One Piece: Wild Hunt

Chapter 96: Clash of Wills

Despite witnessing her sisters be defeated, Hancock remained in her initial position with an apathetic look on her face, coldly staring down Thomas.

"Where are you looking!?" shouted Caenis, appearing next to Hancock as if she had teleported.

Raising her head, Hancock bellowed, "Impudence...!" before twisted her body and unleashing a whip-like kick to Caenis's metallic armguard. To the latter's surprise, she actually felt an iota of pain as the metal of her armguard, the leather beneath it, and the outer layer of her skin gained a stony texture. She was also launched backward like a projectile fired from a railgun, but she managed to flip herself over and land against the wall as if it were flat ground rather than being smashed into it.

Looking down at her petrified armguard, Caenis adopted a toothy grin as she remarked, "Well, would you look at that? Looks like I can't completely ignore the effects of Devil Fruits. Or is this the result of your Haki...?"

Raising her head even higher, so much so that she had to look down her nose to meet Caenis's gaze, Hancock declared, "I am Boa Hancock, the Pirate Empress. Know your place!"

Spurred by Hancock's words, a somewhat unhinged smile developed across Caenis's face before she burst out laughing. While Hancock's power and speed were certainly commendable, she had traded blows with monsters like Heracles in the past.

Furrowing her brows, Hancock muttered, "How distasteful..." before pressing her left index finger to her lips and pulling it away to create a large, balloon-like heart. Then, with her right index finger and thumb, she grabbed the elastic material of the heart and pulled it back as if she were firing a bow.

"Slave Arrow...!" shouted Hancock, unleashing dozens of fast-moving, heart-shaped projectiles.

Manifesting her spear, Caenis's grin strained the muscles of her face as she cut down each of the arrows with extreme speed and accuracy. The moment the barrage began to let up, she kicked off the ground with such speed and strength her body appeared to elongate, stretching across the room as she appeared before Hancock in an instant.

Though the pupils of her eyes contracted, Hancock maintained a proud, unperturbed look as Caenis's crimson spear aimed to graze the left side of her abdomen. Even with Advanced Observation Haki, she was unable to dodge in time. However, the moment the spear's edge came in contact with her skin, it abruptly turned to stone before breaking down further.

Undaunted by the failure of her attack, Caenis followed up with a heavy punch to Hancock's unblemished abdomen. Intense pain shot up her arm, accompanied by her hand and forearm turning to stone, but the smile on her face remained as she bellowed, "Eat shit...!" before following through and sending Hancock hurtling through the air.

Similar to Caenis, Hancock flipped over and attempted to right herself like an experienced gymnast. She would have succeeded, but Caenis caught up to her mid-flight, striking with her petrified fist despite several cracks appearing on its surface.

Crossing her arms, Hancock braced for impact while attempting to block Caenis's punch. Unfortunately for her, Caenis possessed A-Rank Strength by default, and it was only going up. Even with Advanced Armament Haki, Hancock could feel her bones creaking under the strain of Caenis's blows.

Making use of the throne room's incredibly durable walls, Caenis gleefully bounced Hancock several times before clicking her tongue as her left arm abruptly crumbled from the elbow down. Hancock's Devil Fruit seemed to convert shockwaves into petrification energy. Her Divine Core of the Sea God should have allowed her to resist the effects, but Hancock's Haki was slowly permeating her body like the energy of a Curse.

With Caenis finally letting up on her assault, Hancock stared back at her for several seconds before pulling out a handkerchief and wiping a trace of blood from her lips. Seeing it caused her brows to furrow, but she didn't immediately attempt to counter. Instead, she remarked, "Things weren't supposed to go this far..."

Before Thomas could ask what she was talking about, Caenis waved her petrified stump and replied, "You're the one that chose to play the part of stuck-up, arrogant bitch. Now, you better prepare yourself. I'm about to go shoulder-deep in your ass."

Narrowing her eyes, Hancock remarked, "You're like a wild animal..." before raising her obsidian-black foot to meet Caenis's charge. This time, however, she infused Conqueror's Haki into her attack, not just Armament Haki. As a result, Caenis's right fist stopped several centimeters from the heel of her foot, almost like they were two magnets being forced together along repelling poles. At the same time, threads of black lightning spread through the chamber, fracturing the ground, walls, and ceiling.

Though she tapped into the energy of her Divine Core, Caenis's right fist, parts of her face, and much of her armor gradually turned to stone as she failed to break through Hancock's attack. Since she was still in her 'base' form, she could only tap into a fraction of her original power. Her C-Rank Magic Resistance and D-Rank Mana Reserves also weren't doing her any favors, so she was slowly succumbing to the influence of Hancock's Haki.

Seeing Caenis refusing to back down, a resolute expression developed across Hancock's face. She was originally just planning to teach Thomas and his friends a lesson, not because she genuinely disdained them, but to prove to Shirou that he could rely on her. She didn't plan for things to develop this far, but her pride as an Empress made it impossible for her to be the first to back down.

With the intent of bringing the fight to an end, Hancock declared, "Only Conqueror's Haki can oppose Conqueror's Haki..." Then, while increasing the amount of Haki in her attack, she unleashed a laser-like beam of black energy from her foot, tinged with the same pink hue as her other attacks. When it eventually faded, everything in its path had been turned to stone, Caenis included.

Exhaling the faintest of sighs, Hancock lowered her foot before combing back a few strands of hair and turning her attention to Thomas. She half-expected him to panic or charge her after seeing one of his allies turned to stone. Instead, he was staring at her with a grim look, no trace of the 'infatuation' that had been there previously.

Feeling strangely discomforted by Thomas's gaze, Hancock returned her attention to Caenis, crossing her arms as she asserted, "She brought this on herself. Don't worry. Once we have had a chance to talk, I will turn her back to normal. As for her arm...such is the price of hubris..."

Unclenching his jaw, Thomas's voice was deep and penetrating as he said, "You really are touched in the head...we're supposed to be allies, comrades in the fight against the World Government. Even if this was some kind of 'test,' you took things way too far. And for what? Shirou may have asked me to help assemble the Install Cards, but I told him I would only search for them once I completed my journey. I haven't done a damn thing to get between the two of you, so tell me, what was the purpose of this conflict? What the actual fuck is your problem?"

Instead of interrupting him, Hancock waited for Thomas to finish speaking before calmly stating, "When Shirou and I discussed you, he assured me you had the potential to overthrow the World Government and liberate the entire world from their tyranny. Even without Haki, I expected you to have a bearing and disposition befitting a King. Instead, the only thing I sense in you is mediocrity..."

Returning her gaze to Thomas, Hancock narrowed her eyes as she added, "A person who stands idly by while others fight at their behest cannot free this world. Even if you had no chance at victory, you should have stepped forward to face me directly. Without that level of conviction, how could you possibly hope to stand against an enemy that has ruled uncontested for the past 800 years?"

Shaking her head, Hancock preempted Thomas's answer, stating, "Those who only fight when they are assured of their victory can never attain true strength. I'm certain you will become very powerful one day, but you will never stand on the same level as the Yonko. Not as you are now..."

Finished with what she had to say, Hancock made an open-palm gesture as if she were blowing a kiss. As she did so, the stone covering Caenis's body began to recede, restoring her bronzed complexion and the hue of her armor.

Catching Hancock a little off-guard, Caenis's left arm abruptly grew back, followed by her bounding forward with the same intensity she had before being petrified.

"Enough!" shouted Hancock. However, despite her efforts to kick Caenis away, the latter continued forward, slipping through the Pirate Empress's guard like a wrestler going for a clinch. As a result, Hancock found her left leg in the nook between Caenis's neck and shoulder as the latter hooked one of her legs around the proud Empress's head.

"You"

Though she tried to shout something, Hancock found her words muffled by Caenis's ass and thigh. She attempted to break free, but the latter was much stronger than she was, resulting in her eventually being taken to the ground. Caenis ordinarily would have had an absolute advantage at that point, especially with her body having similar properties to seastone, but Hancock quickly lost her patience, unleashing her Conqueror's Haki. As a result, Caenis was once again turned into a statue. Only this time, she had Hancock in a hold similar to a triangle choke.

"Get this 'thing' off of me...!" shouted Hancock, a rare vein bulging on her forehead. She attempted dislodging Caenis herself, but the latter was a lot more durable than the average statue. There was also the fact that, even while petrified, Caenis's body still possessed properties similar to seastone. Unless she got serious and made use of her Conqueror's Haki, Hancock couldn't break free.

Though he was tempted to let Hancock struggle for a bit, Thomas had grown weary of the inordinately beautiful woman's presence. Her words resonated with him, but he was still frustrated with how everything had played out. The sooner he could leave, reunite with Astolfo, and get the hell away from Amazon Lily, the better.

Interrupting Sandersonia's and Marigold's attempts to free their sister, Thomas said, "Remove the petrification, and I'll summon her to my side. After that, we'll return to our ship, retrieve our allies, and vacate Amazon Lily's territorial waters. I had originally intended to open an Enma-tei on your island to ensure you never ran low on supplies, but now that'll have to wait. Maybe forever..."

As she had no idea what an Enma-tei was, Hancock didn't feel a sense of loss hearing Thomas's words. Instead, she glared daggers at him as she asserted, "The Kuja Tribe has endured for centuries without any outside influence. We have no need for your pity."

Adopting a deadpan expression, Thomas retorted, "We both know that isn't the case. Even if it was, that changed the moment the Marines and World Government began constructing vessels capable of traversing the Calm Belt. You wouldn't be a Shichibukai otherwise."

Snorting through her nose, Hancock began to gradually 'thaw' Caenis as she said, "Just take your beast and get out of here as quickly as possible. Your presence here draws unnecessary attention to both Amazon Lily and my beloved Shirou."

Responding with a snort of his own, Thomas waited for Caenis to make Hancock croak before calling out to her. When she ignored him, he used a Command Spell to summon her to his side, restoring a bit of her sanity by grasping her hand and declaring, "That's enough, Caenis. Let's get out of here," in a firm tone.

Though her eyes retained their crimson hue, Caenis looked back at Thomas as if to ask, 'are you serious?' with just her gaze. She still had a 'promise' to keep with Hancock, but when Thomas pulled her close and whispered something into her ear, she calmed down surprisingly quickly. The reason being that Hancock was staring at them with a 'very' envious look on her face, evidently jealous of their intimacy...

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(A/N: For those who think Hancock is depicted as 'too strong' in this scene, you might be surprised to learn she was actually holding back. Blackbeard and his crew were able to defeat Marco and the remnants of the Whitebeard Pirates with relative ease, but Hancock was nearly able to fend them off entirely on her own. She isn't quite at Yonko level, but she is a forced to be reckoned with.)