Azure flames streaked across the sky ten thousand meters above, carving a brilliant trail through the clouds and tearing open a long rift.
Marco pushed the speed of his Devil Fruit ability to its absolute limit.
Below lay the Calm Belt, a place that had silenced countless powerful figures.
Giant Sea Kings, each as massive as an island, raised their ferocious heads from the bottomless black seawater. They roared soundlessly, trying to drag the tiny flier in the sky down into the abyss.
Yet before absolute speed, the enormous bodies they took such pride in seemed clumsy and laughable.
Before they could launch any effective attack, that blue streak had already swept over their heads and vanished beyond the horizon where sea met sky.
Chen Ye sat cross-legged on Marco's broad back. The violent airflow was blocked outside by an invisible barrier of blue flames, leaving him as steady as a mountain.
He closed his eyes and let his consciousness sink into the System Space.
"System."
[Host, what are your orders?]
The System's cold voice rang out in Chen Ye's mind.
Without the slightest hesitation, Chen Ye issued the command he had been impatient to give for a long time.
"From the [Peak Rayleigh] Illustrated Handbook, extract all abilities and physical attributes aside from swordsmanship, then infuse all of them into me!"
Unlike Whitebeard.
Rayleigh's greatest strength was his peerless swordsmanship, but Chen Ye did not use a sword. Forcing their fusion would only be a waste.
What he wanted was Rayleigh's top-tier Three Colors of Haki, tempered through countless life-and-death battles, as well as the powerful physique capable of confronting monsters head-on!
[Command confirmed.] [Extracting half of "Dark King" Silvers Rayleigh's physical attributes, Armament Haki, and Observation Haki from his peak period...] [Extraction complete.] [Infusion beginning!]
Boom!
An indescribably terrifying energy exploded within every inch of Chen Ye's limbs and bones!
Pain!
Tearing pain surged from the depths of every cell in his body!
Chen Ye's body shook violently. Veins bulged across his forehead, and cold sweat instantly soaked through his clothes.
"Urghhh!"
Even with Chen Ye's willpower, he could not stop himself from letting out a suppressed growl.
Marco, who was flying at high speed, sensed the disturbance on his back and turned around in concern. "Chen Ye, what's wrong?!"
"Nothing... nothing!"
Chen Ye forced two words through clenched teeth.
"I'm just... a little too excited!"
He could clearly feel that his body was undergoing an earth-shaking transformation.
Every tear was accompanied by an even stronger rebirth.
His physique, already enhanced after absorbing half of Peak Whitebeard's strength, was now crazily leaping toward an entirely new and higher realm at an unimaginable speed!
After an unknown amount of time, the heart-rending pain finally began to fade.
In its place came an unprecedented sense of fullness and power.
[Energy infusion complete.] [Host body data has been refreshed.]
Chen Ye slowly opened his eyes, and a sharp gleam flashed through them.
He gently clenched his fist.
There was no earth-shaking display, nor was there any Haki pressure leaking out.
Yet Chen Ye could feel that this simple clench contained terrifying power enough to crush steel and punch through a mountain range with ease.
"System, what is my current strength?"
He asked inwardly, his voice full of anticipation.
[Answering host: after Peak Rayleigh's strength enhancement and this ability infusion, your current overall strength has reached the Peak Admiral level.] [In a one-on-one battle against any of the current Three Admirals, you would hold a clear advantage.]
Peak Admiral!
A clear advantage!
Chen Ye's heart pounded madly at those words!
Wild joy erupted like a volcano, instantly sweeping through his entire body!
Finally!
He had finally entered the ranks of the true peak combatants of this sea!
From now on, whether facing a Marine Admiral or one of the Four Emperors, he could fight to his heart's content!
"Ahahahahahaha..."
Chen Ye could not help but burst into hearty laughter, his voice brimming with irrepressible boldness and confidence.
Hearing that familiar laughter behind him, Marco's mouth twitched.
How had this kid even learned to laugh so much like Pops?
Just then, Marco gradually slowed down.
"We're here."
Chen Ye stopped laughing and looked ahead.
A massive island shrouded in mist appeared in his sight.
Amazon Lily.
The legendary Island of Women!
Rather than entering through the main gate, the two chose to land in a remote forest on the island.
The blue flames faded, and Marco returned to human form. Together with Chen Ye, he stepped onto this unfamiliar land.
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
The instant they landed, a dense barrage of air-splitting sounds came from the surrounding forest.
The next second, more than a hundred Kuja Warriors clad in scanty animal hides and armed with longbows and venomous snakes emerged like phantoms from all directions, surrounding the two of them.
Cold arrowheads were aimed at them in unison.
The air was filled with undisguised Killing Intent and vigilance.
"Who goes there?!"
The leading female warrior shouted sharply.
Marco immediately raised both hands to show that he meant no harm.
"We're from the Whitebeard Pirates. We came to visit—"
Before he could finish, a cold and haughty female voice, seemingly carrying boundless authority, came from behind the path the warriors had made way for.
"The Whitebeard Pirates?"
The crowd parted.
The Pirate Empress, Boa Hancock, slowly emerged under the escort of numerous guards.
Hancock had long sensed Marco and Chen Ye's powerful presences, so she had prepared in advance!
Her figure was enchanting and her face incomparably beautiful, yet she carried an icy aura that kept strangers away. Her eyes, which seemed to look down upon all living things, were filled with utter disdain.
Her gaze fell on Marco, and she recognized that distinctive pineapple head.
"Marco the Phoenix."
Hancock spoke coldly, without the slightest trace of emotion in her voice.
"What business do you have coming to my country?"
She paused, then continued without waiting for Marco to answer.
"I already know that your Second Division Captain, Portgas D. Ace, has been captured by the Marines."
"If you came to persuade the Kuja Pirates to join this war, then leave."
"I have no interest in such troublesome matters."
As her words fell, the Kuja Warriors around them all stepped forward. They drew their bows even tighter, and the grim killing intent in the air instantly climbed to its peak.
At a single command from the Empress, countless arrows would fly.
Marco's scalp went numb.
He hurriedly waved his hands and explained anxiously.
"Please don't misunderstand, Empress! We absolutely don't mean that!"
"We did not come here to ask Amazon Lily to join the war."
Hancock raised an eyebrow, seemingly surprised.
Marco said earnestly, "We came only for a guest. I heard that not long ago, he happened to fall from the sky onto this island."
"A guest?"
Hancock's voice was filled with confusion and impatience.
"Who?"
Marco took a deep breath and spoke the name.
"Straw Hat Kid, Monkey D. Luffy."
Silence.
The instant the name "Luffy" left Marco's mouth, it was as though someone had pressed pause on the entire world.
The expressions on the faces of the murderous Kuja Warriors froze.
And Boa Hancock, standing at the front, had her breathtakingly beautiful face, as cold and proud as an iceberg, completely stiffen at that moment.
Time seemed to pass for an entire century.
Crack.
A faint sound of breaking rang out.
It was the sound of an iceberg melting.
The Empress's expression, proud to the extreme, visibly cracked apart inch by inch before collapsing completely.
A suspicious blush rapidly spread from her neck to the tips of her ears, eventually staining her entire lovely face red.
Her eyes, which had once looked down upon all living things, were now filled with panic, nervousness, and an emotion known as... bashfulness.
"L-Luffy?"
She repeated the name uncertainly in a voice as soft as a mosquito's buzz. Her body even unconsciously retreated half a step, while both hands nervously covered her burning cheeks.
How could she still possess even a trace of a Shichibukai's majesty or cold aloofness?
She was clearly just a lovestruck young girl hearing the name of the man she loved, showing her most genuine reaction.
The entire scene fell deathly silent.
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