The Nine Snake Pirates crew, having just landed on the island, were utterly speechless. They had heard of the Five Emperors Straw Hat Pirates' strength, but witnessing it firsthand was completely different. The battle had ended instantly.
"Seriously, you guys are too fast!" Usopp complained. "What am I supposed to do if you don't even leave a couple of trash fish for me?"
Fortunately, there were still the captured female warriors of Amazon Lily to rescue. Usopp led several female sailors toward Byrnndi World's island ship. Although a few of his crew members remained on the massive ship, their strength was inconsequential—they couldn't stop Usopp at all.
"Marigold! Are you alright?!"
Boa Hancock and Boa Sandersonia nervously supported their injured sister, Boa Marigold. They all breathed a sigh of relief after the ship's doctor checked her. If they had been too late and lost their sister, the shock would have likely devastated them.
Marigold looked at Luffy with surprise. "Empress, why did you invite the Five Emperors here?!"
Hancock immediately took on a shy expression, her cheeks flushed. "Luffy is… my friend. He knew I was in trouble, so he took the initiative to help us!"
"Sister…"
Both Sandersonia and Marigold knew something was deeply wrong with their elder sister, but they couldn't quite understand what was happening to her. However, what was certain now was that Amazon Lily was completely safe.
Byrnndi World rubbed his bruised face and slowly stood up. He saw that several of his cadres had been defeated, and even his older brother, Byojack, had been captured by the enemy. A surge of rage washed over him.
Partners? Were these weak, defeated thugs truly his partners? He had no trust in buddies! Not even his own big brother!
"As expected of the man called the Five Emperors," World snarled. "You definitely have some skill. But I, Byrnndi World, will not lose to you! Momo! One hundred times faster!"
With that declaration, he instantly disappeared from the spot, propelled by his Momo no Mi (Multiply-Multiply Fruit) power.
Sanji, Xiao San, and Jango, none of whom had even broken a sweat yet, couldn't help but look surprised at the sudden burst of speed from Byrnndi World.
However, even with that speed, Luffy probably won't even have to move a step, they all thought.
Sure enough, Luffy remained standing still. With his advanced Observation Haki, Byrnndi World had nowhere to hide. Luffy sensed the opponent closing in and abruptly launched a rubber fist, connecting squarely with Byrnndi World's face.
World screamed as he was sent flying over one hundred meters away.
Such a weak guy is even worse than Gecko Moria, Luffy thought. He didn't even need to activate Gear Second; beating the man was easier than eating or drinking.
Hancock probably hadn't expected Byrnndi World to be so weak either. After all, the man was called the "World Destroyer" and had been infamous for many years.
Regardless, Hancock was grateful for Luffy's assistance. Though she could have defeated the opponent herself, if he held a hostage, she would have had to worry about the consequences of her actions.
Luffy was different. His attack was so fast that Byrnndi World had no time to react, and even if he had threatened a hostage, Luffy could have completely ignored it, as he had no personal connection to the captive warrior.
"Empress, all the female warriors have been rescued!" A soldier rushed forward to report.
Hancock's face lit up with happiness. She watched as Usopp left the island ship, the female members of the Nine Snake Pirates carrying the few wounded warriors on their backs. The rescue was clearly a success.
At this point, Hancock finally felt a true sense of relief.
Byrnndi World lay on the ground, his face a picture of disbelief. He hadn't expected the enemy's strength to be so overwhelming; he couldn't resist it at all.
What do I do now?
Subconsciously, Byrnndi World looked toward the island ship. He then used the Moonwalk technique to rush directly to the top of his ship without hesitation. Just as Luffy and the others thought this guy was about to run away, they saw a gigantic cannon on the island ship pivot and aim directly at Amazon Lily.
"Wow! What a huge cannon!" Luffy couldn't help but marvel.
The others felt the same. They hadn't expected the World Pirates to possess such a weapon.
"Momo! One hundred times the gun!"
They watched as Byrnndi World placed his hand on the barrel of the colossal cannon and activated his Multiply-Multiply Fruit ability. A massive cannonball shot out of the muzzle and began to grow in mid-air.
It increased its size by a hundredfold almost instantly. In front of this enormous cannonball, human beings looked smaller than ants. It was obvious that if the shell were allowed to explode on the island, Amazon Lily would surely be destroyed.
"Hey! Luffy!" Sanji and the others shouted instantly.
"Leave it to me!" Luffy replied, biting his forearm. He instantly activated Gear Fourth on the spot and rushed into the sky.
"Gomu Gomu no… King Kong Gun!"
A gigantic fist appeared immediately in mid-air and smashed against the huge cannonball. With a deafening boom, the massive projectile was unexpectedly struck back towards the ship.
Although Luffy's fist was coated with Armament Haki, it was still rubber and possessed elasticity. Despite the cannonball's immense size, it was no challenge to bounce it back with the power of Gear Fourth; there was no doubt of the outcome.
Byrnndi World watched the giant cannonball rebound, stunned and unsure of how to react. The huge shell coincidentally slammed into the island ship, triggering a catastrophic explosion.
"World!"
Byojack burst into tears, crying not only for his younger brother, World, but also for their precious island ship. In Byojack's eyes, that ship was a symbol of their freedom. Now, it had been eliminated from the world along with the 'World Destroyer' himself.
"Amazing! That's my Luffy!"
Hancock's face was flushed, clearly obsessed with the strength displayed by the Fifth Emperor.
The soldiers of Amazon Lily also looked upon Luffy with deep admiration. When they saw the massive cannonball flying toward them, many had fallen into despair. They hadn't expected the Five Emperors to resolve the crisis so easily. Clearly, in the eyes of the truly strong, nothing was impossible!
With the Byrnndi World incident resolved, Amazon Lily would eventually have to report to the Marines.
But for now, no one cared about such distant details. It was time to welcome the hero who saved Amazon Lily into the island and treat the crew lavishly. As for the centuries-old rule that no man could enter the island? These men had saved their entire home; a few broken rules were hardly a problem!
Even the traditionally stubborn Elder Nyon did not object.
Shakuyaku also noticed the clearly compromised state of Hancock's heart, but she had no intention of stopping the Empress.
The situation on Amazon Lily was actually very precarious. After the Marines developed warships that could traverse the Calm Belt, Nine Snake Island faced a potential crisis at any time.
But things would be different if the Five Emperors were on good terms with the island.
Anyone who dared to attack Amazon Lily would first have to consider whether they could truly afford to offend the Five Emperors Straw Hat Pirates.
Luffy's crew of five was warmly welcomed onto the island.
Luffy couldn't help drooling, already anticipating the feast that was sure to follow.
And Sanji couldn't help drooling either, thinking not of the food, but of the prospect of entering an island populated solely by beautiful women.
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