"A call from Headquarters?"
Vice Admiral Momonga frowned as he felt something vibrating in his pocket. With an automatic motion, he pulled out the small Den Den Mushi and answered.
The snail had barely connected before it began shouting furiously:
"Give us back our sister, Vice Admiral! Don't think you can leave this sea zone unscathed after what you've done!"
The feminine voice was filled with fury and tension.
Momonga looked puzzled, his brow furrowed even deeper.
The… Kuja Pirates?
He hesitated.
"…What are you talking about?"
[You've arrived at a new uninhabited island! Reward: 10,000 Adventure Coins]
Easy money!
Luffy grinned as he stared at the notification hovering in front of his eyes.
"Now that's what I call a reward," he said, stretching his arms lazily.
With just one trip to Amazon Lily, he had already earned 20,000 coins. Not bad for a "turbulent" visit.
[Adventure Coins]: 29,905
Sitting on the white sands of the island, Luffy gazed at the calm sea of the Calm Belt before him. Beside him, the Empress of the Seas, Boa Hancock, lay collapsed, still affected by the intense journey.
For a brief moment, he allowed himself to dream: if he found a few more islands like this one, he could easily hit six digits.
But the sky quickly darkened.
Gentle raindrops began to fall out of nowhere.
"Huh? It's raining here too?" Luffy asked, lifting his gaze.
"Even in the Calm Belt?"
The fine rain hit his face, and he blinked in surprise.
Despite the Calm Belt's reputation for stillness, the clouds above still moved—albeit slowly.
Suddenly, a wave of Conqueror's Haki burst out behind him. It was unstable, vibrant, and fierce, as if at war with itself.
Luffy turned around. Boa Hancock was standing, staring at him.
Her expression was a mixture of anger, coldness… and pain.
"About the slave mark…" she began, her voice heavy.
"Where did you learn about it?"
A tense silence followed.
"If you can point me in the right direction…" she hesitated, then continued firmly. "I'll guide you. But I want the truth. Now."
Luffy lowered his eyes for a moment. The symbol of the Celestial Dragons' slave brand appeared in his mind—the infamous mark, the cruel emblem seared into the flesh of the enslaved.
He knew. He knew the story of the Boa sisters, knew of the scar none of them ever showed with pride.
"Thirteen years ago…" he began.
"The fish-man Fisher Tiger climbed the Red Line itself… invaded Mary Geoise and freed the slaves."
The words made Hancock tremble. She turned her face slightly, as if looking at Luffy in that moment was too much.
Her hand gripped her arm tightly, fingers digging in like she wanted to erase memories carved into her skin.
"Hey~" Luffy stepped closer, his voice gentler.
"You don't need to worry. I never looked down on you."
He opened his shop menu and swiped through the screen a few times with his finger. Without much thought, he bought a box of six fruits, though only one was his true target.
[Healing Fruit] -100 coins
A white flash lit up his hand, and an exotic fruit appeared, spinning in the air before landing softly in his palm.
"Here." He tossed it casually.
"It's for you."
Boa Hancock barely had time to react before the fruit zipped through the air and struck her squarely on the forehead.
Thud.
The world froze for a second.
Her eyes, once cold, were now glacial.
She slowly raised her head, Conqueror's Haki surging from her like an invisible, suffocating storm.
"How dare you attack me by surprise…" she murmured, furious.
"I have no choice. I'll have to kill you right here."
"…"
The tension rose like a wave about to crash. The sand trembled, and the air cracked under the weight of Hancock's aura.
'You don't need to worry. I never looked down on you.' That sounded like condescension now. And throwing something at her… she took it as an act of pity, of disrespect.
Something she would never accept.
"All men are scum!"
Rage boiled within the Empress like a volcano about to erupt. Her Conqueror's Haki shook around her, violently surging, threatening to shatter everything nearby.
And still… that man. That idiot. He knew. He knew, and yet he had the nerve to offer her something. To act like it was normal.
She had already decided: either he would die here, or she would trying.
The fact that they were on an uninhabited island was a gift from fate. No witnesses, no judgment. Just the two of them. And a painful truth between them.
But before she could take the first step, Luffy calmly raised his hands, as if facing a wounded wild animal — which, in a way, was exactly the case.
"The fruit I gave you…" he said, unhurried.
"It's called a Healing Fruit. It should work even on old wounds, like… those caused by the Celestial Dragons."
His voice was clear—no irony, no pity. Just sincerity.
The Empress froze.
For a moment, the power surrounding her faded like mist under the sun. She blinked, confused. The hostility in her gaze faltered.
At her feet lay the fruit that had hit her—a small, greenish fruit, glistening in the rain's soft light.
She crouched down, picking it up with trembling hands.
"The Healing Fruit…?" she murmured, wary.
"This isn't… a trap?"
"Why would I do that?" Luffy shrugged, smiling.
"I'm not stupid enough to provoke someone with Conqueror's Haki. It's your fault you didn't catch it properly. Just think of it as a thank-you for guiding me here."
He rolled his shoulders, as if all of this were completely natural.
"I'm a nice guy, you know?"
He pointed proudly to himself with his thumb.
"Now hurry up and eat that fruit—then take me to another uninhabited island!"
The Empress didn't respond. She simply stared at him in silence.
'What kind of man is this…?'
None of it made sense. Since he brought her to this island, he hadn't shown any intentions. No clear goals. No threats. And now… he just wanted to go to the next island?
She slowly stood, still holding the fruit in her hands.
Luffy's figure before her, cloaked in the reflection of the fine rain and his calm aura, looked… imposing. But not in a threatening way. It was as if that unassuming body hid something colossally greater.
"You're telling me…" she began, staring straight at him.
"…that if I eat this, the mark will disappear?"
"Well… maybe." Luffy scratched his neck, honest.
"I'm not sure. It's been a long time, right?"
The Empress narrowed her eyes.
"Monkey D. Luffy… How do you know about my past?"
Luffy raised an eyebrow.
"Tch. You talk too much."
He crossed his arms, putting on a fake serious face.
"You really think no one would know? Like I said, my dad's the leader of the Revolutionary Army. Nothing involving the Celestial Dragons goes unnoticed."
A lie. All of it.
But he couldn't exactly say, "Oh, I saw you taking a bath… through a screen in my past life." That would be insanely dangerous — and incredibly stupid.
She gripped the fruit tightly, tension evident in her shoulders. Part of her wanted to throw it away. Another… wanted to believe.
"Will this really work?"
"You ask too many questions," Luffy grumbled.
"Just eat it."
Without further hesitation, the Empress brought the fruit to her mouth. Even if it were poisonous… she didn't care anymore.
The taste was surprisingly fresh. A cool sensation spread through her body like a soft breeze. And then, she felt it.
On her back.
A lightness.
A strange shiver.
Her eyes widened. She couldn't see what was there, but her instincts screamed: something was changing.
For so long, she had avoided even thinking about that mark. She had never shown it to anyone. Not even Amazon Lily's most skilled doctors.
But now…
Heart racing, she grabbed the zipper of her cheongsam and slid it down.
Turning her back to Luffy, she lifted her long black hair with one hand and exposed the skin where the mark once was.
Her voice came out low, uncertain, trembling.
"Can you… see my back?"
Luffy, as always, replied with his usual lack of ceremony:
"That question again?"
She turned her face toward him, cheeks flushed with anger and embarrassment.
"Just say it!" she demanded, biting her lip.
"This isn't something I want to show off!"
Luffy observed her for a moment, scratching his chin.
"There's nothing there," he said simply.
"Smooth and pretty back…"
The Empress froze. Still holding her hair.
Silence.
Then, very slowly, she let her hair fall back down and pulled her top back on.
Luffy's words still echoed in her ears like a soft thunderclap.
"There's nothing there."
(End of Chapter)
"Hmph. If you really want to be useful, then entertain me, try to throw those pathetic power stones at me. Let's see if even your insolence can amuse a king."