When these panicked and confused voices sounded at the entrance, the Empress and her two sisters all trembled, their bodies instantly drenched in cold sweat, and their eyes filled with endless panic.
They had been wholeheartedly trying to kill Luffy just now and had not noticed anyone approaching.
And the Empress was still completely naked; if Luffy hadn't been hugging her from behind, the mark on her back would certainly have been seen by the people outside.
Thinking of the irreversible situation that almost happened, all three sisters felt a wave of lingering fear.
The Empress, even more so, couldn't help but look at Luffy with a strange glint in her eyes, saying in a very soft voice.
"Did you return specifically to protect me?"
Luffy smiled slightly and also whispered.
"Didn't you say that mark was something you'd rather die than let anyone see?"
Hearing this, the Empress's heart couldn't help but tremble, as if her soul had been impacted.
She never expected that Luffy would even sacrifice his body being petrified to protect her.
And because Luffy was pressed against the Empress's back, he was also speaking close to her ear.
The hot breath blowing into the Empress's ear made her feel a very strange sensation.
In an instant, her body became incredibly stiff and tense, as if she was the one who had been petrified, frozen there motionless.
While the two were whispering, the Nine Snake Pirates warriors at the entrance were already bewildered.
"Is... Is this person the intruder from just now?"
"And it seems to be a man!"
"Why is this man... hugging Empress?"
These confused voices immediately brought the Empress and her two sisters back to their senses.
Marigold immediately put on a stern face and said angrily in a sharp voice.
"Why are you here?"
"Don't you know it's Empress's bathing time now?"
"Violating orders... You know the consequences, don't you?!"
Marigold's angry shout "340" immediately scared the warriors into withdrawing their distracting thoughts and kneeling down in unison.
Suddenly remembering something, they reported in a panic.
"Sorry! Marigold! We didn't intentionally disobey orders."
"A group of intruders has broken into the forest outside the city. The National Defense Warriors, along with the Pirate group warriors led by Commander Lan, are no match for them."
"Those intruders are too strong! Commander Lan sent someone back to tell us to report this to you immediately."
"Please spare us, Empress! The situation is urgent, and we had no choice but to violate orders!"
Hearing this, Marigold and Sandersonia simultaneously widened their eyes in shock and exclaimed.
"How is that possible?! The National Defense Warriors plus the Nine Snake Pirates combined are no match?!"
"Such powerful intruders are attacking! Sister?!"
Sandersonia nervously called out to the Empress, seemingly asking for her opinion.
But in reality, the Empress knew she was asking how to deal with Luffy.
Otherwise, without the Empress's word, they would have unhesitatingly led the team to confront the intruders.
The Empress didn't think much and immediately made a decision, saying.
"You two go with them to meet the enemy first!"
"I'll put on my clothes and be right there!"
Hearing the Empress say this, her two sisters immediately knew that the Empress did not intend to pursue the matter of Luffy seeing their secret.
"Yes, sister!"
The two responded simultaneously and quickly left with the warriors at the entrance.
Seeing everyone leave, Luffy finally released the Empress.
Then he said apologetically.
"Sorry! The intruders they mentioned should be my companions!"
"It seems they've caused you a lot of trouble!"
When those people said there was a group of powerful intruders, Luffy had widely released his Observation Haki and sensed those familiar presences.
The Empress was quickly getting dressed; hearing Luffy's words, she couldn't help but be stunned.
"Your companions?!"
"I was just about to ask!"
"Who exactly are you people? Why have you come to our country?"
If Luffy hadn't helped her cover the slave mark and said he didn't want to fight, the Empress would have certainly thought Luffy and his crew were here to invade the island.
But now, she no longer thought that way.
Luffy heard her and said with some difficulty.
"We are pirates!"
"As for why we came to your country, I can't explain it clearly in a word or two; I'll tell you later!"
"Now let's quickly go to the scene and stop them!"
Hearing Luffy's words, the Empress nodded and said no more.
After quickly getting dressed, she removed her ability from Luffy and went with him quickly to the battlefield.
...
In an open clearing in the forest outside the city.
The Straw Hat were fiercely battling a large group of female warriors.
However, although it was called a battle, the Straw Hat did not kill anyone.
Their attacks were mainly aimed at restricting the opponent's movements.
Sanji was even more unwilling to attack women and had only been defending and dodging.
And even so, many of these warriors were already lying down, and most of them were panting and looked exhausted.
Facing the Straw Hat, they were struggling too much.
"We really have no intention of invading your country!"
"Stop attacking us! You are no match for us!"
Uta spoke while casually sparring with Lan.
Lan was filled with boundless shock at this moment.
Their pirate crew had sailed the seas for many years, engaging in countless battles.
Almost all the enemies they encountered before would flee at the sight of them, and even those who resisted would be easily dealt with.
But the dozen or so people in front of them were so powerful that it was unbelievable to her and all the warriors.
Their entire pirate crew, along with all the national defense warriors, attacked together, but they were completely helpless.
Even if they fought to the death with all their might, they were easily defeated in droves by the opponents.
And this was because the opponents had held back.
Otherwise, those people would already be corpses now.
However, even knowing they were outmatched, they still fought bravely, without the slightest hint of retreat.
Facing Uta's advice, Lan replied with a determined expression.
"This island of ours does not allow any outsiders, especially men, to land!"
"From the moment you stepped onto this island, you were already invaders!"
"If you have no intentions towards our country, then leave this island quickly."
Uta heard this and explained again.
"Our Captain is separated from us; he is still in your city, and we must wait for him to return before we can make a decision."
Upon hearing this, Lan immediately recalled the figure who had flown towards the palace earlier.
Thinking that Luffy was facing the Empress and her two sisters, she said with great conviction.
"He broke into the palace and must have been executed by Empress Boa by now."
Uta, however, smiled faintly at this and said confidently.
"Luffy won't die!"
Seeing the other party so confident, Lan couldn't help but frown.
Since this group of people was so strong, their Captain must not be weak.
For a moment, she couldn't help but start worrying about the Empress's safety.
Meanwhile, among the citizens of Nine Snake Island who had been watching from a distance, Niu Popo was startled when she heard Uta say the name Luffy.
She always felt that the name sounded very familiar.
Just then, everyone suddenly heard a sharp shout from behind the crowd.
"All of you, stop!"
At this, people all turned their heads and looked behind them.
They saw the Empress, accompanied by her two sisters and several pirate crew warriors, walking towards them.
But what puzzled these citizens was that accompanying them was a person they had never seen before, wearing a Straw Hat.
"Empress Boa! You've finally arrived!"
"Empress Boa! Quickly drive away these invaders; they've defeated so many of us!"
The citizens greeted the Empress one after another while saying words of encouragement and release, and automatically cleared a path for them.
And when Niu Popo saw the person wearing the Straw Hat, her pupils instantly dilated.
She immediately took out the newspaper from before and compared a photo on it with the person in front of her.
After careful comparison, she couldn't help but exclaim in her heart.
"This person is… Monkey D. Luffy, who publicly killed a Celestial Dragon!"
While Niu Popo was in extreme shock, the Empress and Luffy had already arrived at the front of the onlookers.
When they saw their side's people fallen all over the ground, the Empress and her two sisters' pupils widened, and a look of shock flashed in their eyes.
At this moment, the two groups who were fighting also had their attention drawn by the sharp shout just now.
When they saw Luffy and the Empress appear, they all stopped fighting.
"Luffy!"
"Empress Boa!"
Both sides simultaneously called out their respective leaders' names in surprise.
However, the next second, they all felt a sense of confusion.
Why were Luffy and the Empress together, and why did they look so harmonious?
Seeing that the Straw Hat had injured so many of the Empress's subordinates, Luffy couldn't help but feel a headache.
However, the only thing worth celebrating was that the Straw Hat had held back, and there were no particularly serious casualties.
"I'm sorry! My people seem to have caused you a lot of trouble!"
Luffy said to the Empress with an apologetic tone.
Then he stepped forward and said to the Straw Hat.
"All of you, come back! Stop fighting!"
"Chopper! Go and treat their injured!"
Upon hearing Luffy's command, Chopper immediately, with Karu's assistance, went to examine and treat the injured.
The rest of the Straw Hat gathered around, looking at Luffy with puzzled expressions, and asked.
"What's going on, Luffy?"
"Who is this woman? Why are you with her?"
Someone unfamiliar asked about the Empress's identity.
But before Luffy could answer, Robin frowned and said.
"This person is… Shichibukai, 'Pirate Empress' Boa Hancock!"
Upon hearing the Empress's identity, the Straw Hat immediately let out gasps of surprise.
"Shichibukai?! Isn't that someone from the World Government?"
"Does that mean she's also our enemy?"
"What exactly is going on?"
Faced with everyone's confusion, Luffy found it difficult to explain for a moment.
Mainly, he had promised the Empress not to talk about what had just happened.
Just as Luffy was thinking about how to answer, Chopper's somewhat helpless voice suddenly rang out from not far away.
"Luffy! These people won't let me treat them!"
Luffy and the Straw Hat all looked over.
They saw a group of female warriors holding weapons, blocking Chopper and Karu.
"What do you invaders want to do?"
"Don't come near us!"
Seeing this, Luffy couldn't help but glance at the Empress.
The Empress thought for a moment and finally chose to trust Luffy and his group.
She ordered the warriors.
"Let him treat them!"
Upon hearing this, the warriors were all surprised and asked in confusion.
"Empress Boa! These people are invaders!"
"That's right! And there are so many men among them; we absolutely cannot trust them!"
Seeing how prejudiced the people on this island were against men, the Straw Hat were all very puzzled, and Sanji was even crying sadly.
However, the Empress said in an undeniable tone.
"This group is an exception!"
"After they finish their treatment, let them stay here temporarily!"
"As long as they don't approach the kingdom, it's fine!"
Despite being very surprised by the Empress's command, these people all complied.
"Yes, Empress Boa!"
Responding, they cleared a path for Chopper.
Luffy, hearing that the Empress was willing to let them stay on the island temporarily and no longer expel them, immediately thanked her in surprise.
"Thank you, Hancock!"
For some reason, upon hearing Luffy thank her and call her by her name, the Empress felt a very strange sensation, even feeling her whole body hot and her face flush.
For a moment, she felt somewhat at a loss.
Just then, angry voices rang out around them.
"You fellow, Empress Boa's name is not something you can call!"
"That's right! Show some respect!"
Seeing these warriors getting angry because of Luffy's address, the Empress immediately said nervously.
"It's… it's fine!"
The warriors and citizens on the island, who had never interacted with men, didn't find anything unusual about the Empress's behavior.
But Niu Popo, in an instant, was suddenly shocked and opened her mouth wide, revealing an expression of disbelief.
She was already shocked enough when the Empress said she agreed to let Luffy and his group stay on this island.
And now the Empress was even acting like this.
This made her truly curious, what exactly had happened?
The Empress also realized that her state was a bit off, so she immediately turned around and hurried away from here.
Her two sisters were then responsible for cleaning up and dispersing the other unrelated people.
Because their injuries were not serious, Chopper quickly finished treating them.
When they found that they felt much better immediately after receiving treatment, all the warriors found it incredibly magical, and each of them opened their mouths wide in surprise.
"sugei! Suddenly my body doesn't hurt anymore!"
"It's true! My body feels so light!"
"Thank you, Doctor!"
"Thank you!"
Listening to the repeated thanks, Chopper immediately wagged happily.
"You idiots! Even if you say that, I won't be happy!"
Seeing Chopper like this, everyone was very curious.
"How interesting! It's the first time I've seen a talking raccoon dog!"
At this, Chopper immediately bared his teeth in anger and roared.
"You idiots! Who are you calling a raccoon dog?!"
"I'm a reindeer! A reindeer!"
Some people also focused their attention on the Straw Hat, with intense curiosity in their eyes.
"So that's a man? It's the first time I've seen one!"
"There's even a skeleton! How interesting!"
Just as these people were extremely curious, Marigold and Sandersonia suddenly shouted at them.
"After you've received treatment, hurry back to your country!"
"Listen up, no one is allowed to approach these people without orders!"
Upon hearing their commands, these individuals nodded repeatedly.
"Yes!"
Then, with eyes full of reluctance, they quickly departed.
Before long, only the Straw Hat remained in the entire area.
Watching the departing female warriors of Nine Snake Island, Sanji and Brook were still lost in reminiscence and emotion.
Meanwhile, Luffy was already surrounded.
"What exactly happened, Luffy?"
"Why is a Shichibukai walking with you?"
Luffy was at a loss for words, not knowing how to answer.
"Uh… something happened, anyway!"
"She's not our enemy anymore!"
Upon learning this, Zoro and the other men no longer cared.
However, the remaining girls, except for Bonney, all stared intently at Luffy with scrutinizing gazes.
A woman's intuition made them sense something.
Luffy felt a chill from their stares and immediately changed the subject awkwardly.
"By the way! How long have we been flying in the sky?"
"We still don't know how many days are left until Ace's execution!"
Suddenly hearing this question, everyone immediately became serious.
When it came to important matters, they still knew how to be sensible.
"We saw in Karu's alternate dimension that he flew for two days in total!"
"That's right! There are only five days left until Ace's execution!"