Chapter 1
This was the island of every man's dreams—Amazon Lily, commonly known as the "Daughter Island."
Only women lived on the island. Men were strictly forbidden. Any man who set foot here faced one fate: extermination by the Kuja Tribe, the island's legendary warrior women.
Deep within the island, in the prosperous Kingdom of Women, a special ritual was underway. Led personally by Boa Hancock, the newly appointed Shichibukai who had just answered the World Government's call, the entire tribe gathered at the royal palace's rear mountain, outside the ancestral emperors' tomb.
"Granny, must I really do this?"
Hancock stopped before the tomb. Her peerlessly beautiful face showed clear irritation as she turned to the woman beside her—Gloriosa.
"It must be done! This is for the sake of every citizen of Amazon Lily!"
Gloriosa spoke with absolute certainty.
They had come here because Gloriosa, a ruler from generations past, had discovered an ancient journal left by a previous empress. The journal recorded a prophecy from a renowned diviner of old. Shockingly, it had accurately predicted both Hancock becoming the new empress and her accepting the position of Shichibukai.
The journal's final entry warned that Amazon Lily would soon face total annihilation—an island-wide extinction that would wipe out the entire population. The cause was mentioned only briefly, but it was a name that terrified even Hancock: the Celestial Dragons.
To avert this catastrophe, Hancock must open the tomb on the designated day—today—and bring out a man from within to marry. Only then would they gain the power to oppose the Celestial Dragons.
"This tomb hasn't been opened for hundreds of years. How could there possibly be a living person inside? And a man, no less!"
"Am I supposed to marry one of the skeletons in there?!"
Hancock tilted her head and pointed accusingly at Gloriosa's nose.
"The journal says so! For the lives of our people, we follow it!"
"Enough talk. Open the tomb!"
Though she had her own doubts, every previous prediction in the journal had come true. Gloriosa ordered her subordinates forward.
Rumble...
Over a dozen Kuja warriors stepped up and pushed together. The heavy stone door groaned open, releasing a rush of ancient, stale air.
"Hancock, only you may enter from here."
"Remember: no matter who—or what—it is, even if it's just bones that move, you must bring it out!"
Hancock said nothing. A million objections raced through her mind, but this concerned the Celestial Dragons and the lives of every woman on the island. She bit her red lip, steeled herself, and entered alone.
The outside fell into absolute silence. Everyone held their breath, waiting.
Boom!
A golden pillar of light suddenly descended from the sky, striking the top of the tomb with impossible speed. The roof shattered, blasting a massive hole in the stone.
"This is... a heavenly omen!"
"It seems the journal was telling the truth!"
Gloriosa's eyes widened in certainty.
Inside the tomb, Hancock had just lit a torch and begun looking around when the explosion startled her. What shocked her far more was the sudden appearance of a male figure right in front of her.
The man's clothes were charred and tattered, as if struck by lightning, but his handsome, refined face remained untouched. Sunlight poured through the new hole in the roof, illuminating him perfectly. For a brief moment, Hancock was stunned.
"Cough... cough..."
"What rotten luck! How do I get struck by lightning just walking down the street?!"
"Wait... where the hell am I?!"
The man coughed, brushed off the ash, and finally realized he was in a strange, dim place.
His name was He Xuan, an ordinary office worker from Blue Star. Moments ago, he had been heading out to clock in for another dull day of work when a bolt of lightning hit him—and now he was here.
Tap.
A faint sound drew his attention. Then, a woman of breathtaking, world-toppling beauty appeared before him.
Both stared at each other, each lost in their own thoughts. He Xuan felt a strange sense of familiarity—this woman seemed like someone he'd seen before.
"Uh... hello?"
"Where is this place?"
He Xuan broke the silence first, smiling and waving. But Hancock's reply left him stunned.
"This is the ancestral tomb of Amazon Lily's emperors."
"I am the empress of Amazon Lily... Boa Hancock."
"Come. Our wedding is about to begin."
The flood of information hit He Xuan like a truck. He rubbed his eyes hard, staring again at the woman before him.
Wide, smooth forehead. Raven-black hair. Long, elegant eyes. High, delicate nose. Cherry lips. A slender yet perfectly curvaceous figure—impossibly flawless.
"Boa Hancock... the Pirate Empress?!"
"I've transmigrated into the world of One Piece!"
He Xuan instantly realized the truth. The name, the face—it was the Pirate Empress from the anime he loved on Blue Star.
And then it hit him: What wedding was she talking about?!
[Ding! Host consciousness confirmed. One Piece Sign-In System activating. Binding to host: He Xuan.]
Before He Xuan could ask anything, Hancock grabbed his arm and pulled him out of the tomb. A mechanical voice echoed in his mind.