At the bow of the great mahogany ship, two enormous serpentine Sea Kings held their heads high. They served as the driving force, pulling the entire vessel swiftly across the sea.
The Kuja Pirates of Amazon Lily—a unique pirate crew composed entirely of women from a warrior tribe.
"All combatants, stay alert! Anything can happen at sea!"
On the deck, Sandersonia flicked her forked tongue as she shouted. Marigold, standing beside her, also glanced toward the sea from time to time.
After issuing her orders, Sandersonia turned around, intending to inspect the cargo they had acquired during this expedition. However, she suddenly froze.
At some point, a man had appeared directly before her on the pirate ship's deck!
Moreover, she knew his face so well that she could never possibly forget it.
"Y-You're Thunder Emperor Roy?!"
Sandersonia rubbed her eyes before asking in disbelief.
Marigold also noticed that something was amiss. The moment she looked over, her eyes widened and her mouth fell open.
"Thunder Emperor-sama!!!" Marigold stammered.
"Hello."
Roy greeted them like a gentleman. Just then—
"What is it, Sandersonia, Marigold? Why are you shouting? And who placed a kitten and a baby sea lion directly in my path?"
A crisp yet haughty voice came from the ship's elegant cabin entrance.
Thud! Thud!
After kicking the two small animals out of her way, a tall, proud woman with a flawless figure slowly emerged along the pavilion's red carpet.
One of the Seven Warlords of the Sea, the current empress of Amazon Lily—the Pirate Empress, Boa Hancock!
"Onee-sama! It's the Thunder Emperor! Thunder Emperor Roy! More than ten years ago… Ahem. Onee-sama, what's wrong? Onee-sama!!"
The moment Boa Hancock laid eyes on Roy, she could no longer tear her gaze away from him.
Until now, she had only ever seen his face in newspapers and on wanted posters. This time, he had suddenly appeared directly before her, and her face began growing redder and redder.
"I-I wasn't ready yet!"
Hancock stared blankly at Roy as she uttered those words. Her legs then went weak, and amid Sandersonia's panicked cries, she fainted directly onto the floor.
"Onee-sama!!"
"Empress-sama!!!"
"Quickly, call the ship's doctor! Hurry!"
Everyone immediately descended into chaos. They carried the unconscious Hancock into the cabin and summoned the ship's doctor.
Roy was speechless.
Should I not have come here?
After hearing Hancock's words, Roy suddenly began to understand why she had been unable to bring herself to visit Raijin Island all these years.
"Not ready yet?" Roy rested a hand beneath his chin. "But you shouldn't need to prepare anything just to meet me. It isn't as though I'm expecting a gift."
...
Eventually, Hancock slowly regained consciousness.
"What happened to me?"
Hancock looked at the people gathered around her and realized that she had already been carried back to her bed.
"I remember Sandersonia and the others shouting about something. Then, after I walked out of the cabin, I saw…"
"You're awake?"
Roy, who was sitting at a small table some distance from the bed, greeted her.
He was currently sampling Amazon Lily's specialty fragrant tea.
Hancock's gaze immediately became bashful. Two patches of red once again appeared on her cheeks and showed signs of spreading across her entire face.
"Ahem."
Roy coughed lightly, snapping Hancock out of her daze and restoring clarity to her eyes.
"Ah! How terribly rude of me!!"
"It's fine. I merely came to see you. Raijin Island and Amazon Lily have traded with each other for many years, but the two of us, as their leaders, have never formally met. I came this time simply because I wanted to meet you."
"You wanted to meet me?"
Hancock immediately covered her face with both hands as even the tips of her ears turned red.
"…Yes. However, judging by your current condition, you seem to be feeling unwell. It appears I came at a bad time, so I intend to take my leave."
With that, Roy rose to his feet.
"L-Leave?! Please wait, Thunder Emperor-sama! I… I…"
Roy could not help laughing softly when he saw Hancock's anxious yet bashful demeanor as she struggled to say what she wanted.
He shook his head.
"I'll come again another day. Besides, Raijin Island is located at the entrance to the New World. You may visit whenever you wish."
"T-Thunder Emperor-sama, are you inviting me?"
"Yes, you could consider it an invitation. Come and visit when you have the time."
"O-Okay!! Nnngh…"
"Onee-sama!"
"Empress-sama!!"
Watching Hancock faint from excitement once again, Roy became even more convinced that he had come at a bad time.
Perhaps he should not have come at all.
After exchanging a few pleasantries with Sandersonia and the others, Roy took his leave.
"Good. Before Whitebeard and the World Government formally begin their war, it's time to let my subordinates warm up and stretch their muscles."
After returning to Raijin Island, Roy looked in a particular direction.
It was toward Totto Land, the territory ruled by Charlotte Linlin!
"Three Emperors? That really is an awkward title. These seas only need a single emperor. We'll use the Big Mom Pirates for practice and treat them as an appetizer before our clash with the World Government."
...
Roy's appearance at the Sabaody Archipelago caused a considerable disturbance at Marine Headquarters.
The entire Marine organization was shocked. They simply could not determine Roy's intentions.
Was Roy planning to interfere in their war against Whitebeard?!
The incident involving the assault on the Celestial Dragons had already been pushed to the back of their minds.
At present, the coming battle against the Whitebeard Pirates was the most important matter.
Therefore, because Roy had interfered, although Aokiji had failed to capture the Straw Hat Pirates, the Five Elders did not reprimand him too harshly. He retained his position as an admiral.
Sengoku was now somewhat concerned.
According to Aokiji, Thunder Emperor Roy had appeared at the Sabaody Archipelago partly because of the Fish-Man auction and partly to speak with Hawkins and Luffy.
He had gone there to discuss something with the Pirate King's former vice-captain?
(End of Chapter)
[200 Power Stones = 1 Extra Chapter]
[Check out my Patreon to read 20+ chapters ahead]
[[email protected]/Zukooo]
[Thanks for your support!]