Symbols - One Piece Chapter 516, page 17

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The chapter opens with a full-color title spread reading "ONE PIECE" and "A casual discovery," with the chapter caption at the bottom: "Chapter 516: \"THE PIRATE EMPRESS BOA HANCOCK\"." The Straw Hats fill the illustration in bright casual poses: Luffy laughs with both arms thrown up, Nami smiles from a balcony-like ledge, Sanji stands in a black suit holding a stick, Franky grits his teeth in a loud floral shirt, Brook holds a musical instrument, Zoro glares in the foreground, Robin rests calmly near him, Chopper peeks from a doorway, and Usopp shouts while pointing from a cart-like spot. The image is not part of the Amazon Lily action, but it frames the chapter as a title page and keeps the crew visually present after their forced separation. Scanner-hosting boilerplate below the spread is unrelated and ignored.

Monkey D. LuffyNamiSanjiFrankyBrookZoroNico RobinTony Tony ChopperUsopp

No description for this page.

In the jungle of Amazon Lily, Marguerite looks over Luffy's altered outfit and says, "HOW CAN YOU NOT LIKE FRILLS? MEN ARE SUCH STRANGE CREATURES...!!" Luffy, now stripped of the decorative frills, answers simply, "WELL... WHATEVER. THANKS FOR TAKING THEM OFF." He decides, "WELL THEN, I'LL BE ON MY WAY," but admits his real anxiety: "IF I DON'T MEET UP WITH MY FRIENDS, I WON'T BE ABLE TO CALM DOWN." Marguerite notices, "YOU LOOK RESTLESS." Luffy clenches his fist and thinks through the scattered Straw Hats: "IF THEY'RE ALL ALIVE LIKE I AM... THEN EVERYTHING WILL BE FINE!! AS LONG AS WE'RE ALIVE, WE CAN FIGHT THEM AS MANY TIMES AS WE NEED...!!!" The enemies who overwhelmed them flash through his mind, including Kizaru, Sentomaru, and Kuma, as he vows, "WE'LL SURPASS THEM ALL!!!" The page turns panic into determination: the crew is gone, but Luffy refuses to treat separation as defeat.

Monkey D. LuffyMargueriteBorsalinoSentomaruBartholomew Kuma

Luffy prepares to leave immediately, shouting "HWOO OOH!!!" and declaring, "ALL RIGHT, I'M GOING ALL THE WAY TO THE SHABONDY ARCHI-PELAGO WHILE WALKING ON MY HANDS!!! THAT WAY, I'LL GET STRONGER!!!" Marguerite watches him run off and says, "YOU REALLY ARE RESTLESS, HUH..." Luffy then asks the obvious logistical question: "AH!! WILL YOU GIVE ME A BOAT?" Marguerite answers with disbelief and concern as the jungle opens toward the sea: "YOU DON'T HAVE ANY BOATS!?" She explains the trap he has fallen into: "THIS IS... THE CALM BELT!!" A distant view shows Amazon Lily isolated in still waters, with a huge sea monster carcass or skull-like body near the island. Marguerite says, "THAT'S RIGHT. THIS ISLAND OF WOMEN IS IN THE CALM BELT. GIANT SEA KINGS LIVE IN THE WATERS AROUND THE ISLAND. THAT'S WHY SAILORS NEVER COME BY." Even if a castaway reached shore, she adds, by the time they arrived, "THEY'RE JUST A CORPSE."

Monkey D. LuffyMarguerite

Marguerite describes the only safe route through the Calm Belt: "LADY HEBIHIME'S PIRATE SHIP IS DRAWN BY FEROCIOUS BEASTS CALLED \"YUDA.\" THEY'RE POISONOUS SEA SNAKES, SO EVEN SEA KINGS WON'T ATTACK. THAT IS THE ONE AND ONLY SHIP IN AMAZON LILY." A note explains that the kanji reads "play snake." Luffy lies thinking and proposes, "THAT'S A PROBLEM...!! THERE'S NO WIND... MAYBE I SHOULD MAKE A RAFT AND PADDLE OUT?" Marguerite flatly calls it stupid. Luffy ignores the warning, cheers, "ALL RIGHT!! I'LL MAKE A RAFT AND PADDLE OUT!!!" and Marguerite screams, "YOU'RE NOT EVEN THINKING TWICE!!?" He quickly assembles a crude log raft and declares, "DONE!!!" but it immediately breaks apart in the surf with "BUKU BUKU..." and heavy crashing sounds. Marguerite yells, "THAT'S TERRIBLE!!! IT'S ALREADY COMING APART!!!" while Luffy tumbles down the cliffside with "GYAAA-AAAH..."

Monkey D. LuffyMargueriteYuda sea snakes

On the shore, Luffy lies defeated beside the broken raft pieces and admits, "AHH, THAT WAS CLOSE, DAMN IT! IF ONLY FRANKY WAS HERE... THIS IS BAD... I'M THE ONE IN TROUBLE HERE...!! IF ONLY YOU COULD RUN FAR, FAR AWAY..." Marguerite wrings out cloth nearby and tells him, "... I'M NOT OBLIGATED TO HELP YOU...!!" She asks a basic question born from Amazon Lily's isolation: "CAN YOU \"MEN\" EVEN SWIM?" Luffy is still thinking through the problem when Marguerite adds, "IF I GET TOO FRIENDLY WITH YOU, THEN I MIGHT GET ATTACHED." She suddenly whips out or swings her snake weapon toward him, and Luffy shouts, "HEY, STOP THAT!!!" The next instant the ground explodes around him with a violent crash and flying splinters as he cries, "WAH!!" Marguerite yells back, "WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING!!?" The page leaves the exact danger unfolding fast: whether she is attacking, warning, or yanking him clear, arrows and pursuit have reached them.

Monkey D. LuffyMarguerite

A barrage of arrows tears through the jungle, punching through stone and wood with huge impacts. Luffy recognizes the force immediately: "THOSE ARROWS!! IT'S THE SAME AS WHEN THEY WERE CHASING ME EARLIER...!! THEY WERE BREAKING THROUGH STONE WALLS... THEY'VE GOT A HUGE AMOUNT OF POWER." He looks closer and says, "BUT THE ARROWS DON'T LOOK LIKE THEY'RE ANYTHING SPECIAL." Marguerite corrects him: "THESE ARROWS ARE INFUSED WITH \"HAKI.\" OF COURSE THEY'RE POWERFUL!!" Luffy repeats the unfamiliar term: "HAKI?" The hunters arrive, shouting, "WE'VE FOUND THEM!!! MARGARET IS UNINJURED!!" and "EVERYONE!!" Another calls, "THE 'MAN' IS THERE TOO!! TAKE HIM!!!" A worried Kuja woman invokes Marguerite's familiar phrase style: "MARGARET, THE TALE OF 'ARE YOU HURT ANYWHERE?'" and warns, "IF WE DON'T HURRY AND TAKE CARE OF THE 'MAN,' LADY HEBIHIME WILL RETURN!!" Luffy and Marguerite are pinned between arrows, tradition, and the approaching empress.

Monkey D. LuffyMargueriteKuja warriors

In the Calm Belt seas around the Island of Women, a Marine ship waits near the Kuja vessel and the remains of a Sea King. A Marine tells the Kuja, "YOU CERTAINLY ARE BRAVE, STOPPING IN THE MIDDLE OF A SEA FULL OF MONSTERS." Another says, "YEAH, WE WERE JUST ATTACKED...!! EVEN THOUGH OUR SHIP IS PLATED WITH KAIROUSEKI." On the Marine deck, the commanding officer worries, "IF WE STAY HERE FOR TOO LONG THEY'LL SPOT US AGAIN." The Marines explain that under the Government's agreement with the Kuja, they are forbidden to come within three kilometers of the Island of Women's coast, so they have no choice but to wait among the sea monster nests. A Kuja woman asks, "AND DID YOU FINISH OFF THAT SEA KING?" A Marine replies that even their cannons did not have much effect. Another nervous soldier says he has heard the Kuja have monsters who can turn men into stone, though a comrade dismisses it as ridiculous.

Vice Admiral MomongaMarinesKuja Pirates

The Kuja ship sits beside the sliced-open Sea King carcass, its striped hull and tall masts looming in the Calm Belt. A Kuja speaker explains casually, "SO I SLICED HIM OPEN FROM THE INSIDE OUT. I'D LIKE TO LEAVE THIS SEA AS SOON AS POSSIBLE." The Marine commander answers, "YES, IT SEEMS YOU ARE QUITE STRONG...!!" He then introduces himself formally: "I AM VICE ADMIRAL MOMONGA OF MARINE HEAD-QUARTERS!!!" Addressing the Kuja Pirates, he says, "WE'VE BEEN WAITING FOR YOU, AND NOW YOU'VE FINALLY COME BACK, KUJA PIRATES!!" His voice carries across the ships as he calls, "ROYAL SHICHIBUKAI, 'PIRATE EMPRESS' BOA HANCOCK!! SHOW YOUR FACE!! WE'VE COME TO RETRIEVE YOU!!!" The page frames the confrontation between the World Government and Amazon Lily through two ships facing each other, with Momonga demanding Hancock's cooperation while the Kuja remain confident in waters no ordinary crew could survive.

Vice Admiral MomongaKuja PiratesMarines

On the Kuja ship, Hancock's crew refuses the summons. One woman says, "SORRY, LADY HEBIHIME WON'T BE COMING OUT." Another adds, "WE'VE TOLD YOU A THOUSAND TIMES! MEN, MEN! ANIMALS WITH NO DIGNITY!!" The Kuja mock the Marines' flag and titles: "IT'S BEEN A WHILE SINCE I'VE SEEN A LIVING MAN. WHEN THEY SEE THE KUJA FLAG, PIRATES AND MERCHANTS BOTH GO RUNNING IN THEIR BOATS!" and "WATCH THAT LAUGH OF YOURS!" A Marine message insists, "WE ALREADY HAVE YOUR REPLY. 'I WILL IMMEDIATELY COMPLY WITH THE SUMMONS.' BUT YOU SEEM TO HAVE NO INTENTION OF COMING..." A Kuja woman reads the morning paper, and the topic turns grim: "WHITEBEARD PIRATES, SECOND UNIT COMMANDER PORTGAS D. ACE..." Momonga states the consequence plainly from the Marine deck: "THE LOCATION AND DATE OF HIS EXECUTION HAVE BEEN SET!! THERE IS NO TURNING BACK NOW!!"

Vice Admiral MomongaKuja PiratesMarines

Momonga warns that the situation is no ordinary summons: "THIS TIME, THE SHICHIBUKAI ARE UNDER THE STRICTEST ORDERS TO ASSEMBLE!!! IF YOU REFUSE, OUR TREATY WILL BE BROKEN!! YOUR 'SHICHIBUKAI' TITLE WILL BE REVOKED!!!" From behind the Kuja curtains someone finally answers the call, and a small animal cries "NYAA NYAA" in her path. Hancock steps out and casually kicks the kitten aside, snapping, "KITTEN IN MY PATH!!" The animal flies away with "FUGYAAAH!!!" while shocked crew members apologize, "M... MY HUMBLEST APOLOGIES, IT IS MY RESPONSIBILITY..." and warn, "WATCH YOURSELF..." Momonga says, "SO YOU'VE COME... BOA HANCOCK...!!" The Marines stare, stunned, thinking, "TH... THAT'S THE PIRATE EMPRESS...!!" and "SHE'S TRULY A BEAUTY WITHOUT EQUAL...!!" Their officers shout, "DON'T LET YOUR GUARD DOWN, MEN!!!" but her beauty has already disrupted the discipline on deck.

Boa HancockVice Admiral MomongaMarinesKuja Pirateskitten

The Gorgon Sisters are introduced in a commanding spread on the Kuja ship. Boa Sandersonia, the second daughter, stands with long hair and a snake-like tongue; Boa Hancock stands in the center as "Amazon Lily Empress, Captain of the Kuja Pirates, Royal Shichibukai, 'The Empress' Boa Hancock"; and Boa Marigold, the youngest daughter, stands broad and imposing with huge flowing hair. Hancock tells the Marines, "SO YOU MEDDLESOME MEN HAVE FINALLY COME FOR ME..." and dismisses their paperwork: "THAT RESPONSE FROM THE OTHER DAY WAS A FAKE!! WE WILL NOT BE GOING TO WAR!!" Yet she refuses to lose status: "BUT, I WOULD RATHER NOT RELINQUISH MY POSITION AS A SHICHIBUKAI...!!" She adds another demand, looking down on them calmly: "AND YOUR SHIP'S CARGO... I WOULD LIKE THAT AS WELL." The spread establishes Hancock's authority, beauty, arrogance, and the terrifying support of her sisters before the negotiation even begins.

Boa HancockBoa SandersoniaBoa MarigoldKuja Pirates

Momonga and the Marines stare at Hancock's outrageous demands. A Marine shouts, "THAT'S RIDICULOUS!!!" and Momonga snaps, "WHAT KIND OF SPOILED LITTLE BRAT ARE YOU!!? DO YOU REALLY THINK WE'LL GRANT YOUR UNREASONABLE DESIRES!!" Yet the lower-ranking Marines immediately crumble under her charm, hearts floating around them as they say, "WHAT A BEAUTIFUL WOMAN," "I WANT TO GIVE HER ANYTHING SHE WANTS," and "COME ON, HURRY!" One panicked officer asks, "WHY ARE YOU BRINGING OUT THE CARGO!!? OPEN YOUR EYES!!!" Another answers helplessly, "OH NO, I SUDDENLY STARTED DOING WHAT SHE TOLD ME!!" Momonga, still disciplined, returns to the war: "THE EXECUTION WILL BE EXACTLY ONE WEEK FROM TODAY!! AT THE PLAZA IN THE TOWN OF MARINEFORD, OWNED BY MARINE HEAD-QUARTERS, FIRE FIST ACE'S LIFE WILL END!" The political stakes of Hancock's refusal now sit directly beside Ace's impending execution.

Boa HancockVice Admiral MomongaMarines

Momonga explains the timetable with urgency: "IN OTHER WORDS, WITHIN THIS WEEK!! WHITEBEARD WILL DEFINITELY MAKE HIS MOVE!!!" Marine Headquarters, led by its three admirals, is preparing to marshal all forces to face Whitebeard. The choice for Hancock is stark: "EITHER LOSE YOUR SHICHIBUKAI TITLE OR ASSEMBLE WITH THE OTHERS!! THOSE ARE YOUR CHOICES!!! THE TIME IS DRAWING NEAR!!!" Hancock listens without fear and answers with her own contradiction: "I LIKE MY POSITION AS A SHICHIBUKAI. I WOULD HATE TO HAVE IT REVOKED... BUT I ALSO HATE THE WORLD GOVERNMENT... AND I WILL NOT FOLLOW THEIR ORDERS." She proposes a cover-up: "SO HOW ABOUT THIS...? IN A MYSTERIOUS INCIDENT... THE MARINES WHO WERE SENT TO RETRIEVE ME HAD THEIR BODIES TURNED TO STONE AND WERE COMPLETELY DESTROYED..." Her solution is not negotiation but erasure, and the calm way she phrases it makes the threat colder.

Boa HancockVice Admiral MomongaBoa SandersoniaBoa MarigoldMarines

Momonga senses the danger and warns his men, "SHE'S PLANNING SOMETHING!!! DON'T SHOW ANY WEAKNESS!!" He recalls the rumors: "I'VE HEARD RUMORS ABOUT THE KUJA PIRATES. ALL THE SHIPS THAT ATTACK THE KUJA SHIP ARE LATER FOUND WITHOUT A SHADOW OF A MAN, CARRYING ONLY STRANGE STONE STATUES!" Momonga insists again, "I TOLD YOU BEFORE, DON'T THINK WE'LL GRANT YOUR SELFISH DEMANDS!!" Sandersonia laughs, "FUFUFUFU, MY SISTER CERTAINLY HAS A TERRIBLE PERSONALITY." Marigold agrees, "YES... BUT SHE IS ALWAYS FORGIVEN," adding, "AND THERE IS A REASON FOR THAT...!!" Hancock strolls forward while the bewitched Marines stare with hearts in their eyes. She asks, "DO YOU KNOW WHY? NO MATTER WHAT I DO, WHETHER I KICK A KITTEN... RIP OFF YOUR EARS... OR EVEN KILL PEOPLE IN COLD BLOOD... THE WORLD WILL ALWAYS FORGIVE ME...!! AND THAT IS BECAUSE," setting up her final answer.

Boa HancockVice Admiral MomongaBoa SandersoniaBoa MarigoldMarines

Hancock finishes her declaration with absolute confidence: "INDEED, I AM BEAUTIFUL!!!" The close-up centers her face, earrings, and poised hand as the surrounding sound effect suggests the men falling madly in love. The Marines lose control, screaming "KYAAA! LADY HEBIHIME~~" while their officers yell, "STOP THAT, MEN!!!" Hancock turns her back to them and explains the attack: "GUILTY HEARTS, CHARMED BY MY BEAUTY, WILL PETRIFY YOUR BODIES...!!" Momonga notices the movement with alarm, "!?" Hancock forms a heart with her hands and releases the technique, calling, "MERO MERO" and then "MELLOW!!!" A note clarifies the sound effect is for falling madly in love. The page presents her power as both supernatural and psychological: the Marines' attraction is the opening she needs, and she weaponizes their surrendered attention into a petrifying beam.

Boa HancockVice Admiral MomongaMarines

The Mero Mero Mellow washes over the Marines as they scream "KYAAA, HANCO-" and freeze mid-adoration. With a hard "KACHIN..." the men become stone statues, their arms raised, mouths open, and heart-shaped eyes locked in place. Momonga avoids the same fate by driving a blade through his own hand against the deck, the pain cutting through the charm. Hancock studies him and says, "I SEE... YOU USED PAIN TO ERASE YOUR IMPURE FEELINGS. A SIGN OF EXPE-RIENCE." She also points out the tactical reality: "BUT THERE IS NOTHING LEFT OF YOUR SOLDIERS." The whole Marine force behind Momonga has become a field of stone bodies, while he kneels injured but conscious in front of her. The page proves the rumors true and demonstrates why ships that challenge the Kuja are later found carrying only statues.

Boa HancockVice Admiral Momongapetrified Marines

Momonga looks at his petrified men and says grimly, "THE FOOLS..." Hancock tells him, "YOU'RE THE ONLY ONE NOW." He grips his sword, blood and sweat visible, and answers, "ONE... IS NOT ZERO." The Kuja ship begins withdrawing as the crew cheers, "LET US RETURN TO OUR PEACEFUL AMAZON LILY!!" and "YES!! LADY HEBIHIME!!" Momonga calls after her, "BOA HANCOCK!!!" then issues his final warning: "I WILL WAIT HERE UNTIL THE DEADLINE PASSES!!! I WILL NOT LEAVE EMPTY-HANDED. IF YOU DO NOT RETURN WITHIN TWO DAYS... THE TREATY WILL BE BROKEN." Hancock only turns with a faint smile and says, "DO AS YOU PLEASE." The confrontation ends without resolution: Hancock has not agreed to the summons, Momonga refuses to abandon his mission, and the two-day deadline hangs over the approaching war.

Boa HancockVice Admiral MomongaKuja Piratespetrified Marines

An SBS question corner appears with an illustration of Marine ranks and small character images. A reader asks, "Oda, won't you grow an afro? I totally think you should do it." Oda replies, "No, I won't! When did I say I would!?" Another asks why Oda wanted to become a pirate even though he is an adult, and Oda answers, "I never said I wanted to be a pirate!! Man, I've got to calm down." A reader praises "The King of the Underworld, Silvers Rayleigh" and notes finding a young Rayleigh in Buggy's flashback in chapter 19, volume 3, page 34. Oda says it makes him happy that readers look closely, explains that this person was the ship's vice-captain, the Pirate King's right hand man, Silvers Rayleigh, and says he is glad the reader was moved by the work. A final question asks whether the book Kuma holds is One Piece volume 12 or 13. Oda says those volumes are around when the crew entered the Grand Line, jokes Kuma looks bored, speculates he may be reading the Davy Back Fight or keeping his first appearance close to his heart, and leaves the answer to imagination.

OdaSilvers RayleighBuggyBartholomew Kuma

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End of chapter20 pages

Discussion

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Monkey D. LuffyNamiSanjiFrankyBrookZoroNico RobinTony Tony ChopperUsopp

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Monkey D. LuffyMargueriteBorsalinoSentomaruBartholomew Kuma

Monkey D. LuffyMarguerite

Monkey D. LuffyMargueriteYuda sea snakes

Monkey D. LuffyMarguerite

Monkey D. LuffyMargueriteKuja warriors

Vice Admiral MomongaMarinesKuja Pirates

Vice Admiral MomongaKuja PiratesMarines

Boa HancockVice Admiral MomongaMarinesKuja Pirateskitten

Boa HancockBoa SandersoniaBoa MarigoldKuja Pirates

Boa HancockVice Admiral MomongaMarines

Boa HancockVice Admiral MomongaBoa SandersoniaBoa MarigoldMarines

Boa HancockVice Admiral MomongaMarines

Boa HancockVice Admiral Momongapetrified Marines

Boa HancockVice Admiral MomongaKuja Piratespetrified Marines

OdaSilvers RayleighBuggyBartholomew Kuma

No description for this page.

End of chapter20 pages

The Pirate Empress Boa Hancock

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The Pirate Empress Boa Hancock

Discussion