Using that burst of speed, the Storm Reaper quickly moved away from the battlefield and charged all the way into the Calm Belt.
"Phew..."
Aiden stretched his Observation Haki backward to its limit. After confirming several times that Harald had not chased after them, he finally let out a heavy sigh.
It seemed that although the enemy's giant warship was massive, it could not match the Storm Reaper's burst speed.
He took his hand off the power transmission device and cut off the lightning supply.
As the roar of the engine room gradually died down, the Storm Reaper's speed slowly dropped. It glided on the mirror-like calm sea using its momentum.
They were already deep in the Calm Belt.
The sea, which had been violent enough to swallow them a few minutes ago, was now completely still. There was no wind, no waves, and barely any movement in the air.
If they continued to accelerate blindly like this and strayed from the course, finding Amazon Lily in the Calm Belt would be nearly impossible. A normal compass was useless here, and a Log Pose could not guide them to the island.
Aiden rolled his neck. He did not go to rest immediately. Instead, he turned and walked toward the cabin.
The cabin was a mess.
Kane and over a hundred elite Marines lay scattered on the floor. They had clearly been knocked out by the Conqueror's Haki clash. They were sprawled out in the cabin right now, but their breathing was steady and their bodies were fine.
Hancock and her two sisters curled up on the sofa, sleeping soundly. Their faces were pale, and it was clear they had cried before losing consciousness.
That kind of Conqueror's Haki clash was far beyond what ordinary people could endure.
Aiden walked over to Kane and squatted down. He placed two fingers on Kane's carotid artery and activated a weak electromagnetic perception at the same time.
With his medical knowledge, Kane's physical condition was clear to Aiden at a glance.
"Irregular heartbeat, mild concussion, plus he was scared half to death..."
Aiden shook his head. A soft ball of bio-electricity appeared in his hand. He tapped Kane lightly and used the current to calm his disordered nerves.
Next was Hancock.
Hancock's face was still pale.
Aiden checked her over. After confirming that it was just a temporary faint caused by the mental shock, he breathed a sigh of relief.
He took out a few bottles of recovery potions he had made earlier from his system storage space. He pried open the mouths of a few heavily injured Marines and poured the potions down their throats.
After confirming that everyone was fine, Aiden went to the captain's quarters alone.
He took off his tattered coat, revealing his lean upper body.
Although he didn't have exaggerated wounds like Harald, his chest and arms were still covered in bruises. Those were the marks of muscles tearing during high-intensity combat. His internal organs had also suffered some shock and ached faintly.
"Phew..."
Aiden sat on the bed and closed his eyes.
"Life Return."
Following his mental control, his muscles, which were originally tight, began to wriggle rhythmically. Under the command of his consciousness, the cells in his body began to frantically consume stored energy, speeding up the repair of damaged tissues.
At the same time, fine blue electrical currents roamed across his skin. He used high voltage to stimulate cell activity, further speeding up the healing process.
White smoke hissed and rose from his body.
Aiden felt the wounds on his back healing, and his expression slowly hardened.
That strike, "Demise," was brutal. If an ordinary fighter of that level took it head-on, they would be severely injured if not killed. But for Aiden, who had a strong body and the Rumble-Rumble Fruit, these injuries looked scary but did not hurt his core.
If he had really gone all out just now, ignored the safety of the Storm Reaper, and engaged in a life-or-death battle with Harald on the sea...
It was still unknown who would win.
"But... there's no need for that."
Aiden shook his head.
This fight was truly baffling. They were not mortal enemies, and there was no conflict of interest. Risking his own crew and the future Empress just for a World Government tool who appeared out of nowhere was clearly a bad deal.
An unknown amount of time passed.
A light knock came from outside the door.
"Come in."
Jinbe pushed the door open and walked in. He held a basin of clean water and some bandages in his hands.
Jinbe saw the bruises rapidly fading on Aiden's body and stopped for a moment. Then guilt settled over him.
"Boss Aiden..."
Jinbe put down the water basin and stood to the side, unable to hide his self-blame.
"In this battle... I held you back."
"If I were a bit stronger, or if I weighed anchor a bit faster, you wouldn't have had to take that attack head-on just to protect this ship."
"Alright, don't blame yourself like this."
Aiden opened his eyes and rolled his shoulders, which no longer hurt. He casually interrupted Jinbe's self-reflection.
"No one on this ship could take an attack of that level except me. You did well. At least the ship is safe, and everyone is fine."
He was telling the truth.
At the start of the battle, the massive waves caused by the clash of two Conqueror's Haki might have been just ripples for Harald's island-like giant ship. But for the much smaller Storm Reaper, if not for Jinbe's ability to manipulate the ocean currents, the ship would have capsized long ago.
As for Harald's final, full-power strike, "Demise," its force was far beyond the full-power attack of a normal Admiral.
Back in Mary Geoise, Rocks had defeated a civilian Admiral guarding the Celestial Dragons without much effort, leading to that Admiral dying from his injuries after the battle.
Harald had once stood on the same battlefield as Rocks. If someone like him went all out, even the newly promoted Admirals Akainu, Aokiji, and Kizaru would have to risk their lives against him.
Although Jinbe's current strength was not bad, if he took that strike head-on, his bones would definitely be crushed to pieces.
"What is that giant's background?"
Jinbe couldn't help asking.
"That Haki, and the way he moved... In all these years, I've never heard of such a person."
Issho, who had been leaning against the door, also tilted his head slightly. He was clearly very interested in this.
Aiden took the towel Jinbe handed him and wiped the sweat off his body.
"Harald. The King of Elbaph, a Giant who inherited the bloodline of the Ancient Giants."
"He was a major figure active in the Rocks era. Even among the dangerous fighters of that time, he stood near the top."
"What?!"
Jinbe was shocked.
"He's actually a figure from that era? How could a legendary person like that...?"
"How could he end up serving the World Government?"
Aiden scoffed.
"What else could it be? The World Government, or rather, the work of the Five Elders."
"Even though Fleet Admiral Sengoku helped me secure the chance for exile, and I publicly backed down on the surface, killing a Celestial Dragon in public was a huge slap in the face. How could those high-and-mighty guys really swallow this anger?"
Aiden scoffed again and put on a brand-new white shirt, covering his lean muscles.
"I'm just curious... how did a proper Giant King become a tool for the World Government?"
But right now was not a good time to discuss this. Aiden pulled back his thoughts and gave an order.
"Forget it, overthinking won't help. Rest up early. We'll anchor in the Calm Belt tonight to recover."
"Yes!"
The night passed in silence.
The next morning.
Weak sunlight pierced through the mist that never cleared in the Calm Belt and shone on the battered deck of the Storm Reaper.
"Ugh..."
Kane rubbed the back of his aching head and crawled out of the cabin.
When he saw the shocking cracks on the deck and the gaps on both sides of the hull that looked as if a giant beast had bitten them, the memories of yesterday instantly flooded his mind. It scared him so much that his face turned pale and cold sweat poured down.
Yesterday's battle came back to him at once.
Just the aftershocks had almost torn this reinforced warship apart.
And at this moment, Aiden was sitting on the ram at the bow. He held a Den Den Mushi in his hand and seemed to be contacting someone. He looked relaxed, showing no signs of having just gone through a life-or-death battle yesterday.
"Aiden..."
Hancock spoke from behind.
Aiden hung up the phone and turned around.
Hancock stood there, her two small hands tightly gripping the hem of her skirt. Her face was still red from crying.
She didn't throw herself at him to act spoiled like usual.
She just stood there quietly, too ashamed to act spoiled like usual.
"What's wrong?" Aiden jumped down from the ram and walked up to her.
"I'm sorry..."
Hancock lowered her head. Her voice choked up, and her small hands twisted together.
"It's all because of me... If I hadn't been stubborn and demanded to go play, you wouldn't have changed course to take care of me... and we wouldn't have met that scary enemy..."
Although she fainted from the Conqueror's Haki shockwave during the most intense part of the battle and didn't see the moment Aiden got hurt with her own eyes.
But when she woke up and saw the marks on the deck, and recalled the scene before she fainted last night, fear and guilt hit her all at once.
That guilt and lingering fear made her feel even worse than when she had been taken by the slave ship.
Aiden looked at Hancock. This time, he did not brush it off with a simple "It's fine."
He squatted down to meet Hancock at her height and looked at her seriously.
"Then remember this feeling."
Aiden reached out and gently wiped the tears from her face. His words were gentle, but not indulgent.
"You have the aptitude for Conqueror's Haki. One day, Amazon Lily may depend on you."
"After returning to Amazon Lily, don't just focus on dressing up and playing around. Train hard."
Aiden patted her shoulder.
"Can you do that? Future Kuja Empress."
Hancock froze.
Hancock looked at Aiden and slowly understood what he meant.
She sniffled and wiped away her tears. The desire to become stronger began to take root in her chest.
She wanted to get stronger so she would not have to be protected forever.
"Yeah!!"
Hancock nodded hard.
"That's more like it."
Aiden smiled in satisfaction and stood up.
"Alright, go wash your face. We're almost home. Don't let your people see you crying like this."
Right at this moment.
Splash—!!!
The mirror-like sea surface suddenly exploded.
A massive shadow instantly covered the Storm Reaper.
A super giant Sea King, several times larger than the Storm Reaper, burst out of the water. It had a lion-like head and a scaly fish body. It opened a huge mouth, wide enough to swallow the entire ship, and let out a deafening roar at the people on the deck.
It had smelled the lingering scent of blood on the deck and treated this battered warship as injured prey.
Aiden turned around and looked up at the Sea King blocking the sun. He only needed one look to make the beast stop.
After the battle with Harald, the force Aiden carried was still sharp enough to scare even a Sea King.
In the Sea King's senses, the tiny human in front of it suddenly felt far more dangerous than any prey it had ever seen.
A wave of Conqueror's Haki erupted from Aiden's body.
Hum—
The air vibrated.
The aggressive Sea King froze in midair.
Fear struck the giant beast before it could bite down.
Gurgle...
Its massive body stiffened suddenly, and its eyes rolled back, showing a large area of white.
It didn't even make a sound.
Splash!
The hundreds-of-meters-long beast fainted from fear and smashed heavily back into the sea, kicking up waves into the sky. Then, it floated belly-up, bobbing up and down with the waves.
Just a single look.
One burst of Conqueror's Haki was enough.
On the deck, the Marines who had just woken up looked in disbelief.
Was this their captain?
Knocking such a massive Sea King unconscious in seconds with Conqueror's Haki alone!
"Perfect timing."
Aiden turned away and ordered Jinbe, who was still stunned beside him.
"Jinbe, trouble you to go down and haul it up. We're eating this for dinner tonight."
"...Yes!"
...
After the disturbance settled, the Storm Reaper continued moving forward.
Finally, the mist gradually cleared, and an island surrounded by giant rocks with steep terrain appeared before everyone.
Huge characters spelling "Kuja" were carved into the cliff at the island's entrance, warning strangers to stay away.
Amazon Lily.
However, before the ship could get close.
Swish! Swish! Swish!
Several sharp arrows coated in Armament Haki tore through the air and embedded themselves in the sea surface ahead of the Storm Reaper, serving as a warning.
On the reefs along the shore, dozens of female warriors holding snake bows and wearing animal pelts drew their bowstrings back. Pitch-black Armament Haki wrapped around the arrows, locking onto everyone on the ship.
The leading Kuja warrior captain shouted sternly.
"Stop right there!!"
"Ahead is Amazon Lily! The forbidden Island of Women! No men are allowed near!"
"Violators—will be killed without mercy!!"
Facing those arrows and warnings, Aiden didn't move an inch.
"How bold!!"
A sharp young voice yelled.
Hancock stepped out and walked from behind Aiden to the bow of the ship.
At this moment, although she was only nine and still looked tired from crying, her natural pride as a Kuja princess was already beginning to show.
She put her hands on her hips, lifted her chin proudly, and faced the Kuja warriors.
"Do you not even recognize me?!"
Along with Hancock's young yet commanding shout, the originally tense atmosphere suddenly vanished.
"This..."
On the coastal reef, the Kuja warrior captain who had been ready to attack froze.
She slowly lowered her drawn bowstring and carefully identified the small figure standing in front of the man.
Those familiar facial features, that signature long, straight black hair, and that arrogant posture no one could imitate...
"Princess Han... Hancock?!"
The captain's voice turned sharp from shock. "And Princess Sandersonia and Princess Marigold?!"
"It's really you!!"
The surrounding female warriors instantly burst into an uproar. Their weapons lowered, and cries of relief spread across the shore.
"What are you staring at?!"
Hancock scoffed and pointed at the sea below.
"Hurry up and clear the path! I need to go back and see Empress Toritoma now!"
"Yes! Yes! Everyone, lower your weapons! Welcome the Princesses back!!"
The captain hurriedly gave the order. All the Yuda ships quickly separated to both sides, clearing a waterway to the port.
Piloted by Jinbe, the Storm Reaper slowly sailed into the port of this mysterious Island of Women.
...
When the Storm Reaper's gangplank dropped onto the dock, the entire Amazon Lily port was already boiling.
Countless Kuja citizens who had heard the news crowded the dock. They waved their arms and cheered the names of the three sisters.
Right then, the crowd suddenly parted.
Several haggard-looking female warriors stumbled out. As soon as they saw Hancock and her sisters coming down from the ship, their legs gave out, and they dropped to their knees on the gravel ground, crying bitterly.
"Princess Hancock!!"
The leading female warrior slammed her head onto the ground, dyeing her forehead red with blood.
"We deserve to die! We failed in our guard duty and actually lost the Princesses..."
"We've searched all the nearby seas these past few days. We thought... we thought we would never see you again!"
"Please punish us, Princess! Even if you execute us, we will have no complaints!"
These people were the guards originally responsible for watching over the three sisters when they went out to play. Because Hancock wandered off, they ran into a slave ship. During this time, these warriors had been living in self-blame and fear. They were even ready to apologize with their lives.
Seeing this, the cheering crowd around them fell quiet.
According to Amazon Lily's strict laws, poor guarding leading to the royal bloodline being endangered was indeed a capital offense.
Hancock looked at the trembling guards kneeling on the ground and frowned slightly.
If it were the willful and unruly her from before, she would probably be throwing a tantrum right now and ordering these useless fools to be dragged away.
But now...
Hancock subconsciously glanced back at Aiden behind her.
Aiden had his hands in his pockets, leaning against the railing as he waited to see what she would do.
The moment she saw Aiden there, Hancock's thoughts raced.
"No... Aiden is watching."
"If I act too brutal and unreasonable, will he think I'm a bad kid?"
"Plus... this whole thing happened because I wandered off to play..."
Thinking of this, Hancock took a deep breath and tried to act like a future ruler.
She stepped forward, reached out her small hand, and lightly gestured for the crying guard to get up.
"All of you, stand up."
"Huh?" The guards froze in disbelief.
"It's not your fault."
Hancock lifted her chin slightly. Her words were still young.
"It was because I was being playful and left the guard perimeter on my own, giving those slavers a chance."
"This was my mistake. It has nothing to do with you."
"I will forgive you this time. Stop crying, you're embarrassing the Kuja warriors."
Hearing this, the guards trembled with emotion and slammed their heads into the ground again.
"Thank you for sparing us, Princess!! Thank you!!"
Even the surrounding citizens looked at Hancock with more reverence.
Not only did she return safely, but she had also become more reasonable and responsible. This was the future Empress they were looking forward to!
After handling all this, Hancock secretly glanced back at Aiden and found him giving her a thumbs-up with an approving smile.
Hancock blushed with pride.
A strict voice suddenly rang out.
"Hold on!"
Although the Kuja captain was thrilled about the Princesses' safe return, she hadn't forgotten her duty. She looked at Aiden, Jinbe, Issho, and the bunch of burly Marines getting off the ship, and her face instantly darkened.
As a protector of Amazon Lily, she absolutely could not tolerate so many men setting foot on this sacred land.
She gripped her snake bow tightly again, pointing the arrow straight at Aiden in the front.
"The Princesses' return is a joyous event, but..."
"According to the ironclad laws of Amazon Lily for hundreds of years, men are forbidden from stepping onto the island!"
"These men... must be expelled immediately!"
Clatter—
The surrounding female warriors raised their weapons again. Even the regular citizens looked at Aiden and his group with suspicion and rejection.
"I'd like to see who dares!!"
Before Aiden could speak, Hancock jumped out from behind him. She spread her arms and stood in front of Aiden.
She glared at the captain.
"He is my savior!!"
"If it weren't for Aiden, we would have died out there long ago! He pulled us out of hell! He saved our lives!"
Though Hancock's voice was young, every word carried weight.
"Anyone who disrespects him disrespects me!!"
The entire area fell dead silent.
Everyone looked in shock at the usually arrogant little princess getting so furious over an outsider man.
The Kuja captain looked troubled. "But Princess... the rules cannot be broken..."
"That's enough, Hancock."
Aiden stepped forward and stopped beside Hancock.
He guided Hancock behind him and gave the captain a polite smile.
"I understand the principle of following local customs. I don't want to make things hard for you."
He pointed at Kane and the Marines behind him.
"How about this: my crew will stay and rest in the port area outside the city. Just provide some fresh water and food. They won't step a foot into the city."
"As for me..."
"Since I'm seeing this through to the end, I still need to meet your current Empress and hand these three little ones back to her personally to have peace of mind."
Aiden paused and threw out an even heavier name.
"Besides, Shakky specifically asked me to do this. Since the former Empress entrusted this to me, I have to give an account to your Empress in person, right?"
Hearing the name "Shakky," the Kuja captain's expression visibly grew more respectful. That was the name of the previous Kuja Empress, who still held extremely high prestige on the island.
She hesitated. She looked at the stubborn Hancock, then at Aiden, and finally sighed.
"Since you are the Princess's savior, and have a request from Shakky... fine."
"Only you can enter Kuja City as a special exception to see Her Majesty the Empress. But absolutely no one else!"
"Jinbe, Issho."
Aiden turned to look at the two of them.
"You guys will have to put up with staying outside. I'm going to hand over these little ones and I'll be out soon."
"It's fine."
Issho leaned on his cane sword and sat cross-legged on the ground with a chuckle. "It just so happens I want to listen to the waves here."
Jinbe also nodded. "Go ahead with peace of mind, Boss Aiden. We'll keep an eye on things here. Nothing will go wrong."
Thus, the group split up at the port.
Jinbe, Issho, Kane, and the over one hundred Marines were arranged to rest in a temporary camp outside the city.
"Is this a man?"
"I heard mushrooms grow on men's bodies?"
"Wow! His meat is so soft! It has no bounce at all!"
A group of ordinary Amazon Lily women who had never seen a man completely surrounded the camp as if looking at rare beasts. The bolder ones even reached out curiously, poking Kane's arms and shoulders.
"Help... help me..."
Kane was squeezed between several burly female warriors. He was stiff with panic and did not dare move, so he could only send Jinbe a pleading look.
However, because Jinbe was a Fish-Man, he was treated as a type of sea beast instead and didn't receive much harassment. He sat cross-legged to the side, calmly drinking tea.
In comparison, inside the city was a completely different scene.
Passing through the giant city gates, Kuja City's unique landscape unfolded before Aiden.
The architecture here had red walls, green tiled roofs, and curved eaves. But the most special part was that whether it was the beams of the houses or the decorations on the streets, there were snake elements everywhere.
Furthermore, looking around, the entire street was filled entirely with women.
As the only male walking down the street, Aiden drew everyone's attention. Curious whispers followed him from both sides of the road.
"Is that a man?"
"He doesn't look as hideous as the books say..."
"He looks different from what the books said..."
Facing these stares, Aiden stayed calm and kept walking.
Hancock, on the other hand, stayed close to Aiden and watched the curious women with caution. She had just brought him back safely and did not want anyone causing trouble for him.
Led by the guards, the four of them crossed the streets and climbed up to the Kuja Palace at the highest point of the island.
They pushed open the crimson doors carved with giant snake patterns.
Up in the main hall, a gorgeously dressed woman sat upright on a snake-shaped throne.
That was the current Empress of Amazon Lily, the captain of the Kuja Pirates—Toritoma.
She looked young and beautiful, with a slim and tall figure. She had shoulder-length, straight black hair that curled slightly at the tips. She wore a deep purple V-neck shirt and a high-slit red skirt that revealed long, straight legs.
Dark lipstick sharpened her features. Giant snake-shaped hoop earrings hung from her ears, swaying slightly with her movements.
However, she looked tired and paler than a normal person, and she would occasionally let out a light cough.
"Hancock!!"
When she saw Hancock and her sisters walk into the hall, Toritoma abruptly stood up from her throne. Not even caring to adjust her skirt, she rushed down the steps and pulled the three sisters tightly into her arms.
"Thank goodness... you're alive... This is wonderful..."
Toritoma's words trembled, and tears wet her face.
Since the three sisters disappeared, she had sent all her ships out to search but found nothing. She thought the three little ones had met with a mishap. She never thought she would see them alive again.
"Her Majesty the Empress..." Hancock cried and hugged her back.
Even though Toritoma seemed a bit weak, she hugged Hancock tightly.
After a moving reunion, Toritoma wiped the tears from her face, adjusted her posture, and turned to Aiden standing in the hall.
Her expression was complicated.
"You must be Mr. Aiden."
Toritoma spoke with the dignity of an Empress, even though she was still recovering from the shock.
"A few days ago, Shakky called and told me everything."
"Thank you for saving the future of the Kuja from those villains. Amazon Lily will remember this favor."
"It was nothing."
Aiden bowed slightly, performing a standard gentleman's bow. He didn't show the slightest disrespect just because she was a woman.
"Since I promised to bring them home, I naturally had to keep my word. Seeing them safely reunite with their family sets my mind at ease."
Aiden handled the greeting with proper manners.
His composed and respectful attitude eased much of Toritoma's caution.
She had seen too many greedy men who lusted after the Kuja's treasures or the Kuja women's beauty.
But the man in front of her did not stare at her or show greed, even though she was the Empress of Amazon Lily.
That kind of restraint couldn't be faked.
"Someone, set up a banquet."
Toritoma waved her hand.
"Since he is our benefactor, Amazon Lily will absolutely not neglect him."
...
At the banquet, Amazon Lily's specialty dishes were served continuously.
Aiden didn't hold back. Last night's battle had drained a lot of his stamina, and he needed to replenish his energy right now.
Hancock sat next to Aiden and kept helping him with the food and drinks. That careful attitude made Toritoma, sitting at the head seat, notice at once.
Was this still that proud little troublemaker who usually ignored the words of her elders?
Even knowing he was her savior, Hancock was still relying on him too much.
Toritoma subconsciously gripped her chest. A faint, sharp pain came from there.
"Cough, cough..." She couldn't help coughing lightly.
"Is Your Majesty feeling unwell?" Aiden asked, setting his glass down on the table
"It's an old issue, it's fine."
Toritoma waved her hand and forced herself to focus.
"Mr. Aiden, to repay your kindness, Amazon Lily is willing to provide any help within our power. Whether it's treasure, supplies, or anything else, just name it."
She actually wanted to repay this debt as fast as possible so this man would leave quickly. Hancock's reliance on him was too deep. For someone who would become the Kuja Empress in the future, this was not a good thing.
"No need for treasure."
Aiden wiped his mouth and looked directly at Toritoma.
"As for supplies, my ship took heavy damage in the previous battle. I do need the Kuja craftsmen to help patch it up."
"That's no problem. We will meet your needs as much as possible." Toritoma nodded.
"Also..."
Aiden changed the subject.
"I have one more presumptuous request."
"Please go ahead."
"I want to see someone," Aiden said.
"Who?"
"The Empress from two generations ago, Gloriosa."