"Stop!!!"
A voice rang out from afar.
Then a dark figure appeared before Roya, blocking the current ruler of Amazon Lily.
"Grandma Gloriosa?"
Amazon Lily's current ruler stared at Gloriosa before her in disbelief.
Gloriosa was the former former former ruler of Amazon Lily. Although she had stepped down, her influence far exceeded that of the current ruler.
Only the future Hancock would be able to surpass Gloriosa.
Gloriosa looked at Amazon Lily's ruler and said, "You cannot attack this man!"
Seeing this, Roya narrowed his eyes beneath his hood.
He simply stood there, silently watching everything unfold.
Amazon Lily's current ruler said, "But Grandma Gloriosa, he's a man!!! Amazon Lily forbids any man from setting foot on this land!"
Gloriosa said, "He saved the people of Amazon Lily!"
The current ruler said, "Even so, according to our ancestral precepts, men absolutely cannot be allowed to leave alive!"
Hearing the current ruler's resolute words, Hancock nervously tugged at Roya's sleeve.
At that moment, Gloriosa spoke again. "What if I told you that this man killed the Deep-Sea Sea Serpent of Amazon Lily's legends? According to our ancestral precepts, whoever kills the Deep-Sea Sea Serpent must be treated with courtesy and honored as a distinguished guest, regardless of gender!"
As Gloriosa's words fell, every Amazon Lily warrior present, along with the current ruler, was utterly shocked!
"How is that possible? That terrifying serpent-like Sea King was killed by this man?!"
"That's too outrageous! It was a Sea King thousands of meters long!"
"Wonderful! Our ancestors have finally been avenged!"
The Amazon Lily warriors around them were all immensely shocked, but upon learning this news, they were overjoyed!
The current ruler asked Gloriosa for confirmation. "Did this man really kill the Deep-Sea Sea Serpent?!!"
The Deep-Sea Sea Serpent had always been the nightmare of Amazon Lily's rulers.
Since Amazon Lily's founding, it had been a nation of Pirates that needed to sail out for supplies.
But sailing out always carried certain risks.
The greatest of those risks was the Deep-Sea Sea Serpent.
Many rulers had never returned because of that terrifying Sea King!
That Sea King's lifespan was simply too long. They could only watch helplessly as its strength and size continued to grow!
They could do absolutely nothing about it!
Thus, Amazon Lily's sixth ruler had left behind a rule: whoever killed the Deep-Sea Sea Serpent must be treated with courtesy and honored as a distinguished guest, regardless of gender!
From then on, that rule had been passed down and become an ancestral precept.
After hearing Gloriosa's words, Roya looked at Hancock beside him and asked, "Hancock, did you only know that the Deep-Sea Sea Serpent was a legendary creature of Amazon Lily, but not know about this ancestral precept?"
Hancock shyly nodded.
If she had known, she would have said so immediately.
Then none of what had just happened would have occurred.
After receiving Gloriosa's confirmation, Amazon Lily's current ruler came before Roya and said, "I'm sorry. We were presumptuous. Please attend the banquet at our palace!"
Hearing her words, Roya shook his head and said calmly, "Just as I said before, I merely brought them back to this island. If you wish to thank me, then treat them well."
At that moment, Gloriosa took over from the current ruler. "Rest assured, we will devote the entire island's resources to nurturing them!"
Amazon Lily revered strength above all else!
Gloriosa had witnessed Hancock's ability earlier. If properly nurtured, she even believed Hancock would become the strongest ruler since Amazon Lily's founding!
Of course, what Gloriosa valued most was the relationship between Hancock and Roya.
She had traveled the seas for years, but lately, all she had heard about was this mysterious man.
So she had deliberately investigated him.
Yet as the investigation deepened, Gloriosa discovered that Roya seemed to have appeared out of nowhere, his origins exceedingly mysterious.
That was why Gloriosa had promised Roya that Amazon Lily would devote all its resources to helping Hancock grow stronger!
Roya was very satisfied with Gloriosa's answer.
"Hancock, even when I'm gone, you must train your abilities diligently. Understand?"
Hancock nodded forcefully, then looked at Roya and said, "Roya, if I become ruler, I'll definitely make you my queen!"
Seeing how serious Hancock was, Roya burst into laughter.
It was the first time since coming to this world that he had laughed so happily!
"You're the queen!"
After saying that, Roya froze. Was he saying that he wanted Hancock to become his queen?
Realizing what he had said, he immediately flicked Hancock on the forehead.
"You really are mischievous." Roya continued, "Hancock, let's meet again on the seas someday!"
Roya turned and walked toward the warship.
The night breeze blew gently, and the jungle rustled.
Beneath the sparse stars and bright moon, the sea shimmered with rippling light.
Watching Roya's retreating figure gradually disappear, Hancock could no longer hold back her tears as they slid from the corners of her eyes.
"Roya, l-later! Can I come find you?!!"
Hearing Hancock's words, Roya stopped and answered, "Mm, of course you can."
Although Roya's voice was soft, it became an immensely powerful force in Hancock's heart.
"Roya, then you must wait for me, wait for the day I come find you!!!"
When Hancock said this, her voice already carried a trace of sobbing.
Roya said nothing more. He merely waved, activated his Talisman ability, and returned to the warship.
He knew that if he stayed any longer, Hancock would find it even harder to part with him.
Watching Roya leave before her eyes, Hancock made up her mind: she would train her abilities diligently and strive to reach the Fruit Awakening realm Roya had mentioned as soon as possible!
--
A day had passed since leaving Amazon Lily.
Roya had already left the Calm Belt.
Inside a room on the warship, Roya took out the fruit he had obtained earlier from the System Space—the Illusion-Illusion Fruit!
This fruit could create illusions with a certain degree of strength. It could be used for disguise, combat, and group battles. It was a fruit that could prove useful in every aspect!
And now, Roya decided to eat this fruit...