Days passed by on the training field.
Savi perfectly inherited Bullet's training style. He led the warriors of the physical combat group to run on the training ground from sunrise to midday, the stone slabs under their feet thumping loudly.
In the first few days, half of the soldiers collapsed on the ground, unable to breathe, before even reaching the halfway point. Two weeks later, no one was falling behind in the weighted run of the same distance.
Charon's Fish-Man Karate class may seem gentle, but it's actually more ruthless than Savi's.
He didn't shout or yell, but simply had the soldiers stand in waist-deep water and repeatedly practice the same forceful movement until the spray from his palm strikes could reach three-meter-high rocks.
After three days, all the soldiers in the grappling team had swollen arms.
Kazami's swordsmanship class was the quietest.
He didn't talk much, but he would stand on the training ground every day on time, demonstrate a set of basic sword moves from beginning to end, and then let the soldiers practice on their own.
But if someone's sword-wielding posture is off by even a finger's angle, the tip of the sword will precisely strike the back of that person's hand, leaving a red mark that is neither too deep nor too shallow, just enough to teach them a lesson.
Van Augur's shooting lessons were the most difficult for the Amazon Lily warriors; he never let them fire a target.
Every day, they are made to stand on the shooting range and stare at the bullseye in the distance for two hours at a time.
"Archery relies on sight, and shooting relies on Observation Haki. You can't even calm your minds, so what are you doing shooting?"
It wasn't until the third week that someone got their hands on the first training sniper rifle.
Three months passed in the blink of an eye.
On the day of the graduation assessment, Elder Nyon and Hancock stood on the high platform, looking at the group of female warriors who had been transformed.
Behind them, the makeshift training equipment set up three months ago was worn so thin that its original color was no longer visible.
The waist-deep training pool was filled with seawater that had been churned and splashed by the force of the palm strikes. No one could remember how many wooden stakes in the sword training ground had been broken.
Savi maintained his rough and rugged demeanor, giving the order for everyone to run the last five laps around the training field.
But this time, even the last soldier to cross the line was faster than the first-place finisher in his first preliminary test three months ago.
When the assessment results were announced, everyone fell silent. Not a silence of disappointment, but a silence of shock at not knowing what to say.
Of the Six Powers taught by Savi, half have already mastered Shave and Geppo.
Charon's Fish-Man Karate, combined with the Bloodline Impulse Transplantation that doubled his physique, made his close-combat ability far superior to what it was three months ago.
Seven members of Kazami's swordsmanship team were already able to block his first volley of fast sword strikes consecutively.
Although it was only one round, for swordsmen below the New World level, being able to block one round of Kazami's fast sword meant that they were qualified to serve as the chief swordsman on any pirate ship.
Van Augur's shooting group even produced several promising young players who could predict the enemy's movement trajectory on moving targets.
More importantly, the adoption rate of Haki is 100% – the entry rate of Armament Haki and Observation Haki among trained soldiers has reached 100%.
One hundred percent, which means that Amazon Lily has crossed a threshold that the Navy Training Camp had not been able to cross even after decades of accumulation on the Grand Line, with just this one battle.
On the night the assessment ended, Hancock held a grand celebration banquet in the palace hall.
The female warriors of Amazon Lily took turns toasting Roy, spilling the wine on the ground, and filling the air with the aroma of roasted sea monster meat and snake fruit wine.
If Yamato were there, she would definitely have charged in with a spiked club and challenged the person to a drinking contest, but unfortunately she wasn't there.
When Hancock approached Roy with her glass of wine, her cheeks were slightly flushed, whether from the alcohol or something else was unclear.
Today, she changed out of her Pirate Empress robes and wore a traditional red long dress from Amazon Lily. Her long hair was not tied up and was draped over her shoulders, with a faint floral fragrance emanating from her black hair.
"Lord Roy."
She raised her glass, her voice soft but steady.
"The changes on Amazon Lily in these three months are beyond anything I could ever dream of."
These warriors—each one of them—will remember who gave them the opportunity to become stronger.
Roy took the wine glass, clinked it against hers, and praised her, "You've managed Amazon Lily very well these past three months; you're already a qualified Pirate Empress."
Hancock's face turned bright red instantly, and she lowered her head, speechless for a long time.
The surrounding female soldiers burst into laughter, and a few bolder veterans even egged on Her Pirate Empress to say a few more words.
Hancock glared at them, but wasn't really angry; it took her a long time to suppress the upward curve of her lips.
The banquet didn't end until late at night. As Roy walked out of the main hall, a sea breeze blew from the Calm Belt, carrying a faint scent of sea salt.
The first phase of the renovation of Amazon Lily was completed in three months.
As long as the subsequent Bloodline Transplantation and regular retraining are maintained, this Amazon Lily will be able to truly protect itself.
He sat on the rocks for a while, gazing at the smooth, mirror-like surface of the sea in the Calm Belt in the distance.
It's time to go back.
There's still a ton of stuff waiting for him to deal with on Hachinosu. Bullet has already called him several times via Den Den Mushi, saying that Whitebeard has sent people to provoke him again.
Kaido is also pushing for orders for Seastone weapons.
Roy stood up, brushed the sand off his clothes, and walked towards the palace.
The morning after the victory celebration ended, Roy proposed to Hancock and Elder Nyon the plan to return to Hachinosu.
The atmosphere in the main hall suddenly became quiet.
Hancock sat on the serpent-headed throne, holding a scroll containing the list of the next batch of Bloodline Impulse Transplantation Warriors. Upon hearing Roy's words, her fingers tightened slightly, creating a shallow crease at the edge of the scroll.
She knew this day would come.
Three months ago, when Roy took her back to Amazon Lily, she knew he would leave sooner or later.
He is the emperor of Hachinosu, one of the five great emperors of the New World. The entire chessboard of the ocean awaits his move, and he cannot stay on Amazon Lily forever.
So she didn't try to stop her, but after a brief silence, she forced a smile that was even fainter than usual, " Roy, thank you for these three months..."
"You're welcome.
I've already discussed the follow-up matters regarding Amazon Lily with Elder Nyon.
Elder Nyon stepped forward and handed Roy a document that she had prepared beforehand.
That was a detailed plan for the future development of Amazon Lily, jointly confirmed by Roy, Elder Nyon, and Hancock, and included the following:
The complete set of Bloodline Transplantation equipment and basic technology remained intact on Amazon Lily, with two resident scientists responsible for subsequent transplant surgeries and technology maintenance.
The core raw materials for Bloodline Transplantation are supplied regularly by Hachinosu, which serves as both a guarantee for allies and a prerequisite for technological security.
The complete training syllabus for the four members of the Savi has been preserved on Amazon Lily, with monthly remote guidance and semi-annual on-island refresher training.
In addition, there is a set of encrypted Den Den Mushi to ensure that if Amazon Lily encounters a crisis, or Hancock obtains important intelligence from the Navy, she can contact Hachinosu immediately.
"I've written it all down." Hancock listened carefully to every word and nodded solemnly.
As the Ark Maxim slowly rose above the harbor, all the female warriors on the island spontaneously gathered there.
They didn't line up, nor did they give orderly commands; they simply stood densely packed on both sides of the harbor.
No one spoke, but everyone stood with the same posture and gaze—backs straight, eyes burning.
The gangway of the Ark Maxim had been retracted, and Tesoro led the scientists aboard first.
Savi, Charon, Kazami, and Van Augur stood at the foot of the gangway and gave Hancock and Elder Nyon New a final bow.
Hancock stood at the very front of the port, with Sandersonia and Marigold behind her.
The sea breeze lifted her black hair, which shimmered with a deep blue luster in the morning light.