After completely dealing with the Sea King, Roya slowly sheathed Flowing Blade Like Raging Fire.
He ran his fingers through his hair, a faint smile curling at the corners of his lips. "Ah, it seems Hancock and the others must have seen that."
After a brief pause, Roya looked up at the warship in the sky and activated his Talisman ability.
By the time Roya returned to the warship, he thought to himself: Well, if they saw it, then they saw it. It's not like there were any other outsiders around, right?
The moment he stepped back onto the warship, Roya saw a small figure rushing toward him.
She immediately buried herself in Roya's embrace.
Hancock clung tightly to Roya, lifting her head to gaze at him with sparkling eyes full of admiration.
"L-Law, Roya, you're amazing!!!"
After saying this, Hancock's face flushed slightly—whether from shyness or the glow of the flames was unclear.
Then she added, "And you looked so handsome, so gentle."
Roya's lips curled into a faint smile as he affectionately stroked Hancock's silky hair. "Alright, let's continue our journey to Amazon Lily."
With that, Roya adjusted his cloak back into place.
Hancock's gaze never left Roya the entire time.
After all, what maiden doesn't harbor springtime dreams?
Roya had rescued them from prison.
He had even used his overwhelming power to defeat Kizaru.
Even a five-thousand-meter Sea King was nothing before Roya.
Most importantly, it was Roya himself who had personally covered her back with the Phoenix Nirvana pattern. She had seen the design in her room and absolutely adored it!
"Ahhh~ I'm so embarrassed~!"
"Sister, what's wrong?"
"Are you okay? Sister, your face is so red!"
Marygold and Sandersonia, seeing their elder sister's state, wore strange expressions.
Even Roya wondered if Hancock was getting a bit too excited.
Just then, Roya spotted a hazy dark silhouette in the distance.
As they drew closer, the shape of an island gradually came into view.
The island was dominated by towering peaks, and at its center, one could faintly discern nine serpent heads gazing outward in different directions.
Guiding the warship to descend slowly from the sky, Roya turned to Hancock and said, "Hancock, it seems we've arrived at Amazon Lily."
Hearing Roya's words, Hancock snapped out of her flustered daze.
She looked at Roya as if peering through his cloak, meeting the eyes hidden beneath.
"Roya, will... will we meet again?"
Her eyes brimmed with reluctance to part.
Roya clearly noticed Hancock's attachment.
He crouched down to her level, meeting her gaze seriously. "Hancock, we will meet again."
Hearing this, Hancock nodded firmly.
"Sister~"
Seeing their sister's reluctance, her two younger sisters came to her side.
"I'm fine."Hancock took a deep breath, steadied her emotions, and said to Roya, "Roya, let's go~"
"Mm."
Using the power of the Talisman, Roya levitated himself and the three girls, bringing them to Amazon Lily.
As Roya set foot on the island, a mechanical voice from the system echoed in his mind.
[Ding! Congratulations, Host, on successfully checking in. Reward obtained: Peak Armament Haki! Armament Haki is the hallmark of the strong on the high seas, and reaching the peak of Armament Haki is a power countless pursue but few attain!]
Roya felt a warm current surge through his body.
An incredibly fierce power began to awaken within him.
However, mastering this power completely would likely require some practice.
Just as the system's voice faded, dozens of arrows suddenly shot out from the jungle!
They were imbued with Conqueror's Haki! In the dead of night, they were nearly impossible to detect.
The arrows tore through the air with a whistling sound, leaving visible ripples in their wake—proof of their incredible speed and destructive force.
Roya hadn't expected such a "warm welcome" the moment they landed on the island.
Hancock reacted swiftly. She touched her cherry lips with her fingers, forming a pink heart-shaped substance the size of a fist. Pulling it back like a bowstring, she fired hundreds of tiny arrows.
This was the first ability Hancock had developed under Roya's guidance over the past few days.
The hundreds of tiny arrows struck the Armament Haki-infused arrows, causing them to partially petrify.
Though the petrification was minimal, it destabilized the arrows, sending them crashing into the ground not far from Roya, leaving small craters.
Hancock already carried a hint of regal bearing.
Her small frame stood protectively in front of Roya as she shouted toward the jungle, "I am Boa Hancock! I won't allow you to harm Roya!"
Amazon Lily wasn't large, and everyone on the island knew each other's names.
So when they heard the name Boa Hancock, they immediately emerged from the jungle.
Seeing the faces she remembered, Hancock felt no nostalgia—only burning anger.
"Why did you ambush us?!"
The current empress of Amazon Lily glanced at Hancock, then at Roya behind her.
"Because there are suspicious intruders!"
Hearing her words, Roya said calmly, "I'm just here to bring them back to Amazon Lily, so—"
Before Roya could finish, the empress, upon hearing his voice, immediately drew her bow and declared mercilessly, "You're a man?! Since you dare to set foot on Amazon Lily's soil, prepare to die!"
Men were forbidden on Amazon Lily!
Any who entered would be killed without exception!
At the empress's command, the warriors drew their bows and fired at Roya.
Roya sighed. He already had a rough idea of what was happening.
He had planned to leave Amazon Lily after escorting Hancock and the others ashore, never expecting things to turn out like this.
Truly, Amazon Lily was a place of fierce customs, where every citizen was a warrior!Facing another volley of arrows, Hancock wanted to shield Roya, but he pressed his hand on her shoulder, stopping her.
"Hancock, leave this to me!"
As he spoke, Roya lightly tapped the air with his finger. "Sky Severance!"
An invisible wall of air materialized before Roya.
"Boom! Boom! Boom!"
The arrows imbued with Armament Haki struck the barrier, producing only faint sounds without causing the slightest damage.
Just as the Empress of Amazon Lily prepared to attack again, a voice rang out from the distance...