The first rays of morning sunlight slanted into the bathroom, falling evenly across the floor. A strange scent lingered in the air, a testament to the previous night's wild abandon.
"What in the world happened?" Ryuuto tapped his head, still finding it all hard to believe. "How did Hancock just..."
He looked at the woman sleeping beside him and murmured, as if the whole thing had been a dream. Her long black hair was fanned out over the curves of her chest, and her impossibly long, pale legs were a picture of perfection. Sleeping, Hancock possessed a quiet, serene beauty.
"Nnngh?" Her lips parted with a soft sound as she pulled out an arm that had gone numb from being pinned. The moment she opened her eyes, her gaze met Ryuuto's.
"Ah... Don't stare at me like that!" Hancock shot up, crossing her arms over her chest as she looked at Ryuuto with a deep blush.
"You weren't acting like this yesterday," Ryuuto said, a little exasperated by her sudden reversal. He was already exhausted to begin with, and after the night's marathon, he felt completely drained. From the floor to the bath, and then to every corner of the room... every spot had been their playing field. Fortunately, some food had been brought in during a brief halftime, allowing him to recover some of his strength. For a novice, Hancock had been an overwhelming opponent. Ryuuto simply couldn't keep up.
"Stop looking at me! I-I'm leaving!" Hancock couldn't bear his persistent gaze any longer. Snatching her clothes, she fled the room.
"What the..." Ryuuto stared, dumbfounded, at Hancock's retreating figure. "Such a difficult woman, can't even be honest with her own feelings."
He watched as she ran out barefoot, the loose garment she wore doing little to hide the alluring sway of her figure. He glanced down, feeling a familiar stirring rise within him again. Taking a deep breath, Ryuuto slowly sat up, pushing the distracting thoughts from his mind before getting dressed and heading out as well.
Standing at the railing, he looked out at the completely unobstructed view before him. The Kuja Palace was built halfway up a mountain, giving him a clear line of sight all the way to the sea. Far in the distance, Ryuuto could see the massive form of Momoo floating on the water's surface.
"I almost forgot about the important stuff!" Ryuuto smacked his forehead and immediately leaped down from the palace.
At that moment, two of Amazon Lily's female warriors were sparring in the dueling arena below.
"Truly a nation that reveres strength," Ryuuto remarked with admiration.
One of the warriors was small and agile, constantly leaping to evade her opponent's attacks. The arrows she loosed from her bow shimmered with a purple aura, flying out in a continuous barrage. The other warrior was tall and powerful, wielding a shield and a longsword. She used brute force to block the incoming arrows with her shield, steadily closing the distance and shrinking the smaller warrior's fighting space.
"Hah!" With a sharp cry, the tall warrior brought her longsword down heavily in front of her smaller opponent.
"Amazing. Even their regular soldiers can use Armament and Observation Haki in every move. The soldiers of Amazon Lily are really strong," Ryuuto muttered to himself, stroking his chin.
"Ryuuto? Come with me. I'll take you to see Ace." A voice suddenly came from behind him. It was Boa Sandersonia.
"Ace? Ace is here, too?" Ryuuto asked, confused. It wasn't his fault; he'd been unconscious at the time.
Boa Sandersonia clearly wasn't fond of him. After speaking, she didn't bother to explain, simply turning and leading the way. Seeing this, Ryuuto had no choice but to follow.
A sudden roar of cheers erupted. The tall warrior had won. He glanced back for a moment before continuing on.
It wasn't long before Ryuuto saw Ace in a great hall. Besides Ace, there were quite a few other statues. Yes, Ace was still petrified. The hall was filled with all sorts of stone figures—some looked like pirates, others like Marines—all standing silently. Not only that, but many of the statues, mostly the pirates, had been shattered.
"If you want Ace's petrification to be undone, you'll have to go find my sister," Boa Sandersonia said, tossing the words over her shoulder. She shot Ryuuto a final glance before walking away on her own.
"You've been through a lot." Walking up to Ace, Ryuuto spoke softly before heaving the stone figure onto his shoulder and heading out.
"Hancock!" Ryuuto's voice echoed through the palace.
"Such an impetuous man," Elder Nyon's voice sounded from beside the throne.
Hancock was currently seated on her throne, an arrogant expression fixed on her face as she stared forward. In truth, only she knew that her heart was pounding so hard it felt like it would burst.
"Are we going to see each other again so soon?" Hancock felt her heart rate accelerate, and the haughty look on her face was becoming difficult to maintain.
"So there you are." Ryuuto pushed the doors open and set Ace down on the floor. He felt a wave of killing intent directed at him from Boa Marigold and Elder Nyon, who stood on either side of the throne, and had a bad feeling about this.
"Hancock, can you undo Ace's petrification for me?" Ryuuto said calmly, his eyes fixed on her.
"And tell me, why should I help you?" Hancock tilted her chin up, avoiding his gaze as she spoke in her most prideful tone.
"Err..." Ryuuto was at a loss for words. After a moment of thought, he began searching through his system's exchange interface.
Meanwhile, Hancock watched Ryuuto fall silent and felt a drum of anxiety begin to beat in her chest. Had she angered him? She carefully snuck a glance at him.
"He doesn't seem angry," she whispered to herself, noticing that his expression was still calm and unchanged.
Boa Marigold and Elder Nyon exchanged a look, both of them confused by the scene.
"Found it!"
[Growth Factor: 2000 Reputation Value]
[A marvelous creation from Vegapunk, derived from salamander Lineage Factor. Can be used for small-scale regeneration of body parts!]
[Note: This effect only works the first time!]
[Heard you wanted to regrow a limb?]
This so-called Growth Factor was exactly what Ryuuto had been looking for. The three Boa sisters had always been deeply concerned about the Hoof of the Celestial Dragon brand on their backs. This might be the solution to their problem.
This is it!
"Exchange!" Ryuuto silently commanded, redeeming three doses at once.
A white light flashed, and three ten-centimeter, tube-like syringes filled with red liquid appeared in his hand.
"Hm? What's this?" A soft voice suddenly sounded by his ear.
Ryuuto's consciousness returned from his thoughts to see a large head leaning down right in front of him, curiously observing the three syringes in his hand. Then, Hancock looked up, and their eyes met.
Before Ryuuto could even register the blush that bloomed on her cheeks, there was a whoosh, and Hancock had instantly flashed back to her throne, sitting ramrod straight with her head held high in a tsundere pose.
Ryuuto rubbed his nose, an amused smile playing on his lips. "Hancock," he began, "these are three doses of Growth Factor. They might be able to remove the marks on your backs."
"What?!" Hancock and Boa Marigold cried out in unison.