novelraw Chapter 504 504: Side Story : Hancock, On the Other Side of the Door, Awaits the One You Long to See Most!
Chapter 504 504: Side Story : Hancock, On the Other Side of the Door, Awaits the One You Long to See Most!
The world of One Piece, the Calm Belt, Amazon Lily.
The tides of the new era had also swept over this isolated island, and its inhabitants rejoiced, celebrating the arrival of true freedom.
However, in stark contrast to the island's festive atmosphere, the royal bedchamber was shrouded in gloom.
"Sister, please, you must eat something."
"Yes, sister, you haven't eaten for three days. If this continues, your body will break down."
Boa Sandersonia and Boa Marigold knelt by the bedside, tears streaming down their faces as they looked at the breathtakingly beautiful woman lying pale and listless on the bed.
Their sister, the Empress of the Kuja, the sovereign of Amazon Lily, the world's most beautiful woman—Boa Hancock—lay on the bed devoid of vitality.
Her once captivating eyes, which had enthralled countless souls, were now dull and vacant, staring blankly at the ceiling.
"Orion,"
Hancock's red lips parted slightly, unconsciously murmuring the name that haunted her dreams.
It had been half a month since Orion led a thousand-ship fleet to patrol the seas and bring the Great Pirate Era to a definitive end, and since then, there had been no news of him.
At first, Hancock could console herself with the thought that Orion, as the pioneer of the new era, must be exceptionally busy.
But as days turned into weeks, and weeks into years—one year, then two—the longing gnawed at her heart like the deadliest poison.
She could neither eat nor sleep, and her body visibly withered away.
The previous Empress had died of lovesickness.
In the past, Hancock had scoffed at such a notion, dismissing it as a sign of weakness.
But now, trapped in its grip herself, she understood the bone-deep agony it inflicted.
"My husband, where are you? Am I... losing you?"
Hancock slowly closed her eyes, a single tear tracing a path from the corner of her eye and soaking into the opulent silk pillow.
She felt her life force rapidly fading, her consciousness growing hazy.
Perhaps—
It wouldn't be so bad to die like this.
To die for the man she loved would be part of her unparalleled glory.
Just as Hancock relinquished all hope and prepared to embrace death—
Bzzzt—
The entire bedchamber was suddenly bathed in a soft, white light.
A portal, its edges crackling with golden arcs of electricity, silently tore open before her bed.
"Who's there?!"
Sandersonia and Marigold were startled, immediately assuming combat stances to shield Hancock.
But before they could act, an emotionless, mechanical voice emanated from within the portal, echoing clearly throughout the chamber.
[Boa Hancock.]
[Are you willing to relinquish all the wealth, status, and fame you possess in this world?]
[If you are, you may enter this door.]
[On the other side of the passage awaits the one you long to see most.]
The moment these words fell, Hancock, who had been resigned to death with only her last breath remaining, shuddered violently.
The one she longed to see most?
Whoosh!
Her dull eyes snapped open, a radiant light bursting forth within them like never before!
It was as if a dying phoenix had been reborn from the ashes!
"Sister!"
Sandersonia and Marigold turned in surprise, only to witness a scene that left them utterly stunned.
Hancock abruptly leaped from the bed, all traces of her previous weakness and sickness vanishing completely as explosive vitality coursed through her entire being.
Barefoot, she dashed to the spacetime gate in just a few steps, her beautiful eyes fixed intently on the profound white light beyond the doorway, her chest heaving violently.
"Is it true? Is the person I most wish to see truly behind this gate?"
The mechanical voice gave no response.
But silence, in itself, was an answer.
Hancock understood.
She whirled around to face her utterly astonished sisters, a radiant smile—unseen since Orion's disappearance—spreading across her face, so brilliant it could make all creation pale in comparison.
"Sandrosonia! Marigold!"
"From this day forward, I entrust Amazon Lily to you! I must go find my husband!"
Without even pausing to put on shoes, without the slightest hesitation or attachment, she turned and charged toward the spacetime gate.
"Wait! Sister!"
Sandrosonia and Marigold tried to stop her, but it was already too late.
Hancock's figure plunged resolutely into the white light and vanished in an instant.
Immediately after, the mysterious portal dissipated like a bursting bubble, as if it had never existed.
The bedchamber was left with only Sandrosonia and Marigold staring at each other in bewildered disarray.
"Did she just... leave like that?"
"For a man?"
"And dumped the entire kingdom on us?"
Exchanging glances, they saw mirrored in each other's eyes the same confusion and devastation.
...
Earth, Philliphines.
Downtown area of cebu city, the busiest pedestrian street.
Amid the bustling crowd, space suddenly rippled, and in the next moment, an exquisitely beautiful figure materialized out of thin air.
She wore an elegant qipao-style gown that revealed her slender, snow-white legs, her bare feet peeking beneath the hem.
Jet-black hair cascaded like a waterfall down to her waist.
This was Boa Hancock, freshly arrived through the crossing.
The moment she appeared, the noisy atmosphere seemed to freeze for a second.
Every eye in the vicinity, regardless of age or gender, was involuntarily drawn to her.
"Wow! A beauty!"
"Oh my god, her looks, her figure—she puts all the top female celebrities to shame!"
"Is this a film shoot? Or is she an elite cosplayer? Her aura is absolutely peerless!"
After a brief silence, the crowd erupted into excitement.
Countless people pulled out their phones, frantically taking pictures of Hancock.
Yet Hancock paid no attention to her surroundings, closing her eyes to concentrate on sensing her surroundings.
That mechanical voice had said Orion was in this world.
As long as he was here, whether this place was hell or the abyss, to her, it was heaven.
"Orion! Where exactly are you?"
She opened her eyes, scanning her surroundings in confusion.
Just then, several young men with delinquent styles, captivated by Hancock's beauty, jostled each other as they approached.
The lead yellow-haired youth tossed his hair in what he thought was a cool gesture, revealing yellowish teeth as he smirked:
"Hey beautiful, are you alone? Did you get separated from your film crew? Big brother can help you find them?"
Another green-haired guy moved closer, his eyes brazenly roving over Hancock's figure.
"Hey girl, into cosplay? That outfit's pretty hot. Free tonight? Let's grab dinner and... discuss life?"
Hancock slowly lowered her head, casting a sidelong glance at them with the corner of her eyes.
That gaze was filled with utter contempt and arrogance, as if she were looking at two disgusting vermin.
"Insolent fools."
Her red lips parted slightly, spitting out four icy words.
"Oh, still got some temper, huh?" The blond youth didn't back down but found it even more amusing. He reached out to touch Hancock's face.
"Let me see if this face is really..."
Before he could finish his words, Hancock had already impatiently raised her hand.
Boom—
An invisible aura erupted abruptly, centered around Hancock!
The lecherous grins on the faces of those thugs instantly froze.
Their eyes rolled back, foam spewed from their mouths, and they collapsed stiffly to the ground, instantly unconscious.
The surrounding crowd, who had been taking photos and jeering, were also struck dizzy by this terrifying pressure.
Those with weaker nerves went limp in the legs and slumped directly to the ground.
The entire pedestrian street instantly fell into dead silence.
Everyone stared in horror at the breathtakingly beautiful woman standing at the center of the crowd, looking at her as if she were a monster.
Yet Hancock didn't even glance at the unconscious figures.
She merely lifted her proud chin, her gaze passing over the terrified crowd to look into the distance.
"Orion, your wife has arrived."