Tritoma

Slim and youthful in the manner of every Kuja empress, Tritoma let her dark hair hang to the shoulders with curling tips, painted her lips, and dressed almost identically to how Hancock would one day present herself, including a top cut low at the neck and earrings molded into coiled serpents. A version of her from 44 years earlier looked more girlish and wore no lip color, her hair trimmed short. That younger self draped herself in a flowing cape above a leopard-spotted crop top and matching skirt, with simple pearl studs and sandals.

In Hancock's recollection, her forerunner ranked as a benevolent ruler. That kindness surfaced when she granted forgiveness to Gloriosa, an earlier empress who had walked out on the nation, letting her resettle among the Kuja rather than penalizing the desertion.

Some 44 years back, returning from a raid on an island that is never named, Tritoma handed Gloriosa, the crew's leader at the time, a bundle of admirer mail. A far taller heap of correspondence sat behind her, and when Gloriosa pressed her about it, she airily noted that those belonged to first mate Shakuyaku, which soured Gloriosa's mood. Two years afterward, Shakuyaku gave up the throne and sailed away from Amazon Lily, leaving the crown to Tritoma, who personally ferried her predecessor as far as Hachinosu and saw her off. Because the reigning Kuja empress was always held to be the strongest of the tribe, Tritoma counted as a formidable fighter, and the tribe's deep command of Haki makes it near-certain she could call on it too. When Gloriosa came home accompanied by the Gorgon Sisters newly liberated from slavery, Tritoma absolved her and let her dwell on the island once more. Roughly 13 years ago, the empress fell to Love Sickness, and Boa Hancock took her place. Her name traces to the tritoma flower, matching the floral naming tradition of the Kuja.