The afternoon sun beat down on the deck of the Going Merry as the Straw Hats went about their usual routines—except something was off.
Sanji paused mid-cigarette, squinting at Zoro. "Oi, what's with the moss ball? He's been sitting there like a statue for hours."
The others turned to look. Indeed, Zoro hadn't moved an inch since morning, his three swords laid out before him in perfect alignment. His eyes were closed, his breathing steady—if not for the occasional twitch of his eyebrow, they might have thought he'd turned to stone.
Luffy poked Zoro's cheek. "Maybe he's dead?"
"He's meditating, you idiots," Yachiru chirped from her perch on the mast. She swung down, landing lightly beside Zoro. "Zo-chan's trying to bond with his sword~ Isn't that silly? I'm right here!"
Zoro's eye snapped open.
"What?!" he roared, grabbing Yachiru by the shoulders and shaking her violently. "You mean I've been wasting my time for nothing?!"
Yachiru just giggled, her pink hair flopping around. "You looked so funny sitting there all serious! Nyahaha!"
Nami watched the spectacle with amusement. "I'd say they're bonding quite well, wouldn't you?"
Robin sipped her tea, smiling. "In their own way, yes."
Sanji, however, was frowning. "Wait, so if bonding with his sword makes it stronger... does that mean this marimo's getting even more powerful?" The thought was unacceptable. He couldn't let Zoro pull ahead—especially not with some fancy magic sword from Nolan.
Chopper trotted over, holding out a small bag to Sanji. "Here, do you want some Senzu beans? They might help!"
Franky leaned in, his sunglasses glinting. "Senzu? That sounds SUPER lame. What's so special about some boring seeds?"
Chopper's eyes lit up. "They're miraculous! Just one can heal all your injuries and restore your stamina!"
Franky's jaw dropped. "WHAAAT?! That's insane! Why didn't you say so sooner?!"
As the two launched into an excited discussion, the rest of the crew slumped around the deck, the usual lively atmosphere dampened.
Luffy, in particular, was uncharacteristically quiet. He lay on his back, staring at the sky, his hat pulled low over his eyes. Even the mention of meat couldn't get his usual enthusiastic reaction.
Usopp nudged him. "Hey, cheer up! Nolan's probably fine. Knowing him, he's probably landed on some island where he's being pampered like a king."
The reaction was immediate—and terrifying.
Robin's usually calm expression twisted into sheer horror. Nami's face went pale. Even Zoro stopped throttling Yachiru to stare at Usopp in disbelief.
"...That would be bad," Robin said slowly, her voice trembling slightly. "If Nolan finds a place where he can be properly lazy... he might never come back."
The thought hung in the air like a death sentence.
Nami lunged at Usopp, grabbing his head and shaking it violently. "DON'T JINX IT, YOU IDIOT!" she screeched. "WE CAN'T LOSE OUR LAZY MAN TO SOME RANDOM ISLAND!"
---
The entire island of Amazon Lily buzzed with excitement as warriors gathered for their most anticipated event of the year—the Most Beautiful Warrior Competition. Any lingering tension from yesterday's near-coup had miraculously vanished. After all, no grudge was worth missing this glorious free-for-all.
The rules were simple, demonstrate your beauty, strength, and grace while legally beating the snot out of your competitors. For the warrior women, this was the highlight of their year—the one day they could punch their best friend in the face and call it "artistic expression."
Gloriosa, standing at the center of the arena, cleared her throat. The crowd's cheers died down—mostly. Some warriors were already sizing each other up, cracking their knuckles in anticipation.
Her eyes drifted to Hancock, who sat on her throne, massaging her temples with a look of deep internal conflict. Gloriosa smirked. She knew exactly what was going through the Empress's mind.
Hancock, the woman who declared the world would forgive all her sins because of her beauty, was now facing the unimaginable—someone more beautiful. And worse, she knew it. Her pride warred with her heart, and the result was a spectacularly grumpy empress.
The warriors cheered as the event officially began, showering Hancock with praise. She waved them off with a dismissive flick of her wrist, her nose in the air.
"Tch. Disloyal wretches," she muttered under her breath.
Then, a thought struck her. She turned to Marigold, her sister, who had somehow already made peace with the traitorous warriors.
"Who... is watching over him right now?" Hancock asked, trying to sound indifferent.
Marigold blinked. "Oh! The warriors held a rock-paper-scissors tournament this morning. Two winners were chosen to tend to him."
Hancock's eye twitched.
They... they skipped the competition? For him?!
For a brief, shameful moment, she imagined herself in their place—gently adjusting his blankets, maybe brushing a stray lock of hair from his face—
"HRMPH!"
She bit her lip hard, snapping herself out of it. Disgraceful! She was the Pirate Empress! She didn't tend to anyone!
Gloriosa's voice boomed across the arena, pulling everyone's attention.
"Welcome, warriors! Today, we celebrate beauty, strength, and the right to punch someone for looking better than you!"
The crowd erupted in cheers.
Hancock crossed her arms, sinking deeper into her throne. This was her competition. Her moment. And yet, all she could think about was—
What if he woke up while she wasn't there?
She shook her head violently. No! Focus!
But as the first competitors stepped into the ring, Hancock's gaze kept drifting toward the cave where Nolan slept, completely unaware of the chaos he'd caused.
Somewhere in the distance, a warrior screamed as she was thrown out of the ring.
Hancock barely noticed.
She had bigger problems.
Like the fact that she might be considering skipping her own competition.
Just to watch a man sleep.
Gloriosa's knowing smirk said it all.
The mighty Boa Hancock... was doomed.
The competition had dragged on, and Hancock was bored out of her mind. She sat on her throne, chin resting on her hand as warrior after warrior fought in the arena below. None of them stood a chance against her—not in strength, and certainly not in beauty. She had won six years in a row, and this year would be no different.
"Pathetic," she muttered, watching as two warriors half-heartedly exchanged blows. "They're not even trying to improve. They just want an excuse to hit each other."
Then she noticed it—the subtle shifting of feet, the way some warriors kept glancing toward the cave entrance. A few were even inching away, clearly hoping to slip off unnoticed.
Hancock's eye twitched.
"BRING THEM BACK!" she snapped, pointing at the would-be escapees. "AND BARRICADE THE EXITS! NO ONE LEAVES UNTIL THEY'VE WITNESSED MY VICTORY!"
The warriors groaned but obeyed, shuffling back into place. Hancock smirked. Good. They would remember their place. They would remember her beauty.
The fights continued, but the energy had shifted. The crowd was restless, their attention divided. Even the competitors seemed distracted, their movements sluggish.
Then—just before Hancock's turn—the world itself seemed to pause.
The clouds above parted like curtains, golden sunlight spilling onto a single spot—the cave where Nolan slept. Flowers burst into bloom at its entrance, petals unfurling despite the season. Birds gathered in the trees, their songs harmonizing into something almost reverent. Even the forest animals bowed their heads toward the cave, as if paying respects to a king.
Silence fell over the arena.
Hancock's breath caught.
He's awake.
The realization hit her like a cannonball.
And then—chaos.
Warriors abandoned their fights mid-punch, sprinting toward the cave. Others fainted on the spot, overwhelmed by the sheer presence of his awakening. A few just stood there, clutching their chests as if their hearts might burst.
Hancock, for the first time in her life, was completely forgotten.
Her fists clenched. Her face burned.
This... this was unacceptable!
She was Boa Hancock! The most beautiful woman in the world! And yet, the mere hint of that lazy man waking up had upstaged her entire competition!
Gloriosa, watching from the sidelines, sighed.
"Ah, youth."
Hancock's eye twitched.
She was going to kill him.
...After she made sure he was properly awake, of course.
---