"The man who trespassed into my country has committed a capital offense. Confess your crimes."
Hancock assumed a fighting stance, staring at Luffy. "As the current Empress of Amazon Lily, I hereby sentence you to death!"
Before she finished speaking, she charged. Her long, beautiful leg cut through the air with a sharp whistle, covered in Busoshoku Haki, kicking at Luffy's face!
"Perfume Femur!"
This kick was not only powerful but also contained the petrification rule of the Mero Mero no Mi. It would petrify and shatter whatever part of the opponent's body it touched.
It could petrify regardless of whether the opponent felt love or not.
She could petrify anything!
Luffy's Kenbunshoku Haki could feel the power of this kick.
But abilities were countered by Haki.
"You're really a spoiled woman."
Luffy did not dodge. He also raised his leg, covering it instantly with pitch-black Busoshoku Haki, and met her kick. "But I won't die. You can't do it."
THUD!
Their Haki-covered legs collided fiercely, producing a dull, heavy impact. A wave of air spread outward from them.
Hancock was shocked to find that her Perfume Femur could not petrify this man's body!
That layer of pitch-black Haki perfectly resisted her ability.
No, Haki alone shouldn't be able to do this.
Was it a more advanced application of Haki?
Without time to think, Hancock used the force to leap back. She touched her lips with her finger, creating a large pink heart. Like a fully drawn bow, she instantly fired a storm of pink arrows, covering all of Luffy's escape routes.
"Slave Arrow!"
These arrows were dangerous. Luffy's Kenbunshoku Haki could instinctively sense it.
But whether they could hit was one thing. Luffy was fast. And he could use Haki to destroy them.
Perona, floating in the air, watched with a racing heart. The dense rain of arrows reminded her of Moria's shadow techniques.
So this was a Warlord of the Sea, just like Moria?
She really was on a different level from ordinary pirates.
Perona felt that this ability, like her ghosts, had some kind of special rules power.
These arrows could turn people to stone.
"As expected of a Warlord of the Sea."
Luffy dodged a few shots and, facing the sky full of arrows, grinned. "But it's useless!"
He didn't retreat. Instead, he advanced. His right arm muscles bulged, and he punched forward.
"Jet Pistol: Kūshin!"
A terrifying air shockwave shot out, pushing forward like an invisible wall!
Abilities were just abilities. Haki reigned supreme!
That was Luffy's current judgment of his Haki.
Maybe someone could overcome all Haki with their ability, but that person was not Hancock.
The dense slave arrows collided with the shockwave like hitting a steel wall, shattered.
Hancock quickly moved away, a flicker of seriousness on her face.
This man's use of Haki and his timing in battle far exceeded her expectations.
He looked young. He should be a newcomer who had just entered the Grand Line. How could he be this strong?
His Haki capacity was incredibly huge!
And so few people outside even knew Haki.
What Hancock didn't know was that even the Admirals were shocked by Luffy's Haki capacity.
With that much, you could do whatever you wanted!
And his constant battles had brought his Haki mastery up to the level of a top-tier fighter. Even in Kuja, a country where almost everyone knew Haki, this was rare.
Seeing Hancock use her excellent physical skills and agile body skills to retreat again, Luffy raised an eyebrow and praised, "Your physical technique is pretty good."
It wasn't an insult. It was the truth.
Among the opponents Luffy had faced, Hancock's physical technique was definitely near the top. Certainly much better than Moria, who relied on shadows.
But to Hancock, this praise sounded more like an insult.
Also, it was an everyday insult to "shadow users."
"Pistol Kiss!"
She cried out sharply, assuming an archer's stance. A large pink heart condensed in the air behind her. Terrifying energy accumulated within, emitting a heartbeat.
If regular arrows didn't work, she would use stronger ones!
"It's useless. You're not fast enough."
Luffy's figure blurred. He appeared before Hancock in an instant.
But at that moment, a triumphant, cold smile curved on Hancock's lips. "Don't underestimate me!"
Several thick pink rays of light, like chains, suddenly erupted from the ground around her, forming a net that instantly engulfed Luffy!
"My ability is unstoppable!"
Hancock, watching Luffy disappear into the pink light, finally smiled for the first time since the battle began.
Beautiful and cold.
"So what if you can resist my charm? The petrification of the Mero Mero no Mi is not that rigid!"
She was confident that a direct hit from this enhanced petrification ray would petrify, even with Haki protection!
And her petrification could only be undone by her alone!
But in the very next moment—
Luffy emerged from the fading light, his body wrapped in jet-black Haki like a warrior clad in dark armor. Aside from some minor Haki expenditure, he was completely unharmed, showing no sign of petrification.
"That was really dangerous," Luffy muttered, shaking his arm as if in relief. "Good thing I saw it coming."
He had glimpsed the future.
Even just a glimpse of the future could greatly change the outcome of a battle.
Hancock's eyes widened. "Impossible!"
Luffy, covered in Busoshoku Haki, charged at her. "Nothing is impossible."
He hit her abdomen. Hancock was sent flying.
"You're not holding back at all?"
Perona, high above, covered her mouth.
Luffy really could go that hard on a beautiful woman!
No wonder... she had been toyed with so many times!
"Slave Giant Arrow!"
Righting herself after being sent flying, Hancock immediately fired arrows.
"You're tenacious."
Luffy's feet planted. His right hand clenched. Haki quickly flowed and wrapped around his arm. "Gear Second Plus! Jet Pistol!"
BOOM.
They collided.
The pink arrows dispersed.
"Grand Perfume Femur!"
In the chaos, Hancock charged. As Luffy had said, Hancock not only had excellent abilities, her physical technique was strong—much stronger than Moria's, at least.
"Gomu Gomu no: Whip!"
Luffy chose to clash directly. His leg, coated with Haoshoku Haki, kicked out.
CRACKLE!
Black-red lightning clashed – a clash of Conqueror's Haki!
Hancock's two sisters watched, dumbfounded.
"There's someone who can fight Elder Sister to this extent?"
Even among the other Warlords, not all had this kind of strength.
"The farce is over."
Luffy put in a little more force. Hancock failed first.
"Again, can you agree to my request?" Luffy stared at Hancock.
"Who do you think I am?!"
Hancock snapped. "I will never yield to you!"
"That's a shame."
BOOM!
The next moment, a terrifying torrent of Conqueror's Haki appeared behind Luffy. His figure became like a monster, his face completely unclear in the torrent.
"Can this level of Conqueror's Haki truly exist?"
Hancock gritted her teeth. Her face hardened. Then, her speed was ultimately a step behind.
"What?!"
Hancock's pupils are shrinking.
Before she could make her next move, Luffy's figure again appeared before her like a ghost. His right fist clenched. The muscles in his arm tightened. Haki twisted.
"Gear Second Plus! Hiken Gun! Ryuo!"
His fist, coated with the advanced Busoshoku Haki, Ryuo, tore through the air with unbeatable power and slammed into Hancock's abdomen, which she had hastily covered with Haki in defense.
PFFT!
The penetrating damage came with burns.
Hancock felt a piercing, bone-deep pain.
It hurt. It hurt so much.
"Cough!"
Hancock fell to her knees, coughing. Her disheveled hair covered her pale face.
Her once-gorgeous qipao was also tattered.
Luffy's fist had hit her abdomen. The burning flames immediately burned off the back of her dress. The pain made her lean on her hands and knees.
For the first time, the Empress lowered her proud head in front of everyone.
He won.
But Luffy was also drenched in sweat, gasping heavily.
It still hurt!
The third-stage punishment was like an gangrene, continually bringing pain.
The fight had felt like "hurting the enemy a thousand, injuring yourself two thousand." Like hitting a hard enemy with an injured fist. The enemy hurt, but you hurt more.
But in the end, he won.
He was the strongest in enduring.
"Hm?"
Luffy seemed to notice something.
His arm instantly extended, like a rubber cable, wrapping around Hancock's body, who was on her knees, unable to move, and pulled her to him.
"What are you going to do to me?!"
Even now, Hancock looked at him coldly.
Maintaining the Empress's pride.
Men really were all hypocrites. He said he wasn't interested in her beauty, and then he did this.
"Let our sister go!"
Sandersonia and Marigold, struggling out of the rubble, shouted.
"You guys are really troublesome."
Luffy sighed. He didn't do anything inappropriate to Hancock. But he didn't let go, either.
"You don't want them to see what's on your back, do you?"
Luffy looked around. "I'm sorry. I didn't expect them to wake up so soon."
Hearing this, Hancock and her sisters then realized that the citizens in the audience, knocked unconscious by Conqueror's Haki, were beginning to wake up.
Having been around Haki for so long, they quickly regained consciousness.
The women warriors of Amazon Lily had very strong willpower.
This man was doing this to conceal the secret he and her sisters had been trying so hard to hide?
Hancock's struggling body suddenly went limp. An indescribable, complex emotion welled up in her heart.
She remembered that past she did not want to recall.
"We are enemies. Why are you protecting me?" Hancock asked.
"What you don't want others to see has nothing to do with this fight."
Luffy glanced at Marguerite's stone statue. "And besides, you are someone Marguerite respects."
The reason was simple, yet it struck Hancock's softest spot.
All for others?
Why did such a man exist?
After Sandersonia and Marigold had dispersed the citizens, they found their sister, the always proud and unyielding Pirate Empress, biting her lower lip, tears welling in her eyes, trying not to fall.
"Hey, why are you crying?"
Seeing Hancock like this, Luffy's head hurt.
What he feared most now was a woman crying.
If Nami were here, she would be grabbing his collar and demanding to know what he had done.
I did nothing.
Hancock bit her lip, about to cry.
"Alright. First, undo Marguerite's petrification."
Luffy tried to change the subject. "And the ship. You lost this fight. As pirates, you should know what that means, right?"
The victor had the right, the rule of the sea.
Hancock took a deep breath, trying to calm her turbulent emotions. Seeing the area had been cleared, she said quietly, "Let go of me."
Luffy did so.
Sandersonia immediately came forward and draped a new, intact robe over Hancock.
Dressed, Hancock looked at Luffy for a long time. Then she did something unexpected.
She, who had been covering her chest, suddenly let go. Facing Luffy, she slightly parted the collar of her new robe, exposing the snow-white skin below her collarbone and a deep cleavage. Her eyes stared directly at Luffy.
Perona, beside them, covered her face, peeking through large gaps.
I-Is this something I should see?
"Hey! Do you want to fight again?"
Luffy immediately became cautious, thinking she was still not ready to accept defeat.
He had already partly figured out her ability.
"No. I remember you said earlier,"
Hancock shook her head, her voice carrying a strange emotion. "That you've seen this symbol somewhere."
Trembling, she turned her back to Luffy. She pulled down the back of her robe, fully exposing the ugly, hoof-shaped brand deeply stamped into her snow-white skin.
The Hoof of the Soaring Dragon!
Luffy stared at the mark for a long time, thinking. Then he clasped his hands. "It's a bit similar to one on Hatchan's body, but not quite the same."
He thought of Hatchan.
"Hatchan?" Hancock's body trembled. She spun around.
"A fish-man. A friend, I guess." Luffy explained.
Just then, an elderly voice came from the shadows.
"Snake Princess, be honest. You can deceive the people of this country, but you cannot deceive yourselves."
Nyon, leaning on her snake-head cane, slowly emerged.
She looked at Luffy, her gaze complicated. "You're the pirate, Monkey D. Luffy, aren't you?"
Luffy was surprised. "You know me?"
Nyon didn't answer directly. She looked at the iconic straw hat on Luffy's head. A nostalgic look flashed in her eyes.
"This straw hat truly suits a tough man like you."
Luffy was even more surprised. "You said the same thing as Rayleigh!"
"You've met Rayleigh already?"
Nyon smiled. She introduced herself. "I am Gloriosa, the former, former, former empress of Amazon Lily. Rayleigh and I have a decent relationship."
"Ah. Sorry about that, then."
Luffy scratched his head. He hadn't expected them to have this connection to Rayleigh.
Rayleigh had helped them a lot.
Now, he felt a bit bad about having just beaten them up.
This man had been radiating such domineering moments ago, and now he could apologize so... cleanly?
Hancock looked at Luffy. She felt she could not understand him at all.
Nyon sighed. "What you and your crew did on the Sabaody Archipelago is now a worldwide sensation."
She waved the few newspapers she had been holding.
Luffy's eyes lit up. He looked at the newspapers in Nyon's hand. "Can I see them?"
He hadn't known what was happening outside for days.
He also wanted to know what had been said about his crewmates.
Probably nothing.
They should have all gone to the best places for them.
"What happened?"
Perona, curious, floated over.
She had been completely cut off since Kuma sent her here.
Nyon handed Luffy the newspaper. Perona leaned in to look. The headline and photos made her nearly fall out of the sky.
SHOCKING! OUTRAGEOUS ACTS OF STRAW HAT CREW! ATTACK ON WORLD NOBLES ON SABAODY ARCHIPELAGO!
WORLD GOVERNMENT OUTRAGED! ADMIRALS DEPLOYED!
STRAW HAT CREW PRESUMED ELIMINATED BY WARLORD BARTHOLOMEW KUMA!
"Y-You attacked the Celestial Dragons?!"
Perona grabbed Luffy's collar, her voice shrill. "You didn't tell me about this!"
Even she knew what the Celestial Dragons were.
"You didn't ask."
Luffy smiled, unbothered. He continued browsing the newspapers, then pursed his lips. "This newspaper, like Vivi said, is full of lies. I clearly killed those three. Why write 'attacked'?"
"K-Killed?!"
Perona's vision went dark. She nearly actually fainted.
"You killed Celestial Dragons?!"
Her voice trembled.
That was millions of times worse than just "attacking" them!
On the other side, the three Hancock sisters were also thunderstruck. All showed expressions of disbelief.
Celestial Dragons were killed?
Hancock rushed to Luffy, grabbed his shoulders, her nails nearly digging into his skin.
"I-Is it true? You really killed them?!"
"It is."
Luffy gave a small nod. Then, looking somewhat helplessly at Hancock standing so close to him, his gaze instinctively drifted downward before he quickly looked away.
"Could you put your clothes on first?" he reminded her.
This woman's figure and beauty were simply… unfair.
***
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