Margaret watched as Hiccup removed his bandages.
"I do apologise that I can't pay you back for saving my life and everything else, but I've got places to go and accrue waiting for me," said Hiccup.
Margaret looked at him curiously as he ran off. ' Men truly are mysterious; they can turn into dragons, their chests are flat, and between their legs they have—'
"Oh, I almost forgot," said Hiccup as he removed his shirt and began to remove the embroidery on it. "I have to remove this stuff first."
"Why?" Margaret asked.
"I don't take this the wrong way, but if people see me wearing this kind of embroidery, I'll be a laughing stock."
Margaret frowned. "Men are so weird."
"Most women would agree with you," said Hiccup as he removed the last of the embroidery. "With that done, I better get going."
"Are all men so hasty?"
Hiccup stopped in his tracks. "I can't rest until I know if my friend survived like I did. That is all that matters because so long as they're alive, we can get back up and keep fighting. I won't let whatever happened to happen again."
"Before you go, I feel as if I should tell you that we are in the Calm Belt," Margaret warned.
"You're serious?" Hiccup stared. "Guess that goes a long way to explain why no man has ever landed on this island."
Margaret nodded. "With no wind and the sea is filled with giant sea kings, no sailor would ever dare venture near this place. Castaways such as yourself do sometimes make their way to our shores, but they always do so as corpses."
"But your leader is part of a pirate crew."
"The ship of our Snake Princess, the Razorwind, is pulled by two giant poisonous sea snakes so even sea kings wouldn't dare to attack it, and it's the only ship on Valkyrie Lily."
Hiccup folded his arms. "Well, I could try flying off this island, but with no idea how far the nearest island is, it's not something I would dare risk. Not to mention, I'm still not certain if Astrid is on this island."
"It was Astrid?" Margaret asked.
"She is my second in command; we were sent flying in the same direction, but I don't know if she landed on this island or not. Though I suspect if she is on this island, she'll have an easier time than me."
"We are still wary of outsiders, but if your friend is indeed a woman, they certainly won't kill them right away," said Margaret.
"But I can't risk leaving this island while she's still on it."
Margaret looked at him and then suddenly raised her bow, aiming an arrow at him. "If this keeps up much longer, I'll end up going attached to you."
"Whoa, easy up," said Hiccup. "Why do you want to shoot me?"
She fired her arrow, but Hiccup quickly dodged it. However, she kept firing more arrows, and Hiccup noticed they were destroying the trees and rocks they hit. He pulled one of the arrows out of the rock and examined it.
"Now that I think about it, these arrows are incredibly strong, and those girls from early on were busting up stone walls with them," he said, snapping the arrow. "Though from what I tell, this is just an ordinary arrow."
"Of course, these arrows are strong; they're imbued with our Haki," said Margaret, glaring at him. "You're mocking me, aren't you?"
"Haki?" Hiccup blinked. "I've never heard of it."
"There she is!" said Lila as she and the other warriors arrived. "Margaret, are you safe?"
"You made it," Margaret beamed.
"The man is with her; strike him down!" Lila ordered.
"Looks like I've overstayed my welcome," said Hiccup, quickly running off.
"Coward!" Lila yelled, chasing after him.
"Come back!" Margaret yelled.
"Forgive me if you were injured, Margaret, but our situation is quite dire," said Penelope. "The Snake Princess has returned, so we must vanquish this fiend post-haste."
"Huh?" Margaret stared.
The Wing Maiden's ship wasn't alone; a Navy vessel and a dead sea king were beside it. Each member of each crew was now staring down at one another.
"You're quite bold to lay anchor in sea king-infested waters unless you're just fools," said one of the Wing Maidens.
The Marines glared at them, and then Vice Admiral Marcus, a stern-looking man with a long black ponytail, stepped forward with a bloody sword.
"Yes, we did notice the sea king. Thank you," he said. "The Sea Prison Stone on this battleship may conceal our presence for the beasts for a while, but after waiting here for so long, they eventually caught on and attacked us. We would prefer to avoid such encounters, but as you know, the agreement between the Wing Maidens and the Government forbids us from getting closer than three kilometres from your island. So, like fools, here we are waiting in a monster-infested nest while you ladies take your sweet time."
"Hey, have you heard? They say that the ruler of the Wing Maidens is a monster that can turn people to stone."
"That stupid."
"You killed that sea king," said one of the Wing maidens, pointing at Marcus. "Well, you can colour me impressed."
"Those of us who travel on the Grand Line are no strangers to these creatures," said Marcus. "But the ones here in the Calm Belt are certainly much larger and much more ferocious."
Marcus was very short on patience, as they had spent quite a long time in the calm Belt, looking for the Wing Maidens.
"Any sign of the Wing Maiden ship!?" Marcus barked.
"Uh, no, not yet, Vice Admiral," said a Marine. "No approaching ships anywhere in sight."
Marcus clenched his fist. "How long does she intend to keep us waiting? Or perhaps the Empress has changed her mind."
He then sensed something, and suddenly, shooting out of the water, was a sea king.
"It's a sea king!"
"Fire! Fire!"
The Marines immediately fired their rifles, but the bullets merely bounced off the hard skin of the sea king. They then tried to use the cannons, but they didn't have any effect either.
"No way, our cannons didn't even leave a mark on that thing!"
The sea king then dived back into the water, causing a number of large waves that rocked the ship. It then shot out of the water once more, causing the ship to rock even more.
"The whole ship is getting smashed to pieces if we don't do something quick."
"Yeah, but what can we do?"
"We gave it all we had."
The sea king then roared loudly as it towered above the ship.
"That thing is a guide in the whole ship, is it?"
Marcus then suddenly dashed forwards and jumped towards the sea king as it dived in towards them.
"I hope the greeting from the Empress, not this monster," he said and drew his sword. "However, I shall meet it all the same!"
The Marines stared in shock as they saw Marcus dive straight into the sea king's mouth, and it kept on moving towards the ship. The Marines braced themselves for what they believed would be the end, but then the sea king suddenly stopped in its tracks.
It then pulled its head back like it was in a massive amount of pain. It then began dancing around and looked as if it was choking. The Marines looked up in confusion, and then, cutting a cross right through its skin, was Marcus, who shot out of its wound. The sea king then toppled over and lay motionless on the water.
"Look, guys!"
"He's alive."
Marcus then landed on top of the sea king. "Monster though it may be. If I had allowed that beast to devour a Marine vessel, how could I call myself a Vice-Admiral."
The Marines immediately cheered.
Back in the present, the Marines were now standing against the Wing Maidens.
"What strange marks," said one of the Wing Maidens, noticing the cut marks on the sea king's back. "Did you cut from the inside of its stomach?"
"I am not here to hunt sea kings or to chat about them," said Marcus as he sheathed his sword. "Let us conduct our business quickly so that I may leave these waters."
"Your words are as sharp as your blade."
"Then hear them well, Wing Maiden Pirates; I tire of waiting here. I am Vice-Admiral Marcus of Navy Headquarters. Warlord of the Sea and Pirate Empress Atali Boa, I have come for you! Reveal yourself!"
"The Snake Princess does not answer to your becken call."
"There is your answer; you might as well go home now."
"Look at those ugly men, unsophisticated bores."
"I haven't seen a live one in a long time. Whenever pirates or merchants see the Wing Maiden flag flying above the island, they flee in terror," said one of them, laughing.
"That laughter isn't very ladylike."
"We received a message from your Princess," said Marcus, holding out today's newspaper. "She claims she would reply to our summons, but now it appears she was not quite sincere."
He then tossed the newspaper over to the Wing Maidens.
"This morning's paper. A place and date has been decided for the public execution of Ace D Portgas, the Second Division Commander of the Hairy Hooligan Pirates. There is no turning back now. The World Government has issued strict orders that the Seven Warlords of the Sea assemble.
"Refuse an agreement will become void, and your Princess as title as Warlord will be revoked. Think about that for a moment; until now, you have done what you please because of your position, but if you are unwilling to grant us this favour, you will be reduced to nothing but ordinary pirates. Which means you'll be an adversary of the Marines and the World Government alike. Did you hear me… Atail Boa?!"
There was silence for a few moments, but then they started to hear footsteps coming from the cabin. All the women on board immediately turned towards the door, slightly terrified.
All the Marines on the Navy vessel were on edge, as no one had ever seen Atali, but they knew of her reputation.
"At long last, Atali Boa," said Marcus.
Atali stepped onto one of the sea snakes that was pulling her ship without revealing her face to the Marines. She then pointed her finger towards the Navy vessel, and the sea snake followed her commands, bringing her closer to it.
"Careful men, keep your guard up," Marcus advised.
"The Vice-Admiral is right; I'm still not convinced those women aren't really monsters in disguise. There's no telling how frightening their leader could be; brace yourselves."
However, when they got a good look at her, they just stood speechless as if she were the most beautiful woman in the world. Her skin was completely flawless, and her facial features were nothing to sneeze at. Her strawberry blonde hair was tied in a ponytail, and even despite wearing armour, she looked absolutely dazzling.
"That's the Pirate Empress?"
"She's the most beautiful woman in the world."
She was indeed beautiful; the only thing that let her down was the hateful expression in her eyes as she looked down upon them.
Meanwhile, on the island, Hiccup was still running for his life as his pursuers continued to shoot arrows at him.
"They don't let up," he said as he dodged the attacks.
"Halt, man! Lila yelled. "Face me!"
"So you could shoot me with your arrows!" said Hiccup. "Seriously, these girls are more rough than Astrid."
Hiccup continued to dodge the arrows, knowing that a single one of them would spill his doom, and they struck him.
"Time to put some distance between me and them," said Hiccup as he transformed into his hybrid form and took off.
"This fiend is slippery," said Penelope.
"Damnit, what are we going to do?"
"We cannot allow him to run free here, not with the Empress coming," said Lila. "We have no choice but to hunt him down and kill him as quickly as possible."
"Our time is short; we must let up," said Penelope.
"Very well, may your arrows find their target, my sisters!"
"They shall!" they said.
Hiccup was now heading straight back to the village.
"Perhaps it's not a good idea to go back this way, considering this is where I was running away from," he said. "But if Astrid is on this island, sure, most likely head straight to the nearest village, and there's only one on this island."
Unfortunately, before he could reach the top, one of the Maidens spotted him.
"Up there!" she yelled.
"Uh-oh," he said and flew even faster.
"I won't miss my mark this time," she said as she aimed an arrow at him.
She fired, but Hiccup managed to dodge it. However, it struck the surface directly above him, causing rubble to fall down, which struck him, causing him to fall back into the jungle.
"Is he dead?" Lila asked as she and Penelope arrived.
"Not yet, he's fallen back into the jungle."
Meanwhile, in the sea, the Marines were now face-to-face with Atali, who continued to give them a cold, hard expression. The majority of the Marines on the deck just stared at her, mesmerised by her beauty.
Atali was soon joined by two other women, one blonde and the other with black hair. They were her personal honour guard, the Gorgons, and their names were Nadia and Minden.
"So you've come from the last," said Atali. "Stubborn and meddlesome, I see. I shall be frank: I have no intention of keeping my promise. In other words, I refuse to go to war for you. Still, I rather like my position as a Warlord, so I think I shall keep it."
The Marines kept looking at her mesmerised, but Marcus looked immensely frustrated.
"Also, you should give me all the cargo on your ship quickly without complaint," Atali added.
"That's enough!" Marcus roared. "I won't stand for you acting like a spoiled child. Do you honestly think we shall accept such unreasonable demands?"
Atali merely smiled.
"Toss it over, men!" said a Marine.
Marcus turned his head and saw that his men had grabbed all the cargo on the ship and were about to toss them over to the Wing Maiden ship.
"I'll do anything you want."
"Order me around some more."
"Put that cargo down this incident, or I'll throw you overboard!" Marcus snapped.
"Sorry, I couldn't resist her, sir."
Marcus then turned back to Atali. "Ace D Portgas' public execution will be exactly one week from today. The event will be held in the town square of Marineford. In other words, we're doing this inside of Navy Headquarters itself. There is no doubt that Stoick the Vast will attempt to rescue him in the next few days, likely with the strength of his entire crew behind him.
"Under the leadership of three Admirals and the aid of the Seven Warlords of the Sea Navy Headquarters is determined to stop him at any cost. Will you give up the title of Warlord or accept your orders? Make a decision quickly; you've kept us waiting long enough."
There was a lot of tension on the ship as all eyes were now on Atali.
Atali, for her part, merely smiled and sat on the head of the sea snake in a somewhat seductive way.
"I already told you I like being a Warlord," she said. "However, I loathe the World Government. I have no interest in following their orders. Surely, I find a better solution. Oh, I know; how does this sound? The Marines who came to escort me had a mysterious accident. When they were discovered, they had all been transformed into stone and were promptly exposed of."
The Marines gasped in fear.
"She's planning to do something!"
"Don't let your guard down!"
"I've heard about Atali doing this before. A merchant ship was attacked by the Wing Maiden Pirates, and when it was discovered later, there weren't any crew members on board. Just a bunch of weird statues."
"You mean they were all turned to stone?"
"I've had enough of these threats," Marcus glared. "Your temper tantrums will not be tolerated, do you hear me!"
Nadia laughed. "Our Empress does have a rotten personality, but in the end, she always gets her way."
"Indeed, and there's a very good reason for that," said Minden.
Everyone then watched as Atali slid off the head of the sea snake and landed on the Navy vessel.
"Would you like to know why?" she asked. "Because no matter what I do, even if I kick a kitten, even if I yank off your ears, why, even if I were to commit murder, the world would forgive me, and that is because I am beautiful."
The Wing Maidens on board the Razorwhip immediately screamed in delight, and her beauty completely hypnotised the Marines on the Navy vessel.
"You're right! You can be a beast all you want your Highness!"
Marcus glared at his men. "Stop that, you fools."
Atali looked at them with an innocent smile. "The guilty thoughts swimming through your hearts," she said, then pointing her hands on a heart-shaped towards them, "shall turn your flesh to stone. Love-Love Beam!"
She then fired a heart-shaped being directly at all the men in front of her, and they turned to stone instantly. The only one on the deck that had not been turned to stone was Marcus, who looked in great pain. This was because Marcus had stabbed himself in the wrist just before her attack struck him.
"Oh, I expect no less from a Navy Vice Admiral," said Atali, approaching him. "Very clever, forcing the wicked thoughts from your mind with pain. I do applaud your conviction, though I can't extend that compliment to your men."
"They should be ashamed," said Marcus, not able to look at them.
"Now you're the only one left," said Atali.
Marcus then removed the knife from his wrist. "But one is not zero."
The Wing Maidens soon left the Navy vessel after stealing all the cargo.
"We shall return to our peaceful home of Valkyrie Lily!" Atali ordered.
"Aye, aye, Snake Princess!"
They then continue to set sail towards the island.
"Listen up, Atali Boa!" Marcus roared. "I won't turn away; I refused to return empty-handed! Unless you reappear in two days, your position will be re-invoked."