"Sister, what should we do? It's Demon Eye Ryūjin!"
"Yes, Sister! Why would Demon Eye Ryūjin come to Amazon Lily?"
Both of Boa Hancock's sisters wore expressions of shock and panic.
"So what if it's Demon Eye Ryūjin?"
After her initial surprise, Hancock quickly regained her composure and returned to her usual proud demeanor.
"There is no one in this world who can resist my beauty, not even Ryūjin!"
"Sandersonia!"
"Marigold!"
"Gather the Kuja Pirates. Come with me to meet Demon Eye Ryūjin!"
Hancock gave her orders with confidence.
The two sisters immediately carried out her command and assembled the Kuja Pirates. When the warriors learned that Demon Eye Ryūjin had arrived, every one of them was stunned.
After all, this was the man who had defeated multiple Warlords of the Sea, an Admiral, and even a Yonko.
Across the entire sea, nearly every major force had suffered a defeat at his hands.
However, when Hancock appeared before her people and struck her signature exaggerated pose while delivering a passionate speech, the atmosphere changed instantly.
That's right.
No one in the world could resist the beauty of the Pirate Empress.
The Empress was simply too beautiful.
Even if the opponent was Demon Eye Ryūjin, there was nothing to fear.
"Open the gates!"
"Open the gates!"
The guards of Amazon Lily immediately obeyed. The massive gates slowly opened as Hancock boarded her ship and led the Kuja Pirates out with imposing momentum.
Soon enough, they spotted Ryūjin's vessel approaching from the distance.
"Demon Eye Ryūjin actually entered the Calm Belt. How is that possible?"
Hancock frowned.
There was no wind in the Calm Belt, yet Ryūjin's ship was clearly moving at remarkable speed. Unlike the Kuja Pirates, he was not using Sea Kings to tow the vessel.
How was he sailing?
"Sister, look at the sails!"
Sandersonia suddenly pointed ahead.
Hancock focused her gaze and immediately noticed that Ryūjin's sails were fully inflated.
Her surprise deepened.
"How can there be wind in the Calm Belt?"
"Sister, perhaps there isn't any wind. Demon Eye Ryūjin may simply be using some special ability."
Marigold spoke in a low voice.
"He truly is a mysterious man."
Hancock admitted it before immediately lifting her chin proudly.
"But so what? In the face of my beauty, none of that matters. Move forward and intercept them!"
Under Hancock's command, the Kuja Pirates sailed directly toward Ryūjin's ship.
"Ryūjin-san, the Empress and her crew are quite brave."
Nami watched the approaching fleet with admiration.
"There aren't many people on the sea who would willingly face you like this."
Then her eyes sparkled with curiosity.
"I've heard she's the most beautiful woman in the world. I really want to see if it's true."
As the distance between the two ships rapidly shrank, both sides finally met near the waters outside Amazon Lily.
"This... this is the Pirate Empress?"
Nami stared in disbelief.
"She's unbelievably beautiful. Even I can't help thinking she's gorgeous."
Any competitive thoughts she had vanished instantly.
Hancock's beauty truly lived up to its legendary reputation.
At that moment, Hancock stepped onto the front deck.
She pointed directly at Ryūjin.
"Demon Eye Ryūjin!"
"No men are allowed near Amazon Lily, not even you!"
"But I'm already here."
Ryūjin shrugged casually.
"What are you going to do about it?"
"Any man who approaches Amazon Lily must be punished!"
Hancock declared proudly.
Then she brushed her hair back with unmatched confidence.
"Considering how beautiful I am, why don't you surrender willingly?"
"Empress-sama, I surrender!"
Nami immediately switched sides without hesitation.
Her eyes practically sparkled with admiration.
Even Robin looked captivated, completely charmed by Hancock's presence.
The combination of Hancock's natural beauty and the Love-Love Fruit's influence was devastating.
Ordinary people found it nearly impossible to resist.
Unfortunately for Hancock, Ryūjin and the others were not ordinary people.
Neither Kizaru nor Aokiji showed any reaction.
Crocodile remained completely unaffected.
And Ryūjin?
He looked thoroughly unimpressed.
"What?"
Hancock blinked.
"You don't think I'm beautiful?"
She struck several poses while proudly displaying her charm.
Yet nobody reacted.
Crocodile remained expressionless due to Ryūjin's genjutsu.
As Admirals, Kizaru and Aokiji possessed powerful wills and immense mental fortitude.
As for Ryūjin, he simply wasn't interested.
"Hancock."
Ryūjin shook his head.
"Cut it out. It's not going to work."
A trace of frustration flashed across Hancock's face.
There were actually people who could ignore her beauty.
Not just one, but several.
Before she could respond, her surroundings suddenly changed.
Whoosh!
The sea disappeared.
Amazon Lily vanished.
In an instant, Hancock found herself standing in a vast desert.
Her eyes widened.
"What happened?"
A moment ago she had been aboard her ship.
Now she stood in an unfamiliar world.
Realization quickly dawned on her.
Her gaze snapped toward Ryūjin.
"Demon Eye Ryūjin!"
She instinctively entered a state of full alert.
"Where is this? What did you do?"
"This place is called the Chibaku Tensei Space."
Ryūjin answered casually.
"You don't need to be nervous. I simply want to make a deal."
"Unfortunately, I don't make deals."
Hancock crossed her arms coldly.
"I can obtain anything I desire through my beauty."
Without hesitation, she activated the power of the Love-Love Fruit.
A massive pink heart appeared before her.
Countless heart-shaped arrows shot toward Ryūjin.
Anyone struck by them would immediately be petrified.
Ryūjin didn't move.
His eyes transformed into the Rinnegan.
The power of the Deva Path activated.
Every arrow vanished instantly, absorbed without leaving a trace.
"Nani?!"
Hancock's expression changed dramatically.
For the first time since meeting him, genuine shock appeared on her face.
He had effortlessly neutralized her Devil Fruit ability.
This man truly deserved his reputation.
"Can we talk now?"
Ryūjin asked with a faint smile.
After several seconds of silence, Hancock reluctantly nodded.
"What do you want?"
"I've recently been researching Haki."
Ryūjin answered.
"I know Amazon Lily has many skilled Haki users. I want them to spar with me so I can personally experience different applications of Haki."
"What a ridiculous request."
Hancock frowned.
Then she narrowed her eyes.
"And what exactly can you offer me in return?"
Ryūjin looked directly at her.
"I can permanently erase the slave brand on your back."
The moment those words left his mouth, Hancock froze.
Her face instantly lost all color.
The secret she had buried deeper than anything else had been exposed.
Despite her titles as Pirate Empress, former Warlord of the Sea, and ruler of Amazon Lily, there remained one shame she could never forget.
She and her sisters had once been slaves of the Celestial Dragons.
The mark branded onto their backs represented the darkest period of their lives.
It was a humiliation they could never erase.
To hide that truth, Hancock had gone to extraordinary lengths throughout the years.
Yet now, Ryūjin had casually spoken about it.
"How..."
Her voice trembled.
"How do you know about that?"
"Hancock, I have no malicious intentions."
Ryūjin spoke calmly.
"If I wanted to use that information against you, I wouldn't have brought you somewhere private to discuss it."
His words forced Hancock into silence.
After all, he was right.
With his strength, there was no need for elaborate schemes.
After a long pause, she finally spoke.
"After becoming captain of the Kuja Pirates, I eliminated everyone who knew about it."
Her voice was low.
"So tell me. How did you learn this secret?"
Ryūjin simply shrugged.
"Back where I'm from, there's a saying."
"There are no walls that can completely block the wind."
"As long as something happened, sooner or later somebody will learn about it."
Hancock stared at him for several moments.
Eventually, she stopped asking.
She slowly removed her clothes and turned around.
The slave brand on her back was fully revealed.
"Demon Eye Ryūjin."
"You may begin."
Ryūjin: "..."
He had never asked her to take her clothes off.
With his Observation Haki and Yin-Yang Release, clothing wouldn't have been an obstacle at all.
Still, correcting her now seemed like a terrible idea.
So he wisely chose silence.
"Hancock."
Ryūjin raised a hand.
"What comes next may feel a little uncomfortable. I'll need to touch your back."
"It doesn't matter."
Hancock clenched her teeth.
"Do it."
Ryūjin placed his palm gently against the branded mark.
The power of Yin-Yang Release flowed from his hand.
The slave brand began to dissolve.
Moments later, it disappeared completely.
Not a single trace remained.
The scar that had haunted Hancock for years was gone.
"It's finished."
Ryūjin snapped his fingers.
Using Ice Release, he created a mirror and positioned it behind her.
Hancock slowly looked into the reflection.
Her body froze.
Her eyes widened.
She stood motionless.
Then tears began flowing down her cheeks.
The proud Pirate Empress, who never bowed to anyone, was crying openly.
The burden she had carried for so many years had finally vanished.
"Demon Eye Ryūjin..."
Her voice trembled.
Her attitude had completely changed.
The arrogance from before had vanished.
Only gratitude remained.
"For you, Ryūjin-kun, this may seem like a small favor."
"But to me, it is a kindness I can never forget."
"No matter what, I will repay you."
"We can discuss that later."
Ryūjin waved dismissively.
"Right now, I'm more interested in researching Haki."
"That's easy."
Hancock agreed immediately.
"I'll gather every skilled Haki user on Amazon Lily."
Then she smiled.
"But before that, would you like to spar with me?"
Ryūjin gestured toward her.
"Let's start with you."
"If that is your request, Ryūjin-kun, then I will gladly accept."
Without hesitation, Hancock rushed forward.
Since Ryūjin specifically wanted to study Haki, she refrained from using her Devil Fruit powers and relied solely on Armament Haki.
The outcome was obvious.
She was defeated with little difficulty.
Yet Hancock wasn't discouraged.
Instead, admiration filled her eyes.
"Ryūjin-kun, you're incredible."
"You're the strongest person I've ever met."
"Yeah, yeah."
Ryūjin waved her praise away.
"Let's get back. Everyone's probably wondering what's happening."
With a thought, he released the Chibaku Tensei Space.
The desert vanished.
Moments later, Ryūjin and Hancock returned to the sea, reappearing before their waiting crews.
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