Hancock woke up feeling refreshed, her beauty sleep having done wonders for her mood. She stretched gracefully, dressed in her finest attire, and prepared to grace her kingdom with her divine presence once more.
Stepping out of her chambers, she expected the usual—guards bowing, servants scrambling to attend to her, the whole palace buzzing in anticipation of her glorious awakening.
Instead...
Silence.
Not a single soul in sight.
"Shouldn't there be guards here?" she muttered, her perfect brow furrowing. Ungrateful wretches. They'll pay for this negligence.
She stalked through the halls, her irritation growing with each empty room she passed. The entire palace was deserted—no maids, no warriors, not even a single snake.
"What is the meaning of this?!" she shouted, her voice echoing through the vacant corridors. "If this is some foolish prank, I might be merciful!"
No response.
Then—a commotion outside.
Hancock stormed out to the palace grounds, where she was met with a scene that made her blood boil.
Her two sisters, Marigold and Sandersonia, stood back-to-back, surrounded by hundreds of Amazon Lily's warriors—her warriors—all armed and glaring at them.
"CEASE THIS AT ONCE!" Hancock's voice rang with authority. "How dare you raise your weapons against my sisters?!"
But instead of falling to their knees in apology, the warriors turned their furious gazes toward her.
Hancock froze.
This... wasn't possible. Her beauty was absolute. Men and women alike fell under her spell, helpless against her charm. So why...?
"We won't let you near him!" one warrior shouted, gripping her spear tightly.
"We'll protect him with our lives!" another cried.
"Glory for him!"
"GLORY!!"
The chant spread like wildfire, the warriors' voices rising in unison.
Hancock's mind reeled. "You... you brought a MAN here?!" Her voice cracked with disbelief.
"Damn right we did!" a warrior snapped.
"He's everything to us now!" another added.
Hancock's eye twitched. Her own subjects—defying her? For a man?!
"ENOUGH!" she hissed, striking a pose. "You will all turn to stone for this insolence!"
...Nothing happened.
The warriors remained standing, completely unaffected.
Hancock stared at her hands in horror. "WHY ISN'T IT WORKING?!"
Gloriosa finally stepped forward, looking far too amused for Hancock's liking.
"Nyon-ba! You orchestrated this?!" Hancock seethed. "Have you forgotten your place?!"
Gloriosa shrugged. "It's simple, really. Your beauty... has been outmatched."
Hancock's world shattered.
"IMPOSSIBLE!" she shrieked. "No one surpasses my beauty!"
Just then, a sleepy voice drifted from the cave behind the warriors.
"Robin.."
The crowd swooned in unison.
Hancock's jaw dropped.
"WHO IS THAT."
Gloriosa smirked. "Oh, you'll see~"
Gloriosa's smirk only made Hancock's blood boil hotter as she stormed toward the cave entrance. What shocked her wasn't that her warriors were blocking her path - it was why they were blocking her.
They weren't afraid of her wrath.
They were terrified she might steal their man.
"Get out of my way!" Hancock kicked through the line of warriors like bowling pins. "How dare you think some man could compare to my beauty!"
The women wailed dramatically as they flew through the air. "Nooo! Don't go in there!"
With one final kick, the cave entrance exploded inward in a cloud of dust. Hancock waved her hand in front of her face - then froze.
The cave looked like a shrine. Flower garlands draped the walls. Piles of handmade gifts surrounded a luxurious bed of furs. And there, bathed in a beam of sunlight like some divine painting...
Was him.
Hancock's breath caught. The man slept peacefully, his dark blue hair fanned out like spilled ink, his stupidly perfect face completely relaxed. For the first time in her life, the Pirate Empress was struck completely speechless.
Outside, the warriors huddled together in panic.
"Do you think... she killed him?" one whispered.
"Don't be ridiculous! No one could hurt that face!"
"Then why is it so quiet-"
"AAAAAHHHHHH!!"
Hancock came sprinting out of the cave like the hounds of hell were after her, her face flushed crimson, chest heaving. She blew past her confused sisters without a word, sandals slapping against stone as she fled all the way back to the palace.
The warriors blinked in shock.
"...Did our Empress just... run away?"
Gloriosa, who'd caught a glimpse of Hancock's expression, sighed deeply as she massaged her temples.
"I fear... our Empress may have contracted a terrible illness."
"What kind of illness?"
"The kind that makes your heart race, your face burn, and your knees weak just from looking at someone."
A beat of horrified silence.
"...LOVE SICKNESS?!" the warriors shrieked in unison.
Inside the cave, Nolan stirred slightly in his sleep.
"Mmm..." he mumbled, completely unaware of the chaos he'd caused.
Meanwhile, back in her chambers, Hancock had barricaded herself inside, back pressed against the door as she clutched her pounding chest.
"What... what was that feeling...?" she whispered to the empty room, her face still burning.
For the first time in her life...
The most beautiful woman in the world had met her match.
---
Nami massaged her temples as she watched Luffy's animated conversation with the blue-haired weirdo in tiny briefs. "Let me get this straight," she said, turning to Coby. "These aren't pirates, but you're arresting them because...?"
Coby adjusted his glasses with a tired sigh. "They attempted to loot a Marine battleship. Specifically... Vice Admiral Garp's ship."
A heavy silence fell over the Straw Hats. Even Zoro paused mid-snooze.
Usopp's jaw dropped. "They tried to rob... a vice admiral... for fun?"
"SUPER bad judgment call!" the blue-haired man declared, striking a dramatic pose that made his metal shoulders gleam in the sunlight.
Luffy's eyes sparkled like a kid in a candy store. "Wait wait wait - you're a CYBORG? And you run on COLA? That's AMAZING!"
"The name's Franky," the man said, adjusting his star-patterned briefs with pride. "Shipwright extraordinaire at your service!"
Nami's palm met her face with a resounding smack. "Oh no. I can see where this is going..."
Right on cue, Luffy threw his arms wide. "EVERYONE! WE'RE TAKING THIS GUY!"
THWACK!
A synchronized punch from Nami, Usopp and Sanji sent Luffy face-first into the deck.
"YOU CAN'T JUST ADOPT STRANGE MEN IN UNDERWEAR!" Nami shrieked, her face turning red. "And WHY is that all he's wearing?!"
Franky looked genuinely offended. He adjusted his briefs with mechanical precision. "Listen sister, briefs represent the pinnacle of human engineering! Maximum freedom of movement! Optimal airflow! And most importantly-" He struck another pose, sunglasses glinting. "-they're SUPER stylish!"
He crossed his arms proudly. "And yeah, I'm a pervert. Got a problem with that?"
Luffy burst out laughing so hard he fell backwards. "I LOVE this guy!"
The remaining Franky Family members suddenly surged forward in protest,
"Hold up! You can't just kidnap our boss!" a burly man shouted.
"Yeah! We won't let you take Franky!" another cried, though he was visibly trembling.
Luffy scratched his head, then brightened. "Oh! Then I'll just hand YOU guys over to Gramps instead!"
The color drained from their faces as Garp perked up from his nap. "Prisoners? Excellent! I could use some new sparring partners!"
In a blur of motion, the Franky Family suddenly bowed deeply. "WE WISH YOU A PLEASANT JOURNEY WITH YOUR NEW CREW MEMBER, BIG BRO FRANKY!"
Franky wiped away an imaginary tear as his former crew bolted back to their ship. "Such heartfelt farewells... SUPER moving!"
Nami groaned as she watched Franky immediately start rummaging through their pantry. "Why do I feel like we just picked up the world's weirdest stray?"
Zoro smirked without opening his eye. "Because we did."
Yachiru clapped excitedly from her perch on Zoro's head. "New friend smells like engine oil and cola! Nyahaha!"
As Franky began enthusiastically explaining his "SUPER ship modifications" to a fascinated Luffy and terrified Usopp, Robin quietly observed from the sidelines with an amused smile.
---