"Why all the noise down there?"
Atop the Tenshukaku of Kuja Castle — the cliffside palace of Amazon Lily — the lady of the isle stirred.
She stepped to the balcony, makeup light and elegant, wearing a white cheongsam stamped with a red sun. Her coiffure framed a beauty both regal and restraind.
The tight dress highlighted perfect posture and sculpted curves. Boa Hancock moved with deliberate grace, every step a measured sway as if she could bend branches with a look.
The heavy wooden doors opened, revealing a corridor of red lacquer pillars supporting the palace roof. Hancock walked along the red carpet embroidered with gold flowers and climbed to the overlook.
"What is all this commotion?" she asked.
Her arrival sent a ripple through Kuja City. Lan — one of the island's warriors — swallowed a flutter of admiration and tried to speak stoutly:
"Mistress Snake, should we… surrender to the Marines?"
"Huh? What is this nonsense?"
Hancock half-lowered herself onto her pet Salome, which coiled into a throne. She bit her thumb in thought while looking at her devoted fighters.
"Are you mocking me?" she asked.
Thump—thump—thump—thump!
Elder Nyon hurried in, leaning on her staff and out of breath. "Apologies, Lady Hancock — my mistake." She thrust the latest newspaper into Hancock's hands.
Hancock frowned and tossed Nyon aside with a small kick. "Read it to me!"
Nyon wasn't offended. She dusted herself and began loudly so all could hear:
"'Marine recruit Laurentina, whose beauty rivals that of the Pirate Empress, has slain…'"
"Rivals my beauty?"
Who was this insolent person?
The crowd snorted. Nyon's reading turned from joke to headline, and curiosity overtook ridicule. Hancock snatched the paper, eyes fixed on the small photo of white hair and red eyes.
She was striking.
Striking enough to be… challenging.
Hancock's face tightened. She had never seen the rumored mermaid princess in person, but this young Marine's beauty was undeniable.
If the island favored white hair and pale skin, Hancock feared she might not come out on top.
Yet —
she still had the better figure.
"My people!" Hancock swept a hand across the square and arched backward in exaggerated pride, the classic haughty pose she was famed for. "Who is more beautiful — me or Laurentina?"
The response was immediate and thunderous:
"Mistress Snake!!!"
Kuja City's crowd erupted with adoration; even Nyon, having been kicked, blushed with excitement.
Hancock basked, delighted, and crowed theatrically about how her beauty would absolve any of her misdeeds — her audience adored her for it.
But Laurentina — this newcomer — gnawed at Hancock's composure. She toyed with a nail for a moment, then composed herself and walked back into her private chambers.
Across the seas, talk of a new Marine-born beauty began to spread. People even called Laurentina the "Marine Empress." The debate over who was more beautiful — Hancock or Laurentina — became a long-running curiosity.
Tsuru's earlier, almost ridiculous, idea had crept toward reality.
Six Months Later — Marineford, Marinfold
Half a year of training later, Laurentina had fully mastered Rokushiki.
Her speed was only a touch faster than the famously quick Koby — but the quality of her moves left him in the dust.
Koby had been a true sudden-growth story: from hopeless recruit to Rokushiki user within a year. Still, Laurentina's progress had been exceptional.
"Where's Ain?" Laurentina asked, glancing at her Haki coverage — barely reaching her wrists. A little disappointed, she noted that her Haki development matched the pace of her mind-and-body unification.
Still — even this pace left her far ahead of most elite recruits.
Alice watched with admiration. The elite class leader looked otherworldly: not only had she learned Haki so fast, she'd become truly poised.
Laurentina's Armament Haki hardened like steel when applied to others. When she used it on herself, though, she could craft it into elegant, lace-like black patterns along her wrists and calves — refined and graceful rather than brutish.
Alice gaped, momentarily dumbstruck, then answered offhandedly:
"Ain's gone to Sabaody with Zephyr — she said she was catching pirates and also looking for books."
"Which books?" Laurentina asked.
Ain's scientific talent was well known. Alongside standard training, she took advanced science courses, aiming to build powerful cutting-edge weapons. Zephyr had recommended her to Borsalino (Kizaru) to help secure access to Vegapunk-era research left in abandoned labs.
"They were complicated… something like Study on Seastone's Suppression Effect on Devil Fruit Users — Microscopic Analysis of Lineage Factors," Alice recited, puzzled.
"Ah. Deep stuff."
Laurentina smiled and resumed practice with her chainsaw.
Now it was spring of 1513. Four years before Ace set sail, seven years before Luffy. She knew she had to keep growing.
Today's regular drills were over, but Laurentina and Alice had eaten and returned for extra training. On their way home, Sakazuki and Zephyr gave approving nods.
Both squads were known for grit. In inter-elite competitions, Sakazuki's branch often won.
Borsalino and Kuzan's classes were competitive too — but that was before Laurentina's rise.
"Rookie Laurentina!" a voice called from afar.
"Hm?" Laurentina straightened automatically. A well-dressed female Marine approached, smiling.
"Captain Tashigi will be heading on a routine patrol shortly. Admiral Aokiji has requested you temporarily."
"Understood!"
Laurentina nodded, said a quick farewell to Alice, and boarded the vessel bound for the harbor.
It was a clear March morning. The thin snow around Marineford had begun to melt; pawprints dotted the banks. A shaft of sunlight broke through iron-gray clouds and stabbed the calm, lonely sea.
Laurentina set off on her first patrol.
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