Target: Amazon Lily! A Bashful Hancock!

A trail of azure flames carved a brilliant arc across the sky ten thousand meters high, tearing a long gash through the clouds.

Marco pushed the speed of his Devil Fruit ability to its absolute limit.

Below lay the Calm Belt, where countless strong ones had met their silence.

Sea Kings, their bodies rivaling islands in size, thrust their hideous heads from the pitch-black seawater, roaring silently as they tried to drag the tiny flier in the sky into the abyss.

Yet their colossal frames, their pride, seemed clumsy and laughable before absolute speed.

Before they could launch any effective attack, the blue streak had already swept past their heads, vanishing at the horizon where sea and sky met.

Chen Ye sat cross-legged on Marco's broad back, the raging winds blocked by an invisible barrier of blue flames, steady as a mountain.

He closed his eyes, sinking his consciousness into the System Space.

"System."

[Host, what are your orders?]

The system's cold voice echoed in Chen Ye's mind.

Without a moment's hesitation, Chen Ye's consciousness issued the command he had been impatiently waiting for.

"Extract all abilities and physique from the [Peak Rayleigh] illustrated handbook, except swordsmanship, and infuse them all into me!"

Unlike Whitebeard.

Rayleigh's greatest strength was his peerless swordsmanship, but Chen Ye didn't use a sword—forcing a fusion would only waste it.

What he wanted was Rayleigh's top-tier Three Colors of Haki, honed through countless life-and-death battles, and that formidable physique capable of standing toe-to-toe with monsters!

[Command confirmed.]

[Extracting half of the peak-period physique, Armament Haki, and Observation Haki of "Dark King" Silvers Rayleigh...]

[Extraction complete.]

[Infusion beginning!]

Boom!

An indescribable Terrifying Energy exploded instantly within Chen Ye's limbs and bones!

Severe Pain!

A tearing, ripping pain surged from every cell deep within his body!

Chen Ye's body trembled violently, veins bulging on his forehead, cold sweat soaking his clothes in an instant.

"Ugh... ahhh!"

Even with Chen Ye's willpower, he couldn't help but let out a suppressed roar.

Marco, flying at top speed, felt the disturbance on his back and turned his head with concern. "Chen Ye, what's wrong?!"

"Nothing... nothing!"

Chen Ye forced out two words through gritted teeth.

"Just... a little too excited!"

He could clearly feel his body undergoing earth-shattering transformation.

Every tear was accompanied by a stronger rebirth.

His physique, already strengthened by absorbing half of Peak Whitebeard's power, was now leaping crazily toward a new, higher realm at an unimaginable speed!

After who knows how long, the excruciating pain finally receded.

In its place came an unprecedented sense of fullness and power.

[Energy infusion complete.]

[Host's physical data updated.]

Chen Ye slowly opened his eyes, a sharp glint flashing through them.

He gently clenched his fist.

No earth-shattering momentum, no oppressive aura of Haki.

But Chen Ye could feel that this single grip contained Terrifying Power enough to easily crush steel and punch through a mountain range.

"System, what's my strength now?"

He asked in his mind, his tone full of anticipation.

[Answering Host: With the boost from Peak Rayleigh's strength and this ability infusion, your current comprehensive combat power has reached the peak Admiral level.]

[In a one-on-one battle with any of the current Three Admirals, you will hold a clear advantage.]

Peak Admiral!

Clear advantage!

Chen Ye's heart pounded wildly at those eight words!

Joy erupted like a volcano, flooding his entire being in an instant!

Finally!

He had finally stepped into the true ranks of peak combat power on this sea!

From now on, whether facing a Marine Admiral or one of the Four Emperors, he could fight a thrilling battle on equal footing!

"Ahahahahaha..."

Chen Ye couldn't hold back a burst of hearty laughter, the sound brimming with unrestrained boldness and confidence.

Marco, hearing the familiar laughter behind him, couldn't help but twitch the corner of his mouth.

This kid—how did he manage to imitate Pops' laugh so perfectly?

Just then, Marco's speed gradually slowed.

"We're here."

Chen Ye stopped laughing and looked ahead.

A massive island shrouded in mist came into view.

Amazon Lily.

The legendary Island of Women!

The two didn't enter through the main gate but chose to land in a secluded jungle on the island.

The blue flames dissipated, and Marco reverted to human form, stepping onto this unfamiliar land alongside Chen Ye.

"Shwoosh! Shwoosh! Shwoosh!"

The moment they landed, a flurry of sharp sounds cut through the surrounding jungle.

The next second, over a hundred Kuja warriors, clad in scant animal hides and wielding longbows and venomous snakes, emerged like phantoms from all directions, encircling the two.

Cold arrowheads aimed squarely at them.

The air was thick with undisguised killing intent and vigilance.

"Who goes there!"

The lead warrior barked sharply.

Marco immediately raised his hands, signaling no hostility.

"We're from the Whitebeard Pirates, here to visit..."

Before he could finish, a cold, haughty voice dripping with boundless authority rang out from behind the parted ranks of warriors.

"Whitebeard Pirates?"

The crowd split.

The Pirate Empress, Boa Hancock, strode forward, flanked by her guards.

Hancock had already sensed the powerful auras of Marco and Chen Ye, so she had prepared well in advance!

Her figure was graceful, her beauty peerless, yet she carried an icy aura that warned others to keep their distance. Her eyes, looking down on all, brimmed with utter disdain.

Her gaze landed on Marco, recognizing the signature pineapple head.

"Marco the Phoenix."

Hancock spoke coldly, her voice devoid of any emotion.

"What business do you have in my country?"

She paused, not waiting for Marco to answer, and continued.

"I already know that your Second Division Captain, Portgas D. Ace, has been captured by the Marines."

"If you're here to recruit the Kuja Pirates into that war, then please turn back."

"This Empress has no interest in such troublesome matters."

As her words fell, the surrounding Kuja warriors stepped forward in unison, drawing their bows taut. The grim killing intent surged to its peak.

At a single command from the Empress, a hail of arrows would fly.

Marco's scalp tingled.

He quickly waved his hands, explaining urgently.

"Please don't misunderstand, Your Majesty! We have no such intention!"

"Our visit here is not to recruit Amazon Lily for battle."

Hancock raised an eyebrow, seeming slightly surprised.

Marco said earnestly, "We came only for a guest. We heard he recently fell from the sky and landed here."

"Guest?"

Hancock's voice was laced with confusion and impatience.

"Who?"

Marco took a deep breath and spoke the name.

"Straw Hat Kid, Monkey D. Luffy."

Dead silence.

The moment the name "Luffy" left Marco's lips, it was as if the entire world had been pressed on pause.

The murderous aura radiating from the surrounding Kuja warriors froze on their faces.

And Boa Hancock, standing at the forefront, her icy, aloof, and peerlessly beautiful face, also stiffened completely in that instant.

Time seemed to stretch for an entire century.

Crack.

A faint sound of shattering rang out.

It was the sound of an iceberg melting.

The Empress's supremely haughty expression visibly fractured inch by inch, then collapsed entirely.

A suspicious blush spread rapidly from her neck to her ears, finally dyeing her entire delicate face crimson.

Her eyes, which once looked down upon all living beings, were now filled with panic, nervousness, and an emotion called... shyness.

"Lu... Luffy?"

She repeated the name in a voice as faint as a mosquito's buzz, uncertainly, even instinctively stepping half a pace back, her hands nervously covering her burning cheeks.

In that state, there was not a trace of the Shichibukai's dignity or aloofness left.

It was clearly the most genuine reaction of a lovestruck maiden upon hearing the name of the one in her heart.

The entire scene fell into dead silence.