In 1260 BC, the former Dora Milaje Noni is tasked by her mentor Akeya with a mission to hunt down and capture a rogue Hatut Zaraze agent named Nkati, who has defied all previous efforts to apprehend him. Akeya fears that Nkati will share Wakandan technology, exposing the kingdom. Calling himself the Lion, Nkati plans to create the "Pride of the Lion", an independent state populated by abducted men and women from across the world. Noni allows herself to be captured during a raid on Minoan Crete. After hijacking a ship and freeing the other captives, Noni infiltrates Nkati's deep-sea complex. After surviving attacks from several trained warriors, Noni confronts and subsequently defeats him in a duel. The mortally wounded Nkati triggers a self-destruct device which destroys the entire complex. Noni survives the explosion and Akeya invites her to rejoin the Dora Milaje. The fiercely independent Noni instead chooses to join the Hatut Zaraze.