As the day wore on, the night curtain fell. The afterglow of the setting sun gradually disappeared beyond the horizon, and darkness once again enveloped the sky in silence.
A crescent moon slowly rose from the horizon, its soft moonlight like a pool of autumn water, gently spilling like threads and wisps over the war-ravaged land.
Under the bright moonlight, one could see broken walls and scattered rubble everywhere, with crisscrossed trenches etched into the earth. The once-sturdy bunkers had collapsed and shattered, with faint dark red bloodstains still lingering, bearing the mottled traces of war. A slightly chilly breeze blew slowly, lifting dust and sand into the air. The wailing sound of the wind added even more desolation.
This world-shaking battle at Marineford finally came to an end after lasting an entire day, concluding near dusk.
In this war, Whitebeard, known as the world's strongest man, perished. The Whitebeard Pirates suffered heavy losses; their fleet was nearly wiped out, and the casualties were countless.
The Navy also suffered severe damage. Admiral Akainu died in battle, and more than half of the 100,000 elite naval forces gathered there were either killed or injured. Marineford, the Navy's headquarters, had been reduced to ruins during the war.
Yet what shocked people the most was not these losses, but the reappearance of Kaguya—the one known as the strongest in the world—who had vanished for many years.
Over the years, countless strong individuals had emerged on the Grand Line, as numerous as fish crossing a river. They not only possessed great strength but also commanded powerful fleets.
But if one were to ask who was the strongest, the answer was obvious: Kaguya.
No one was her match—not Whitebeard, known as the world's strongest man; not Kaido, known as the strongest creature; not Red-Haired Shanks, nor Navy Fleet Admiral Sengoku, nor even Hero Garp.
Yet for some unknown reason, she had disappeared in just a few years, vanishing without a trace. Since then, no one had seen her again, and many rumors had begun to spread wildly.
Some said she defected, others claimed she went to sea, and some even said she was silenced. There were all sorts of versions, seemingly plausible but full of holes, meant only to draw attention.
This, however, also showed how much people idolized her. It was known that she was not only an unrivaled powerhouse, but also regarded as the most beautiful woman in the world. The gossip and tabloid news about her even far exceeded that of the Mermaid Princess and the Snake Princess of Amazon Lily.
Almost every issue of those flashy magazines contained rumors about her. Any scrap of hearsay would be made into front-page headlines. Even so, people flocked to buy them, and the publishing houses made a fortune. Looking at the astonishing sales, the newspaper bosses could laugh in their sleep.
If Kaguya had wanted to become a celebrity, she might have already become a superstar.
But her sudden disappearance troubled these publishers greatly. These magazines accounted for more than half of the publishers' total sales. When Kaguya disappeared, sales plummeted like a roller coaster. Over the past few years, countless small publishers had gone out of business.
The newspaper bosses were so anxious they scratched their heads all day, so stressed that even the few hairs they had left started falling out in bunches. In just a few years, they went from Mediterranean styles to complete baldness.
So this appearance of hers attracted extra attention.
If anyone was happiest about Kaguya's return, it would definitely be those newspaper tycoons. They hurriedly dispatched nearly all their reporters to Marineford for live coverage.
Reporting from a war zone was no joke. After all, it was a battlefield, filled with gunfire and flying bullets. If one was unlucky and got hit, they might never make it back.
It was understandable that many reporters were unwilling to go, but once the newspaper bosses offered ten times the usual pay, the reporters immediately agreed and rushed over faster than Hong Kong journalists.
Nowadays, money can make even ghosts do your bidding, let alone ordinary people.
When the reporters sent back the latest information from the frontlines, the newspaper bosses realized they had struck gold.
Due to delays in information flow, people only knew that Whitebeard had died, while the rest remained unclear. But the bosses knew—the true cause behind all this wasn't Whitebeard or the Navy, but the sudden reappearance of Kaguya!
It was she who, with her own power alone, defeated the entire Navy!
It was also she who killed Admiral Akainu!
The moment this news was released, it caused a huge uproar. To openly kill a Navy Admiral was a blatant slap in the face to the Navy and an open declaration of war against the World Government. The World Government would surely not let this go.
Just as people were nervously speculating that a new war was about to begin, something utterly astonishing happened—Marineford, the Navy headquarters, was repaired and then renamed to Marineford Resort Beach!
Even the original bunkers had been transformed into seaside hotels!
This news stirred up waves across the world.
Even if Kaguya possessed unparalleled strength, doing something like this was sheer arrogance. Building a resort on top of Navy headquarters?
The metaphorical slap to the face was loud and clear—no one could tolerate it!
Just when everyone thought war was inevitable, something even more shocking occurred—not only did the Navy not seek revenge, but they also announced that Navy headquarters would be relocated to the former G1 base in the New World, to better deter pirates in that region.
Even they probably didn't believe their own excuse!
Meanwhile, at Marineford Resort Beach—
Monet walked in gracefully with a cup of black tea, placed it on the table, and said, "Master, just as you expected, Fujitora has been promoted to Admiral."
"Oh? Fujitora was promoted to Admiral?" Kaguya, lying on a sun lounger, took off her sunglasses, slightly surprised. "So soon?"
During the Summit War, the tactless Akainu had tried to ambush her, and in response, Kaguya had casually sent him to the afterlife. That left an Admiral position vacant, so Fujitora's promotion was within reason—but it was faster than expected, considering the war had just ended not long ago.
"Also, Fleet Admiral Sengoku has resigned in guilt, though no successor has been decided yet," Monet said softly.
Kaguya nodded.
That was to be expected. The damage from the Summit War was immense, and even after eliminating Whitebeard, it failed to achieve the intended deterrence against pirates. Instead, more pirates began to stir up chaos in the wake of Whitebeard's absence, plunging the Grand Line into flames of war.
"By the way," Kaguya suddenly thought of something and asked, "Did Hancock notice anything?"
Monet understood what Kaguya was thinking and smiled slightly. "Don't worry, Master. She still doesn't know your true identity."
Kaguya raised an eyebrow. "Oh?"
Logically speaking, even a fool should have picked up some clues by now. After all, she hadn't made any effort to hide things from Hancock in her interactions with Monet. If Hancock had been paying attention, she should've noticed something.
As if guessing Kaguya's thoughts, Monet smiled lightly and said, "Women in love are all fools, aren't they?"
Kaguya chuckled and asked in return, "And what about you?"
Monet mischievously slid one soft hand into Kaguya's embrace, blinked her beautiful eyes, and flirtatiously threw a teasing glance. "What do you think, Master?"
...
The night sky hung low, stars twinkled, and a full moon hovered high above. Moonlight flowed down like water, illuminating the earth. Brilliant mountain flowers bloomed by the pond, exuding a cool fragrance in the night air. A gentle breeze blew, rustling the leaves with a soft swoosh.
Inside a grand and towering palace, in a room deep down a corridor, faint rustling sounds echoed. Occasionally, a soft, flute-like, and deeply suppressed moan could be heard, casting a dreamy haze over the night.
Hancock was restless. She tossed and turned on the luxurious bed lined with soft goose down, unable to sleep, feeling agitated. She finally got up and opened the window. Clear moonlight shone through the half-open pane, and the cool breeze made her feel slightly better.
Since the Summit War, she hadn't seen Kaguya again. When she asked Monet, she was simply told that Kaguya had urgent matters and had to leave in a hurry without saying goodbye, and that she shouldn't worry, only wait patiently.
That reason was far from satisfying. Hancock pressed further about Kaguya's whereabouts, but Monet didn't know where she had gone either.
With no other option, Hancock returned to Albion with Monet, but after several days without seeing any sign of Kaguya, her patience finally ran out.
She wandered aimlessly through the empty corridor until suddenly, Hancock stopped. Her eyes sharpened—she seemed to hear a strange sound coming from Kaguya's room.
Could it be… she's back?
Hancock's eyes lit up, and she hurried over to the room. But just as she reached the door, the sounds coming from inside made her expression freeze.
She was very familiar with that voice—it was Monet!
Why her?
A sense of foreboding surged in Hancock's heart.
Why would Kaguya look for Monet first instead of her? Wasn't she the one Kaguya cared about the most?
Could it be… they were secretly…
The mere thought clenched her heart. She bit her sleeve, and in her mind appeared a vision of herself being abandoned—
"I'm sorry. After thinking it through, we just can't be together."
"No! Don't leave me!"
Hancock shook her head forcefully.
How could she tolerate such a thing happening!
Her lips pressed tight, her pretty face filled with determination. There was no way she would lose to them. Even if she had to fight, she would take her back!
She belongs to me!
Hancock, now filled with resolve, strode forward and pushed the door open, shouting, "Why didn't you tell me you were back—"
But before she could finish, she froze at the sight before her.
One of them was indeed Monet. But the other…
"Kaguya, it's you?!" Hancock's pupils shrank as she exclaimed in disbelief.
Kaguya let go of the weak and exhausted Monet, got out of bed with a slight smile, and said playfully, "Oh? Are you looking for me?"
Hancock's cold eyes radiated with hatred. She pointed at Kaguya and growled through gritted teeth, "It really is you—the Celestial Dragon who captured the three of us ten years ago, humiliated us in every way, and tortured us!"
She had never expected to meet Kaguya here!
She would never forget that day. They were captured by human traffickers and sold at a high price to the Celestial Dragons in Mariejois, where they were abused and tormented like it was hell itself. That tragic memory remained vividly in her mind like a recurring nightmare.
She could still recall the moment when the red-hot branding iron scorched their skin in the Celestial Dragons' dungeon. The heart-wrenching pain made her hands and feet go cold and drenched her in sweat every time she thought of it. Even now, her back still seemed to burn with phantom pain from that scorching mark.
At the thought, fine beads of sweat broke out across Hancock's fair forehead.
"That's right, it's me," Kaguya said, sitting on the sofa with legs crossed, gazing calmly at Hancock from a distance. "So, what are you going to do about it?"
A flicker of anger crossed Hancock's face. She said, "The humiliation you gave me, the torment you gave us—no matter what, I will make you pay this time!"
All these years, not a moment passed where she forgot the suffering she endured. That excruciating pain had become an inescapable nightmare.
"Pay?" Kaguya looked at the emotional girl, twirling her hair around a finger and smirking. "With just you? You're not naive enough to think you can defeat me, are you?"
Hancock froze. Only now did she suddenly remember—the person before her wasn't just any Celestial Dragon. She was the one known as the strongest in the world!
This was the one who single-handedly destroyed the entire Navy headquarters!
Back at Marineford, Hancock had seen her from a distance. The terrifying power Kaguya displayed still haunted her mind.
Realizing this, a chill ran down Hancock's spine. She knew she could never defeat Kaguya.
"But—so what? Even if I can't defeat you, I want to prove—" Hancock clenched her teeth and lifted her head, shouting, "I'm no longer a slave for you to toy with!"
Under Kaguya's blazing gaze, Hancock did not back down. Like a warrior facing death unflinchingly, she stood firm, fists tightly clenched.
After silently watching the girl for a moment, Kaguya suddenly laughed, clapping her hands. "As expected of the Snake Princess of Amazon Lily—you have some spirit. It's hard to imagine you were once a slave, tormented by others. Truly surprising."
Hearing her words, Hancock pressed her lips together, fists clenching involuntarily.
"However—" Kaguya smirked, "Don't you want to see Artoria again?"
Hancock's pupils contracted sharply!
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