Chapter 130:
Challenge of Champions, Fight for Survival!
The next two days of Luffy's stay in Amazon Lily were similar but longer to the first evening, Luffy being forced to fight warrior volunteers before each of his meals so he could earn his food. Every warrior had their own form of combat, though many practiced the art of the bow. Few of his foes were any stronger than Katrina before, but his preferred style became known well enough for each to offer him some new competition, never enough to push him to the edge, however.
By the evening of the third day, the final day before he could leave if Hancock kept her word, the Amazons had split into two groups: those that cheered for him and those against him. Not that Luffy really cared in the first place. He just wanted to get back to his crew.
He knew the deal by now, sitting in the middle of the once-again repaired arena as the nation's empress prepared her speech. Hopefully, it would be the last one he'd have to deal with.
"Welcome, my people, to the final battle!" Hancock smiled, lifting her arms to the stands. The women within cried out, cheering for their queen and the coming violence. "So far, Monkey D. Luffy has bested every warrior to face him, showing a strength beyond anything we have seen of men before!"
This was a lie, of course, but the natives who were not pirates had never seen a man until three days ago, much less knew how strong the people on the seas could be. Even so, buttering up and praising the visiting pirate couldn't hurt her long-term seduction.
"I will admit, he has exceeded even my wildest expectations, to the point where I have started entertaining ideas I'd never considered before. But! Today will be Monkey D. Luffy's greatest challenge in this arena and, should he pass, the beginning of what could be a new chapter of his life. My subjects, we have come into some news that our champion may take interest in."
Hancock paused. The way Luffy sat straighter, his eyes boring a hole through her with curiosity, sent a tingle down her spine. It was the first time she'd seen the look of want in the rubberman's eyes. Want directed at her.
"For those who did not know, our champion is the captain of his own pirate crew, a group that was separated before his arrival. He has spoken of little but the need to reunite with these people. We have tracked one down."
"What?!" Luffy demanded, shooting to his feet. "Who?! Where?!"
"The pirate in question," the Warlord continued, ignoring him, "is known as 'Tri-Horn' Coby, and he is currently a prisoner of the Marines within Impel Down. Being a Warlord, my Marine contacts have informed me of his execution scheduled for two days from now at Marineford."
"Take me there!" Luffy ordered. "I need to save Coby!"
"To think he has the gull to order the Snake Princess around!" a voice from the crowd yelled.
"That Tri-Horn deserves execution!" another put in. "I bet he's just as rude as his captain!" Hancock waved her hand, silencing the crowd instantly. Her smile widened as she set the next part of her plan into motion.
"In a few moments, Monkey D. Luffy will face one of the ultimate challenges Amazon Lily can offer. Should he succeed, I will offer him any favor, up to and including my assistance in rescuing his crewmate."
"What?!" most of the islanders cried, even members of the Kuja Pirates among them speechless at the declaration.
"What do I have to do?" Luffy questioned, his full attention on the ruler of the island. Hancock was sorely tempted to demand his love or some pledge of loyalty, but she did not know if he would accept such a thing quite yet. No, for the sake of her honor, pride, and worldview, she would continue with her original plan.
"Monkey D. Luffy's opponents this evening will be a pair of our strongest warriors, my own sisters Boa Marigold and Boa Sandersonia."
The stands went wild as Hancock's sisters sauntered from beside her throne, even the side that rooted for Luffy abandoning him for the sisters. The siblings basked in the praise as they finally reached the arena proper. Marigold raised her trident, waving it toward the crowd as they cheered and swooned in equal measure. Sandersonia did not fight with a weapon, but this did not distract the crowd from praising her just as much.
"So you're her sisters?" Luffy commented, pulling their attentions and those of the crowd to him. "That makes you princesses too, doesn't it?"
"...Yesss," Marigold answered after a few seconds. "I sssuppose it doess. Not that it mattersss."
"I was just wondering," Luffy shrugged, stretching as a short warm-up. "See, this'll be the second time I've fought princesses. Even if she became a friend afterward."
"And you bring thiss up why?" Sandersonia questioned.
"Just reminding myself of my past," Luffy responded, falling into a fighting stance. "I got through adventures like that thanks to my crew, and that's why I need to beat you."
Neither Marigold nor Sandersonia bothered to stop the hissing laughter that poured from them at that declaration, a goodly portion of the audience joining them. Hancock frowned from her throne, marking the silly statement as what it was; a danger to her plans. Still, her build-up to helping him try to rescue Tri-Horn was one of the most important parts of the plan. Whether the rescue itself succeeded or not mattered little.
"You are either very brave, very confident, or very sstupid," Marigold finally chuckled, whipping away an almost-tear. "Ah, I needed a good laugh. Let'ss get thiss ssstarted, man."
"Very well," Hancock announced in response to her younger sister's prompting. "May the match between Monkey D. Luffy and the younger Boa Sisters begin!"
"Second Gear!" Luffy shouted, blurring out of view and leaving behind a dissipating cloud of steam. The Gorgon sisters gaped, even as Marigold used her Observation Haki to predict their opponent's moves and block the Jet Pistol that came for her.
"What?" Sandersonia demanded, her voice traveling over the speechless crowd. Luffy appeared to her left, the rubberman throwing a Jet Rifle toward her face. The green Gorgon leaned back, catching the pirate's arm as it shot past her and pulling him in. Luffy barely reacted, flipping over to kick her hand as he landed. His sandal met a layer of Armament Haki. "How are you so fast? You showed none of this power before!"
"My crew is in danger," Luffy responded, wrapping his arm around Sandersonia's fist holding him before landing on the ground. With a shout, Luffy heaved the taller woman over his head, throwing her toward the edge of the arena. She tumbled, breaking through the railing and landing on the tile below.
"You'll regret that," Marigold hissed, Luffy jumping away from his position as her trident stabbed the ground he'd been standing on. The pirate captain's eyes widened as her body shifted, taking the form on a giant mix between a human and a cobra. "Potent Poison!"
"Shit!" Luffy cursed backflipping away from the glob of purple toxin that sizzled. Eyes narrowing, Luffy curved left on a path toward Marigold, two Pistols and a Stamp bouncing off her blackened palm.
"Got you now!" With narry a warning, Sandersonia reemerged from the lower layer, attempting to trap Luffy with her own anaconda transformation. The pirate flipped and sucked in air as her elongated torso wrapped around him, just barely slipping away from the hold as he deflated with a cry of "Gum-Gum Balloon!"
Luffy landed facing his two adversaries, steam wafting from his mouth on account of his Second Gear. Marigold and Sandersonia glared, their towering Zoan transformations more intimidating than their human forms.
"Kya!" the crowd swooned. "Marigold and Sandersonia are using their snake forms!"
"They're so beautiful!" others agreed. "I want to be like them!"
"You've got powers, too," Luffy commented, never taking his eyes off his opponents.
"Why do you fight ssso hard?" Marigold asked, leveling her weapon at the smaller pirate. "Sssomehow you don't care for our sissster, sso it'ss not love."
"It is love, in a way," Luffy responded, never relaxing. The onlookers clung to his every word, curious. "Not love for you or your mean sister, but love for my crew. Every one of them, Zoro, Coby, Usopp, Gin, Sanji, Amy, Grace, Chopper, Robin, Franky, Merry, Brook, Billy, and Nami. They are my family, and I care for each of them differently. And right now, one of them is in danger. That's why I'll beat you here, so you'll have to help me save Coby."
Some of the crowd laughed, but not the Boa Sisters. They could feel Luffy's presence growing in the air around them with every word, the younger two sharing an uneasy glance as his Will fell over them. Up on her throne, Hancock held one of her fingernails between her teeth, lightly biting on it to not cry out. While her sisters might not be sure of the feeling in the air, it was one she was very familiar with, and it scared her.
What were the odds? A man shows up on Amazon Lily, refusing to bow to her, and now that same man shows signs of a Conqueror's Spirit, the same as she. Even through her worry, she smiled, Luffy unknowingly reaffirming his position as her greatest conquest yet.
"I am the man who will be King of the Pirates," Luffy stated, the fallacy all but a fact. "And a king protects those they hold close. That's why I refuse to lose here. Gum-Gum Gatling!"
"Snake Dance!" Sandersonia cried, dodging the punches thrown toward her while Marigold did not have the same chance. Luffy's fists buffeted the heaviest Gorgon sister as she tried to dodge, the force sending her tumbling end over end over the side of the arena.
"Mari!" Sandersonia yelled as Luffy's barrage ended, the crowd around the arena gasping. Marigold clung to the ledge of the bottom ring while in her human form, her fingers digging into the concrete to not let her fall to the spikes below like her trident did. Amazons in the stands leapt to their feet, intent on helping one of their idols, but froze at the sound of their empress' voice.
"Do not interfere," Hancock warned from her throne. "Should you try, you will sully the honor of this duel and ruin the name of Amazon Lily and the Gorgon Sisters." She turned away from the stands, her gaze falling on her prey. Luffy did not see this as he kept his eyes on Sandersonia, the pirate and hybrid circling each other.
"You nearly killed my sisster," the Gorgon growled, only her Haki letting her know Marigold was alright despite knowing her Armament Haki would be plenty to destroy the spikes below.
"Aren't you trying to kill me?" Luffy shot back. "How hippo-something."
"What?" his foe blinked. "Are you calling me a hippo?"
"Wha-? No! There's a word that starts that way meaning not doing what you said. You're trying to kill me, but you're surprised when I do the same to you. It's hippo-something."
"Hypocritical," Marigold offered with a wheeze from the third tier below, slowly pulling herself back up.
"Yeah, that!" Luffy smiled, his Second Gear fading. He grinned, sucking in a breath while bringing his hand up. Sandersonia's eyes widened as she read his mind with her Observation Haki, unable to stop the pirate. "Third Gear!"
Luffy's fist expanded until it was bigger than the rest of his body, once again shocking the crowd of female viewers. Sandersonia leaned forward onto her hands, her hair waving until it took the form of seven snake heads.
"Don't think growing big will help you," she growled, the snakes waving. "Eight-Headed Serpent!"
"Sorry about this," he said, placing his smaller hand on the ground as his arm twisted into a spring while the air inside his body shifted to his right foot, "but I need to save Coby. Gum-Gum Giant Sky Whip!"
The anaconda Zoan tried to both dodge and block, but her Armament Haki only helped her avoid injury, doing nothing to prevent the force of the giant kick from blowing her out of the arena. Amazons scattered from a portion of the stands, the seats destroyed a scant second later when Sandersonia crashed into them. She growled, slamming a fist into the concrete around her. "Ssshit!"
By the rules of the arena, she was out. She was defeated by a man!
"One down, one to go," Luffy muttered, well aware of the arena's rules after nearly three days of battles. He waited for a minute as Marigold ascended, Sandersonia retaking her post by her older sister to watch the rest of the battle with a scowl. Eventually, however, Luffy grew confused. From their brief exchange, Luffy knew the orange-haired Gorgon to be strong enough to climb back up. Where was she? Carefully, he approached the railing broken by her ballistic form earlier in the fight, peeking down. "You ok down-?"
"Serpent Surprisse!"
Luffy's head snapped backward from his foe's Haki-powered tail attack, his head ringing as the force sent him flying backwards. He hit the arena on his back, skidding to a stop as Marigold slithered up in her hybrid form.
"Ssstupid man," she smirked, glaring down at Luffy as he held his head. "You might have thrown my sisster out, so you're sstrong. We knew that already. You won't sssurvive me."
"Shut up."
"Why? It'ss the truth. You'll fall here and never ssave Tri-Horn, find your foolish crew, or make it back to your ugly wi-!"
"Do," Luffy began, raw power leaking from his form. "Not. Insult. MY. CREW!"
Wind blasted out from the angered pirate, ruffling hair and clothing as it blew past. The Boa Sisters stared at Luffy, the younger with mouths agape and the older with wide eyes and a smirk, as warriors around the stadium began fainting.
"That was..." Marigold muttered to herself, "the... Conqueror's Spirit..."
Unfortunately, she was too surprised by the turn of events that she didn't have time to avoid the fist that planted itself in her face, Luffy showing true gender equality by punching her just as hard as any of his opponents before. The force sent Marigold stumbling back, holding her face.
"That was for the insult," Luffy stated. "Now come on. It only counts of I beat you at your best."
"Fine," Marigold muttered, pulling a tube of oil free and breaking it, Fire climbing over her body. "Take this! Salamander!"
Marigold charged without her primary weapon, but Luffy knew she had the advantage. He needed to finish this fight quickly or else that fire would get him. He didn't move as Marigold punched him full in the face, sending him end-over-end in what would have been a fall into the ring of spikes.
But that's what Luffy wanted. His arms latched onto the railing as he passed, stretching until momentum was converted into elastic potential energy. Marigold crossed her arms, covering them with a shining layer of Haki.
"Gum-Gum... Missile!"
The Gorgon sister grunted as the rival pirate slammed into her defenses, breathing heavily. Luffy flipped away, more-or-less unharmed while his foe was holding a spot near the bottom of her ribs. Slowly, she lost her Zoan transformations, keeled over, and passed out.
Hancock politely clapped, the only one in the arena as she stood.
"I'm surprised," she smiled. "Once more, you have overcome the odds, Monkey D. Luffy. As such, I will keep my word and offer you any favor as well as your freedom for a fight well fought."
"Take me to Impel Down," Luffy ordered. "You said you'd help me rescue Coby if I won. Pay up."
"Such devotion," Hancock sighed, batting her eyelashes while bringing a hand to her cheek. "I did say I'd help you if you wished, so I'll keep my word. I suppose we could break Portgus D. Ace out while we are at it. A favor from Whitebeard is nothing to scoff at."
"They have Ace too?!" Luffy roared, the anger drawing legitimate confusion from the awake Gorgons. "Those bastards! And I bet Gramps knew, too!"
"I take it you know Firefist?"
"Of course I do," the pirate captain shot back. "He's my older brother. We're going to rescue him... too..." Luffy's eyes widened as he reached into his hat, pulling Ace's Vivre card free. It had shrunk since he last held it, now half the size it should have been. "Ace... what did you do?"
"Well," Hancock smiled as she began walking down the steps, her plan moving along perfectly. Better than expected with the man's connection to Firefist. Sure, Sandersonia and Marigold were nowhere close to professional actresses, but none of the Amazons or Luffy seemed any the wiser at their 'defeat'. "I will have a room and feast made up for you in the castle. Please, join me for dinner, Luffy-kun. We'll leave in the morning.
"Fine," the rubberman answered. "But early. We need to get there before something happens. We've lost enough time with those stupid fights."
"Now now, Luffy-kun," Hancock giggled. "We needed to see that you were worthy of our help. Not just anyone gains assistance from the Most Beautiful Woman in the World.
Luffy wisely kept his mouth shut, knowing anything less could set the Love-Love Warlord off.
For the first time since the Straw Hats arrived at the Sabaody Archipelago, Luffy could say he was truly full. Dishes were stacked on either side of his stuffed form, Marigold and Sandersonia openly glaring at the disgusting table manners of the now-rotund man. Luffy sucked in a breath, focusing for a moment before he deflated, returning to his normal size. The women around the room gaped at the showing. Their empress, on the other hand, didn't seem too concerned.
"Luffy-kun," she purred from across the table, standing up and leaning over to give him a full view of her exposed chest. "Are you sure you don't want more? I still have a little sea king steak here on my plate if you would like."
"Princess-!?" the women cried, blown away by her change in nature. Unable to resist the allure of meat, Luffy took the offered food, careful to remove it from Hancock's fork before eating it, much to her dismay.
"It seems everything you do, you go all-out, Luffy-kun," Hancock observed, fluttering her eyelashes. "Fighting... eating... loving..."
"Yeah, I guess," the pirate agreed, swallowing the meat. "If I'm going to be the King of the Pirates, I have to be the best at everything. Well, everything my crew doesn't do for me."
"I wonder what it would be like to be on your crew?" the Warlord mused, swirling the wine in her glass. To her disappointment, the man had refused the alcohol, making drugging him or loosening his inhibitions extremely difficult. "To be loved by you in such a way, following your every order." She shivered.
"Sisster!" Marigold hissed, her fists hitting the table with a little more force than she meant to, a crack showing the result. "Such language is unbecoming of you! Working under a man? Following his orders?" Hancock silenced her with a glare before turning back to their guest.
"Luffy-kun, if we want to leave early tomorrow, we should probably turn in early tonight. We want to be well-rested for the battle to come, don't we?"
"Sure," the male pirate nodded, prompting the warlord to stand and make her way to his side.
"Sonia, Mari, send word to the Marine ship that is to take us to Marineford. We will join them in the morning. Now Luffy-kun, allow me to escort you to your room." She hooked an arm around his, pressing it against the side of her chest as she pulled the man away from the dining room. Marigold and Sandersonia glared at their retreating backs, silently protesting their dear sister's prideful plan.
Hancock led Luffy down several hallways, the younger doing everything in his power to ignore the beautiful woman. He was in love with Nami. He needed to get back to his crew. Coby was set to be executed. His friends needed him.
Sure, Hancock was pretty. Really pretty, in fact, but the reminder that there were many more important things to do and the fear of what Nami would do to him if anything happened kept the pirate at bay. Not that any of this passed through his mind consciously, even if the subconscious battle was raging. Luffy had no way of knowing this, nor was Hancock truly aware, but her Love-Love powers caused the Warlord to release pheromones meant to induce an instinctive need to find a mate. Spending so much time close to the Warlord meant these pheromones were starting to wiggle their way past Luffy's conscious will. Or to try, at least.
"This is it, Luffy-kun," Hancock finally said, opening a door branded with the Kuja Pirates' crest, a skull framed by eight clockwise serpents. The room beyond was spacious, a massive, four-post bed directly ahead against the back wall. Dressers lined the walls on either side, the wall painted a muted red. Hancock grabbed Luffy's hand before he could finish taking in the room, pulling him inside and closing the door behind him. "You will be spending the night in here."
"This is a guest room?" Luffy wondered, Hancock's snake Salome slithering in through a window and coiling on the bed. Luffy admired the room before a cold shiver climbed up his spine.
"Oh, Luffy~!" Slowly, ever so slowly, the stiff pirate turned toward the sound of the Pirate Empress' voice, finding said woman lounging on the bed. His eyes widened as she finished pulling her top off, giving Luffy an image any who before had seen it did not live to tell the tale. The top fell to the floor in a heap, the woman draping herself over her snake to accentuate her assets. "Come to me, darling~!",
The rush was something Hancock did not expect, causing her to shiver under Luffy's gaze. His dark eyes drinking in her perfect form, all but exploring despite his confusion. He shouldn't be confused. She'd been dropping hints and flirting with him for the past few hours, but the time was now at hand. She could complete her goal without leaving the island. She waited for the man's answer before he would come to her...
"... No."
"Yes, that's- Wait, what?" Hancock's seduction fizzled as she comprehended the answer. Luffy turned away from her, refusing to look. "Why? What man, married or no, would refuse such a chance set before them?"
"The kind of man who has what he wants," Luffy answered. "Listen, Hancock. I don't think you understand. I love my wife, and that's enough to say no, but there's more to this. Nami is my navigator. If I gave in to something like this, it would rip my crew apart. Not only would my dream to be the King of the Pirates be ruined, I'd end up dragging everyone on my crew down with me. Sure, maybe they could go on without me. Zoro could beat Mihawk without me. Nami could make her world map without me. Sanji could find the All Blue without me, but the point of becoming a crew is to achieve our dreams together. So no, Hancock. I'm not going to fuck you. You better keep your word, though. My crew and my brother need me."
"Bu- ...I ...Wha-?"
Luffy left the stuttering woman behind as he left, never looking back. Hancock sat their for a few minutes, recollecting her thoughts.
"...You win this round, Monkey D. Luffy, but I will have you eventually."
"Vice-Admiral Momonga," Boa Hancock greeted, her gaze passing over the man and his statuesque crew as if they were little more than cockroaches. "After some internal deliberation, I have decided to join the Marines' coming war, for the sake of my empire."
"Oh?" the marine questioned, every ounce of his Will reinforcing his professional decorum and fighting off the urge to stab the woman at his earliest convenience. "Amazing. I didn't think you had the brain cells or common sense to see reason. If you'll turn my men back, we'll set out for Marineford in the hour."
"That will not do," Hancock denied. "I must first meet those deemed fit for execution. Take me to Impel Down. Otherwise, I will return to Amazon Lily and not come."
"Fine, whatever," the Vice-Admiral bit out. It was not the most unreasonable demand the Navy had done compared to some before.
"Very well," the Warlord replied with a sniff, "but only after I've entered my chambers. These dogs do not deserve the honor of even seeing my handmaiden, much less me."
As Momonga and Hancock continued to trade barbs, Luffy breathed a sigh of relief under his female disguise as Hancock's waitress. It was a far better option compared to hiding under the Warlord's clothes. He owed Sandersonia thanks for the suggestion.
Nami would kill him if she ever found out they wanted him under Hancock's clothes.
End of Chapter 130
Hey all! This is the last chapter of the Amazon Lily Arc and I've been playing with ideas for the next chapter. I think we'll stop by Impel Down for a chapter or two from Coby's perspective before rolling out the timeskips. I'm going to see how long those turn out and either post them as one long chapter each or split each in two. It's still in the air.
In other news, I have a story for some of you to read in my absence. I recommend Ninja of the Straw Hat Pirates by Steam Powered Crow. It's a great story for those of you who are fans of both One Piece and Naruto that spins a new tale worthy of the Grand Line. Go check it out! You can find it in my Favorites list.
Anyways, I hope you enjoyed and, as always,
Read and Review!
-SwordOfTheGods