Here is the eighteenth chapter in this story released in accordance with my upload schedule for this story. It's a little earlier than I expected as it was drafted a while back but after this it will be about a month before the next chapter as I have to focus on my Black Trio stories and Heart of Champions as it's been too long since I updated them but don't worry the next chapter will come in time. Anyway, the Vengeance Alliance has been formed and they're officially in the South Blue and free so it's time to return to the main action, don't worry we'll probably see the Rifle Pirates again before the time skip arcs, and see what is going on at Marineford. After all, the hour of Ace's execution is drawing near, the Navy is as ready as it can be, and the Warlords are assembled so let's see what's happening. That is all that I have for the administrative stuff I have for y'all and while there are no questions there is a guest review that needs a response and a notification to make so I will do that now. Do keep them coming as your support is the best motivation for me to keep producing chapters at this kind of rate.
To KGBeastboy (guest), thank you for all your suggestions, this is why I like to hear them as I hadn't even considered what you've suggested and I will address them now. Firstly, though, Spear's appearance. It works well and plays to both her general style from Akame ga Kill while adapting it to One Piece's fashion trends and making it more general. There may be some changes for various arcs if she appears in them and I'll probably add the Rifle Pirates' Jolly Roger (I've already mentally designed it) to the back of her jacket to show her dedication to her crew and Captain (most will likely have it somewhere on their clothes or body). The purple and pink touches to pay respect to Nagant are a nice touch and actually work well with a general idea for the crew as my current outfit for Dazu includes a similar purple flare to it that is designed to honor Nagant so I'll probably work that into all the outfits in the end. Onto the Devil Fruit idea and I'll admit this is something I'd not thought about mainly due to how infrequently we see this kind of Zoan type used so you are right that we need more like this but I like the idea and it works for Spear. My original idea was to give her an Ancient Zoan type (Nagant's crew doesn't have a Zoan or Logia type user) based off a Special Class Danger Beast from Akame ga Kill: Zero as it's within her universe and shows that that character is dead prior to the start of UWG but her finding and using a Great Grade spear that 'ate' a Zoan type Devil Fruit is probably more in line for her. Given that not only Spear, but Joanna, May, and Fiona use spears the idea of the Rifle Pirates finding a treasure trove of Zoan Spears on a Navy ship right at the end of their special arc, these suggestions work well and I will add a 4th spear of my own design and with a specific Zoan type that will fit it based on the origin of the spear though it will only be a Skillful Grade blade so as to not overpower the crew. I have added 5 Supreme Grade (with a 6th that no one knows about), 12 Great, and 25 Skillful Grade slots to this story and many will be revealed in time. All this said, I will change some of the Devil Fruits you've suggested as two don't work. Firstly, the Urchin-Urchin Fruit, while it works, it is for a pure aquatic animal and we have no canon basis for aquatic Zoans likely due to Devil Fruits' association with water so while I will use a Sea King bone in the spear, the Devil Fruit will have to be a land animal and right now I'm leaning towards the Rat-Rat Fruit, model: Porcupine to replicate the same feature. Secondly, with your Gungnir suggestion, while good and fitting, I already have the Bird-Bird Fruit, model: Raven assigned to one of the other crossover characters so that Fruit can't be used in that spear but as Odin is also associated with wolves I can use an Ancient Zoan type for it in the Dog-Dog Fruit, model: Dire Wolf (yes that is an extinct species) so it still works. As such all 4 spear wielders on the crew, once May is located, will get one so if you have suggestions for who gets what let me know though I'm pretty set on who gets the one I've added and it's not Spear as she should get one of the Great Grade ones. As for your second review and the character suggestions, I'll address them here along with the other aspect, the World Military Draft. Firstly, Big Red Dot, I like the idea of bringing him (and Salaam) in as additions through the draft and him being a lion mink works fine but alas I can't give him that Devil Fruit or make him an Admiral candidate (and yes there will be at least one chapter that addresses the potential Admiral vacancies and the attempts to fill them). On the Devil Fruit front, the reason is that it is a water based Devil Fruit and while I have used two such so far and have a potential 3rd planned, those are for major/important characters and Big Red Dot doesn't fit that billing so I am not comfortable giving him such a Devil Fruit but there are other ways to replicate his Quirk which I will look into. On the Admiral candidate front, that is for a similar reason being that he's not a major character so it's a bit much for him to be considered for Admiral. Vice Admiral sure, he is a national number 1 hero in MHA so Vice Admiral works but not Admiral and he can make head waves as the first mink Vice Admiral. There will be 4 MHA characters in the running for Admiral, and if I expand them from 5 to 7, then one of them will fill that slot while either a Black Clover or Fairy Tail character fills the 7th slot and I've got a prime candidate for it already. Anyway, I hope that you can understand on the Big Red Dot front and onto Salaam. There really isn't much more to say on this front, it all works for him with his background, home island, and power as well as his rank though he might end up a Vice Admiral at some point. Finally Uwabami, I actually already have a plan for her and she's already in the marines so she doesn't need to be added by the draft and she'll be appearing in due course though the rank of Rear Admiral works for her. As for her Devil Fruit, while I am trying to limit the Mythical Zoans in this story, and as of right now I've already reclassified 7 as Ancient Zoan and removed 3 that didn't work as well as I'd have liked, but I do understand that there are some characters that really can't have their powers adapted otherwise be it due to their power level combined with a common element like fire or ice or their powers just make sense as a Mythical Zoan Devil Fruit and Uwabami is potentially one of the latter ones so it does work. Really, my main concern with Mythical Zoans is keeping the balance between them and Logia Devil Fruits and as of right now, based on my notes, I have potentially 4 more Mythical Zoans than Logias and I'd like that number to be brought down to around 1 which is the canon difference (not factoring in non-canon Logias that aren't being used). Regardless, right now there are 28 new Mythical Zoans which is still a lot so I'm nearing a limit with them I feel. Thanks for all of these suggestions, they're really good and have given me a lot to think about. Do keep reading and enjoying my work.
On a separate note, once again the email alerts have gone down on the website so to avoid the issue I recommend getting the app if you don't have it and downloading your favorite stories on it as the notification system there is still working. You can also PM on the app and it will have notifications as well though it's separate from the PMs on the website which at the moment you have to manually check due to the email situation. This will eventually be resolved, it always is, but it's happened before so the app is the best way around it especially for stories like mine which are not cross posted anywhere else.
Anyway, that is enough for this long pre-chapter note so sit back and enjoy the eighteenth chapter in The Ultimate Worst Generation.
Disclaimer: I own nothing related to these great franchises.
Chapter 18: Preparations for War
Boa Hancock stood off to the side in the special room in Marineford that had been set aside for the 11 Warlords to relax in before the execution that was to take place in a few hours' time though that time was fast approaching. Hancock had been the 9th Warlord to arrive and so far the last of them. That had been a bit of surprise to her as while she'd known that Jimbei wouldn't be there, she'd just seen him in Ace's cell in Impel Down after all, she'd been surprised that there was another one missing. Said Warlord was the latest of the batch, Marshall D. Teach, aka Blackbeard, who'd disappeared a few hours back.
Naturally, Hancock didn't know that he had been here before leaving and frankly she didn't care. She'd noted that the others were here with Gecko Moria glaring at Bartholomew Kuma as they sat in large chairs that accommodated their big frames in front of each other while Dracule 'Hawkeye' Mihawk sat on the sofa perpendicular to Kuma's with his feet up on the table, his massive sword on his back as always, and Don Quixote Doflamingo sat on the one perpendicular to Moria's. Moria and Mihawk had beer before them while Doflamingo had a few empty glasses of wine in front of him but Kuma wasn't drinking.
Those were the Warlords that Hancock had long known about though with Crocodile losing his status due to what he'd done in Alabaster, Hancock was now the longest serving of the current Warlords, but in the last year the ranks of the Warlords had drastically shifted. It was a testament to the new crop of rookie pirates that had emerged as no less than 5 Warlords had been publicly defeated by them and a 6th, Moria, not publicly defeated.
Moria was the most recent and the only one to lose to a rookie who'd bested another Warlord, Hancock's own darling Luffy no less which just added to why she loved him, but each of the others had also suffered notable defeats that had cost them their status as Warlords. With the rapid and extreme turnover, this was the first time their replacements were all in the same place at the same time.
While Hancock cared little for the World Government, she'd been kept somewhat abreast of the news thanks to Granny Nyon. As such had heard about the rapid defeats of Crocodile, Roman, Patry, Kai, and Jose but the news had kept the details of their defeats to a bare minimum.
According to the news, all had been defeated by the Navy and found to have been engaging in behavior not allowed for a Warlord with two trying to take over countries, and one of those two almost engaging in a genocide in the process, one running a massive underground network that violated his contract, one tried to blow up a whole city, and one was conducting illegal Devil Fruit experimentations. Of course, Hancock knew that Luffy had been behind Crocodile's defeat, he'd told her the story of that and all his other adventures on the way to Impel Down, so Hancock knew the media was lying but she didn't care.
Regardless of how the Warlords were defeated, however, they all had lost their statuses as a result, well other than Moria as his defeat wasn't public, and all but one of the 5 had ended up in Impel Down. The sole exception was Roman and that was only because he'd been broken out by an unknown accomplice enroute to the Great Prison. In their places 5 new Warlords had been selected of which 4 were here.
Despite her disgust at some of them, most of them were men after all and one had given her a very lecherous look when she entered the room, Hancock took a moment to look over them starting with said lecherous man who was leaning against one of the walls as he chatted. He wasn't hard to miss as he was dressed in rich black furs and brown leather armor with a crown on his head over his black hair but not hiding a black stitch mark tattoo that ran across his forehead and cruel, green, eyes. To add to it he had a cutlass on his hip and from the reports that Hancock had heard he knew how to use it.
The man was from the New World and like Doflamingo the king of a nation, which like Doflamingo he'd acquired his thrown in a coup against a beloved king, as well as a pirate and Warlord. While Hancock only knew his name and part of his reputation she didn't know that his acceptance of the offer to become a Warlord was considered a major boon to the World Government given his connections and the power that he had. It was that combination that had seen him earn a 666 million berry bounty before it was forgiven upon becoming a Warlord.
That was unknown to Hancock, she didn't care for bounties, well, other than waiting to see how much Luffy's increased, all she knew was that the man was called Zogratis Dante, and that he was the Captain of the Dark Triad Pirates and King of the Spade Kingdom. That was all Hancock needed to know as he was clearly one of the worst examples of men out there and the lecherous looks he was occasionally giving here, along with a few from one of the other men that he was chatting with, were disgusting.
If it wasn't for the situation and her agreement to work with the World Government, Hancock would have already turned them to stone. She was unaware that the hatred she had for men in general was only fueling Dante's own interest in her as to him malice was the only true human emotion and he reveled in it so the malice that Hancock bore in her heart towards all men but Luffy, and Rayleigh, was a massive turn on to Dante.
It wasn't to the other lecherous pig with him; however, he was just a lecherous pig. That man was almost as tall and a bit more muscular than Dante with tanned skin, black hair, and a chin curtain beard with several lines of facial hair around his mouth shooting up in an odd pattern. Similar to some of the other Warlords he had gone for an elaborate outfit of an ornate purple cloak with a high collar, white edging, and three light yellow strap things on each shoulder over a black dress shirt, gold banded bracers, dark purple pants, knee high boots, and a pale green ascot in a fancy knot at his throat.
Hancock recognized him as Dreyar Ivan, the Captain of the notoriously cruel Raven Tail Pirates that had emerged out of the West Blue some 15 years ago and quickly earned a dark reputation all over the Grand Line. As such it hadn't taken them long to become a notable crew due to their cruelty and the power that they had with Ivan and one of his subordinates becoming a Super Rookies before they entered the New World.
Oddly, and unlike other notable New World crews with similarly dark and cruel reputations, Raven Tail never formed a single alliance after entering the New World but despite that they still managed to remain strong and independent in the New World. It was an impressive achievement which had made Ivan a good candidate for Warlord status after Porla Jose was stripped of it. In fact it had been representatives from Ivan's crew that had gone to the Navy to make the pitch, which given his reputation, power, and 410 million berry bounty at the time made it easy for him to become a Warlord.
To those who knew Ivan, which Hancock naturally did not, they would have known that this made sense as he was all about power and the acquisition of it. It was that goal that had led him to break with his father and form the Raven Tail Pirates 15 years ago, upon which he took to the seas in search of as much power as he could find though not until after he'd force fed his own son a Mythical Zoan Devil Fruit. This was just the next step that Ivan was taking to achieve his goals though no one knew why now of all times he'd decided to become a Warlord.
However, if Ivan's decision was odd then the third man with them who was currently sipping from a glass of good wine, as was Ivan for that matter, and not paying Hancock any attention was even more of an oddity. He was as tall as the other two and clearly middle aged with a long, pointed, nose and protruding chin that drew the eye away from his large forehead and widow's peak pointing downwards with what little orange-brown hair he had left. That had the added factor of revealing two moles on the left side of his forehead.
At the same time he was dressed in a perfectly tailored black suit with white pinstripes, a forest green shirt and brighter green tie and polished black leather shoes that were made from the finest materials one could find on the Grand Line. The whole look was that of a rich and successful businessman, which was of course what he was, well, at least officially he was.
That was because officially he was the President and CEO of the global company Detnerat, a global leader in gear and gadgets, Yotsubashi Rikiya. This also made him the ruler of the nation that Detnerat had founded around its incorporation and the heart of its power in the New World, Jaku. It was through his ascension to the 11 Warlords that Jaku finally became a member nation of the World Government in fact.
However, this was all just a front built up over a few centuries by a legacy pirate crew that was founded by a man called Destro and subsequently run by his descendants who took on variations of his name when they assumed the captaincy of the Destro Pirate and Presidency of the Detnerat Corporation. Rikiya was the latest in that line and known on the high seas as Re-Destro in part because he saw himself as the culmination of Destro's legacy.
What that legacy was was still a mystery to all but the high ranking officers of the Destro Pirates but it might have something to do with Devil Fruits as a requirement for joining the Destro Pirates was that you had to have a Devil Fruit power. It was an odd requirement given the tradeoff to eating a Devil Fruit so most crews made sure to have at least one of their members not eat one and retain the ability to swim but the Destro Pirates were different in that regard. They were an odd lot run by an odd man but he was clearly notable having earned a 139 million berry bounty before it was frozen when he became a Warlord.
"I can see the scorn in your eyes and I agree, they deserve it." A new, female, voice said to the side of Hancock breaking her from her thoughts though not startling her as she'd sensed the presence approaching her. "Two of those men are vile creatures who live for evil, power, cruelty, subjugation, and to feed their own vices. The third only cares if you have a Devil Fruit but at least he isn't pointlessly cruel, well for a human at least."
Hancock blinked and turned to the voice and saw the final of new Warlords, seriously this high turnover in less than a year was unprecedented and had to mean something, and noted that for the first time since she'd joined the Warlords that there was a second woman in the group. Hancock hadn't actually known that, just that the first of the new Warlords wasn't actually a human but a faunus who led the White Fang Pirates, the evolution of the White Fang Organization that had lobbied for faunus rights but didn't get anywhere until they turned to violence and became a pirate crew some years prior.
They were, in a few ways, the faunus equivalent of the Pirates of the Sun led by Jimbei and it had been for similar reasons that their Captain had been invited to join the 11 Warlords after Torchwick Roman was stripped of his status to kick of the mass turnover in the 11 Warlords. It helped that the Captain had a 264 million berry bounty on her head and was a force in the New World so her addition to the 11 Warlords was a boon.
Right now, though, Hancock got a moment to study the other woman. She was about Hancock's age, give or take a few years, and almost as tall at 6 feet though that wasn't taking into account her faunus trait which were a set of Bengal tiger ears that stuck out of her wild, black, hair which cut in an asymmetrical bob reaching her chin, making her a tiger faunus.
The woman further played into her faunus trait with additional, black stipe tattoos on her dark skin, though with her attire the only ones that were visible were from her arms to her shoulders that when taken into context with her skin tone and faunus trait really resembled a tiger's stripes. That was just the skin that was on display though, Hancock didn't doubt that a woman who'd gone to that much effort to mirror her trait, and was an infamous faunus pirate, wouldn't have extended the tattoos to her whole body.
Hancock's assumption would be right, and confirmed in a bit, because if the woman turned her exposed back Hancock would see more tiger stripe tattoos there. Her back was exposed because as she wore a black dress with a halter top style with a small part of it cut out on her upper chest but done in such a way that it didn't show any cleavage, and a full length dress part with white stripe in the middle but cut to allow easy mobility.
The woman accentuated her look with a strange red shall thing around her neck that was attached to her arms, a black sleeve on her right arm from her wrist to bicep, and a red sash around her waist. She had what looked like a red gem set into her foreheat and several golden earrings in her Bengal tiger ears that matched the fierce look in her golden, predatory eyes.
It was a distinct look and between that and the way that the woman held herself, Hancock could tell that the woman was deadly and no stranger to violence. In fact, if Hancock was a betting woman, she'd have put money on the woman having a Zoan type Devil Fruit like her sisters but she wasn't going to ask. Instead, Hancock just addressed what the woman had said to her by way of introduction.
"They are men, they are all the same and nothing but pigs filled with lust and violence." Hancock said derisively as she turned to properly look at the other woman though she didn't add that there was one sole exception to this in Luffy, well maybe two with Rayleigh but even he wasn't the same as her beloved. "They do not concern me; I was just taking in the new faces present that's all."
"I've always respected that about you, you know that a group can be evil and call it out just like I do with humans in general, present company excluded." The woman said a predatory smile on her lips that Hancock noted didn't reach her eyes. "It's why I took command of the White Fang, to earn the respect of the humans that run this world through the only way they know it, violence."
"As vulgar and boorish as it is, that is how things are done." Hancock said. "But if you excuse me, I have no clue who you are. I've known several faunus in my time but your people tend to be more prevalent in the New World and West Blue, places I don't often go, and frankly if you're not from Amazon Lily I really don't care to know who you are."
"Perfectly understandable, you only joined the 11 Warlords to protect your people just as I did though I am also advocating for faunus rights similar to what Jimbei is doing for fish-men." The woman said not offended at all that Hancock didn't know who she was. "It's a shame that he's not here, I'd have liked to meet him and discuss our similar goals as I'm sure he has a lot of wisdom to share with me. Alas it will have to wait for another time once he's cooled off I presume. Anyway, I'm Khan Sienna, the High Leader of the White Fang."
"High Leader?" Hancock asked, she wasn't great at polite small talk and part of her was still focused on Luffy's situation and worrying about how he was faring in Impel Down so she was just asked the simple question rather than try anything or be rude, which might have been a good thing as Sienna's epithet was Grudge Holder so any slight might be an issue with her. "Never heard of that term before."
"It's the rank given to the leader of the White Fang." Sienna said. "I took it from the previous leader when he stepped down because too many supported my methods of advocating for our people. He saw the righting on the wall and retired to run our home island of Menagerie. Even after officially becoming pirates I kept the title rather than call myself Captain, though that is what I am, as I prefer High Leader. It's similar to how you are known as either the Pirate Empress or Snake Princess, not Captain of the Kuja Pirates despite that being your official role in regards to your crew."
"Ah I see." Hancock said seeing Sienna's point though there were some differences between them as unlike Sienna, Hancock still ran her own country. "Yes, the Captaincy of the Kuja Pirates is just part of being Empress."
"Similar with High Leader though I am not Chief of Menagerie." Sienna said before she cut through the small talk. "But enough of that, I came up to you to ask a question or two."
"Very well, it's not like we're going anywhere anytime soon." Hancock said deciding to humor Sienna though her main focus would still be Luffy and how to help him if he failed to free Ace and had to come to Marineford to get him. "What do you want to ask me? Bear in mind that I may not answer."
"Fair enough, I can't expect you to divulge all your secrets now can I." Sienna said glad that Hancock would answer her questions but understanding that there would be a limit to what the older woman would say. "I was just curious as to why you came here today? You're known to hate the World Government as much as you hate men and only took this position for the sake your people but you're famous for never listening to orders. It's admirable and was why only 9 were expected but you're here instead of that other new guy so I wonder what made you listen to the summons. I expected you to refuse and be stripped of your status."
"I came because someone asked me to." Hancock said knowing she had to be evasive to protect Luffy right now as with her reputation no one would have suspected that she was the one who broke Luffy into Impel Down and that was the whole reason for her accepting the Navy's summons to fight in this war though in reality she was already at the point that she couldn't say no to anything her beloved asked of her. "It's as simple as that. That said, as you point out, it makes sense as if I hadn't I'd have lost my title and my people would suffer."
"I see well that does explain it." Sienna said a little confused by that but realizing that Hancock wouldn't say more so she moved onto her second and more important question. "Then the other thing I want to know is, woman to woman, how do you deal with being outnumbered by men? This is more because we are both part of marginalized groups with few others like us here or even in the pirate world, you a woman and me a woman and faunus, so if you have any tips I'm all ears."
"Simple, you speak their language which is violence." Hancock said. "Men only know that though given your crew's reputation you already know that language."
"Yes, I know it well, and it is as I thought." Sienna said with a nod. "Well…"
"May we enter?"
The question interrupted the chat between Hancock and Sienna, as well as a few other idle bits of chatter that were going on in the room, and caused the 9 present Warlords to look to the door. Before any could respond, the door was opened and a marine stood in the entranceway standing at ease. Hancock noted that it was, of course, a man but that was the only thing about him to note.
"Pardon us but it's time to go." The marine said as another male marine fell in behind him though a little off to the side. "We need you to follow us down to the harbor right away so that you're in position for Whitebeard should he attack."
"Whitebeard's nothing but an old man of a bygone era and you're fearing him, how pitiful." Moria said, the first of the Warlords to speak to the marine. "What's the rush with this? We still have 3 hours until the execution."
"While that is true, the Navy must be ready for any contingency, sir, so we need you in position now." The marine said as Hancock worried for Luffy and how he was faring in Impel Down as it seemed like he hadn't reached Ace yet while Kuma rose. "So if you please, we need you to head down now."
As the marine was speaking Kuma reached and passed him making him the first to leave doing so without a word and reminding them why he was the only Warlord who actually followed all the orders of the World Government. He wasn't the only one to quickly rise however as he was shortly followed by Mihawk as the swordsman prepped his sword and Dante who grinned as he bounced off the wall ready for war.
"I see you two can't wait to get your hands dirty." Doflamingo said with a grin. "Should have expected that from you, not that I blame you as this will be some good violence."
"There is going to be so much malice today how can I not be eager for a little blood." Dante said with a grin as he followed Kuma out while Mihawk didn't say a word. "An execution and an Emperor's wrath, oh how much delicious malice there will be. I can't wait to see what new forms I experience in the coming battle."
"I see you're both as creepy as usual." Doflamingo said still grinning. "But I should have expected as much from Dante, he's a man who gets it. Good to see a fellow king understands the nature of the world."
"That they are but I can't disagree with a nice bit of violence to test my own strength." Ivan said as he followed behind Mihawk. "Dante's got it right in that regard and who knows what powers will be revealed today. It's going to be fun testing myself against the likes of Whitebeard."
"Alright, alright, I get it, I'm coming." Moria said as Ivan made his way to the exit. "I guess I don't want to miss this. I'm sure I'll be able to steal some powerful shadows and corpses when this is over given who we're up against. It's going to be an all you can eat buffet for me if there is an attack and these are New World pirates we're talking about so they're definitely strong."
At that Moria let out his creepy laugh before he got up and followed Ivan to the exit. As he did, Rikiya straightened his tie and turned to leave as well his pose and gait every bit the professional businessman he portrayed himself to be to the public.
"This is business after all so it's time to get down to it." Rikiya said his tone slightly cheery as if he was about to walk into a board meeting for his company and not set up for a battle with the strongest pirate crew in the world. "Plus a nice wait in the harbor for an impending attack from a living legend like Whitebeard is only bound to heighten the old stress levels which is good for me."
"Well it was nice chatting with you." Sienna said to Hancock as she too turned while Rikiya was walking out. "I expect that I will see you on the battlefield. Show me what you can do Pirate Empress though it is a good thing your sisters aren't here as well; I may not be able to control myself if I see them."
Hancock didn't bother to say anything to that, not that she understood what Sienna was going on about though if the woman did try anything to Sonia and Marigold then Hancock would stop it, and instead remained where she was for a good few moments. She wasn't the only one, Doflamingo was waiting, but for Hancock it was more her worry for Luffy that was holding her in place as right now it was sounding bad for him.
"I'm sorry but you can't be waiting around Mister Doflamingo and Miss Hancock, we are in a bit of a hurry." The marine said cutting off Hancock's thoughts of Luffy. "Time is pressing after all."
"Why do I have to hurry little man?" Hancock asked glaring at the marine. "Who are you to give me orders? I am a Warlord, I outrank you."
"Well, it's just…" The marine stammered and blushed intimidated by Hancock's beauty more than her tone or glare.
Hancock just ignored him as she turned and left as well with Salome slithering next to her. Her thoughts were still on her beloved though she kept her face neutral as she continued to worry about his safety. This left Doflamingo as the only one remaining in the room as he chuckled there for a moment but Hancock didn't notice it. She was too focused on her worries as she stepped out and onto the walkway around that level of Marineford that they'd been on and began to head towards the harbor. However as she turned and began to walk down the walkway a female voice called out to her from behind.
"Pirate Empress? Now that was unexpected."
Hancock was confused by the call but she instantly recognized the voice and stopped to turn to it. It took a lot of willpower, though her great pride helped, not to gulp and let out a shiver that had nothing to do with the sudden drop in temperature as she looked at the woman striding down the walkway towards her.
The same couldn't be said for the marine just outside who all but leapt out of the way and bowed low to the woman though she completely ignored him. There were few people in the world who could intimidate Hancock or cause fear to rise in her but the woman now approaching was one of those people.
To add to it the woman was, objectively, beautiful though Hancock knew that her beauty was superior. Not that she'd comment on that to the woman as while Hancock did look down on other woman and knew she was more beautiful than they were, even saying as much, that might not go over well with one of the three strongest women in the world.
Still the other women was beautiful, even Hancock could admit that. She was young and slim with light blue hair that fell all the way down to her knees in straight strands that flared outwards slight while a set of strands framed her face and her bangs were just visible under the peaked white hat with a black brim that she wore. This contrasted well with her porcelain skin, the pale whiteness of which highlighting the strange black tattoo in the center of her chest that was right above her impressive breasts, a pair which rivaled Hancock's own notable assets, and were just slightly on display thanks to the cut of her uniform.
That too was a bit of a surprise to Hancock. While the others of her rank, as well as lower ranked officers, favored suits or more casual attire, the woman had opted to maintain a military style despite her rank though it was different to what the rank and file wore. As such the outfit did nothing to hide the woman's affiliation.
The uniform consisted of a white, double breasted tunic with black buttons and collar, the black sleeves rolled up to her biceps revealing the black undersleeves she had on, a miniskirt and thigh high white boots with a small heel and black tops. To complete the look the woman had a black belt was synched around her waist with a rapier on the left hip that stuck out so that her officer's coat that hung off her shoulders like a cape had to be cut to accommodate it.
It was the coat more than anything that gave away her rank because unlike the other officer's coats it's trim was not the standard Navy colors but a pure, snow white denoting her color with the woman's personal form of justice, Final Justice, emblazoned on the back. There were only 5 in the Navy who wore coats like that and only one of them was female and Hancock knew that this woman was far worse than the animal of her code name.
"Admiral Shirokami." Hancock said her voice neutral remaining tall and proud as the woman approached her. "I'll admit, I wasn't expecting an Admiral, especially not the sole female Admiral, to come see the Warlords off."
"I was in the area preparing for the coming battle when I suddenly sensed a heart like mine so I came to inspect it." Admiral Shirokami said. "And low and behold it was you of all people. Also, please, there's no need for my code name, call me Esdeath."
"Esdeath then." Hancock said still wary as many considered the Admiral the most dangerous woman in the world period and despite being a marine affiliated with the World Government she was someone who's strength Hancock couldn't help but respect. "What do you mean by a heart like yours? I assure you that I am not like you in the slightest."
"I'll tell you as we walk." Esdeath said gibing Hancock a simple smile that showed she wasn't bothered by Hancock's statement as she reached and passed the Kuja Empress, forcing the taller woman to fall into step with her. "Though I will admit, I'd expected it to be that new faunus we appointed, not the infamous misandrist Pirate Empress."
"I still don't get what you're talking about." Hancock said her tone neutral to hide her confusion and desire to be away from the bloodthirsty Admiral she was with while also trying to ignore the unnatural chill that seemed to come off the other woman. "What could we possibly have in common?"
"Why love of course." Esdeath said as her smile grew and softened which really disturbed Hancock, and confused her as well as Esdeath was not someone who Hancock thought capable of an emotion like love. "I sensed the beating heart of a woman in throws of love and had to check it out. Guess even you can fall for a man."
"I could say the same to you." Hancock said stalling for time as she was shocked that Esdeath had picked that up. "Your reputation is fierce. I always thought you lived for battle, that's what I've been told at least."
"I do live for battle for how else can I get stronger and put the weak in their place, but after a campaign in the North Blue a few months back, a simple extermination of some rebellious nation, I started to feel the desire to fall in love." Esdeath said as if this was something perfectly normal though Hancock had a feeling it wasn't as when Admiral Shirokami said she'd exterminated something she meant it. "I had a criteria of course and in short order the perfect man who met all 5 points swept into my life and captured my heart in one fell swoop."
"You had a criteria for love?" Hancock asked even more confused.
"Just a simple checklist of the important things like younger than me, from one of the Blues like I am, has Admiral potential, fearless, and of course a pure and innocent smile." Esdeath said her voce wistful in a way that unnerved Hancock as it was the last tone she'd expect to hear from the Admiral. "It was love at first sight; the moment I saw his smile I knew that he'd be mine. His power, potential, fearlessness, and of course that carefree and innocent smile of his, I was swooning. In the East Blue they say that love is like a hurricane and it's true, it blew in and captured my heart in its raging winds and I knew that I had to have him."
"Who, who is he?" Hancock asked nervously as the person that Esdeath was describing sounded a lot like her beloved Luffy and she couldn't have that as she was meant to be Luffy's wife and she'd fight anyone, even Esdeath, who tried to stop her. "Your beloved that is."
"His name is Tatsumi though he's also called the Adaptive Monster due to the nature of his rare and powerful Devil Fruit, fitting for the man who has my heart, and the way he can adapt to any situation he's in." Esdeath said and Hancock breathed a sigh of relief at that while also noting that the tone of Esdeath's voice was just like hers about Luffy so perhaps this wouldn't be too bad as if anyone would have advice on securing her man it would be Esdeath. "I saw him in a martial arts tournament I was judging while passing through the North Blue, which he naturally won by the way. I instantly knew that he would be mind and took him though all I've done is kiss him so far. Alas there is a slight problem that I encountered."
"And that is?" Hancock asked now interested despite the oddness of the conversation and her general discomfort being around Esdeath.
"Well it turns out that he's a pirate and a real up and coming rookie, one of the 22 Supernovas in fact." Esdeath said and this revelation almost floored Hancock. "He's younger than me, which is what I like as I can mold him, and no doubt he has the potential to be an Admiral, even Fleet Admiral if groomed right, but alas he's a pirate. The Navy wiped his hometown out and he responded in kind with his Devil Fruit power, a power no one has wielded in recorded history so again a sign that he is a man worthy of my love. He joined the Night Pirates and is loyal to them. Even escaped from my loving embrace twice, I got lucky and ran into him in the Grand Line recently, but the chase makes it even more fun."
Hancock had no idea what to say to that as she blinked at Esdeath her discomfort now all but gone though the chill in the air remained. Her love for Luffy was one thing and she certainly had similar tastes as Esdeath given that Luffy was younger than her, though she wasn't going to mold him, had tremendous power to the point that he would become King of the Pirates as Hancock was sure of that, was fearless as he'd stood up to Hancock and even willingly broken into Impel Down, and of course his smile was pure and made her heart swell to see especially when he directed it at her and used her name.
Still, at least Hancock was also a pirate even if she was a Warlord but Esdeath was a Navy Admiral so her being in love with a pirate couldn't be a good thing. In fact it would almost certainly be a scandal if it got out.
"That sounds, um…" Hancock said unsure what to say about the fact that a Navy Admiral was in love with a Super Rookie.
"Sengoku doesn't approve but he will once I turn my love to my side and show him the potential that Tatsumi has." Esdeath said dismissing any concerns as to her they were meaningless, Tatsumi would be hers no matter what. "But enough about me gushing over my love, what about yours? You are in love, a stunning revelation given your hatred of men, so who is the man that can win your heart? He must be special to achieve such a feat though I can't see any who are like Tatsumi."
"Rest assured that my love is not the same as yours for it is recent and I do not know who this Tatsumi is." Hancock said knowing that she couldn't name Luffy though to her no one could compare to her beloved not even the man who could win Esdeath's icy heart. "I fell for him less than a week ago but like you I know that he is the one for me as he is the only man who is good, the sole exception, and he won my heart within hours. I'd do anything for him."
"I understand that but do not forget that you are a Warlord, you can use that to get him under you." Esdeath said and Hancock realized that there was a big gap in approach as she'd do whatever Luffy asked, hell she'd already done so with accepting the World Government's orders to fight Whitebeard and going to Impel Down to get Luffy in, but it appeared to be different with Esdeath though part of Hancock got the feeling that this Tatsumi's refusals to be swayed made Esdeath love him more. "The key is perseverance and never giving up on your love. Make sure he knows how you feel and never let go."
"What do you mean?" Hancock asked.
"One of my subordinates is married and he told me that the key to winning over the one you love to never give up, to keep pursuing Tatsumi and he'll see it in time." Esdeath said. "So that is my advice to you."
"I see and don't worry I will do that." Hancock said as they reached a junction. "I will never abandon or give up on my love."
"See that you do and I'll see you on the battlefield, it will be a glorious battle where the strong will survive and the weak will fall, I can't wait for it." Esdeath said as she gestured to the right were stairs lead down. "That's the way to the harbor so I must leave you as I have to reunite with the other Admirals and chew out Sengoku for not telling me that my beloved was on Sabaody when that other Supernova punched a Celestial Dragon, I could have gotten Tatsumi again. This was a pleasant chat, let's do it again and see how love is going."
"Of course." Hancock said knowing that it was Luffy who'd punched the Celestial Dragon, it was one of the many things she loved about him, as she turned and headed down while Esdeath went the other way and headed to meet up with the other 4 Admirals.
Hancock wasn't sure what to make of that exchange but she was sure that she didn't want to be near Esdeath ever again. That woman had a vibe to her that was unnerving and that was before you got to the chill she seemed to exude but the way she'd spoken of this Tatsumi was just like how she'd speak of Luffy. Of course he was a man and so just like the rest with the exception of Luffy but still it showed that love could do that to a woman. Hopefully Luffy was safe and would be here as Hancock finalized her backup plan for Luffy should he fail to rescue Ace in Impel Down.
That would be needed as Hancock headed to her place for the coming war ready for whatever Whitebeard had in store for the Navy. However, no one would be ready for the coming war and the ramifications as the clock to Ace's execution ticked ever nearer.
I think that's a good place to end this chapter on, a nice little setup for the coming Marineford arc with the introductions of the new 4 Warlords as well as Esdeath though all from Hancock's perspective. Next up, the war begins and we see how the Night Pirates play a role in the coming events, as well as what else is on its way to Marineford. There really isn't much more to say about this chapter, it's pretty straightforward, so I will leave it off here. If you liked this please favorite, follow, leave a review, or let me know in a PM and if there are any questions will posed in reviews and PMs I will try to answer them as best I can. Until next time.
Stringdog