One Piece: I'm not Roger

Seeing the hesitation on Hancock's beautiful face, Gloriosa immediately stepped forward in panic, afraid Hancock would repeat the same mistake made by the previous two Empresses.

"Wait a moment, Aether. Have you forgotten that Snake Princess is the Empress of Amazon Lily? And Snake Princess, are you planning to abandon the people of Kuja Island?"

Those words instantly pulled Hancock out of her thoughts.

Although her expression turned displeased, she could not deny Gloriosa's reasoning. She was the ruler of Amazon Lily. Unlike Gloriosa in the past, she could not selfishly cast aside her people for personal feelings.

Still, being interrupted at such a moment made her extremely annoyed.

With irritation written all over her face, Hancock casually kicked Gloriosa away.

"You old hag, do you think I need you to remind me? I am the Empress of Amazon Lily. I would never abandon my people like you did."

Gloriosa rolled several times across the floor before finally stopping in a rather miserable state.

Even though Hancock's kick hurt badly, Gloriosa believed it was worth it if it stopped Hancock from making a decision she might regret forever.

After dusting herself off, she spoke earnestly.

"Snake Princess, I know how much you love Aether, but you are first and foremost the Empress of Amazon Lily. The people here all depend on you."

Aether noticed the provocative look Gloriosa threw at him and quickly understood the misunderstanding.

They thought he intended to take Hancock away alone and abandon Amazon Lily entirely.

So he calmly explained.

"When I said I wanted to take Hancock away, I never meant abandoning Amazon Lily. What I meant was bringing everyone from Amazon Lily with us. The situation is complicated, so let's return to the palace first. I'll explain everything there."

Both Hancock and Gloriosa were stunned.

Relocating an entire nation was no small matter. Tens of thousands of people could not simply pack up and leave overnight.

Still, judging from Aether's serious expression, neither woman felt he was joking.

Soon, Hancock happily held Aether's hand as they walked toward the palace together, while Gloriosa silently followed behind with countless thoughts running through her mind.

Not long afterward, the group arrived at the palace.

The discussion about the future of Amazon Lily soon expanded from three people to six, as Hancock's two sisters and the captain of the Kuja warriors joined them.

Once everyone had taken their seats, Aether finally revealed the true reason for his visit.

"I want all of Amazon Lily to relocate to territory under my protection in the New World. You will not need to submit to me, and I will prepare a suitable island for your people to live on. I'm doing this for Hancock's sake."

An island large enough to accommodate the entire Kuja tribe would cost an unimaginable amount of Berries.

"Husband..."

Hancock was deeply moved by his words, but when it came to the future of Amazon Lily, she quickly regained her composure.

At this moment, she was not simply Aether's lover. She was the Empress of Amazon Lily.

The gentleness on her face disappeared, replaced by the pride and authority she carried when they first met.

"Aether, why do you want Amazon Lily to relocate? Our people have lived here for centuries. Everyone is familiar with this island. I hope you can give me a proper explanation."

Sandersonia immediately nodded in agreement.

"That's right, Brother Aether. This is our homeland. Why should we suddenly move?"

Aether glanced around the room before quietly releasing Observation Haki to ensure nobody else was listening nearby.

What he was about to say would shake the entire world if leaked.

"I received information from inside the World Government. In two years, the Shichibukai system will be abolished. The World Government intends to hunt down every former Shichibukai."

The room instantly fell silent.

Hancock's expression gradually darkened.

If the Shichibukai title disappeared, Amazon Lily would immediately lose the protection that prevented the Marines from openly targeting them.

Subconsciously, Hancock bit her fingernail while thinking deeply.

She trusted Aether completely. Since he said this would happen, then the World Government must already be planning something massive.

Even Gloriosa, who prided herself on being well-informed, looked shocked.

"How is that possible? Without the Shichibukai, how will the World Government maintain balance against the Four Emperors... no, the Five Emperors now? After Marineford, the Marines already suffered heavy losses. If the Shichibukai system collapses too, the seas will descend into chaos."

Aether simply shook his head.

Most people could never imagine such a dramatic change happening within only two years.

Yet this was reality.

When the World Government eventually announced the abolition of the Shichibukai, every member would be caught off guard.

Fortunately, most Shichibukai possessed monstrous strength capable of protecting themselves.

The truly unfortunate ones would be Hancock and Amazon Lily.

Once the Marines targeted them, Blackbeard would eventually arrive afterward as well. If Silvers Rayleigh had not appeared in time, Hancock's fate would have been disastrous.

And if someone had to be blamed for all these massive changes...

It could only be that reckless fool with the straw hat.

Aether continued calmly.

"In two years, the World Government will no longer need the Shichibukai to balance the seas. Hancock, do you remember providing blood samples to the Government?"

Hancock nodded.

"Yes. They collected blood from the Shichibukai three years ago."

Aether continued.

"They used that blood to create weapons known as Seraphim. Through advanced biotechnology, Vegapunk combined the lineage factors of the Shichibukai with the abilities of the Lunarian race to create living weapons powerful enough to replace the Shichibukai entirely."

The moment Vegapunk's name was mentioned, everyone in the room frowned.

Although they had heard the name before, very few people truly understood how terrifying the genius scientist really was.

Almost every advanced weapon or scientific breakthrough developed by the World Government in recent years had originated from him.

Gloriosa, however, cared less about Vegapunk himself and more about the danger facing Amazon Lily.

"How powerful are these Seraphim?"

Aether answered without hesitation.

"Each one possesses combat ability comparable to Hancock herself. The first batch consists of seven Seraphim, though nobody knows whether more will be produced later."

The room immediately erupted into alarm.

Sandersonia and Marigold both inhaled sharply.

"Seven Elder Sisters...?"

Just imagining seven enemies with Hancock's level of strength attacking Amazon Lily made them shudder.

Hancock was not weak by any means.

Among the Shichibukai, only Dracule Mihawk could consistently overpower her. Doflamingo and Bartholomew Kuma were roughly in the same tier as her.

If the World Government truly possessed seven warriors at that level, then the Seraphim alone would rival the military strength of an Emperor's crew.

Hancock's expression became increasingly troubled.

Only Aether's hand tightly holding hers allowed her to remain steady.

The Shichibukai had always been viewed as unstable allies by the World Government. They were useful tools, but never truly trusted.

If the Government really had replacement weapons now, then eliminating the original Shichibukai would be the obvious next step.

More terrifyingly, nobody knew whether Seraphim could be mass-produced.

The Pacifista had already shocked the world.

If weapons with the strength of top-tier pirates could be endlessly replicated, then the balance of the world itself would completely change.

If the World Government ever created twenty Seraphim, that level of military power would be enough to overturn the entire era.