I am Tuoli Tuoma, the Snake Princess, one of the strong contenders for the future Empress of Nine Snake Island.

Although my name isn't beautiful, I've always firmly believed that love? Heh, that kind of thing is just an excuse for the weak.

Because whether it was the previous Empress Gloriosa, or the current Empress Shakky, both were completely infatuated!

One was crazy about Roger, infatuated with Roger, and left the country to go to sea for love.

The other, although she hid it well, communicated with Rayleigh through letters every time, and even planned to fake her death and escape right after becoming Empress.

Even my good-for-nothing younger sister, Tuoli Tuoma, who followed these two around, now talks about ‘the man destined for her’ all day long.

But Amazon Lily doesn’t need a queen like that.

We are born warriors, overlords of the sea, Nine Snake warriors who make our enemies tremble with fear!

Love? That only makes people lose their minds and become lambs to the slaughter.

At least, before I met this man, I always thought so.

But three years ago, at Sabaody Archipelago.

That was the first time I left Daughter Island for a mission.

Empress Shakky had just taken over and was eager for me to go to Sabaody Archipelago to “retrieve something.”

Now that I think about it, she was just using it as an excuse to have me deliver a letter to Rayleigh!

At that time, I was standing on the roof of the auction house, coldly observing the scene below—a boring noble farce where a pair of Celestial Dragons, father and son, were trying to capture a Mink Tribe member.

But just as I was about to leave, things changed too quickly.

The Mink Tribe member seemed to have received some command; he suddenly fought back, striking the World Noble Celestial Dragon with heavy punches!

But what truly made me feel like my heart was violently struck by something… it was him! It was that man!

The man who crushed a Celestial Dragon with his bare hands!

Watching this, I felt my blood boiling in my veins, and my breathing became uncontrollably rapid.

Gern Reginald Sigma.

Vice Admiral of Marineford, I had long heard of the formidable reputation of “Heaven Quake,” but seeing it with my own eyes still exceeded my imagination.

Even facing the World Noble Celestial Dragons, he remained fearless!

That powerful, unrestrained, arrogant demeanor instantly captivated me.

In that moment, my prideful rationality completely collapsed.

After returning to Nine Snake, I obsessively collected everything about him, as if possessed.

His achievements, his rumors, even what he liked to eat, what color socks he wore…

Late one night, as I finished the last page of information about him, I suddenly realized—I was done for.

Like Gloriosa and Shakky, I had become a complete and utter love-struck idiot.

“No!” I slapped myself hard. “Tuoli Tuoma, you are destined to become the most ruthless Empress in the history of Amazon Lily!”

So I formulated a strict plan: I would only allow myself to think about him three times a day, for no more than five minutes each time.

I even had my sister, Tuoli Tuoma, supervise me, splashing water on me if she caught me zoning out.

Until today.

When that damned sea serpent delivered him to me, all my rationality, all my plans, went to hell.

His eyelashes are so long.

His collarbone is so beautiful.

The way his Adam’s apple bobs when he speaks… his warm pectorals…

…

Nine Serpent Pirate Ship

“Hey, hey…” Gern’s mouth twitched as he tried to pry open the restless hand, but found her grip deathly tight.

“I say, are all of you from Nine Snake Island so… enthusiastic?”

“Less nonsense! Release Snake Princess!” The leading female warrior shouted sharply, but the hand gripping her longbow trembled slightly.

Gern sighed, suddenly feeling this leisurely mission had become extraordinarily exhausting.

So he lifted Tuoli Tuoma by the back of her collar with one hand, like picking up a kitten, and dangled her in front of him.

“Wake up, this… uh, Snake Princess?”

Tuoli Tuoma’s eyelids fluttered a few times, and she groggily opened her eyes.

When she saw the magnified handsome face in front of her, her pupils instantly turned heart-shaped: “Ah~ It’s Gern!”

Her voice was so sweet it gave everyone present goosebumps.

Gern: “…”

He silently handed the woman to the nearest female warrior: “I think you might need a new Captain.”

“No, that’s not it!” Tuoli Tuoma, realizing her mistake, suddenly sobered up, sprang to her feet with a carp jump, and tidied her messy Red Hair.

She regained her initial cold and arrogant demeanor, feigning composure: “I was careless just now… As expected of ‘Heaven Quake.’ So… so…” She then stole a glance at Gern’s chest muscles, quickly averted her gaze, her cheeks flushed: “So powerful Haoshoku.”

Gern: “I saw you peeking at my chest!”

“Damn it, I didn’t expect you to dare to attack me. It seems you’ve underestimated our Kuja Pirates!”

The moment Tuoli Tuoma’s black-sheathed long blade left its scabbard, a cold gleam like snow appeared, and the blade cut through the air with a sharp whistle.

Her movements were swift, aiming directly for Gern’s chest.

“Clang!” black blade eight desolations steadily parried the strike. The two famous blades collided, sparks flying.

Gern raised an eyebrow, a hint of surprise flashing in his eyes: “You’re a Great Swordsman?”

The Snake Princess did not answer. With a flick of her wrist, the blade slid along the edge of Eight Desolations, aiming to slice Gern’s wrist.

Gern stepped back half a pace, the blade grazing his sleeve, leaving a slight tear.

“Hey, are you getting serious?” Gern teased with his mouth, but his eyes became a bit more serious.

He sidestepped the immediate follow-up horizontal slash, then countered with a chop towards Tuoli Tuoma’s shoulder.

Tuoli Tuoma’s body arched back as flexibly as a snake, the blade almost grazing her nose.

Then a glint of cunning flashed in her eyes. Using the force of Gern’s strike, she suddenly pressed closer, her left hand forming a claw, aiming directly for Gern’s chest.

“Slap!” Gern seized her wrist, and the two instantly froze in a stalemate.

Tuoli Tuoma’s face was inches away, and the compressed sensation of her chest meant Gern could even smell the faint fragrance of her hair.

The Snake Princess, meanwhile, was breathing a bit rapidly, looking at their closely pressed chests, her cheeks slightly flushed, but her eyes were exceptionally bright.

“This move of yours…” Gern narrowed his eyes, “why does it seem like you’re taking advantage of me?”

“Vice Admiral Gern.” The Snake Princess’s lips curved slightly upward: “A battle is about seizing every opportunity, isn’t it?”

Before her words finished, her knee slammed into Gern’s abdomen.

Gern released her wrist and sidestepped, while the back of Eight Desolations lightly tapped her back.

But Tuoli Tuoma seemed to have anticipated it. She twisted her waist, using the momentum to press even closer, almost throwing herself into Gern’s arms.

“Hey!” Gern didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. This wasn’t a battle; it was clearly a blatant advance!

The Nine Snake warriors nearby watched dumbfounded.

They had never seen the Snake Princess fight with such “enthusiasm.”

For a moment, they didn’t know whether to go forward and help or pretend they didn’t see anything.

.......

Meanwhile, on the distant merchant ship, Libo held binoculars, gnawing on a carrot and tilting her head, suddenly exclaiming, “Oh no, oh no!”

“Tesoro, has Gern been kidnapped by pirates?”

Tesoro’s mouth twitched as he slowly turned his head: “Libo, do you really think the phrase ‘Gern kidnapped by pirates’ exists in this world?”

“Look, look!”

Tesoro reluctantly took the binoculars and looked closely.

He saw Gern being pressed closer and closer by the “Snake Princess” of the Kuja Pirates, who was almost entirely pressed against him.

Her blade was sharp but held back everywhere; rather than a battle, it was more like… some kind of alternative “enthusiastic exchange.”

“Tsk, in broad daylight, there’s already a real rabbit and a fake rabbit, and now… Sigh! It seems…” Tesoro was silent for two seconds, then slowly lowered the binoculars, letting out a long sigh.

“Vice Admiral Gern really needs to listen to Admiral Sengoku’s ideological education class when he gets back.”