Empress, Set Sail with Me

Ye Zhuo looked up at Kizaru and clenched his fist.

"I could use Observation Haki to find your real body.

But without Armament Haki, I still couldn't truly capture you.

There would be no point in continuing this fight."

After weighing the pros and cons,

Ye Zhuo reverted to his human form on the spot.

"You want to leave?"

Kizaru had expended a great deal of stamina, yet he had failed to gain any advantage even after using every technique at his disposal.

He had even been injured by a shockwave.

Meanwhile, Ye Zhuo was completely unscathed. He had killed three Celestial Dragons and turned all the Marines besieging him into gorillas.

Sentomaru had even pitifully turned into a pig!

"What else would I do? I still need to form my own pirate crew. See you around, Borsalino."

Ye Zhuo waved his hand.

He still needed to head to Amazon Lily and establish his pirate crew. How could he possibly stay here?

This was a timed mission that had to be completed within five hours.

As a newcomer to this world, Ye Zhuo did not even know Amazon Lily's exact location.

How could he keep fooling around with Kizaru?

Whoosh!

Kizaru slashed at him with a sword, trying to stop Ye Zhuo from leaving.

As Ye Zhuo sidestepped the attack, his entire body streaked into a long blur and appeared beyond the ruins on the other side of the street.

"Don't even think about running!"

Kizaru had never been this angry. If Ye Zhuo got away so stylishly, he truly would not be able to eat for half a day.

Of course, he would still have to drink afternoon tea.

"Kizaru, you're too slow."

Before Ye Zhuo had even finished speaking, he used the Snake Talisman to turn invisible.

With the Rabbit Talisman and Rooster Talisman used together, he vanished completely.

Five minutes later.

Ye Zhuo left a Marine warship with a Log Pose in his hand.

Amazon Lily lay within the Calm Belt.

The Sea Kings formed a barrier around it. Only warships with seastone installed beneath their hulls could sail through freely.

Ye Zhuo was not worried about that at all. He could fly, and he was fast.

Whoosh!

A figure tore through the air. By the time Kizaru arrived, it was already too late.

Purururu!

A Den Den Mushi began ringing.

Kizaru answered it. On the other end was Marine Fleet Admiral Sengoku.

"How did it go?"

"There's a guy who can copy other people's Devil Fruit abilities. He's as strong as a monster."

Kizaru complained helplessly. He had always said things like that as a joke before.

But now, he had truly encountered a monster.

"Good. As long as you caught him."

Sengoku thought Kizaru was joking as usual. He was certain Kizaru had defeated and captured the man.

"No. He escaped. He was too fast."

Kizaru did not even believe himself when he said it.

Oink, oink!

Sentomaru let out a cry.

"Why do I hear a pig?"

Sengoku looked bewildered. He was having a hard time accepting what Kizaru had said.

"Sentomaru was turned into a pig."

Kizaru stopped explaining. He was exhausted.

Whatever it was, they could discuss it after he returned to headquarters.

A sonic boom rang out.

Ye Zhuo arrived at Amazon Lily at top speed.

He checked the countdown and saw that he still had enough time.

The system mission was to establish a pirate crew. It did not say he needed a pirate ship, much less crew members.

Therefore, he only needed to check in at Amazon Lily and declare that his pirate crew had been established.

This mission was far too easy.

"From today onward, my pirate crew is finally established!"

[Ding!]

[Mission completed: Establish a pirate crew on Amazon Lily]

[Mission reward: Supreme Grade Sword · First Kitetsu]

A sword immediately appeared in Ye Zhuo's hand.

Red Line, Mary Geoise.

The bald elder among the Five Elders suddenly found his hand empty.

He froze for a moment before coming back to his senses.

First Kitetsu had vanished into thin air!

[Main mission refreshed: Invite the Empress to set sail. Step One—move her with emotion: tell her, "Set sail with me!"]

[Mission reward: Swordsmanship · Great Swordsman level]

"This reward is boring. I know swordsmanship too.

Even if there's a gap between me and the monsters of this world,

with my speed and strength, I can still match a Great Swordsman's swordsmanship."

Ye Zhuo shook his head. No dog would bother completing a mission like this.

[Mission prompt: The system is bound to the host. For every character role-play completed in a world, the host may obtain one permanent trait.]

"Damn!"

A thousand Sentomarus galloped through Ye Zhuo's mind.

"No need for that. Keep that little bit of system origin for yourself."

Having just established his pirate crew, Ye Zhuo chose to look for his first crew member.

Amazon Lily.

As its name suggested, the island had a hollow mountain.

Nine snake heads jutted from the mountain, roaring toward the sky.

Within the mountain stood city walls and defensive fortifications, as well as Empress Hancock's palace.

The Empress Hancock, one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea, commanded subordinates who had all mastered Haki.

They could coat their blades and arrows with it to attack.

Amazon Lily could be said to have every citizen ready for battle, and the Kuja Pirates were not to be underestimated either.

Based on the map he remembered from the manga, Ye Zhuo headed toward the gates of Amazon Lily.

"They haven't opened the gates?"

Ye Zhuo, floating in the air, immediately turned invisible.

He did not intend to deal with Amazon Lily's ordinary soldiers.

Rather than waste time on that, he might as well go straight for the leader.

Landing silently, the invisible Ye Zhuo walked through the streets.

He did not see the Empress anywhere.

"She should be in her palace."

Amazon Lily, filled with women everywhere, was quite nice.

They were bold and capable, handling everything in perfect order. They were as outstanding as Ye Zhuo.

Passing by the guards, Ye Zhuo entered the main hall.

Unlike Luffy, he did not stumble upon some purely coincidental censored scene.

Inside the hall, the Empress was discussing some major matter with her two sisters and "Granny" Gloriosa.

Ye Zhuo appeared. He simply wanted to know what the system's next mission would be.

The moment Ye Zhuo appeared out of thin air, the Empress noticed him.

"Mero Mero Mellow!"

The Empress formed a heart shape with both hands and unleashed an attack.

A heart-shaped beam from the Love-Love Fruit shot forth. Anyone struck by it would turn into a stone statue!

"You dared to trespass into my kingdom. You truly have nerve!"

Fortunately, Ye Zhuo had advanced Observation Haki and had already foreseen this attack.

He dodged immediately.

What would happen if he turned into a stone statue?

Ye Zhuo would really become Shendu then!

"Let me say one thing first!

Hancock!

Set sail with me!"

After shouting those words, Ye Zhuo decisively retreated.

The Empress's petrification ability would not work against those who held no wicked thoughts toward her.

Ye Zhuo understood that the moment he laid eyes on her.

He was nowhere near that level.

[Mission completed: Invite the Empress to set sail, Step One]

[Mission reward: Swordsmanship · Great Swordsman level]

[Main chain mission unlocked: Invite the Empress to set sail. Step Two—move her with reason: Defeat the Empress with overwhelming force]

[Mission reward: Advanced Armament Haki · Ryuo]

"In your understanding, moving someone with emotion means something this violent? That's a seriously warped outlook!"

Ye Zhuo's rebuke had no effect whatsoever.

He could only draw his sword and attack the Empress.

Fortunately, it was a Supreme Grade Sword, and its quality was quite good.

It also allowed him to keep some distance from the Empress.

"Perfume Femur!"

A kick came flying toward him, and Ye Zhuo dodged at once.

Advanced Observation Haki, combined with his speed, was simply unparalleled.

I won't look at you even once!

"Pig Talisman, invincible laser electro eyes!"

Ye Zhuo really ought to eat a Naming Fruit.

Boom!

To avoid looking at the Empress, he simply fired laser beams from his eyes.

He used Observation Haki to foresee danger, then relied on the Rabbit Talisman's power to evade.

"Who exactly are you?"

The Empress was truly angered. Ye Zhuo had blasted two huge holes through her palace!