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The projection bloomed to life over a boundless, sapphire sea.
Waves glittered like broken glass. Gulls traced white arcs across the sky. Far ahead, something vast cut a wake through the light.
The low, theater-rich narrator returned warm where the system had been cold.
"Once upon a time…"
"The seas had idols."
"To the Marines, they were a beautiful headache."
"They had a name—"
"The Kuja Pirates."
"They hailed from a rare land: an island of women."
"A crew that allowed no men aboard…"
"Fierce and devastatingly beautiful."
The camera dove closer until the ship filled the world an ornate war-vessel hauled forward by two colossal sea serpents. A Jolly Roger snapped in the wind: bow-shaped lips, coiling serpents a banner unmistakably Kuja.
This was the Perfume Yuda.
On the sunlit deck, a willowy silhouette glided past ranks of cheering warriors. Hearts practically popped in their eyes.
She sighed melodramatically, hopelessly pleased with herself.
"Asleep or awake… I'm still cursed with this face. It's exhausting."
"If only I could throw it away—"
"—this beauty."
She struck a pose hips tilted, chin lifted, every line of her body a gravity challenge. The cheering became shrieks.
"Lady Gloriosa!"
"So cute! I can't take it!"
"I think I'm seeing white light—"
"My heart is filing for bankruptcy!"
She was a storm of curves and confidence, lips quirked with "woe," eyes glittering with pride.
Gloriosa, Empress of Amazon Lily in that era.
Captain of the Kuja Pirates.
Known in the present day, rather less glamorously, as Elder Nyon.
The frame froze on her sultry smile, then transparent text flooded across the image like shooting stars: live bullet comments.
"Who is she—HELLO?!"
"Wait, Gloriosa… as in future Elder Nyon?!
No way. That granny was THIS gorgeous?!"
"I refuse to believe the stumpy hag on Amazon Lily used to look like… this.
Time is a slaughterhouse knife, I guess."
"My worldview just shattered."
"Hey, remember Big Mom was a bombshell as a teen too. Then… well, y'know."
"Nobody escapes aging in this world.
Correction: they don't age they mutate.
Anyway, young Gloriosa? Yeah, I could simp. (doge)"
The overlay kept streaming until even veterans rubbed their eyes.
[Monkey D. Garp]: "Huh? What's with the text racing across the picture? It's giving me eye strain."
[Tsuru]: "Based on the content, they're like… live viewer remarks. Commentary on the footage."
[Sengoku]: "More importantly, whoever's posting them knows both past and future events."
[Aokiji]: "Ah-la-la~ Now I'm curious. Are these commenters even from our world?"
[Kizaru]: "Oh~ So there are other worlds out there? How terrifying~"
A clean, neutral voice cut through the chatter:
[Dimensional Chat Group System]:
[To enhance viewing enjoyment, danmaku (live bullet-comments) have been enabled.]
[These comments are posted by viewers from other worlds.]
[Content may include jokes, hot takes, and speculation. Accuracy not guaranteed. Please exercise discretion.]
[Rocks D. Xebec]: "So the peanut gallery's extradimensional. Hah! I like it."
[Edward Newgate]: "Gurararara~ Other worlds, eh? I wonder what seas they sail."
[Kaido]: "Worororo~ Think their booze beats ours?"
[Big Mom]: "Mama-mama~ I'm more interested in their sweets."
[Gloriosa]: "To think I'd show up in a compilation… and looking like that. Nostalgic."
[Boa Sandersonia]: "Did not have 'Nyon used to be gorgeous' on my bingo card."
[Boa Marigold]: "Honestly, young Nyon almost reaches one-tenth of Big Sister's beauty!"
[Gloriosa]: "Watch your tongues, brats! I was a heartbreaker in my day millions swooned!"
The video rolled on.
A round-cheeked girl with bright eyes sprinted into frame, arms piled high with letters.
Toritoma—destined to be a future Empress herself skidded to a stop.
"Lady Gloriosa! Look at all the fan mail!"
Gloriosa's gaze slid past Toritoma to a mountain of envelopes stacked like cargo behind her.
"And that hill back there?"
"Those are for Lady Shakky!" Toritoma beamed.
Gloriosa's jaw actually dropped.
"That's at least a hundred times my pile!"
"Honestly! She's out-fanning the captain!"
The narrator chuckled in the background, the image easing into a soft-focus still of clinking glasses, cigarette smoke, and a sly smile.
"Correct."
"The only star whose shine could eclipse Gloriosa's in those days…"
"…was the Kuja Pirates' First Mate Shakky."
The chat went electric.
[Silvers Rayleigh]: "Heh."
[Edward Newgate]: "Gurarara~ Now there's a name."
[Shanks]: "Captain, brace yourself."
[Buggy]: "Oh, this is going to be messy."
[Gol D. Roger]: "Tch…"
Gloriosa tossed her hair, refusing to be out-dazzled even by the past.
[Gloriosa]: "First Mate or not, I still captained the ship."
[Shakky]: "Relax, Nyon. The letters were mostly from people who liked my attitude."
[Gloriosa]: "And your face."
[Shakky]: "And my face."
Across the frozen world, laughter rippled through minds that couldn't move but could still enjoy the show.
[Dimensional Chat Group System]:
[Segment Complete: Idols of the Old Era Kuja Pirates.]
[Next Segment Queued: Shakky — The Vice-Captain Who Outshone the Captain.]
[Note: Danmaku remains enabled. Viewer discretion advised.]
The sea darkened a shade as if the projector itself dimmed the sun. New letters began to etch across the sky.
The old age still had stories to tell. And some of them wore lipstick, carried a gun, and smiled like they already knew how the night would end.
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Thank you so much for your support and for reading!