Chapter 143 The Empress Refuses the Summoning and Suffers from a Strange IllnessWhat's intriguing is what caused her to be so weak, needing to catch her breath even to utter a few complete sentences.
Luffy didn't react with the tactless rebuttal of Vice Admiral Momonga from the original story. Instead, he leisurely turned and walked back to his warship.
"You have a whole week to think it over. The public execution will begin in Marineford in ten days. We still need two days to travel. If you insist on refusing, once the Navy has time to deal with Whitebeard, they probably won't let you off easily."
The officers below breathed a sigh of relief as their troublemaker finally left: "You don't need to worry about that!"
As soon as they finished speaking, the Kuja Pirates hurriedly carried the Empress and sped towards Amazon Lily.
"Do you think she'll agree to go in the end?"
Robin turned to Luffy, who seemed lost in thought, and asked softly.
"Logically speaking, she definitely won't go."
Luffy replied with a confident smile.
"So we're just going to wait here?"
"There's always an exception. We still have a way to do things unconventionally."
Luffy chuckled, enthusiastically gesturing to Robin and Kalifa, "Come on, don't just stand there! Let's have hot pot. In this freezing weather, hot pot is the perfect match."
Robin stared at Luffy, completely baffled, unable to fathom what her captain was up to.
While Luffy was comfortably enjoying his mutton hot pot, chaos reigned not far away on Amazon Lily.
The citizens and warriors who had prepared a grand ceremony to welcome the Snake Princess's return were instead met with the once arrogant and domineering Empress Boa Hancock.
Instead, the heart-wrenching cries of Boa Sandersonia and Boa Marigold filled the air: "Doctor! Summon the royal physician! My sister has suddenly fallen seriously ill and is dying!"
The people, who had been eagerly anticipating witnessing the Snake Princess's unparalleled beauty, were instantly stunned by this news.
As the frantically searching officials carefully carried the bed away, everyone was shocked to find Boa Hancock, her skin flushed red, drenched in sweat, and struggling to breathe.
The Kuja Pirates hurriedly carried Boa Hancock into the inner palace, while the guards frantically dragged the best doctors from Amazon Lily to the main hall.
Just then, a small, elderly woman rushed into the palace in a panic, shouting at Boa Hancock on the bed, "Snake Princess! Those World Government warships are still at sea, aren't they? They're the ships that came specifically to pick you up, aren't they?"
"This time it's a forced summons from the World Government, isn't it? Why did you refuse their request? Open your eyes and look! Even the waters around Amazon Lily are completely frozen. Only Admiral Aokiji could pull this off!"
"If you agree to participate in the war, you can preserve our Shichibukai agreement. With your strength, there's absolutely no way you'll die on the battlefield!"
Grandma New stood by the bed, incessantly advising the weakened Empress.
The Empress, her face flushed and her mind hazy, struggled to sit up, her voice surprisingly coquettish: "But..."
Grandma Newt's cloudy old eyes instantly lit up with hearts: "My goodness, she's so kawaii!!!"
Then she shook her head violently, forcing herself back to her senses: "No! This is not the time for infatuation!"
Just as she was about to recount the terrifying consequences of refusing the World Government's summons, she keenly noticed Boa Hancock's extremely abnormal state.
"What's wrong with you?"
Grandma Newt frowned, staring intently at the weakened Boa Hancock.
Boa Hancock haughtily turned her head to the side and lay back down on the bed: "It's none of your business, you old hag! I..."
Before she could finish speaking, Boa Hancock's eyes rolled back, and she fainted.
Standing nearby, Boa Marigold hurriedly explained to Granny New, "On our return voyage, we encountered a group of reckless pirates. Not long after the fight, my sister inexplicably contracted this strange illness."
Boa Sandersonia added, "That's right. My sister has intermittent high fevers that won't break, and she clutches a newspaper tightly in her hand, refusing to let go. We were completely helpless, so we rushed back to find the royal physician."
"What did you say? Did you pass by some ancient island carrying a virus during your voyage?"
Granny New pressed them anxiously.
"Absolutely not. We've been guarding the entrance to the New World, robbing passing pirates. We haven't landed on any new islands at all."
Boa Sandersonia quickly waved her hands in explanation.
Granny New turned to the royal physician examining Boa Hancock and asked, "Have you found the specific cause of her illness?"
The physician, pale-faced, shook his head helplessly. "We can't find any lesions at all, but Lady Boa's temperature is frighteningly high; it's so hot you can't even touch her."
Granny New leaned closer to examine Boa Hancock's condition, then suddenly her expression changed drastically. "Could it be that?! Quickly, let me see that newspaper she's been clutching!"
Boa Sandersonia didn't dare delay and quickly snatched the newspaper from Boa Hancock's hand and handed it to her.
Granny New stared intently and saw a photo of Luffy being interviewed extensively by reporters in the Sabaody Archipelago, prominently displayed on the front page!
Granny New's face darkened instantly at Boa Hancock's distracted state:
"She really can't escape this damned curse..."
"What curse is it?"
Santasonia, her younger sister, anxiously pressed Granny New.
"Tell me every single detail of what happened before Boa Hancock fell ill!"
Granny New commanded Santasonia sternly.
Santasonia, startled by Granny New's harsh expression, quickly recounted their entire journey in meticulous detail.
It turns out that the Kuja Pirates, relying on their privileged status as Shichibukai, were specifically tasked with ambushing newly arrived, easy targets at the Fish-Man Island exit on the Red Line in the New World, using this prey to supplement the resources consumed by Amazon Lily.
Then, a newspaper fell from the sky that day, carrying news of the Celestial Dragons being attacked in the Sabaody Archipelago, the destruction of the human auction house on GR Tree Island, and the complete eradication of a human trafficking ring. This instantly drew Boa Hancock's intense attention.