A Clash of Queens and Marines
Even though Gion was on vacation, as she was in charge of overseeing Kizaru's ship, Kara took advantage of the situation to put her in command of the vessel. Since Kara had no other tasks pending… well, more specifically, she was slacking off.
"Hmm?" Kara, who was comfortably seated in her chair sipping tea alongside Uta and Chopper, suddenly paused and looked around.
"What's wrong, Sister Kara?" Uta asked curiously.
"It looks like we've entered the Calm Belt," Kara replied calmly, taking another sip of tea.
"W-What!?" Chopper immediately turned pale. "Didn't they say the Calm Belt is full of Sea Kings, some even bigger than an island!?" he asked, his voice trembling.
"Yes," Kara affirmed seriously… and then casually popped another snack into her mouth as if it were nothing.
"Then we need to get out of here, fast!" Chopper insisted, growing more agitated.
"Amazon Lily is in the middle of the Calm Belt. Didn't I mention that?" Kara said with a mischievous smile, glancing at Chopper.
"Of course not!" Chopper shouted in desperation.
"If you keep yelling, you'll attract the Sea Kings~" Kara added with a teasing grin.
"Wha"?!" Chopper immediately covered his mouth, his eyes darting fearfully toward the sea.
"Sister Kara, don't scare the little doctor," Uta said with an amused smile. Then she leaned forward to reassure Chopper. "Don't worry, Doctor Chopper. The ship is designed to pass through the Calm Belt without the Sea Kings detecting us. Many Marine ships use this route to travel between the Four Seas."
Hearing that, Chopper let out a relieved sigh.
"I see… so all Marine ships can cross the Calm Belt safely," he said, finally calming down.
"Well… at least half of them make it through," Uta added nonchalantly, tapping her chin as if calculating something.
The color drained from Chopper's face instantly. His eyes rolled back, and he fainted from sheer terror.
"Hahahaha!" Kara laughed mockingly at his reaction.
While Kara and Uta were having fun teasing Chopper, Zoro, who had been watching the scene, narrowed his eyes.
"I think your joke just became reality…" he said seriously.
The others looked at him, confused, but then followed his gaze. In the water, enormous whirlpools started to form… until two gigantic Sea Kings emerged, blocking the sunlight and casting a shadow over the ship.
"WE'RE GONNA DIIIIIEEE!!!" Chopper screamed before fainting again, just in time for Uta to catch him.
Zoro, on the other hand, was in shock at the sheer size of the beasts.
"Well… looks like I have to stop slacking off," Kara said nonchalantly, standing up.
"I'll take the one on the right," she added just as Gion approached, her sword at the ready.
"Fine," Gion nodded.
The two women leaped into the air with incredible speed. An instant later, one of the Sea Kings was sliced cleanly in half, while the other's head was reduced to cubes of flesh before falling back into the sea, dyeing the waters red.
Without breaking a sweat, Gion and Kara landed back on the ship as if nothing had happened.
"Engage the engines!" Gion ordered firmly. "Let's take advantage while the other Sea Kings get distracted eating these two."
The Marines hesitated for a few seconds, still in shock, but quickly snapped into action and rushed to their posts.
Zoro silently watched Gion, gripping the hilt of his sword tightly.
"I still have a long way to go…" he muttered with frustration.
"Yeah… a really long way," Kara commented, appearing beside him with a mocking grin. "By the way, we're passing by a place where you might find a cool sword."
Zoro's head shot up immediately, intrigued.
"Really? That sounds interesting…" he responded coolly, though his excitement was clear. He glanced down at the broken sword at his waist"the same one that had shattered in his fight against that man, Legios.
After a few hours of sailing, an island appeared on the horizon. Towering rock formations shaped like serpents loomed majestically over its peak.
"Oh, looks like we've arrived," Kara said with a smile.
"Hmph…" Gion, however, didn't seem thrilled about the sight.
The Marine vessel sped toward the island, but soon, they noticed another ship approaching.
It was a grand vessel, with two massive serpents at its bow as if guiding it through the Calm Belt. The sails bore a familiar emblem. There was no doubt"it was the ship of the Kuja Pirates.
"Oh! What a coincidence," Kara said with a grin, leaning against the railing as she watched the ship approach.
As soon as they were close enough, a group of Kuja warriors lined up on the deck, and at the center, exuding her characteristic elegance, stood Boa Hancock, the Pirate Empress.
"Kara!" Hancock exclaimed excitedly and, without a second thought, leaped onto the Marine ship with joy. "It fills me with happiness that you've come to visit me!" she said quickly as she gave Kara a soft hug.
Kara smiled at the warm welcome.
"It's good to see you, Queen. Did you miss me?"
Hancock was about to answer cheerfully, but she suddenly averted her gaze… and locked eyes with Gion.
The atmosphere changed in an instant.
"YOU!?" Hancock's voice went from sweet and melodious to ice-cold and indignant. "What is she doing here!?"
"Hmph, what an unpleasant coincidence…" Gion replied, crossing her arms. "As repugnant as ever."
"How dare you speak to me that way, you Marine wench!?" Hancock snapped in fury. "Why are you here!?"
"Me? I'm just accompanying Kara. After all, she's a Marine, just like me," Gion said with a smug and victorious smile.
Hancock glared daggers at her.
"I can't even stand the sight of you! Your mere existence ruins this beautiful day I had planned with my dear Kara! You better disappear!"
"And who do you think you are to give me orders? It's not my fault you can't control your jealousy," Gion shot back, irritation in her voice.
"Jealousy?!" Hancock's eyes burned with rage. "Ridiculous! I am not jealous of you in the slightest! How could someone as magnificent as me feel jealous of a mere Marine?!"
"Sure, sure…" Gion replied mockingly. "Say it as many times as you want"maybe you'll even start believing it."
Hancock clenched her fists, trembling with anger. The Kuja warriors on deck glanced at each other nervously, ready to intervene if their Empress decided to do something reckless.
Meanwhile, Zoro, Uta, and Chopper watched the scene with varying expressions.
"Do they always get along like this?" Chopper asked in a low voice.
"I don't know, but this is getting interesting…" Uta commented with an amused smile.
Just then, someone handed her popcorn, which she happily accepted.
"Kara?" Chopper asked in surprise, seeing who was handing out popcorn, standing beside him as if watching a show with great interest.
"This usually takes a couple of minutes," Kara said casually, tossing a few pieces of popcorn into her mouth as if nothing was happening.
Zoro, on the other hand, just sighed in exasperation and ignored the troublesome women.
"Marine woman, I order you to disappear from my sight!" Hancock declared dramatically, pointing a finger at Gion. "You are an unwanted presence in these seas!"
"Hah, why would I listen to you? I'm on a mission with Kara, so unfortunately for you, I'll be by her side for the entire journey," Gion replied with a proud smirk.
Hancock's eyes burned with fury.
"Fine! Then, as a Shichibukai allied with the Marines, I will also assist Kara in her mission and travel with her!" Hancock quickly declared, throwing Gion a defiant look.
"Hah? And why would we allow a filthy pirate to travel with us?" Gion immediately retorted.
"Sister, you can't go with them! We have a mission to fulfill!" Sandersonia intervened from the other ship.
"Then you fulfill it," Hancock responded with complete indifference.
"But, sister…!" Marigold also tried to speak up.
"I've already decided," Hancock said stubbornly, unwilling to listen to any more objections.
"Hmph. If your island has a ruler like you, it's a miracle it hasn't been destroyed yet," Gion sneered with a vicious smile.
"What did you say, you Marine bitch?!" Hancock roared in fury.
Meanwhile, the others observed the escalating insult exchange with different reactions.
"Hey, aren't you going to stop them?" Zoro asked Kara.
"Ugh… I should… but it's getting interesting," Kara admitted reluctantly.
"Sister Kara…" Uta gave her a disapproving look.
"Tch… fine," Kara sighed, giving in to Uta's silent plea.
Resigned, she approached the two women, who were seconds away from escalating from words to blows.
"Alright, time to stop," Kara said quickly, clapping her hands to get their attention. "We have a mission, and the Queen has to come with us anyway. The Shichibukai were summoned by the Marines."
Both women froze immediately. Gion gritted her teeth in frustration but knew Kara had a mission to complete. Hancock, on the other hand, smiled in satisfaction at the chance to travel with Kara, sending Gion a victorious look.