One Piece: The user of the Nen-Nen Fruit, who overturned the sea.

"Hancock..."

Torch Lotus recognized who it was and waved with difficulty to Hancock.

"Come here...let me see you..."

Hancock walked quickly to the bedside, knelt down, and grasped Torch Lotus's withered hand.

The hand was so cold that it chilled Hancock's heart.

Sandasonia and Marigold knelt by the bed, tears silently streaming down their faces.

Huo Balian turned her head with difficulty, her gaze sweeping over the faces of the three girls one by one, finally settling on the tall, slender figure at the doorway of the room.

Roy stood by the door, saying nothing, but simply nodding slightly at her.

"Roy...Captain..."

Huobalian's voice was hoarse and weak.

"You've come too... That's good... That's good..."

She raised her other hand and waved it with difficulty: "Get out... I... have something to say to them alone."

Granny Niu and her maids left the bedroom, and the door closed gently.

Only Torch Lotus, the three Boa sisters, and Roy remained in the room.

With her last bit of strength, Huobalian pulled something out from under her pillow—

A serpentine crown, made of pure gold, with two deep blue gemstones set in its eyes, gleamed coldly in the candlelight.

This is the symbol of the Queen of Amazon Lily, a sacred object passed down for hundreds of years.

She handed the crown to Hancock, her withered fingers gripping Hancock's wrist tightly.

"Hancock... Amazon Lily... is yours now."

Hancock finally couldn't hold back her tears any longer, and they streamed down her face.

She didn't wipe it, but simply gripped the crown tightly, her voice hoarse but firm:

"I will, Granny Torch Lotus. I will protect Amazon Lily and every one of its people."

Torch Lotus forced a faint smile, then her gaze passed over Hancock and landed on Roy.

"Captain Roy... I know... Hancock's heart... is with you."

Roy's lips twitched upon hearing this, and he sighed inwardly, "It's a misunderstanding!"

Seeing Huobalian's weak appearance, Roy did not refute it.

Huobalian's voice grew softer and softer, and the pauses between each word became longer and longer.

"After I am gone... please... protect Amazon Lily... protect Hancock..."

Roy stepped forward and stood behind Hancock, looking at the empress on the bed who had dedicated her life to Amazon Lily.

He nodded, his voice calm and solemn:

"rest assured."

"Snake Island is an ally of Beehive Island. As long as I am here, no one can touch Snake Island."

Upon hearing these words, the last glimmer of light in Huobalian's eyes finally shone brightly, before slowly fading away.

Her hand slipped from Hancock's wrist and landed on the quilt.

The smile on his lips froze on his face.

The air in the room seemed to freeze at that moment.

The candlelight flickered gently, casting swaying shadows on the wall.

Hancock knelt before the bed, head bowed, her hands gripping the serpentine crown tightly.

Tears fell drop by drop onto the brocade quilt, seeping into the fabric and leaving dark stains.

She didn't cry out loud.

The new empress of Amazon Lily cannot cry on her first day of reign.

But I just couldn't stop the tears.

Sandasonia and Marigold were already crying their eyes out, the two little girls clinging to their sister's arms on either side.

He buried his face in her shoulder, tears soaking Hancock's clothes.

At the same time, just as the Torch Lotus passed away, a long snake with pink and white stripes and a skull on its head emerged from under the blanket.

Upon closer inspection, the snake was also in tears.

Roy stood behind the three of them, silently watching the scene unfold.

He didn't speak, but simply placed his hand gently on Hancock's shoulder; the warmth from his palm was the only comfort in the room at that moment.

The news of Torch Lotus's passing spread throughout the entire Amazon Lily in less than an hour.

The female warriors of Amazon Lily flocked to the square in front of the palace from all directions. No one organized or called upon them; they all gathered there spontaneously.

Some bowed their heads in silent mourning, some covered their faces and sobbed, and some knelt on the ground, pressing their foreheads against the stone slabs where the torch lotus had once walked.

Huobalian reigned for over a decade, leading the female warriors of Snake Island through countless storms.

She is a warrior, a mother, and the pillar of support for all the people of Amazon Lily.

Outside the palace, Granny Niu leaned on her snake-shaped cane, tears streaming down her face.

She didn't go in; she just stood outside the door, listening to the suppressed sobs coming from inside, letting tears stream down her wrinkled face.

One night passed.

The next morning, Roy pushed open the door to the bedroom and saw Hancock still kneeling before the coffin.

She placed the Empress's crown on her lap, maintaining the same posture, and knelt for the entire night.

The long snake named Salome was also coiled up, quietly staying beside Hancock.

Hancock's tears flowed endlessly, then dried up, and her gaze gradually hardened.

The serpentine crown lay quietly on her lap, the deep blue gems in its eyes gleaming coldly in the morning light.

Hearing the door open, Hancock looked up; her deep purple eyes were no longer wet with tears.

Instead, there was an unprecedented composure and decisiveness.

Roy looked at Hancock at this moment. Finally, he saw in her the shadow of the proud empress of the future.

Just as Roy was feeling sentimental,

A series of hurried footsteps came from outside the palace.

Grandma Niu pushed open the door and entered, her face even more gloomy than yesterday.

"Captain Roy, Hancock, something's happened."

"Speak," Roy said, turning around.

"The Shadow Serpent's people have started to move."

Granny New gritted her teeth and slammed her snake-staff heavily on the ground.

"They spread rumors that Hancock only dared to return to vie for the throne because she had gained power on Beehive Island, and that if Hancock were to succeed to the throne..."

Amazon Lily would then become a vassal state of the Pirate Emperor, losing its centuries-old independence.

Hancock's eyes suddenly turned cold.

Roy, on the other hand, remained calm, even with a faint smile playing on his lips.

"Then let them give it a try."

Grandma Newt looked at Roy's nonchalant demeanor, and then at the serpentine crown on Hancock's head, and suddenly felt that the weight in her heart had lessened.

"When is the succession ceremony?" Roy asked.

"According to custom, three days after Torch Lotus's death."

Grandma New said,

"These three days are the mourning period, and also the time for each tribe to express their stance."

If no one can come up with a sufficient reason to object after three days, the ceremony can proceed smoothly.

"Three days."

Roy nodded.

That's enough.

Let those people dance for three days, and see who comes up with it.

Grandma New was taken aback for a moment, then she understood what Roy meant.

He wasn't trying to suppress the opposition in advance, but rather to make everyone appear at the inauguration ceremony and clean up the mess all at once.

"Then... about the succession ceremony..." Granny Niu asked tentatively.

"Prepare as usual."

Roy patted Hancock on the shoulder as he spoke.

"Three days from now, let everyone see whether the new empress of Amazon Lily can truly bear this crown."

Hancock raised her head, her deep purple eyes burning with determination and fighting spirit:

"Yes."