Chapter 360: Movements Across All Factions

"Using pain to offset my charm?!"

Hancock leaped up, landing lightly on the warship's deck; looking down from her height at Momonga before her, her gaze was indifferent:

"Truly astonishing willpower!"

The praise sounded more like mockery to Momonga's ears, yet the current situation left him powerless to refute it.

Even among the Marine Vice Admirals at Headquarters, Momonga's combat strength ranked near the top; those capable of suppressing him were either Admiral Candidates or unparalleled powerhouses like Garp, who defied conventional logic.

But at this very moment.

In merely a single exchange, not only were the marines on the ship instantly controlled by Hancock, but even he himself had to rely on pain to overcome the desire in his heart, avoiding the fate of being petrified alongside them!

Every pirate worthy of bearing the title Seven Warlords of the Sea was a figure who commanded wind and rain across these oceans.

Beyond her stunning beauty, the woman before him possessed the qualities of a king found in only one out of a million, and her immense power was beyond doubt.

The Mero Mero no Mi's ability to directly petrify opponents was nothing short of defying heaven!

This woman was far more dangerous than the Marine Headquarters had predicted—dangerous by countless folds!

Momonga's face turned pale as he slowly rose to his feet, staring straight into Hancock's eyes, his tone harder than ever before:

"One month from now, the Marines will execute Portgas D. Ace, Commander of the Whitebeard Pirates' Second Division, at Marineford; to prepare for a possible assault by the Whitebeard Pirates, we are hereby conscripting the Seven Warlords of the Sea to join the battle!"

"Any who disobey will be stripped of their privileges as Seven Warlords!"

As soon as his voice landed.

The Amazon Lily female warriors guarding the shore had already drawn their bows and nocked their arrows, eyeing them like tigers; the sword-arrows coated in Armament Haki made Momonga on the deck feel as though needles were pricking his back.

Tap!

Tap!

Tap!

Hancock did not respond; swaying her willow-like waist, she stepped toward Momonga one step at a time, an invisible aura spreading out until the air around them seemed to grow several degrees more solemn.

"I do not accept threats!"

"Even if I were to kill you right here, my status would remain as solid as a rock; as for the reason..."

Hancock raised a hand to brush the beautiful hair from her forehead, the corners of her mouth lifting slightly; radiating killing intent, she nevertheless appeared exceptionally captivating:

"It is likely because I am simply too beautiful!"

"You are being far too willful!"

Momonga couldn't help but blurt out the complaint, but in the next instant, Hancock sent him flying with a strike of Perfume Femur, slamming him heavily into the ship's cabin!

Boom—!

A deafening explosion suddenly erupted; splinters of shattered wood flew everywhere as Momonga struggled to his feet, coughing up a large mouthful of blood, now devoid of any strength to continue fighting.

Piercing killing intent closed in!

Momonga's face turned deathly pale as he suddenly shouted:

"The Marines have already mastered navigation techniques for the Calm Belt; our forces can enter the waters of Amazon Lily at any time."

"You know what this means."

"You may choose to take my life here, or the lives of these marines, but you had best consider carefully whether the price is acceptable!"

Hancock's footsteps hesitated for an instant, then suddenly accelerated.

The killing intent, nearly tangible, made Momonga shiver with cold.

A madman!

A complete and utter madman!

Yet at that very moment, an anxious call came from the shoreline, interrupting Hancock's movement.

"Hancock!"

Hancock turned her head with a cold expression, seeing Elder Nyon rushing back from the distant dense forest, covered in dust and dirt, looking at her with extreme anxiety.

"No matter how willful you are, there must be a limit!"

"You will destroy this country!"

Hancock's footsteps halted, and she gradually calmed down.

As the Empress of Amazon Lily, how could she not understand the importance of the Calm Belt?

Once this barrier was lost, Amazon Lily would be, in the eyes of the Marines, nothing more than a naked woman with her hands and feet bound and her clothes removed, left to be humiliated at will.

She had experienced such things before; far more clearly than Elder Nyon, she knew that yielding or begging for mercy at such a time was useless—it would only make the opponent become even more emboldened.

Only by baring one's claws and fangs could one truly achieve a deterrent effect!

She did not know whether killing Momonga here would enrage the Marines, but she knew that if she obeyed the Marines' every command at this moment, the day of Amazon Lily's total extinction would not be far off.

This was a country of only women—no, of only beautiful women—and beauty inevitably invited disaster.

Ignoring Elder Nyon's anxious calls from the shore, Hancock lowered her gaze to Momonga, who was half-kneeling in the cabin; retracting her killing intent, her eyes nonetheless still revealed arrogance:

"If there is a next time, I will kill you directly!"

Momonga breathed a sigh of relief; looking at the marines petrified all around him, he gritted his teeth and said:

"These marines are innocent..."

"Their petrification will be lifted in three hours; I will attend the meeting at Marine Headquarters on time, but..."

Hancock reached out, brushing the stray hair from her forehead, a smile on her lips yet her eyes incomparably cold:

"If I discover any ships belonging to the Marines or the World Government appearing in the Calm Belt near Amazon Lily, I will ensure they are buried forever beneath the sea."

"I will convey your words..."

Before Momonga could finish his sentence, Hancock's figure had already vanished from within the cabin.

Looking at the wounds on his body, he fell into a long silence.

Several hours later.

The warship slowly sailed away from the Calm Belt.

The petrified marines remained somewhat dazed even now.

Many still saw Hancock's face floating before their eyes from time to time, unable to suppress a look of intoxication on their faces.

But on the faces of even more people was written only awe.

Awe for the title of Warlord of the Sea, and for those beings who bore that name.

Tsuru's wounds had already been bandaged; recalling the brief yet one-sided battle just now, he subconsciously gripped the long sword at his waist:

"So this is the Pirate Empress, Boa Hancock?!"

"With such power, she stands head and shoulders above even among the Warlords of the Sea; aside from Hawk Eyes, I'm afraid no one else could match her."

"Coupled with the abilities of the Mero Mero no Mi..."

"Another terrifying monster!"

"As for Hawk Eyes and the Knight Gao Wen, who stand far above her, just how strong could they be?!"

A sense of panic inexplicably rose in Tsuru's heart, and for the first time, he began to question Sengoku's decision.

Publicly executing Luo Jie's son would inevitably trigger greater upheavals, beyond anyone's expectations.

Whether this was good or bad, no one knew.

On the sea surface, waves surged; amidst the churning spray, a sea beast leaped out of the water, crashed down heavily, and sent up a series of splashes!

Not long after the Marines departed, Hancock also boarded a Kuja ship and headed for Marine Headquarters.

Now that the Calm Belt had been breached by the Marines, the identity of a Warlord of the Sea was far more important to her than ever before.

Almost at the same moment Hancock departed, a flesh-colored spherical bubble streaked across the sky above Kuja Island, shattering several Shanfeng in succession before finally coming to a stop.

A few breaths later.

A youth wearing a straw hat, with three scars beneath his eye, walked out of the ruins in a daze, only to be greeted by arrow after arrow coated in Armament Haki.

Whoosh!

Whoosh!

Whoosh!

The autumn wind has not yet stirred, but the cicada senses it first.

The news that Luo Jie's son was about to be executed had not yet been made public by the high command of the Marines, but for the various powers active across these seas, it could hardly be called a secret.

Dressrosa.

Doflamingo leaped out of a window in a single bound, treading on threads of string, weaving through the clouds and mist as he sped toward Marineford.

Within his eyes, hidden behind dark sunglasses, reflected an indescribable madness!

"Fuhahahaha—!"

"The son of the Pirate King?!"

"A battle between Marine Headquarters and the world's strongest pirate crew?!"

"No!"