Sabaody Archipelago, Shakky's Rip-Off Bar.
A frail, staggering figure stumbled down the hillside and into the bar.
Clang!
The moment he entered, the man seemed to lose all his strength, collapsing face-first onto the floor and knocking over a barstool.
Shakky, busy preparing dinner in the kitchen, frowned.
"Which blind drunkard is causing trouble in my place now?"
Furious, she stormed out, ready to unleash a torrent of curses.
But the moment she saw the man on the floor, her expression changed drastically.
"RAYLEIGH!" Shakky gasped, immediately crouching down to help him up.
Yet when her gaze fell on his torso, horror flashed across her face.
Rayleigh's arms had been severed, barely held together by scraps of skin and muscle.
The gruesome wounds, soaked in seawater for days, had turned ghastly pale, the flesh swollen beyond recognition.
His chest was also heavily caved in, countless ribs shattered.
What Shakky didn't know was that Rayleigh had spent the past few days pushing himself with astonishing willpower all the way from the Totto Land waters in the New World.
Enduring for three or four days without treating his injuries, he forcibly commandeered a coating ship and returned to Sabaody Archipelago.
Throughout the journey, only one thought occupied Rayleigh's mind—to return here.
Even if he were to die, he couldn't let it happen in the New World.
Shakky was well aware that Rayleigh had recently followed the Kuja Pirates into the New World.
But as for his specific purpose, he hadn't explained it clearly to her.
Helping Rayleigh sit on the sofa, Shakky found herself at a complete loss.
She was a strong woman, but Rayleigh had been with her for so long that no one could replace his importance in her heart.
Staring at Rayleigh's horrifying injuries, Shakky's mind went blank.
All she could do was stagger out the door to find a doctor on the island.
Along the way, her lips trembling, she pulled out a black Den Den Mushi from her bosom and dialed a number she had memorized for over twenty years.
"Purupuru, purupuru."
The Den Den Mushi rang for a long time before an elderly man's puzzled voice came through.
"Shakky?"
With a sob in her voice, Shakky cried out, "Gaban! Rayleigh—Rayleigh seems to be dying! He's at Sabaody—come quickly!"
*****
In Elbaf, an old man holding a pipe smiled as he watched a group of children playing in the open square.
In his palm was a black Den Den Mushi.
"Rayleigh seems to be dying! Come quickly!"
The smile vanished from the old man's face in an instant.
Lightning seemed to flash in his eyes as his seemingly small frame suddenly appeared larger than the entire village.
An axe light instantly cleaved the sea before him in two, creating a massive fissure.
Wherever the axe light passed, whether reefs or sea kings, everything was severed.
*****
Amazon Lily.
Elder Nyon watched in delight as a red pirate ship sailed into the port.
Every single member of the Kuja Pirates had returned safely from the New World.
"What happened? Did Rayleigh convince Hancock to come back? Thank goodness—I've been worried sick these past few days."
Elder Nyon hurriedly scanned the crowd and saw the Kuja warriors surrounding Empress Boa Hancock as she disembarked from the ship.
"Hmm?" Elder Nyon paused, noticing Hancock walking forward with unfocused, dazed eyes, nearly stepping on a few kittens along the way without noticing them.
This was highly unusual.
Normally, such small animals would have been kicked flying by Hancock one after another.
"Hancock seems quite changed after this trip," Elder Nyon mused, puzzled by Hancock's drastically altered demeanor.
The previous Hancock had naturally exuded an untouchable, arrogant, and cold aura.
But now, those traits had vanished, replaced by a docility reminiscent of her childhood—more like an ordinary, vulnerable woman than a pirate empress.
"Hancock, what's wrong? Did you find Luffy? Did you see Rayleigh?"
Elder Nyon caught up to Hancock and fired off a series of questions.
But she received no response.
Hancock seemed completely oblivious, wandering absently into the palace halls as if in a trance.
"That's strange." Elder Nyon frowned.
In the past, just mentioning the name Luffy in Hancock's presence would send her into a blissful daze, let alone asking such a direct question.
But today, Hancock remained completely indifferent to her words.
*****
In the royal palace's grand bath chamber, Hancock walked in alone and made her way to a corner where a massive white stone stood.
She bent down and moved aside the white stone, revealing a chest.
Hancock opened the chest to find a smooth bronze mirror inside.
This mirror had been placed here for over ten years.
For all these years, Hancock hadn't mustered the courage to pick up the mirror and look at her own reflection, to see the mark on her back.
But today, she had dug out this mirror.
Hancock removed her robe, revealing her snow-white skin.
She swept aside her long black hair and raised the bronze mirror to examine her back.
There, her skin was flawless like satin, smooth and beautifully curved, without any trace of a mark.
Clang.
The bronze mirror fell to the ground with a crisp sound.
Hancock slowly crouched down, hugging her knees, her eyes moist.
"It's true, not a dream. The Hoof of the Soaring Dragon has completely disappeared."
"Sister! What's wrong?"
Hearing the noise from the bathroom, Sandersonia and Marigold immediately pushed the door open and asked anxiously.
Then they saw Hancock's back, smooth and flawless, facing them.
Sandersonia and Marigold stared in disbelief, their eyes filled with shock.
"Sister, your mark... it's gone! Sister, how did you do it?"
Like Hancock, Marigold and Sandersonia also bore the Hoof of the Soaring Dragon on their backs.
This mark had always been a nightmare for the three sisters.
In battles, they would always subconsciously protect their backs, afraid that enemies might tear their clothes and expose their shameful secret.
Because of this, they could only unleash about sixty to seventy percent of their true combat strength.
What pained them the most was that sometimes in the Amazon Lily, if they were accidentally seen by the citizens, they had to ruthlessly eliminate those innocent women.
As the leaders of their nation, the three sisters could never allow anyone to discover their past as slaves.
And now, this supposedly un eraseable mark had miraculously disappeared from their elder sister Hancock.
How could they not be overjoyed?
Hancock turned around, silently observing the hope in her sisters' eyes.
Of course, she knew what they wanted to ask.
Hancock's lips moved, but she couldn't bring herself to say that person's name.
Because she suddenly realized that in her heart, that wild and domineering figure had gradually overshadowed Luffy's image, filling her entire being.
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