This article contains spoilers for One Piece chapter 1059!
Boa Hancock, a beloved One Piece character who hasn’t appeared in the series for a very long time, is finally makes her return as Eiichiro Oda’s best-selling manga steps on the gas with a crescendo of action and surprises. Known as the Pirate Empress, Hancock was a member of the Seven Warlords of the Sea, a powerful and haughty amazon who has a comical weak spot for the series’ protagonist, Luffy. This affection makes Boa one of the Straw Hat Pirates’ most valuable allies.
Hancock made her debut when Luffy landed in her kingdom of Amazon Lily, on the Island of Women, after his crushing defeat at the hands of Bartholomew Kuma in the Sabaody Archipelago. Alone among a tribe of ferocious amazons, Luffy still managed to enchant their Princess, Boa Hancock, despite his total lack of interest or understanding of romance. Hancock is a powerful warrior, one of a handful of people in the world who can use all three forms of Haki, and she also ate a dangerous Devil Fruit, the Mero Mero no Mi, which allows her to turn people into stone statues so long as they lust for her. Hancock is widely considered the most beautiful woman in the world and is a master seductress who claims she’s able to get away with anything.
Hancock played a prominent role in the Amazon Lily Arc and in the Summit War Saga, helping Luffy infiltrate the Impel Down prison and then fighting to defend him during the battle between the Marines and the Whitebeard Pirates. After those events, the World Government decided to disband the Seven Warlords, which made Hancock a wanted woman once again. One Piece chapter 1059 shows the consequences of that, with Amazon Lily besieged by the Marines and their new weapons, the Seraphim Pacifistas. In the middle of the standoff, the Yonko Blackbeard attacks the island and captures Hancock, wanting to steal the powers of her Devil Fruit. Luckily for the amazons, Silvers Rayleigh – the second-in-command of the Pirate King Gol D. Roger – arrives just in time and ends the conflict thanks to his fearsome strength and reputation.
Fans of One Piece love Hancock for her unique personality. Her arrogant and haughty attitude actually hides a sensitive and vulnerable woman with a tragic past. As a kid, Hancock and her two sisters were captured by the World Government and kept as slaves of the cruel Celestial Dragons for years, who tortured them and turned Hancock into a cold, cruel leader until her fateful meeting with Luffy changed her forever. It makes perfect sense, then, that Hancock and the other amazons are once again enemies of the World Government, and they will likely play a major role in the huge war that is looming in One Piece‘s future. After all, Hancock is determined to marry Luffy, so she will rush to his side as soon as possible.
With Boa Hancock, Eiichiro Oda created a character that is charming, fascinating, and also extremely comical at the same time, in classic One Piece fashion. Seeing Hancock return and survive the nefarious attentions of both Blackbeard and the World Government is one amazing development that One Piece fans will surely appreciate.
One Piece chapter 1059 is available now from Viz Media.