" Hancock..."
Torch Lily recognized who it was and waved with difficulty to Hancock.
"Come here... let me take a look..."
Hancock walked quickly to the bedside, knelt down, and grasped Torch Lily's withered hand.
The hand was so cold that it chilled Hancock's heart.
Sandersonia and Marigold knelt by the bed, tears silently streaming down their faces.
Torch Lily turned her head with difficulty, her gaze sweeping over the faces of the three girls one by one, finally settling on the tall, slender figure at the doorway.
Roy stood by the door, saying nothing, but simply nodding slightly at her.
" Roy... Captain..."
Torch Lily's voice was hoarse and weak.
"You've come too... That's great... That's great..."
She raised her other hand and waved it with difficulty. "Get out... I... have something to say to them alone."
Elder Nyon and her maids left the bedroom, and the door closed gently.
Only Torch Lily, the Boa Sisters, and Roy remained in the room.
With her last ounce of strength, Torch Lily reached under her pillow and pulled something out—
A serpentine crown, crafted from Pure Gold, with two deep blue gemstones set in its eyes, gleamed coldly in the candlelight.
This is the symbol of the Pirate Empress of Amazon Lily, a sacred object passed down for hundreds of years.
She placed the crown in Hancock's hands, her withered fingers gripping Hancock's wrist tightly.
" Hancock... Amazon Lily... is yours now."
Hancock finally couldn't hold back her tears any longer, and they streamed down her face.
She didn't wipe it, but simply gripped the crown tightly, her voice hoarse but firm:
"I will, Elder Torch Lily. I will protect Amazon Lily and every one of its people."
Torch Lily forced a faint smile, then her gaze passed over Hancock and landed on Roy.
" Captain Roy... I know... Hancock's heart... belongs to you."
Roy's lips twitched upon hearing this, and he sighed inwardly, "It's a misunderstanding!"
Seeing Torch Lily's weak appearance, Roy did not refute it.
Torch Lily's voice grew softer and softer, the pauses between each word becoming longer and longer.
"After I am gone... please... protect Amazon Lily... protect Hancock..."
Roy stepped forward and stood behind Hancock, looking at the Pirate Empress on the bed who had dedicated her life to Amazon Lily.
He nodded, his voice calm and solemn:
"Rest assured."
" Amazon Lily is an ally of Hachinosu. As long as I am here, no one can touch Amazon Lily."
Upon hearing these words, the last glimmer of light in Torch Lily's eyes finally shone brightly, before slowly fading away.
Her hand slipped from Hancock's wrist and landed on the quilt.
The smile on his lips froze on his face.
The air in the room seemed to freeze at that moment.
The candlelight flickered gently, casting swaying shadows on the wall.
Hancock knelt before the bed, head bowed, her hands tightly gripping the serpentine crown.
Tears fell drop by drop onto the brocade quilt, seeping into the fabric and leaving dark stains.
She didn't cry out loud.
The new Pirate Empress of Amazon Lily cannot cry on her first day on the throne.
But I just couldn't stop the tears.
Sandersonia and Marigold were already crying their eyes out, the two little girls clinging to their sister's arms on either side.
He buried his face in her shoulder, tears soaking Hancock's clothes.
At the same time, just as the Torch Lily died, a long snake with pink and white stripes and a skull on its head emerged from under the blanket.
Upon closer inspection, this snake was also covered in tears.
Roy stood behind the three of them, silently watching the scene unfold.
He didn't speak, but simply placed his hand gently on Hancock's shoulder; the warmth from his palm was the only comfort in the room at that moment.
The news of Torch Lily's passing spread throughout the entire Amazon Lily in less than an hour.
The female warriors of Amazon Lily flocked to the square in front of the palace from all directions. There was no organization or call to action; they all gathered there spontaneously.
Some bowed their heads in silent mourning, some covered their faces and sobbed, and some knelt on the ground, pressing their foreheads against the stone slabs where the Torch Lily had once walked.
Torch Lily reigned for over a decade, leading the female warriors of Amazon Lily through countless trials and tribulations.
She is a warrior, a mother, and the pillar of support for all the people of Amazon Lily.
Outside the palace, Elder Nyon leaned on her snake-shaped cane, tears streaming down her face.
She didn't go in; she just stood outside the door, listening to the suppressed sobs coming from inside, letting tears stream down her wrinkled face.
One night passed.
The next morning, Roy pushed open the door to the bedroom and saw Hancock still kneeling before the coffin.
She placed the Pirate Empress's crown on her lap, maintaining the same posture, and knelt for the entire night.
The long snake named Salome was also coiled up, quietly staying beside Hancock.
Hancock's tears flowed endlessly, then dried up, and her gaze gradually hardened.
The serpentine crown lay quietly on her lap, the deep blue gems in its eyes gleaming coldly in the morning light.
Hearing the door open, Hancock looked up; her deep purple eyes were no longer wet with tears.
Instead, there was an unprecedented composure and decisiveness.
Roy looked at Hancock at this moment and finally saw the shadow of the proud Pirate Empress of the future in her.
Just as Roy was feeling sentimental,
A series of hurried footsteps came from outside the palace.
Elder Nyon pushed open the door and entered, her face even more gloomy than yesterday.
" Captain Roy, Hancock, something's happened."
"Speak." Roy turned around.
" The Shadow Snake's people have started moving."
Elder Nyon gritted her teeth and slammed her snake staff heavily on the ground.
"They spread rumors that Hancock only dared to return to vie for the throne because she had gained power on Hachinosu, and that if Hancock were to succeed to the throne..."
Amazon Lily would become a vassal state of the Emperor of the Sea, losing its centuries-old independence.
Hancock's eyes suddenly turned cold.
Roy, on the other hand, remained calm, even with a faint smile playing on his lips.
"Then let them give it a try."
Elder Nyon looked at Roy's nonchalant demeanor, and then at the serpentine crown on Hancock's head, and suddenly felt that the weight in her heart had lessened.
"When is the succession ceremony?" Roy asked.
"According to custom, three days after Torch Lily's passing..."
Elder Nyon said,
"These three days are the mourning period, and also the time for each tribe to express their stance."
If no one can come up with a sufficient reason to object after three days, the ceremony can proceed smoothly.
Three days.
Roy nodded.
That's enough.
Let those people dance for three days, and see who comes out on top.
Elder Nyon was taken aback for a moment, then she understood what Roy meant.
He wasn't trying to suppress the opposition prematurely, but rather to make everyone appear at the inauguration ceremony and clean them up all at once.
"Then... about the succession ceremony..." Elder Nyon asked tentatively.
"Prepare as usual."
Roy patted Hancock on the shoulder as he spoke.
"Three days from now, let everyone see if the new Pirate Empress of Amazon Lily can truly bear this crown."
Hancock raised her head, her deep purple eyes burning with determination and fighting spirit:
"Yes."