be a living hell. See that guy who's already half-mad?"
"That guy's wife and daughter were all taken to Mariejois, where they were supposedly used and then abandoned. They went home and hanged themselves less than three days later..."
"This guy, also because he failed to assassinate Celestial Dragons, was put in a collar and thrown here, supposedly to be tortured to death, hehehehehe!"
Various doubts echoed in the cage, Boa Sisters couldn't help but huddle together, trembling slightly.
The eerie ticking stopped, and suddenly, a crimson Huo Guang blazed in the dark, damp prison.
Bang!
As the dust settled, Hancock's pupils contracted. The thin man who had warned the two earlier was now covered in wounds from the blast wave.
Not only that, he laughed more and more wildly, touching the Seastone collar again and again, as if struggling to die.
Backstage at the auction, pairs of lifeless eyes watched the man's fate with ashen eyes, as if it were a reflection of their own future.
Soon after, the auction house staff arrived, and the first thing the leader said made the Boa Sisters tremble with fear.
"That damned bastard has lost control again! Quickly inject him with a sedative! This is a slave the Celestial Dragons ordered to torture and kill; we can't let him die like this!"
The medical staff quickly sprang into action, and the reason they were treating the man was something the three men, who had grown up in the Amazon Lily, could not understand.
What are the Celestial Dragons? Why can they decide a person's life or death with just a word? Are they very powerful?
Having grown up in a pirate kingdom, they had no idea what lay beyond their own world, but at this moment they clearly realized that their lives were no longer in their own hands.
"Hurry up, hurry up! The next auction is about to start, and there are important VIPs at this auction. If you're even a minute late, you can forget about your heads..."
"Those are the world's nobles, descendants of the creator, the most powerful beings in the world— the Celestial Dragons!"
"These few good items might sell for a premium."
In that instant, Hancock felt the man who seemed to be the leader glance at them with an unusually subtle expression.
On the other hand, Calm Belt zone of Amazon Lily Island, on the edge of the island.
In a secluded little house, Flame Flower lay leisurely in a rocking chair, marveling at how hard-won peace was, and feeling a sense of urgency about the current situation in the Calm Belt.
"With Vegapunk in the World Government, they should be able to solve the natural barrier of the Calm Belt; it's just a matter of time."
"That Shakuyaku guy, he's made the same mistake I did before, leaving Kuja for some vague, unattainable love, and of all times..."
After muttering a few complaints, Flame Flower solemnly unfolded a newspaper, the news on it bringing a flash of memories to her eyes.
"Golden Lion escapes Impel Down, Uchiha Huayue reappears in Wano Country and clashes fiercely with Kaido. The outcome is unknown. The madman from back then is back."
Just then, several tense Amazon Lily warriors rushed over, and their words startled Flame Flower.
"Elder Nyon, have the Boa Sisters come to your place? I haven't seen them for over a day. Could something have happened to them?"
"The Boa Sisters? Absolutely not. Come to think of it, I haven't seen them in Kuja. Could they have been captured?"
At this point, a look of panic appeared in Flame Flower's eyes. If they were really captured by others, those who captured them would most likely have escaped the Calm Belt and reached other islands.
"You guys go look elsewhere first, I'll go overseas and ask the other members of the Kuja Pirates to come and help!"
Despite her advanced age, her skills had not diminished. Flame Flower quickly left Kuza Castle, boarded a small boat, and explored the surrounding area.
The Blue Snake that had replaced the walking stick transformed into a bow and arrow. Having not fought anyone for nearly ten years, he wondered how much his increasingly frail body could still be of any use.
Shortly afterward, as the Flame Flower, having found nothing, was preparing to return, a huge white cloud, defying the wind, slowly descended from the sky.
"Long time no see. Nearly twenty years have passed in the blink of an eye. You've grown old too, Gloriosa."