Plan to Send the Empress Back (Please Keep Reading!)

As Rayleigh withdrew the Haki swirling around him, the oppressive force that had nearly made it impossible to breathe vanished abruptly.

This battle, which could hardly be called a "spar," finally came to an end.

Watching Rayleigh smoothly lower his guard, especially after the serious strike of Other Shore Blade he had just unleashed, Shakky's eyes flickered with distant recollection, her thoughts instantly pulled back more than twenty years.

Back then, Rayleigh had relied on that very strike to defeat a member of God's Knights and save her at the critical moment.

It was also after that that she quietly returned to the Sabaody Archipelago, resumed running this inconspicuous little bar, and silently waited for news of the Roger Pirates.

Until the Roger Pirates disbanded, she and Rayleigh lived in seclusion here, leading quiet, ordinary lives.

Over the years, she had long believed she would never see Rayleigh use that move again.

Seeing that the two had finished sparring and their auras had gradually settled, Shakky gathered her thoughts, curled her lips into a casual smile, and said, "Now that the sparring is over, how about coming inside for a drink?"

Though her words sounded casual, they carried two meanings. On the surface, she meant they could discuss over drinks how to safely send the three Amazon girls back to Amazon Lily.

But beneath that, her words had already quietly revealed that she had begun to trust Beiyuan Heng to a certain extent.

The group entered the bar, and Shakky familiarly stepped behind the counter. She picked up her bartending tools, deftly handled the bottles with her fingers, and casually mixed several drinks.

As she shook the cocktail shaker in her hand, she glanced up at Beiyuan Heng and asked in an offhand tone,

"What flavor do you want? Something stronger, or something milder?"

Beiyuan Heng's expression turned somewhat strange. He scratched his head and answered honestly,

"I'm still underage, so I'm not allowed to drink according to the rules."

Shakky snorted with laughter. "You're quite the rule-abiding kid. Fine, I'll get you a soda."

With that simple remark, the initial probing was nearly gone from her words, replaced by a more genuine familiarity.

After finishing her drink, Shakky set down her glass, her expression gradually turning serious as she slowly said,

"I do have a way to contact Amazon Lily."

As she spoke, she pulled a Den Den Mushi from a hidden compartment behind the counter.

"This Den Den Mushi is specifically for contacting Amazon."

"I already got in touch with them while you two were sparring."

Shakky paused, then continued,

"However, the current Empress is cautious and does not wish to casually appear on the seas and stir up trouble. After all, Amazon Lily lies within the Calm Belt and has always been isolated from the world. They do not wish to become too entangled with outsiders."

"At most, they can meet us at the edge of the Calm Belt. They will not take another step beyond it."

After considering it briefly, Beiyuan Heng immediately nodded.

"No problem. I should be able to personally take them near the part of the Calm Belt closest to Amazon Lily."

"When the time comes, coordinate the exact rendezvous location with them beforehand. It would be best to decorate the ship picking them up a little, keep it as low-profile as possible, and not let my Marine colleagues recognize it as a pirate ship. That would only cause unnecessary trouble."

Rayleigh and Shakky exchanged looks, both of them showing a trace of understanding.

Afterward, the three sat around the table and carefully discussed every detail of the rendezvous. During that time, Shakky called the Den Den Mushi several more times, repeatedly confirming the time and location.

However, the voice coming through the Den Den Mushi was not the clear voice of the current Empress, but one that sounded aged and old-fashioned.

Beiyuan Heng pondered inwardly. If he had guessed correctly, the owner of that voice should be Flame Flower, the Empress from three generations before Amazon Lily's current ruler.

After a round of discussion, they finally settled on the final plan.

When the right time came, Beiyuan Heng would take the three Boa sisters and Rayleigh to the agreed-upon area near the Calm Belt.

At that time, Shakky would communicate with the other side in real time through the Den Den Mushi, reminding them to properly disguise their pirate ship and conceal any traces of piracy.

Naturally, the three Boa sisters and Rayleigh would also dress up as a father and daughters who had been displaced and were fleeing disaster, keeping as low a profile as possible.

Beiyuan Heng, meanwhile, would bring them aboard the Marine warship in the name of rescuing stranded victims, then successfully head for the designated rendezvous point.

Once every detail had been settled, Beiyuan Heng did not linger any longer. After resting briefly in the bar to ease the fatigue from the sparring, he rose to say goodbye and returned to Area 5 of the Marine warship.

During their discussion, Rayleigh had actually made a suggestion: Beiyuan Heng did not need to concern himself with the later rendezvous arrangements. Rayleigh could rent a small boat himself and personally take the three girls back to Amazon Lily, saving Beiyuan Heng the trouble.

But Beiyuan Heng tactfully refused. He insisted on personally escorting Hancock and her two sisters back to Amazon Lily, saying outright that he had to take responsibility for the three helpless little girls.

Although Rayleigh did not understand why Beiyuan Heng was so insistent, someone taking the initiative to help was a good thing for him.

That way, he could save on the cost of renting a boat. He had lost nearly everything gambling recently, and his pockets were already completely empty, so he was more than happy to avoid the expense.

As for why Beiyuan Heng insisted on personally sending the three sisters back, only he knew the reason.

He wanted Hancock and her sisters to form a deeper impression of him.

To him, other people's awareness and impressions of him were precisely the key to increasing his strength.

Moreover, with Rayleigh present, there was no need to worry about safety at all.

Over the next few days, he could not only stay by Rayleigh's side and take the opportunity to seek advice on Haki training, but also further increase Rayleigh's awareness of and attention toward him.

For the next few days, the three Boa sisters stayed in Shakky's bar.

It was the first time in many days that they did not have to live in constant fear.

The warmth and stability of the bar gradually relaxed their tightly wound nerves, and long-lost smiles finally appeared on their faces.

Especially after learning from Shakky that the proprietress before them was actually the Empress from two generations before Amazon Lily's current ruler, their joy was written openly across their faces, their eyes filled with admiration.

They had never imagined that one day, they would be able to see a former Empress with their own eyes.

Looking at Shakky, Hancock silently made up her mind. One day, I will become a powerful woman like Shakky and protect my two sisters.

At the same time, she remembered the two men who had helped her—Rayleigh and Beiyuan Heng.

She quietly engraved this debt of gratitude in her heart.

Shakky also specially changed the three sisters into plain, simple outfits that concealed most of their faces.

After all, the three girls were exceptionally beautiful. On this trip to the Calm Belt, it was best to keep as low a profile as possible and avoid attracting unnecessary trouble.

Rayleigh, meanwhile, simply changed into a clean set of clothes and tidied his messy hair, making himself look less disheveled and at least somewhat presentable.

After all, they would be playing the roles of a father and daughters fleeing disaster.