Led by the Kuja warriors, the White Knight finally emerged from the primeval jungle and arrived at the village where the Kuja tribe lived.
The streets were bustling with people and full of life. Aside from the fact that the residents here were exclusively female and everyone had a snake wrapped around them, it wasn't all that different from the towns in the outside world.
(Just like the rumors said, there really isn't a single man here.)
Walking behind Marguerite, Lily looked around with great curiosity. The distinct, exotic atmosphere of the Island of Women deeply intrigued the young knight, who was visiting for the very first time.
(And another thing... aren't their clothes... a little too revealing?)
As her gaze swept over those beautiful bodies, their vital areas covered by pieces of fabric barely larger than a palm, Lily's cheeks flushed slightly. Even though she was a woman herself, the deeply conservative White Knight still found this quite difficult to accept.
The Kuja settlement wasn't very large. After walking along the street for a short while, the group arrived before a massive castle built into the side of a mountain.
Strangely enough, the castle was currently cordoned off by a long barrier, heavily guarded by several Amazon warriors who kept outsiders from approaching.
"Has something happened?" Seeing this scene, the White Knight asked the blonde girl beside her in confusion.
"Don't worry." Marguerite smiled, waving her hand dismissively. "It's just that Lord Snake Princess is taking a bath."
"A bath?!" The ahoge on top of Lily's head suddenly perked up. "Does taking a bath really require such a massive ordeal?"
"This is to protect us from being turned to stone by the Gorgon's curse..."
As she spoke, the young warrior excitedly recounted the tale of how the Boa sisters had slain the sea monster Gorgon, her voice brimming with unmistakable admiration.
"So it's a curse from a sea monster."
Lily nodded in understanding. The young knight, pure and innocent as a blank sheet of paper, naively believed every word, while silently feeling deep admiration for the Island of Women's incredibly self-sacrificing king.
"You've arrived at a rather inconvenient time."
Kikyo's narrow, phoenix-shaped eyes squeezed slightly. "Every time Lord Snake Princess bathes, it lasts for a very long time. You might have to wait a while."
"However, I've already sent someone ahead to deliver the news of your arrival, so I'm sure Lord Snake Princess..."
"Where is the silver-haired knight?"
Before Captain Kikyo could finish her sentence, a crisp voice echoed from the other side of the barrier. Everyone turned toward the sound and saw a tall, green-haired woman with a broad face walking over quickly.
"Lord Sandersonia!" the surrounding Amazon warriors cried out in unison.
"Mhm..." Sandersonia nodded slightly, her emerald, snake-like pupils scanning through the crowd to land on the suit-clad White Knight.
"It's you, isn't it, little girl?"
"Yes, it is." Even though she was slightly displeased by the form of address, Lily showed absolutely no sign of it on her face.
"Come with me. My elder sister is waiting for you."
Sandersonia flicked her long snake tongue and then commanded the surrounding Kuja warriors, "We will be discussing confidential matters shortly. Continue guarding this place and do not let anyone approach."
"Yes, Lord Sandersonia!" they replied in unison.
The Amazons acknowledged the order together and then looked at one another, becoming increasingly curious about the White Knight's identity.
"The White Knight? Silver hair?"
Kikyo's delicate brows furrowed slightly. Just who on earth was this person, to make Lord Snake Princess so eager to meet them even while in the middle of her bath?
The Empress's bedchamber.
The spacious, magnificently decorated room held only a few people, making it feel somewhat empty.
In the center of the room, on a massive, plush bed that could easily accommodate more than ten people, a large pink-and-white striped snake was coiled into the shape of a throne. Its master leaned back against her pet snake with absolute composure and an arrogant demeanor, sizing up the ahoge-sporting knight standing before her as they evaluated each other.
With this, these two women, both worthy of being called "kings," finally met face-to-face.
(What a beautiful person... just as beautiful as Master...)
Lily marveled silently in her heart, but it was purely out of innocent appreciation.
For as could be seen from her still-crystal-clear eyes, this iron-willed female knight showed not the slightest sign of being charmed. This left Sandersonia and Marigold, who were waiting quietly to the side, thoroughly astonished.
(Oh? Interesting.)
Hancock slightly tilted her swan-like, slender neck. Her eyes, clear and captivating as autumn waters, locked onto Lily with a look filled with the solitary arrogance unique to the Pirate Empress.
"You look like a fresh face. Are you a new recruit?"
Without waiting for the White Knight's reply, Lord Snake Princess continued on her own, "Let me guess. Did you run into some sort of trouble before, only to be saved by Lisanna? And out of gratitude, you joined her ranks?"
"Uh... yes, that's correct." Lily blinked. "According to Article 829 of the Ingrante Royal Knight's Code, to repay her for saving my life, I have chosen to become her contract knight."
"Heh, I knew it would be like that again. That busybody..."
Hancock rested her cheek on her hand and let out a disdainful snort. "Where is the letter you brought? Bring it forward for me to see."
Lily pulled a small box from her coat pocket. Marigold quickly stepped forward to receive it and handed it over to her elder sister.
The Snake Princess gently opened the box and took out a pure white bullet from within.
Wait a minute... a bullet?!
Seeing this, the White Knight was instantly dumbfounded. In her understanding, shouldn't letters always be written on paper with a pen?
Yet, the Boa sisters opposite her didn't seem surprised in the slightest.
Hancock crossed her long, elegant legs and scrutinized the white bullet for quite a while. Finally, she discovered a line of delicate, elegant handwriting inscribed on the bottom of the bullet:
[To: Snake Princess - Boa Hancock.]
"Oh my, it's Miss Huatao's [Message Bullet]!"
The second sister, Sandersonia, crossed her arms over her chest, her broad face filled with nostalgia. "The ability of her [Bullet-Bullet Fruit] really is convenient."
"To go so far as using a Message Bullet, it must be something truly important, Elder Sister." The third sister, Marigold, nodded. She then pulled a pistol out of a nearby cabinet and handed it to her eldest sister.
"Humph, just trying to be mysterious."
The Empress took the pistol, loaded the Message Bullet, and pointed the muzzle straight at her own temple. Then, under the horrified gaze of the White Knight, she pulled the trigger without a moment's hesitation.
"Hey! Don't—!" Lily's face paled instantly.
Bang! The loud gunshot echoed through the room.
Miraculously, the bloody scene the White Knight expected never happened. Instead, the strange bullet seemed to turn into a phantom image, dissolving directly into Hancock's temple.
Having been "shot," the Snake Princess kept her eyes closed tightly, looking as though she had fallen into deep thought.
"Huh?" The ahoge on top of her head quirked up again and again, leaving the White Knight utterly bewildered once more.
--
Support me & read more advance & fast update chapter on my pa-treon:
pat reon .c-om/windkaze