"But I saw you bleeding so much earlier! Come on, let's go wash together—妾身 (I) will help you clean up!" said Hancock as she pulled Karl toward the bath.
"No, no need! Hancock, I'm fine, really—see? The bleeding's stopped already!" Karl quickly protested. Going into the bath with her now would only make the fire burn hotter!
"Relax, Hancock, he's fine. Just ignore him," Ellie said as she and Daphne came out after changing clothes.
Still worried, Hancock fussed over Karl, looking him over from head to toe until she was finally convinced he was truly unhurt.
"I swear, Karl, your resistance just keeps getting worse," Daphne teased with a huff. "You lose control over the smallest thing."
"Wife, try to understand me, alright? Do you two even realize how gorgeous you are? And with what you were wearing just now—how was I supposed to hold back?" Karl said helplessly. If it weren't for the fact that there were things he still needed to do today, he might have already pinned them both down on the spot!
"Hmph~" Daphne crossed her arms with a playful glare. "Fine, tell us then—where did you go today? We didn't see you when we got back."
Ellie hid a small, delighted smile at his words—she was already thinking about how to "reward" him later that night.
"Oh, right. Hancock, this actually has something to do with your island—Amazon Lily!"
Karl gathered his wives back into the room and began recounting what he'd discovered earlier that day.
"You're saying that island might be connected to Amazon Lily?" Hancock's expression turned to shock as she listened.
"Yes. Otherwise, how do you explain those nine giant snakes? And that serpent-shaped mountain they're guarding—it has to be protecting some kind of secret!" Karl's eyes gleamed with curiosity and certainty.
"Then what are we waiting for? Let's go, Hancock!" Daphne's eyes sparkled with excitement. Since arriving in this world, she hadn't had a true adventure yet.
"I'll go find Elder Nyon first—she might know something," Hancock said immediately. If anyone on Amazon Lily might know the truth, it would be the old matriarch, Nyon.
"Good idea. Bring her here and then we'll head out together," Karl said.
When Hancock found Elder Nyon and explained what Karl had seen, the old woman was instantly shaken. She grabbed Hancock by the arm and hurried with her to the courtyard.
"Lord Karl, did you truly see nine snakes?" Elder Nyon demanded the moment she arrived. Her voice trembled with excitement—it touched upon the deepest legends of Amazon Lily!
"Yes. They were far larger than the two serpents that accompany the Kuja Pirates. They seemed to be guarding that massive, dragon-like serpent mountain. You know something about them, don't you?" Karl asked. Seeing her agitation, he knew she must be aware of some deeper truth.
"Let's talk on the way—I need to see it with my own eyes to be sure!" Nyon said decisively.
The group boarded Daphne's flying cloud and headed toward the mysterious "Island of the Nine Serpents."
They landed beside the giant carrot tree, then followed Karl through the dense forest toward the serpent mountain.
"So this is the island you found… Honey, do you think Luffy's move Gomu Gomu no Orochi Run might have been inspired by these snakes?" Daphne whispered to Karl.
"Could be. His King Kong Gun and Snake Man techniques might also have come from observing creatures here," Karl mused.
After some walking, the group finally reached the massive serpent mountain Karl had described. The surroundings were just as before—teeming with snakes of all kinds. But the nine colossal serpents were nowhere to be seen; perhaps they only appeared when one drew close to the mountain.
"This is it! The serpent mountain described in the records—it's exactly the same!" Nyon exclaimed, unable to contain her excitement as she hurried forward. The others followed close behind.
As they neared the mountain, the nine gigantic serpents suddenly emerged, their massive bodies coiling and writhing. Recognizing the intruder from earlier—Karl—they hissed furiously, filling the air with a chilling chorus of sssshhhhh!
"It's true… these are the legendary Nine Serpents who guard our ancestors! I always thought it was just a story, but it's real!" Nyon was utterly stunned, her eyes wide with awe.
"Elder Nyon, tell us—what's going on here?" Hancock asked sharply, her brow furrowing. She had never heard of such a record in Amazon Lily's histories.
"According to the oldest records of our island," Nyon began, "every Empress of the Amazon Lily Kingdom has possessed the powers of a serpent-type Mythical Zoan Devil Fruit—one whose form is said to resemble this very mountain."
"Each Empress was guarded by nine colossal serpents—her eternal protectors. They would remain by her side until the day she died."
"When an Empress neared death, the Devil Fruit's power would vanish from her body and reappear somewhere in the world once more."
"After the next Empress was chosen, the Nine Serpent Guardians would lead her to find that fruit again—as though they instinctively knew where it would reemerge."
Everyone listened, stunned. Could it be that the nine massive snakes before them were those legendary guardians?
"Then why didn't the later Empresses continue to inherit this Mythical Zoan Fruit?" Daphne asked in confusion. "A power like that—surely the Amazons wouldn't let it disappear."
"That likely ties back to the events eight hundred years ago," Nyon said gravely. "But that part of history is lost—there are no records left, not even on our island."
"Do you think these nine serpents are guarding this place because this is where the fruit reappeared?" Ellie asked thoughtfully.
"It's possible," Daphne said, nodding. "But it looks like they're not about to let us get any closer."
"Elder Nyon," Hancock said, her gaze fixed on the towering serpents, "did our ancestors record any way to communicate with the Nine Serpent Guardians?"
Nyon thought for a moment, then her eyes widened. "Hancock—take out the pendant that symbolizes the Empress of Amazon Lily! That serpent-shaped one. I believe it may be the key—the token that commands the Nine Serpents!"
Hancock's expression turned serious. She reached into her chest and pulled out a delicate pendant shaped like a coiled serpent. Holding it up before the nine colossal snakes, she let its glint catch the light.
Instantly, the nine great serpents froze. Then, to everyone's astonishment, their eyes welled with tears—as though they were seeing their Empress reborn before them.
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