The waters of the Calm Belt were unnaturally still.
No waves.
No wind.
No sound except the faint creaking of wood and the low hum of the Marine warship as it advanced steadily forward.
That silence, however
Was abruptly broken.
"Marine warship ahead! Stop immediately!"
The sharp, commanding voices of the Kuja warriors rang out across the sea.
A serpent-drawn pirate ship had already closed the distance, its massive Yuda snakes gliding effortlessly through the water as they pulled the vessel forward. Compared to the Marine warship, it was slightly smaller but its presence was anything but inferior.
Even from below
The Kuja warriors spoke without hesitation.
Without fear.
Because behind them
Stood their empress.
"Kuja Pirates…?"
Kuina frowned slightly as she leaned over the railing, her sharp eyes scanning the ship below.
The moment she heard the name
Something didn't sit right.
"…Don't tell me…"
Her thoughts began to spiral.
Teacher's "old friend"…
A pirate?
Impossible.
In her mind, Saint Roselith Seraphina represented everything a Marine should be strength, discipline, justice. Someone who would never tolerate evil.
So how could such a person…
Be connected to pirates?
The arrogant tone of the Kuja warriors only made things worse.
"Pirates! Don't think you can act however you want just because you're part of the Seven Warlords!"
Kuina shouted back without hesitation, gripping the railing tightly.
Her voice rang loud and clear across the sea.
To her
The Marines were sacred.
Not because they were perfect
But because she had seen the truth.
She had seen Marines bleed.
She had seen them die.
She had seen them stand between civilians and destruction without hesitation.
The corrupt existed
Yes.
But those who upheld justice…
Had paid for it with their lives.
And that
Was something she would never allow to be mocked.
"Little girl… are you a Marine too?" one of the Kuja warriors called back, clearly surprised.
"Of course I am!"
Kuina lifted her chin proudly.
"The Marines serve justice! We don't bow to pirates!"
The Kuja warriors exchanged glances.
Then one of them stepped forward slightly, her tone sharpening.
"Our Empress is Boa Hancock, one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea. That is a position recognized by the World Government itself."
"By agreement, Marine ships are not permitted to approach this island without cause."
Her gaze hardened.
"Are you here to break that agreement?"
The tension between the two sides thickened instantly.
Yet
No one attacked.
Inside the Kuja ship
Hancock remained silent.
She had originally intended to strike first.
That had been her instinct.
Her pride.
But now
Something didn't add up.
The Marine warship had not adjusted its cannons.
No formation shift.
No signs of aggression.
They weren't here to fight.
"…Then why are they here?" she thought.
Her brows furrowed slightly.
The distance between them had already closed to a few kilometers.
If this was an act of hostility
It would have begun already.
"…This is strange."
After a brief pause
Hancock stood.
There was no point speculating further.
She would see for herself.
Meanwhile, on the Marine warship
Seraphina stood silently at the center of the deck.
She had not moved since the Kuja ship appeared.
But within
Her thoughts were anything but calm.
Seven years.
Seven years since she had last seen her.
Her first friend in this world.
The one person who had shared both suffering
And freedom.
"…Will you still see me the same way?" she wondered.
For the first time in a long while
There was hesitation.
Because she knew.
She knew what Mary Geoise meant to Hancock.
She knew what the Celestial Dragons represented.
And she
Was now one of them.
Step… step… step…
The sound of heels echoed across the Kuja ship.
"Empress."
The warriors immediately lowered their heads.
Hancock stepped forward gracefully, her figure rising above the battlefield as the massive serpent beneath her lifted its head high bringing her to eye level with the Marine warship.
From above
She looked down.
"Marines… state your "
Her words stopped.
Mid-sentence.
Because her gaze
Had locked onto a single figure.
Silver-white hair.
A familiar presence.
Standing calmly at the center of the deck.
For a moment
The world seemed to freeze.
Seraphina slowly lifted her head.
Then
Turned.
Their eyes met.
Time
Collapsed.
"…Hancock."
Her voice was soft.
But clear.
"It's been a long time."
The faint smile on her lips carried something deeper
Something she could no longer hide.
"…Seraphina."
Hancock's pupils shrank.
Disbelief.
Shock.
Confusion.
"…Seraphina…?"
Her voice trembled slightly.
Memories surged forward.
Chains.
Pain.
Darkness.
And then
Light.
A girl.
The one who had reached out her hand to her when everything else was lost.
Her closest friend.
Her only friend.
"…Seraphina…!"
Hancock covered her mouth, her entire body trembling slightly.
She had thought
She would never see her again.
Back then, in Mary Geoise
That fleeting period of freedom they shared…
Had been the only light in her darkest memories.
She had dreamed of it.
Imagined it.
Wished for it.
But never believed it would happen again.
And yet
Here she was.
Standing right in front of her.
Alive.
Unchanged
And yet completely different.
"…You…"
Hancock's voice faltered.
Too many emotions.
Too many memories.
She didn't know what to say.
Because the girl before her
Was no longer just that girl.
And neither
Was she.