"Something's wrong, Elder Nyon!" A girl came running over in a panic.
"What's the matter, Gloriosa? Why so flustered?" Elder Nyon turned around and asked in surprise.
"Good, you're here," Gloriosa said, panting heavily.
"What exactly happened?" Elder Nyon asked urgently, a sense of foreboding rising in her heart.
"Lady Hancock... for some reason," Gloriosa said anxiously, "has fallen ill."
"Fallen ill?"
Everyone was shocked.
When they rushed to Hancock's boudoir, they found her lying on the large bed, her face flushed with a sickly red hue, her body drenched in sweat, gasping heavily for air. Her brows were tightly furrowed, and she clutched her chest, her limbs writhing slightly, letting out painful moans.
Beside her stood her two younger sisters, their faces full of worry. Upon seeing Elder Nyon, their eyes lit up and they quickly said, "Elder Nyon, you're finally here! Our sister has been like this since dusk."
"I heard Lady Hancock fell ill. What's going on?" Elder Nyon hurried over, but when she saw Hancock's condition, her heart jumped and she rushed to her side.
"It hurts so much..." Hancock moaned weakly in pain.
"Big Sister kept clutching her chest. We thought it might be a heart problem," Marigold said worriedly, "but after a careful examination, it doesn't seem to be a heart issue. It's some kind of unknown symptom."
Elder Nyon frowned deeply, staring at the suffering Hancock, lost in thought.
"What medicine should we use?" Sandersonia, kneeling beside the bed, wore a troubled expression. "Big Sister looks like she's in so much pain... she hasn't eaten a single bite until now."
"Elder Nyon... it hurts so much," Hancock turned her head weakly, her lips trembling. "Will I... die?"
Elder Nyon suddenly seemed to realize something. Her eyes widened sharply, pupils contracting.
Could it be...?
Meanwhile, in the guest room.
Kaguya sat sideways on the windowsill, gazing at the night view outside, her mind filled with countless thoughts as she contemplated her next move.
If she wanted to overthrow the World Government's rule, it was obvious that she alone would not be enough. Not in terms of strength—if it was just about destroying the World Government, aside from the mysterious Five Elders, there would be little difficulty.
The problem was that after eliminating the World Government, the world would lose its ruling authority and inevitably fall into chaos. Without constraints, pirates would rise up everywhere, and nations would descend into war.
At that point, the world would be engulfed in endless smoke and turmoil—an unavoidable outcome.
But that wasn't the result Kaguya wanted. She didn't want to leave behind a mess and simply walk away. Otherwise, what would happen to her friends in this world, especially her closest sisters?
What she needed now was to build a sufficiently large force so that after overthrowing the World Government, she could immediately intervene and become the new ruling authority. This would allow for a smooth transition of power.
Alright, to put it bluntly, she just wanted to be a queen—how grand it would be to have people surrounding her and cheering for her.
Just as Kaguya was deep in thought, a series of urgent knocks suddenly rang out.
"Artoria, are you there?" A worried voice called out.
Kaguya was stunned for a moment before realizing that they were calling her.
Previously, to conceal her identity, Kaguya had adopted an alias—Artoria.
Kaguya opened the door to find a delicate-looking girl standing outside. She recognized her—it was Gloriosa, a cute girl who often stayed by Hancock's side.
"Is something wrong?" Kaguya asked curiously.
"Could you come with me?" Gloriosa hesitated for a moment before saying, "Lady Hancock has fallen ill."
"Fallen ill?" Kaguya said in surprise.
She had just seen Hancock not long ago, and she hadn't seemed sick. Besides, with Hancock's physique, falling ill was quite difficult.
When they arrived, before Kaguya could even walk in, she saw Hancock walking out toward her.
"I heard you were sick," Kaguya said, surprised. "Are you alright now?"
Hancock approached and said, "I will not be defeated by mere illness."
"That's good," Kaguya said. Then, remembering something, she asked, "Did you want something from me?"
Hancock hesitated for a moment before saying, "Are you leaving early tomorrow?"
"Yes," Kaguya replied. "You already knew that, didn't you?"
"What I want to say is," Hancock lifted her head and said seriously, "may I see you off?"
This wasn't something the proud Hancock would normally do, nor was it her usual style.
Kaguya, noticing the lingering flush on Hancock's cheeks, said, "What's wrong? This isn't like you. Are you running a fever?" Saying this, she reached out and placed her hand on Hancock's smooth forehead.
Hancock's beautiful eyes widened in disbelief as her pale face blushed even redder, and her whole body heated up.
"As I thought," Kaguya withdrew her hand and said, "You must have caught a fever."
Hancock immediately reacted, stepping back two paces, her face now completely red, hurriedly saying, "No, that's not true! How could I be defeated by mere illness?"
"Don't force yourself," Kaguya said firmly. "Take some medicine and rest."
"Mm," Hancock surprisingly did not argue. She pressed her lips together and, after a brief hesitation, said, "But... could you stay with me a little longer?"
Kaguya said, "Then let's go inside. It's windy out here."
"Okay," Hancock happily nodded.
Kaguya wasn't sure if it was just her imagination, but Hancock seemed a little strange—though she couldn't quite pinpoint what was odd.
Meanwhile, hidden in the shadows in the distance, Elder Nyon watched with wide eyes, unable to believe what she was seeing. Just moments ago, Hancock had been weak as if on the verge of death, but now she was energetic and spirited, showing no signs of illness. It was truly unbelievable.
Sure enough, it was that kind of virus. Only that kind of "virus" could make Lady Hancock behave so out of character.
How fortunate you are, Artoria—to have melted the heart of an unshakable ice mountain like her.
...
After consuming a week's worth of rations for thirty people, Kaguya's mana level finally returned to its peak state. The oversized mana core provided tremendous explosive power, but it also came with immense consumption.
Previously, due to the lack of mana, she even experienced the embarrassing situation of being unable to materialize her armor or clothing—only her undergarments remained, and even those had been taken by Hancock to be washed, leaving her with nothing to wear.
It had to be said that this design was quite reasonable—no matter how depleted her mana became, the undergarments would never disappear. Otherwise, during mana overdrafts, wouldn't she end up completely exposed?
However, Kaguya admitted that her previous battle with Akainu and Kizaru had been far too reckless. Although the explosive power of her mana release was extraordinary, the enormous consumption nearly depleted her completely.
Had Akainu not received a call at that critical moment, allowing the fight to end, it was uncertain whether they would have lost. With their physical resilience, Akainu and Kizaru might have endured, while Kaguya, after exhausting her ultimate move, would surely have been defeated.
This was also due to her lack of mastery over her new powers after transforming.
In future battles, she would no longer be so aggressive. If she failed to defeat the opponent instantly, she could run out of mana and fall into a disadvantageous position.
After all, a Marine Admiral's physical toughness was not to be underestimated. Even after withstanding such powerful attacks from Kaguya, they hadn't suffered fatal injuries and were recovering rapidly—truly monstrous.
In other words, Black Saber's current strength was still far from being able to easily defeat an Admiral. Mana release should be reserved as a trump card for final victory.
As the saying goes, blowing all your ultimate skills at the start usually leads to a miserable end.
However, at the moment, what concerned her more was Hancock's condition. Since yesterday, she had been acting strangely, often holding her face, her cheeks rosy, and her eyes filled with spring-like tenderness—the classic look of a maiden in love.
Could it be that yesterday's fever cooked her brain?
It wasn't impossible.
"So, are you really sure you want to come aboard?" Kaguya cleared her throat and asked.
Previously, Kaguya had planned to build her own force, meaning she intended to establish a pirate crew. But founding a pirate crew wasn't easy. She needed a navigator, a cook, sailors, and so on—and she wasn't interested in ordinary talents.
So, with a "might as well ask" mentality, she had approached Hancock to see if she had any talented people to lend—at least a navigator. After all, drifting aimlessly across the vast sea wasn't exactly a good idea.
But what was meant to be a serious, straightforward request seemed to have been gravely misunderstood by Hancock.
Hancock's beautiful eyes widened in shock. She took two steps back, her cheeks instantly turning crimson.
Could it be... was she inviting her?
So straightforwardly saying it?
Was this... a confession?
Hancock shyly cupped her face, her whole body practically steaming.
What's wrong with her?
Kaguya was baffled.
Could it really be that the fever had fried her brain?
If Kaguya knew what Hancock was thinking, she would definitely say, "Girl, you're overthinking."
Originally, Kaguya had simply wanted to recruit a few crewmembers—nothing more. But things had taken an unexpected turn.
"If that is your wish," Hancock lifted her head, her cheeks flushed, "then I shall follow you to the ends of the earth."
"Well..." Kaguya scratched her head.
She hadn't intended to bring Hancock along. After all, Hancock was the Empress of Amazon Lily, and her tragic past was partly due to Kaguya herself—one of the reasons Kaguya hesitated to face her.
However, seeing Hancock's expectant gaze, she found it difficult to refuse outright. It was quite the headache.
"As expected," hidden in the shadows, Elder Nyon widened her eyes in shock. "Hancock's illness is truly lovesickness. Previous empresses also succumbed to love and died. I never thought Hancock would too."
In the spacious boudoir.
"What is happening to me?" Hancock, like a young girl in love for the first time, shyly held her face. "I can't refuse Artoria's requests, and I don't feel any disgust at all."
Elder Nyon said solemnly, "That is love."
"Love?" Hancock widened her eyes.
"The pain of not being able to see the one you yearn for will soon weaken and kill you," Elder Nyon said gravely. "Previous empresses, even though they met someone they admired, were forced to suppress their feelings because of their duty as empresses and stayed on the island. Eventually, the pain consumed them, taking their lives."
Elder Nyon sighed and continued, "However, your decision to sail with that person has saved your life. But now, you must make a new decision, Hancock."
"A new decision?" Hancock asked curiously.
"Yes. Have you thought about what will happen to Amazon Lily if you leave?" Elder Nyon said. "Without you, the island will lose its protection. Soon after, the Navy will come, and the only fate awaiting the island will be destruction."
Hancock's eyes widened in shock, and she unconsciously clenched the bedsheet, pressing her lips tightly together.
"This is something that cannot be helped," Elder Nyon said. "Where there is gain, there is loss. It is only natural."
Hancock lifted her head, biting her lip, and said, "Then I'll stay here."
"No," Elder Nyon interrupted firmly. "Do you want to die in pain?"
"But if I leave..." Hancock, caught in the throes of love, had lost her usual wisdom and was like a helpless little girl.
Elder Nyon sighed, raised her head, and said, "Now there is only one way left."
"Only one way?" Hancock said in surprise.
"Yes," Elder Nyon said seriously, word by word, "you must become one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea."
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