Chapter 58: 58. The Three Sisters

Check out advanced chapters on P@treon: [email protected]/CosmicKaminari ---------- Boa Hancock. Some time ago, she and her two younger sisters, Boa Sandersonia and Boa Marigold, had secretly left Amazon Lily with the Kuja Pirates. Their goal was to prove that they, too, could go to sea and fight as warriors. But the seas were far crueler and more treacherous than they'd imagined. Before they could even find a battle worth fighting, mere days after leaving the Calm Belt, the three sisters were ambushed and abducted right off their ship—without a single crew member noticing. Now, they were trapped aboard one of the world's most infamous human trafficking vessels. Though they had barely seen the open sea, the three of them knew the fate that awaited them. Hancock had heard tales of the so-called "terror of men" back on Amazon Lily, but nothing could have prepared her for the horrors she'd seen here. Other women were held captive in the cramped, dark cell alongside them, but each day, more of them disappeared, dragged off by the traffickers only to be returned later—injured and broken. Their once-bright eyes turned hollow, dulled by despair. For days, the numbers dwindled, one by one, until only Hancock and her sisters remained. The traffickers had deemed them "high-value items," sparing them from the same brutality for now. But they knew from the other prisoners that their turn would come soon enough. According to the traffickers, they were bound for an auction. They would be sold like commodities, forced into lives of slavery. And if they caught the attention of the Celestial Dragons, they would be marked as slaves forever, branded with a symbol of lifetime shame. The thought filled Hancock with horror. She wanted to cry out, to scream in fear, but with her two younger sisters beside her, she forced herself to stay strong. Wrapping her arms around Sandersonia and Marigold, she tried to offer them what little comfort she could. But comfort was all she had to give. Shackled and chained, stripped of any hope of escape, there was nothing she could do. Only resentment, regret, and fear filled her heart. Boom! A sudden, deafening crash shook the ship, followed by violent tremors that rattled their cell. Sandersonia and Marigold clung tightly to Hancock, their faces pale with terror. "What's happening?! We're not at port yet!" Sandersonia stammered. "Sister, I'm scared! I don't want to be a slave!" Marigold cried, her voice trembling. Hancock had been at sea just long enough to know that docking didn't cause shaking this intense. "No... if we were docking, the ship wouldn't be trembling like this." Hancock's own voice was shaky, but she managed to keep her tone steady as she tried to reassure them. "Maybe... maybe the Kuja Pirates have come to rescue us!" Her heart pounded with a glimmer of hope, clinging to the chance that they might still be saved. As soon as Hancock spoke, a chilling scream echoed from outside the slave quarters. The voice was painfully familiar to the three sisters, who had endured the horrors of this ship for days. Clearly, a fierce battle was taking place, and the earlier tremor had been caused by the fighting. Judging by the sounds outside, it was the traffickers who were on the losing side. Sandersonia and Marigold's eyes brightened with hope, immediately thinking their eldest sister's words had come true. The sharp crackle of electricity cut through the air, sending flashes of light under the door. Moments later, a final burst of crackling was followed by silence, as the screams abruptly ceased. "No... this isn't the Kuja Pirates!" Hancock's hope quickly faded, her heart sinking. The power being unleashed outside was nothing like the familiar techniques of Amazon Lily, and there had been no shouts from her fellow Kuja warriors. Someone else had targeted this ship. Her suspicion was confirmed moments later when the cell door was smashed open. Standing in the doorway was a man in a uniform, casually holding the bloodied body of a familiar figure—the trafficker captain himself. The three sisters recognized the man instantly; he was the leader of the slavers who'd captured them. And now, this stranger had wiped out the entire crew. "Well, well... looks like we've found them. The three of you must be the 'women from Amazon Lily' he mentioned." Laffitte's words sounded more like a statement than a question. He tossed the trafficker leader's limp body aside and lightly tapped each of the sisters' shackles with his cane. With a sharp click, the iron locks shattered, freeing them from the chains that had bound them for days. Though released from their chains, the sisters remained wary, knowing freedom was still out of reach. Laffitte stepped aside, gesturing toward the open door. "Our Captain, Alex, is particularly interested in the captives on this ship. Please follow me to meet him. And do not resist, or I will be forced to take more... persuasive measures." Though his words were polite, his tone left no room for defiance. Hancock glanced at the motionless, bloodied form of the trafficker captain. Gritting her teeth, she nodded, leading Sandersonia and Marigold forward. As she walked, she silently reassured herself and her sisters. After all, they'd already faced the worst possible fate here—at least now, there might be another way out. Clinging to that fragile hope, Hancock steeled herself and stepped through the doorway, though her heart remained heavy with fear. She prayed silently that they hadn't just escaped one nightmare only to fall into another. As they emerged from the dark, cramped cell, the sight of the open sea and sky dazzled their eyes. After a week in darkness, the sudden light left them momentarily stunned. But as her eyes adjusted, Hancock's gaze swept over the deck. Everywhere she looked, traffickers lay scattered, defeated and smoldering, thin tendrils of smoke rising from their bodies. The air reeked of scorched flesh, and wisps of white smoke lingered around them. In the center of the deck stood a girl with electric currents sparking across her body, her hair a striking mix of blue and white, shimmering like lightning. She appeared to be around Hancock's age, yet the aura of power around her was undeniable. Hancock's eyes widened as she took in the scene. There was no doubt this girl had single-handedly overwhelmed the traffickers. 'A Devil Fruit user, and a powerful one at that.' The realization hit her—this girl alone could overpower the three of them, not to mention the man with the cane, who seemed just as formidable. Her heart sank. Even with their chains removed, they were still at the mercy of these strangers. As she struggled with these thoughts, a massive shadow loomed over the ship. Glancing back, Hancock's heart skipped a beat as she spotted a colossal vessel—many times larger than their current one—bearing down on them, blocking out the sunlight as it drew closer. Before she could react, the man with the white wings suddenly spread them wide. With effortless strength, he scooped up Hancock and her sisters and flew them over to the enormous ship now alongside them.