Phoenix Nirvana, the Empress Reborn

Roya used the Chicken Talisman's power to float steadily downward without making even the slightest sound.

At last, when he reached the basement, the space around him suddenly opened up.

The basement was fairly large. Candlelight flickered as dozens of slender iron pillars stood throughout the room, forming one prison cell after another.

Inside one of the cells was a young girl, repeatedly smashing her small fists against the chains binding two people.

Her fists were already covered in blood, but her eyes were filled with determination.

"Big Sister, hurry and run!"

"As long as you can escape, we'll be happy!"

"Yes, Big Sister. Being your sisters has been the luckiest thing in our lives!"

"Big Sister, don't worry about us. Hurry and escape!"

Hearing her sisters say such things, Big Sister clenched her little fists even tighter.

"I will never abandon you! Even if I die, I will save you! I swear it in the name of Boa Hancock!"

One of Amazon Lily's traditions was that once someone swore an oath in their own name, they had to fulfill it. Otherwise, they would suffer Amazon Lily's curse.

Roya did not know whether that was true, but it confirmed the identities of the three sisters before him.

He pretended to cough, and the abrupt sound echoed through the basement, startling the three sisters.

Hancock immediately turned around and took up a fighting stance, watching Roya warily.

However, it was obvious at a glance that the stance was untrained, making her look rather comical.

"Who are you?!"

Hancock stared at the cloaked man before her, her heart filled with tension.

Her instincts told her that this man was extremely dangerous!

Roya did not answer. He merely began walking slowly toward Hancock and her sisters.

With every step, his footsteps echoed through the underground prison, as though they were treading upon Boa Hancock's heartstrings.

Cold sweat unknowingly trickled down her forehead. Hancock furrowed her delicate brows and said to Roya, "Don't come any closer. If you do, I won't be polite!"

But Hancock's bearing posed no threat to Roya at all. Instead, he found it rather endearing.

Arriving before Hancock, Roya looked down at her from above.

Seeing this, the other two sisters bound in chains grew extremely anxious and hurriedly called out to Hancock, "Big Sister, run! Don't worry about us!"

"As long as you can get away, that'll be enough!"

"Big Sister, we don't need your help. Hurry and leave this place!"

"Whatever you want, take it out on us!"

Just as they were displaying their sisterly devotion, Roya's aura suddenly spread outward. That terrifying spiritual pressure was like Conqueror's Haki; even the slightest leak of it instantly silenced the two sisters.

Hancock was shaken. What kind of aura is this? How can it be so powerful?!

Roya looked at Hancock, and his voice drifted into the ears of the three sisters. "You should know that the Holy Land, Mary Geoise, is in complete chaos right now. Why not take advantage of it to escape? Even if you abandoned your sisters, wouldn't it be enough as long as you survived?"

This was the cruel sight Roya had witnessed all along the way.

If Fisher Tiger had not been willing to sacrifice his life to protect her, Roya would not have saved her life.

A good fish was rewarded in the end.

Hearing Roya's words, Hancock furrowed her brows and answered seriously, "Because they are my sisters. We were captured and brought here together. If we escape, then we escape together. I will never leave my sisters in this hell!"

So, in your eyes, this place is hell?

Roya's eyes were hidden in the shadows beneath his cloak, preventing Hancock from seeing his expression.

For a moment, the atmosphere grew stagnant.

Then Roya slowly drew Ryujin Jakka, and the blade's hum echoed through the prison.

Hancock's pupils shrank abruptly. "What are you trying to do? I will never let you hurt my sisters!"

But Hancock was too slow. Roya did not even glance at her as he swung his sword down without hesitation.

"Don't!!!"

Hancock's scream echoed through the basement.

But with a loud bang, the Sea-Prism Stone chains were instantly severed into two pieces by Roya's slash.

Hancock stared blankly at the scene before her, tears already welling up in her eyes.

She had been terrified just now. She thought Roya was going to...

Fortunately, Roya had only cut the Sea-Prism Stone chains.

The moment the two sisters regained their freedom, they rushed to Hancock's side.

However, the three Hancock sisters had lowered their guard somewhat by then.

At that moment, Roya slowly crouched down and, with strength Hancock could not resist, directly lifted her clothing.

"Y-you... what are you doing?"

Hancock's voice trembled. She felt utterly panicked, because there was something on her back that she despised beyond measure.

A trace of grayness flashed through Roya's eyes beneath his cloak, and his disgust for the Celestial Dragons deepened.

Gently stroking the scar on Hancock's back, Roya said with heartache, "It hurt a lot, didn't it?"

Roya's voice was extremely gentle, so gentle that warmth rose in Hancock's heart like a flowing current.

"It doesn't hurt anymore. Don't... don't look."

With her back to Roya, Hancock clenched her small fists tightly, revealing the turmoil in her heart.

The pattern on her back was the pattern she hated most!

If she could, she wanted to bury this secret in her heart forever!

Yet that very secret was now exposed before Roya's eyes. How could she not feel ashamed?

"Do you want a different pattern?"

"What?"

For a moment, Hancock did not understand what Roya meant.

"That pattern doesn't suit your temperament at all. It's too ugly. Let me replace it with something else. What kind of pattern do you want? Don't worry, it won't hurt."

Hancock froze. She did not know what she was feeling, only that it seemed as if a little deer were wildly crashing about in her chest.

For the first time, she felt that the man before her was very gentle.

"I... I don't know."

"In that case, I'll use a phoenix to cover this brand. It is one of the totems of my homeland, a symbol of strength, pride, and purity. It also carries the meaning of nirvana and rebirth!"

Hearing Roya's words, Hancock nodded vigorously. If she could, she too wanted another pattern to devour the one on her back.

Ryujin Jakka spat flames. Under Roya's control, a Phoenix Nirvana pattern was swiftly outlined and suspended in midair.

As Roya continuously controlled the temperature, the pattern instantly "devoured" the Celestial Dragon's Hoof on Hancock's back, transforming into a design Roya had tailored specifically for her.

Seeing this, Hancock's sisters instinctively exclaimed, "S-so beautiful."