"You how dare you!" several warriors shouted in unison, their spears and weapons flashing as they rushed forward to form a protective wall in front of their empress. They stood firm, muscles tense, eyes locked on the intruder with a mix of fury and caution. None attacked yet—they waited for her order, as they always did. Loyalty ran deep among the Kuja pirates.
Beside Hancock, her sister Sandersonia stepped up, her serpentine hair shifting slightly as she eyed the man with suspicion. "This man might be crazy," she muttered under her breath, her voice low enough for only her sister to hear. "Should we just throw him out to the sea?"
Boa Hancock, the Pirate Empress, tilted her head slightly, her flawless features shifting from curiosity to boredom in the blink of an eye. Her long black hair cascaded down her back like silk, and her signature serpentine earrings swayed with the motion. It didn't matter if he was crazy or not. No man could resist her charm. That was simply how the world worked.
"Mero Mero Beam!" she declared, her voice carrying that intoxicating mix of elegance and power. Pink hearts seemed to flutter in the air around her as the beam shot forward.
The man—who had been howling like a lunatic just moments ago—suddenly whipped his head toward her. Their eyes met.
They both tilted their heads at the exact same time, almost comically synchronized.
Nothing happened.
The Mero Mero Beam fizzled out harmlessly against him. Hancock's eyes widened in disbelief. How could this be? How could a man resist her charm? Her heart twisted into chaos. It wasn't like no one had ever resisted her before—strong Haki users could push back—but this man... she could sense it clearly. He hadn't used any Haki at all. No willpower clash, no defensive aura. Just... nothing.
Elric blinked, his senses snapping back to reality. The fog of whatever madness had gripped him earlier cleared, and his gaze landed squarely on the woman in front of him. She was unlike anything he'd seen on this island so far—and he'd seen plenty of exaggerated figures. But this? This was on another level entirely. Her hourglass figure was so pronounced it defied logic, with a slender waist that looked like it could be encircled by his hands in one easy grasp. And those... mountains. They were enormous, dwarfing even his own head in sheer presence. He found himself wondering absently where her organs even fit and how that tiny waist supported such impossible proportions.
Okay, snap out of it, he thought, shaking his head quickly. As tempting as it was to reach out and experience that softness firsthand, now wasn't the time. No need to force anything. Not yet.
"Hey, ladies," Elric called out casually, flashing a grin. "I need a lift. Can you drop me off somewhere?"
The words hung in the air like a slap.
"You... you..." Hancock stammered, her usual composure cracking. The doubt that had been gnawing at her soul vanished in a surge of rage. Not only had he shrugged off her charm like it was a light breeze, but now he dared speak to her so casually? Like she was some common ferry service?
"You bastard of a man!" she snarled. In the next instant, she vanished from sight, moving faster than most eyes could follow. She reappeared right in front of Elric, her long leg whipping upward in a devastating kick aimed straight at his head.
To the warriors watching, it was a blur of deadly grace. To Elric, it was slower than a turtle crawling through molasses. He lifted his hand almost lazily to defend, but his eyes couldn't help drifting for a split second—taking in those legendary peaks up close. Yeah, truly extraordinary. Still, he pushed the thought aside. According to what he'd heard of her personality, forcing things might make her do something drastic, like trying to off herself. Not worth it right now.
His hand shot out, grabbing her long, powerful leg mid-strike with effortless strength. In the same fluid motion, his right fist swung toward her face.
Hancock's eyes widened as she saw the impossible speed. Her leg was caught, and before she could react, everything went black.
Elric felt her body go limp instantly. With a casual tug, he pulled her toward him, and she collapsed right onto his shoulder like a sack of particularly elegant potatoes.
"Empress!" the warriors screamed.
"Captain!"
"Captain!"
"Empress has been captured! Quickly, save her!"
"Kill this disgusting man!"
Dozens of women charged forward, weapons raised, faces twisted in protective fury. It was a beautiful sight in its own chaotic way so many women moving towards him. Elric sighed deeply, scratching the back of his head with his free hand.
"It would be a really great sight if you guys weren't trying to chop me into pieces," he muttered. Then, louder, "Anyway, did anyone ever tell you that you're all really sexist? But don't worry, I believe in gender equality. I won't hit you harder just because you're women."
The battlefield erupted into even more chaos.
...
Hancock's eyelids fluttered open slowly. The first thing she noticed was the rough texture of the bedsheets beneath her—nothing like the luxurious silk she was used to in her palace. Disoriented, she subconsciously called out, her voice soft and vulnerable in a way it almost never was.
"Sandersonia..."
But instead of her sister's reassuring voice, a mocking male tone cut through the air from beside the bed.
"Oh, is our little princess needing her sister after waking up?"
Hancock bolted upright, her heart pounding. The room was simple, almost sparse—clearly not her quarters. Her eyes darted around until they landed on the man sitting casually in a chair nearby, one leg crossed over the other as he flipped through a newspaper like he didn't have a care in the world. Memories flooded back in a rush: the failed Mero Mero Beam, the impossible speed, the strike that knocked her out cold.
"You... You... Who are y—" Her words died in her throat as she finally became aware of her state. Her upper garment was roughly torn apart, leaving her upper body completely exposed. The cool air brushed against her skin, and a wave of humiliation crashed over her.
An unnamed anger surged from deep within her heart, but it quickly twisted into cold despair. Of course, she thought bitterly. This is what should be expected. She had attacked him and lost. As the most beautiful woman in the world, who could truly resist her? She understood the logic of it all too well. But accepting it? That was another story entirely. She had been a slave once before in her life—marked by the Celestial Dragons. Though she and her sisters had escaped that nightmare, the horrors she had witnessed and barely avoided still haunted her. The tortures, the degradations... she knew exactly what awaited defeated women in the hands of powerful men.
No. I will not be a slave again. The thought repeated like a mantra in her mind, growing more frantic. It is absolutely impossible. I won't be a slave anymore. I won't be a slave anymore. No... I would rather die before becoming a slave again.
Her face twisted with desperation, eyes glazing over with the weight of past traumas resurfacing.
Elric, who had been quietly observing her from the corner of his eye, set down his newspaper with a soft rustle. He could see the spiral she was falling into—the wild imagination painting horrors that hadn't happened.
"Stop with your wild imagination," he said flatly. "I did not touch you."
"What...?"
He raised his voice slightly, making sure the words sank in. "I did not touch you. After bringing you here, I noticed you had a scar on your back. So I decided to heal it. You don't mind, right?"
What?!! Hancock's brain practically short-circuited.
Dude, you could say something else?
The absurdity of the situation clashed violently with her expectations. Ignoring his mocking tone, her hand flew instinctively to her back, fingers tracing the skin with trembling hesitation.
It was smooth. Perfectly smooth. The old scar—the mark of her painful past—was gone, as if it had never existed. Her heart started beating faster, a chaotic mix of relief, confusion, and lingering disbelief flooding through her.