The older captain furrowed her brows. She knew well that if Hunter Blake truly wanted to kill them, there would have been no chance of survival.
One clash was all it would take for them to be annihilated.
But letting him freely roam Amazon Lily wasn't realistic either, given the nation's laws.
For a while, both sides stood locked in a tense standoff. The women of Amazon Lily wanted to drive Hunter away, but their strength was simply insufficient.
Time slipped by like grains of sand. Seeing the wary faces of the Kuja warriors, Hunter finally sighed and said to the captain:
"Call your leader here. I have matters I need to discuss with her."
The captain thought carefully, then nodded slowly. Hunter's power was undeniable, and none of them had the authority to decide—only the queen of Amazon Lily could.
"I'll take you there myself," Hunter offered.
"There's no need." The captain immediately refused. She still didn't know his true intentions, and she wasn't about to jump aboard a pirate's ship so recklessly.
Hunter wasn't surprised by her caution. But if they insisted on walking, it would take far too long.
"Climb up. I've already told you, if I wanted to harm you, there's nothing you could do. Besides, Slifer is much faster."
He pointed at the colossal dragon beneath him.
"Captain… I think he's right," one of the warriors whispered. "If he wanted to kill us, we wouldn't be standing here. And I don't sense his own strength is overwhelming—if anything happens while we're on the dragon, we'll have a chance to fight back."
"I agree."
"Same here."
The others quickly voiced their support. The captain hesitated, but finally gave in with a reluctant nod.
Seeing their acceptance, Hunter gave a wry smile. He signaled Slifer, who rumbled deeply and lowered its massive tail for them to climb. One by one, the Amazon Lily warriors scrambled up.
Once everyone was aboard, Hunter turned to the captain.
"Which direction?"
"West," she replied.
Hunter gave a sharp nod. "Hold on tight. The wind up there is rough. Slifer—westward!"
The dragon's vast wings spread wide, flapping with thunderous force as they soared into the skies, heading west.
"Elder Nyon, something's flying toward us!" a palace maid cried, pointing at a distant black speck.
The elder waved it off. "Probably just the seagulls delivering the newspaper."
Living in the Calm Belt, only the News Coo ever flew through these skies.
But the maid's voice trembled. "That… doesn't look like a bird… it looks like… a dragon."
"What?!" Elder Nyon spun around, eyes widening. The speck grew larger and larger until a colossal, godlike figure filled the horizon.
"Ready the troops!" Nyon barked.
"Yes, ma'am!"
Her heart pounded. "Why… why would a dragon come here?"
"This must be the place," Hunter said as he spotted the coast, where a ship lay anchored and a mass of black dots gathered.
"Down," he commanded.
Slifer adjusted its form and descended toward the shore.
"What… what kind of monster is this?" Elder Nyon gasped, staring at the massive crimson body and oppressive aura of Slifer the Sky Dragon.
"Identify yourself!" she shouted, voice firm despite her fear.
But Slifer ignored her completely. As a godlike being, it acknowledged only one master: Hunter Blake. The rest were beneath its notice.
Elder Nyon's cheeks flushed with embarrassment.
"Time to get off," a calm voice rang out.
To her shock, more than a dozen figures leapt from Slifer's back—members of Amazon Lily's royal guard.
"Renee? What's going on here?" Nyon demanded, turning to the guard captain.
Renee quickly explained everything.
When she finished, Nyon sucked in a sharp breath. The reality was staggering. A boy—just a boy—had tamed this unimaginable beast. It was enough to overturn the world itself.
Nyon had seen much in her years, but she could guess well enough: the power of this dragon was no less than that of any great pirate crew—perhaps greater. Against it, Amazon Lily could be wiped out in moments.
"You must be Elder Nyon," Hunter said lightly from atop Slifer's head.
"I am," she answered cautiously. "But who are you?"
"Hunter Blake," he replied simply.
The name rang no bells. Nyon frowned. With a mount like this, his reputation should have spread across the seas… and yet, she had never heard of him.
Hunter smirked at her puzzled look. "Don't bother searching your memory. Very few know my name."
Nyon forced a smile. "Then tell me, Hunter Blake… what business do you have in Amazon Lily?"
"I want to meet Boa Hancock." Hunter rubbed his chin thoughtfully. He had come all this way—meeting the Pirate Empress was inevitable.
Nyon froze in shock. Of all reasons, she hadn't expected this. Hancock was only twelve years old, and had never left the island. How did this boy know about her?
And worse—Hancock was missing.
After weighing the risks, Nyon decided to speak the truth. The nation couldn't afford any more chaos.
"Boa Hancock disappeared two days ago."