"Stop yelling. Didn't you just release Conqueror's Haki?"
Granny Nyon did not want to leave just like that and instinctively took several steps back.
Yet footsteps had already sounded from the doorway. They were light, thin—seemingly belonging to only one person.
Hm?
Only one person?
Hadn't Snake Princess just released Conqueror's Haki!?
Granny Nyon's pupils contracted. Her retreating steps froze, and she instead moved to block in front of Snake Princess.
But Hancock, still in a rage, was still shouting.
"Guards! Damn it, I'll do it myself—"
"Stop yelling. They've all fainted. Seriously, how exaggerated. Releasing Conqueror's Haki the moment I arrived. I thought I'd been discovered."
A cold voice, one that did not belong to a woman, entered this private space along with a lengthening shadow.
Ren walked in from the glow of the setting sun, both hands in his pockets. His crimson eyes swept over the two people arguing inside.
When he arrived, the guards outside had been stationed quite far away. It seemed some sort of secret conversation had been taking place here.
So he had turned invisible and come in to see what was going on.
As a result, the moment he arrived, he was hit face-first by a blast of Conqueror's Haki. If his Premonition Perception had not detected no malice, he almost would have thought Hancock's strength was shockingly high and that she had discovered an enemy invasion.
Fortunately,
the facts proved that Hancock's strength had not exceeded the standard by too much.
Her appearance, however, was another matter entirely.
Ren's scrutinizing gaze was like a blade. It first swept over Granny Nyon, then focused on Hancock, whose chest was exposed, taking her in without missing a detail.
To be honest, he was stunned. Surprised. In short, it was an indescribable sense of contrast.
Ever since entering the world of One Piece, this was the first time Ren had encountered someone whose real-life appearance differed so drastically from his impression and memories.
The Hancock in his impression was only a two-dimensional character.
Her defining traits were a tall forehead and high hairline, to the point that people sometimes wondered if she had begun balding early.
Yet the person he now saw was vastly different from that impression.
Even after having been tempered by Nami and Nojiko, Ren could still determine at a glance that she truly deserved the title of the world's most beautiful woman.
Whether it was her figure, facial features, or anything else, everything had been born in just the right proportions, assembled together into a uniquely charming face.
Even a flaw like her high forehead seemed to be nothing more than an effect created by her hime-style haircut.
In short, she was beautiful beyond Ren's expectations.
Most importantly, there seemed to be an invisible aura around her.
Was its effect to amplify a human being's perception of beauty and their ability to express it?
Datafication read this influence.
Pure beauty alone could not reach the level of Boa Hancock.
Unless one possessed extremely lustful genes like the Vinsmoke Family, but it was obvious not everyone was like that.
That was why,
at the very first moment, Ren defined Hancock's charm as an aura born from her ability and beauty complementing each other.
As long as one acknowledged her beauty, one would be affected by the aura.
Because even he himself had been affected.
The thought he had come here with—"if anything feels off, kill her"—had now changed into "whatever happens, observe first before deciding."
This was commonly known as one's values following one's facial preferences. That was already an extremely powerful influence.
However, it was not without flaws.
If one did not acknowledge Boa Hancock's beauty, then one could resist this aura's influence on reason.
In other words, if your aesthetic preference was gorillas, then you could be exempt.
But that was impossible.
Ren considered himself an ordinary person.
The thought flashed by in an instant. Ren's eyes remained cold as he said, "Speaking of which, who was it that said they would teach me a lesson if they met me?"
"A… man…! Why is there a man here? There shouldn't be any men in this country."
Hancock was far too shocked. After all, Amazon Lily had never had men.
Even reproduction and such were carried out by relying on raids outside the country to find someone to obtain seed from.
Granny Nyon was equally shocked. However, she had weathered great storms before, and she instantly calmed down and began observing him.
"Black hair, crimson eyes, purple calabash earrings… It's you!
"Warlord of the Sea—Demon Ren!?"
Unexpectedly, the outsider who had barged in here was one of the targets she had just been paying close attention to!
"It's actually you!"
Hancock's beautiful eyes widened, and her expression turned icy. "Although I don't know what you came here for, since you dared to intrude here,
"and even eavesdropped on my conversation, then die here! Let me properly teach you a lesson—Mero Mero Mellow!"
She formed a heart shape with her hands and released heart-shaped rays of light that swept across the entrance at extreme speed.
Ren flickered and vanished, directly avoiding the attack.
'There!'
Hancock swept the area with Observation Haki, and her eyes instantly turned fierce.
"Wait! Snake Princess—"
Granny Nyon still wanted to stop her, but Hancock had already launched her attack.
Haki wrapped around her leg as she strode forward, sprinting like a flowing gust of wind. Then she leapt up and unleashed Perfume Femur!
The terrifyingly powerful kick stirred up a piercing shriek through the air. Yet what met that kick was a heavy, forceful punch.
Boom—!
A savage explosion rang out. Amid the rising dust, fist and foot clashed dozens of times.
Immediately afterward, the terrifying shockwaves released tore half the pavilion apart.
As the ground shook and the mountains trembled, Hancock was sent flying backward and slammed hard into the wall near the bed.
"You have some strength, but not much. Since you were hit by my Perfume Femur, your hand and waist should already be shattered, right?"
Hancock cut a sorry figure as she coughed up a mouthful of blood, but she wiped the corner of her mouth without concern and sneered toward the direction of the smoke.
"You mean this?"
Ren walked out from the dust and mockingly raised the fist he had used. A touch of gray faded from his knuckles.
Similar traces across his body were also fading away.
"!"
Hancock's pupils contracted.
"You don't know? There's a way… to become immune!"
Ren's figure blurred. In an instant, he advanced right in front of her and once again smashed down with a simple Haki-wrapped punch.
The terrifying force landed on Hancock's crossed arms, driving her straight into the floor below. Ren jumped down after her.
It was as if two earth dragons had been stuffed into the floor below. After only a few seconds, the entire palace began shaking violently.
It was also at this moment,
that Granny Nyon reacted. The horn signaling an enemy invasion was blown!
Wuu~ wuu~ wuu!
The deep horn call echoed over Kuja Island. This island, rarely visited by outsiders, finally became lively.
'This place is rather interesting.'
He looked down from above, taking in the full landscape of Kuja.
The island was shaped somewhat like a flattened pancake. In the center, mountains and towering stone walls had been combined to form a ring-shaped barrier.
It looked almost like an upright sea bowl.
That seemed to be a defensive measure against tsunamis caused by massive bays and against Sea Kings charging ashore.
At the same time, it was the first barrier of Kuja Island. Outside that barrier were their hunting grounds, filled with large numbers of snakes and animals.
Inside the barrier, a great number of buildings had been constructed around the mountain, descending from top to bottom.
At the lowest flat area were many residences and rivers.
However, there were no so-called civilians on Kuja Island. This was a pirate nation.
Every citizen was a soldier. That phrase fit perfectly.
When facing such a collective—and Hancock, whose mind had some issues—
he thought it would be better to beat them down first and talk afterward.
Most importantly, he also wanted to see his own progress!
Boom—!
A tremendous explosion erupted.
The emperor's main palace completely collapsed, turned into shattered stones filling the sky under monster-like strength.
Another explosive sound followed. A streaking meteor smashed through a wall and flew outside.
After crossing over a thousand meters and rolling more than a dozen times in succession, Hancock finally dispersed the force, leaving behind a long trench in front of her.
She clutched her abdomen and crouched down with an ugly expression.
It hurt too much.
After being repaid tooth for tooth with a kick, she had nearly thought her internal organs were about to shatter. But in the end, she had still struck him with a Slave Arrow.
She did not know whether it had worked…
"Lady Snake Princess!"
"Lady Snake Princess!"
"Hancock!"
The chaotic cries were mixed with Granny Nyon's urgent shouting.
Hancock barely rose and turned her head. When she saw Granny Nyon approaching, her gaze eased slightly. But before she could say anything,
a boulder the size of a house was hurled over from afar, slamming heavily in front of the gathered Kuja warriors.
Boom—!
Dust surged up dozens of meters, displaying monster-like strength.
A gust of force swept through, and Ren appeared, then casually sat cross-legged atop the boulder.
As his gaze swept over the surroundings, he confirmed the situation.
"Mm… over ten thousand? As expected of a country made up of elites. No wonder you can survive by raiding others."
"He wasn't petrified…"
Granny Nyon scanned the enemy but found no gray anywhere. Her expression darkened. "Does this person have no thoughts about you at all? Or are you…"
"I am the emperor of Kuja! How could I be so pathetic!
"When we fought just now, he was staring at my chest and thighs too!"
Hancock said coldly, "He must have mastered some method before launching this attack on us.
"Granny Nyon, step back. What happens next is none of your business! Old things should obediently stay in the corner!"
Kuja had always revered martial strength. Whether old, weak, women, or children, they all had only one aesthetic pursuit.
Those who possessed strength were beautiful. The stronger one was, the more beautiful one became!
And Granny Nyon had already withdrawn from that sequence.
The latter silently left after hearing this, though her eyes were still sizing up that young man.
It was strange. He did not seem to possess killing intent, yet he had invaded Kuja without explanation and immediately started fighting.
At that moment,
the Kuja warriors finished their preparations. They were all women, but they were also all warriors.
One after another, they nocked arrows and drew their bows, aiming at the enemy atop the boulder.
There were no words of questioning, because everything would be left to their emperor to decide!
Hancock resolutely revealed her trump card. Since her ability did not work, then she would use Haki!
"Great Perfume Femur!"
Hancock sprinted at extreme speed. Because she was moving too fast, the compressed air behind her erupted with booming explosions.
She had clearly reached a level of Mach one!
This would undoubtedly be a powerful, heavy strike, far more terrifying than during their earlier exchange.
Ren stood up and clenched his fist, as though preparing to deal with it the same way as before.
However, when Hancock leapt up, only then did he discover that she had jumped too high—so high that he could even see the color of her panties.
He paused slightly. His attention seemed to deviate for the faintest instant.
'He fell for it!'
Ferocity burst from Hancock's deep blue eyes.
Terrifying black-red lightning surged around her body as she unleashed the Conqueror's Haki impact possessed by only one in several million people!
"Die for me! Attack!"
(End of Chapter)