Amazon Lily had enjoyed a few days of long-awaited peace and quiet after recent excitement, but today the tranquility was shattered once again. At noon, the entire island erupted in commotion following the urgent shouts of a warrior who came running back with important news.
"Empress! The Dark King Rayleigh has arrived, and Luffy's crewmates are with him!"
In the heart of Kuja City, Hancock stood gracefully before the breathless messenger, carefully confirming the information she'd just received. "Rayleigh is here? Along with Luffy's friends?"
The warrior immediately bowed respectfully. "Yes, Snake Princess! They've just landed at the harbor!"
Hancock nodded with barely contained excitement and immediately ordered someone to inform Luffy of the development. Then, accompanied by her two sisters and a team of elite Kuja warriors, she hurried toward the city gates with obvious anticipation.
Although she certainly held great respect for the legendary Dark King, Hancock's true motivation was the opportunity to see Luffy again—a thought that made her heart race despite her attempts to maintain royal composure.
At the rocky harbor of Amazon Lily, the Black Nova had docked smoothly under Rayleigh's expert guidance, its hull gently resting against the natural stone pier.
The entire group disembarked onto the shore but proceeded no further inland, respecting the island's ancient customs.
This restraint was due to Rayleigh's solemn explanation that men were absolutely forbidden from entering Amazon Lily proper—an inviolable law that had been maintained for hundreds of years without exception.
"So this is the legendary paradise!" Sanji declared with his eyes closed, completely immersed in his own romantic fantasies. "Even the air itself smells sweet and divine!"
Cavendish's condition was remarkably similar to the cook's infatuation. The narcissistic prince could be seen holding Farul's reins with one hand while striking dramatic poses, delicately holding a rose near his nose as if savoring its exquisite fragrance.
"I wonder how many devoted fans I could gain here?" Cavendish mused dreamily, lost in his own elaborate fantasies. "If the fates are kind, perhaps ten thousand beautiful admirers!"
Brook leaned forward eagerly, his skull face somehow managing to convey excitement and anticipation. "Ladies of this magnificent island! Would any of you be willing to show me your panties? Yohohoho!" he requested with his characteristic inappropriate timing.
"Tch! Are you idiots all completely hopeless?" Zoro mocked them without any attempt at diplomacy. When none of them paid attention to his criticism, he simply returned to the ship's deck and continued his weight training in determined silence.
"Let me see if there are any impressive fish that are native to Amazon Lily," Jerry said, observing his crewmates' various reactions with amusement. He gathered his fishing equipment and settled comfortably on the shore, casting his line into the Calm Belt waters with renewed enthusiasm for his perpetual hobby.
Deuce stood nearby on the beach with his notebook in hand, writing furiously while muttering observations to himself about their current situation and surroundings.
Thanks to Rayleigh's experienced guidance and the fact that he'd sent advance messengers into the island to announce their arrival, the group didn't have to wait long on the coast. Soon they could see the Empress approaching with her royal entourage from one direction, while Luffy bounded toward them from another path entirely.
"Hey! Zoro! Nami! Usopp! Sanji! Chopper! Robin!" Luffy's distinctive voice could be heard from quite a distance, filled with pure joy and excitement. "You're all here! This is amazing! Shishishi!"
Hearing their captain's unmistakable laughter, Nami and the others responded with equally enthusiastic shouts, their faces lighting up with relief and happiness at this long-awaited reunion.
"Ah! Luffy is here too," Hancock whispered to herself, placing both hands against her cheeks as her face flushed with obvious delight.
When both groups finally converged at the harbor, everyone began exchanging greetings and catching up on recent events.
Sanji and Brook immediately became completely mesmerized by the Kuja warriors, practically floating with hearts in their eyes as they tried to process being surrounded by so many strong, beautiful women.
Meanwhile, Cavendish struck several of his most elegant poses, then paused in confusion when the expected screams of admiration failed to materialize. He straightened up with growing bewilderment, only to realize that absolutely no one was paying attention to him. Every single female warrior of Amazon Lily had focused their complete attention on the energetic Straw Hat captain instead.
While Cavendish processed this unexpected blow to his ego, Rayleigh approached Elder Nyon and greeted Hancock's sisters, briefly explaining their purpose for visiting the forbidden island.
"Wait a minute, Rayleigh," Hancock interrupted, despite seeming lost in her own thoughts. Her keen intuition had caught the implications of their conversation. "You're not trying to take Luffy away from here, are you?"
Rayleigh looked meaningfully at the Empress, then shifted his gaze to the Straw Hat Pirates, who had endured countless trials and finally reunited after escaping mortal danger. "It's not that I want to take him anywhere. Rather, I suspect they'll want to set sail again very soon."
"But... but this is terrible timing!" Hancock's voice grew progressively quieter as she spoke. "Besides, Luffy hasn't mastered his Conqueror's Haki yet, and I wanted to help him..." Her words trailed off into increasingly quiet mumbling as she retreated into private fantasies about training sessions with her beloved.
However, her mention of that particular ability immediately caught Rayleigh's experienced attention.
"Conqueror's Haki?" The Dark King glanced at Luffy, who was laughing and playing enthusiastically with his reunited friends, and nodded thoughtfully to himself.
He then turned his gaze toward the members of the Black Star Pirates, who were occupied with their own activities nearby. With a knowing smile, he walked toward the celebrating Straw Hat crew.
"Alright! Then we'll head back to Water 7, pick up the Going Merry, and continue our adventure together!" Luffy shouted with infectious excitement, prompting immediate cheers from his crewmates.
Rayleigh shook his head and gently interrupted their celebration. "If you continue from here, you'll be entering the New World. Are you really prepared to face that in your current condition?"
Hearing this unexpected question, Luffy turned around with obvious confusion written across his face. "Old man, who are you exactly?"
Nami quickly whispered an urgent explanation to her captain, rapidly summarizing Rayleigh's legendary identity and everything that had happened during their separation.
Luffy listened to Nami's summary while nodding repeatedly. "Oh, so I need to thank this old guy for helping everyone find me..." At this point, he suddenly processed the crucial detail Nami had mentioned at the beginning, and his eyes went wide with shock.
"Wait! Nami, you said he was the Pirate King's vice-captain?!"
Seeing that even their usually oblivious captain had the same stunned expression they'd worn, Sanji and the others suddenly felt much less embarrassed about their own reactions.
They'd all responded identically when Jerry and his crew had first mentioned Rayleigh's incredible identity.
"Let's set aside those insignificant old stories for now," Rayleigh said with a dismissive wave, as if his world-shaking reputation was completely unimportant. "I just want to remind you that sailing the Grand Line—especially the New World in its second half—isn't nearly as simple as you might think."
Upon hearing this warning, Luffy, Zoro, and the others exchanged meaningful glances before finally turning to their navigator. "Nami, can you take us anywhere in this world with your skills?"
Before Nami could formulate a response, Rayleigh smiled gently. "If you truly want to sail freely, success isn't just the navigator's responsibility alone."
Having captured the attention of nearly everyone present, Rayleigh focused his steady gaze on Luffy and spoke with calm authority. "You wouldn't want to trigger another War of the Best, would you? Also, if your friends—or even your brother who risked everything to rescue you—had died because of your recklessness this time, how would you live with yourself?"
Rayleigh's words, delivered in that same calm tone, had the effect of pressing a mute button on the entire Straw Hat crew. They fell into stunned silence as the weight of his implications sank in.
Thinking back on their experiences over the past few days—the absolutely terrifying moments at Marine Headquarters, those impossibly powerful warriors who had fought earth-shaking battles that stunned the entire world—Luffy clenched his fists tightly with visible determination.
He wasn't foolish enough to ignore or forget everything he'd witnessed during that unprecedented conflict. On the contrary, he'd been training in secret with desperate intensity, eager to rapidly improve his strength and prevent himself and his precious friends from falling into such deadly situations again.
The same drive motivated Zoro and the others. During their time aboard the Black Nova, traveling alongside Jerry's crew, they had all thrown themselves into training with remarkable enthusiasm and dedication.
"In the New World, not only are the natural conditions far more severe and unpredictable," Rayleigh continued seriously, "but your enemies' strength will also increase exponentially compared to anything you've faced before."
After delivering this sobering assessment, he raised his finger and looked around at everyone in the Black Star Pirates before finally pointing directly toward Jerry's position.
Everyone followed his gesture and spotted Jerry lying peacefully in his portable reclining chair, the back of his head resting comfortably on his crossed hands, legs crossed casually, humming some unknown tune while his fishing line drifted in the gentle waves.
"Take him as a perfect example," Rayleigh said matter-of-factly. "Even though he's roughly the same age as all of you, you couldn't match even one of his fingers no matter how hard you tried right now."
Hearing Rayleigh suddenly drag him into the conversation, Jerry turned his head and waved dismissively. "Hey, Old Man Rayleigh! It's one thing to acknowledge my incredible strength, but don't bother me while I'm working. I'm trying to catch a big fish here, and I can feel this is definitely going to be a good bite!"
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