Disclaimer – One Piece is written by Eiichiro Oda and published by Shueisha.

Salvia walked through the jungle alongside her two shirtless crewmen who wore swim briefs. They lacked the fame and allure of the men she desired, but they served their purpose. One carried the unconscious Luffy over his shoulder, and the other swept the area with his Observation Haki as their boots pounded dirt, snapped twigs, and crushed leaves.

She halted, and the men looked at her.

"What's wrong?" one of them asked.

"I'm excited," she said. "It feels my dream is in reach, but I'm worried about the Snake Princess."

"We're giving her Straw Hat."

"Against his will." She raised two fingers to her glasses lens. Next to Luffy's chest was the floating and shackled heart. Two of its chains remained unlinked. She added, "But I think he needs one last push."

Smiling, she continued walking, and the men followed.

The air tasted like salt as they entered a clearing that led to the coast, and waiting on the ocean was the Stolen Heart.

The ship floated with a hull painted several shades of pink and a Jolly Roger with a skull surrounded by hearts. On deck, more shirtless men munched on slabs of beef, clanged bottles of rum, or snored in their sleep.

One of them hailed Salvia and the men beside her, and he dropped a dinghy into the water with a splash to ferry them back to the ship.

Once Salvia's boots hit the deck of the Stolen Heart, the crew floated with hearts in their eyes.

"Welcome back, Captain Salvia-chwan!" they said in unison.

"Remind me," said Salvia, "whom do you love more than anyone?"

"You, Captain Salvia-chwan!"

"Kyukyukyukyukyu," she laughed, before she ordered one of them to lock Luffy inside a cage.

The cage door clanged shut behind Luffy, and he awoke.

"What's going on?" he asked. "Why's everyone naked?"

Salvia crouched in front of him. "We're taking you to the Snake Princess to cure your Love Sickness."

At the mention of Hancock's name, Luffy gasped in pain and grabbed his chest.

"The faster you see her," she said, "the sooner you can return to your training."

"I need to train now," he said. "Let me out!"

He pulled the bars of his cage. When they stood firm, he sank to the ground, panting.

"I understand why you might distrust me," she said, "but I'm trying to save you."

"Why would I believe that?" He stuck out his tongue.

"You trust the Snake Princess, why not her childhood friend?"

"You're friends?"

She closed her eyes. "We played together, trained together, and grew up together."

She stood and leaned on the taffrail and stared at the ocean. A breath escaped her lips. She needed to tell Luffy about herself to build trust, but she also wanted to say this for herself.

"Staying true to our custom," she said, "I left Amazon Lily to find a man to have children with. I fell in love with men strong and beautiful and rich and famous. I sought them, yet…."

Tears and snot poured down her face. "I was rejected!"

Peony rubbed her face against Salvia's shoulder, and Salvia sniffed and dried her tears with her forearm. Against her better judgment, she continued.

"I wasn't blessed with the Snake Princess' beauty," she said. "I was too ashamed to go back to Amazon Lily without children, so I searched for a man who would love me. It was then I discovered…," she hesitated, "…the secret to moving hearts. You, come here."

A man wearing a suit and cape with the word "Justice" written on the back came forward. With each step, the deck groaned under his boots. His long and pointed beard wavered in the wind, and a sheathed sword hung from his hip. He went by the title and name Marine Vice Admiral Doron. He was the closest to meeting her harem's standards and was her greatest catch.

He kneeled and kissed her hand. "Yes, my love?"

To Luffy, she said, "I chased this man in the past, and he rejected me, but look at him now. Men unobtainable and powerful and beautiful like him are within my reach, so why stop at one when I can have them all? It'd be revenge to all who turned me down, and a show of—WAKE UP!"

She kicked Luffy's cage and rattled it. His sleep bubble popped, and he jumped awake.

He rubbed his eyes. "I've no idea what you're talking about, but it sounds like you gave up when things got tough."

She froze.

"You're weak." He stuck out his tongue. "I don't like you."

With a shhhhhhing, Doron drew his sword, but Salvia seized his arm and bade him leave.

"How would someone like you understand the pain of rejection?" she asked. "You probably don't even know the meaning of 'love.' Ever since the Snake Princess fell for you, she lost her edge. You both fail to understand love is about binding others to your will."

"I had a dream about Hancock just now," said Luffy.

"Shows how much you want to be with her. You're both suffering from Love Sickness. If you go see her, you'll both be cured."

"She's sick?"

Salvia pressed her forehead against his cage. "You didn't know?"

"If it'll make her feel better," he said, "take me to her. I'll go."

Salvia blinked. Whenever it came to saving himself and satisfying his own desires, he refused, but as soon as he heard the Snake Princess was ill—Salvia glanced at the floating, shackled heart by his chest. The second of three chains locked into place around the heart.

She beamed. Yes!

"And there's something I've got to tell her," he said.

"That is…?"

Again, he stuck out his tongue. "I'm not telling you!"

She started to respond, but his stomach growled.

To the cooks, she said, "Bring food—I want him well-fed before we reach Amazon Lily."

"Aye-aye, Captain Salvia-chwan!" they said.

"Shishishishi," laughed Luffy. "They sound like Sanji!"

Salvia drew the key to Luffy's cage. Releasing him posed a risk, but she needed to keep the Snake Princess happy.

She opened the cage, and Luffy stretched his arms and seized plates of food as cooks carted them to him. He shoved meat into his mouth, and Salvia and her crew gawked as he emptied plate after plate.

Smiling, Salvia nodded and ordered the crew to set sail. The Stolen Heart's paddle wheels splashed through the water. The ship moved, and alongside it swam a horde of Sea Kings.

Salvia froze. The Sea Kings' teeth glinted as some peered down with long necks while others prowled under the surface. Each dwarfed the Stolen Heart as they hunted for prey, yet, as if blind, they surged past the ship.

"Still frightened by the Sea Kings?" Doron stepped beside her. "As long as the bottom of the ship is coated with Seastone, they'll think we're part of the sea."

Salvia exhaled. "There's always a chance."

She ordered the helmsman to take a winding path to avoid the Sea Kings, and soon, the Stolen Heart drew closer to Amazon Lily.

"Shishishishishi," laughed Luffy, now the size of a balloon. "We're getting close."

Salvia nodded. "Yes, we'll—wait! What are you doing?"

He gripped the railing near the bow and sprinted, and his enormous belly bounced. He passed by Salvia and her crew, and his arms stretched. Steam hissed around him as Salvia scrambled after him.

"STOP!" she shouted.

"GUM-GUM JET ROCKET!" He let go and blasted toward Amazon Lily.

Salvia kicked the taffrail, smashing it into splinters. Without her, Luffy was going to meet with the Snake Princess.

"My Love," said Doron, "do we continue with the plan, or do we wait for the next chance?"

"Waiting is safer," said Salvia, trembling. "Who knows how the Snake Princess will react to Straw Hat, but this may be my last chance to sway her heart and chase my dream."

"Why take the risk when you already have men that love you?"

"Are you trying to stop me?"

He tugged his beard as if contemplating his next words. "I think I want what's best for you."

"Making the greatest men kneel to me will help me forget the pain I suffered," she said. "That's what's best for me."

Doron took a deep breath. "As always, you have my support."

"I appreciate your concern, but this is something I need to do. It's frightening, but I'm excited to see my dream come true."

She inhaled and faced the helmsman.

"Onward!" she shouted. "To Amazon Lily!"