Naruto went spinning through the air like a ragdoll."
He finally understood how those people he used to beat up felt.
Somewhere in the depths of his memory, Kisame Hoshigaki and Hidan simultaneously gave approving thumbs up.
Not far away, Rob Lucci, who had rushed over to witness this scene, was somewhat tongue-tied.
So this was what true powerhouses were like?
If he couldn't see his own strength clearly before due to being instantly defeated by Naruto because the gap was too large, then now, after witnessing the battle between Katakuri and the Empress, his original arrogance from mastering Haki instantly vanished.
Forget about Hancock.
Even Katakuri's fist... he honestly doubted he could take it.
Meanwhile, Stussy found herself a chair to sit down with great interest, watching Naruto fly out like a rag doll. The smile on her face became increasingly radiant.
She seemed very interested in seeing Naruto get beaten up.
Though the lipstick in her hand, whose casing was nearly cracked from her grip, suggested otherwise.
Seeing Naruto kicked flying and smashing straight through the candy castle, Katakuri also felt angry.
Taking advantage of the gap after the Empress completed her attack and wasn't moving, he thrust both hands fiercely into the ground.
"Flowing Mochi!"
The ground was rapidly assimilated by mochi, becoming soft and sticky mochi paste.
Hancock was still immersed in the feeling of finally having "gotten her great revenge." By the time she noticed, the ground beneath her feet had already begun softening.
Now both her feet were bound by mochi. Moving would be very difficult.
But this wasn't a problem for her at all.
With a casual wave, a pink light arrow shot out, and the ground that had just been mochi turned to stone again.
Then Hancock simply exerted force and shattered it.
Seeing this, Katakuri didn't hesitate and again controlled mochi to form over a dozen "donuts" in mid-air.
Identical mochi arms extended from the donuts.
"Mochi Thrust!"
Over a dozen fists were about to rain down on the Empress like raindrops, while Hancock's side also had no intention of backing down. Haki wrapped around her again as she prepared to give Katakuri a kick.
"Wait, wait, wait! It's all a misunderstanding. We're all on the same side!"
Naruto, who had been kicked away, had somehow returned to the scene and stood between both sides like nothing had happened, raising his hands to stop them.
It would have been more convincing if his eyes weren't ringed with black and blue bruises.
Hearing Naruto's words, both sides finally stopped.
Seeing Naruto's "miserable state," Katakuri wanted to say something but didn't know where to start.
He remembered clearly.
Even when this guy used his body to tank Mama's "Ikoku," he didn't show such obvious injuries.
His defensive power should be on the same level as Mama, who was called the "Steel Balloon."
Hancock's side didn't think so much about it.
After seeing the black-eyed Naruto show her that familiar smile, she finally couldn't maintain her facial expression and burst into laughter.
Then, before anyone could react, she rushed toward Naruto.
Katakuri foresaw this scene and wanted to warn him but quickly gave up.
Because Hancock, who had rushed to Naruto's front, dove into Naruto's arms like a bird returning to its nest, then buried her head firmly in his chest.
Her fingers gripping Naruto's clothes trembled slightly from exertion.
This Empress, who had always presented herself as strong and domineering, ignored everyone else's gazes at this moment and completely exposed her vulnerability.
"Big liar," she whispered into his chest. Looking at Hancock leaning against him and hearing her muffled voice..."
He, the great hero Naruto Uzumaki, believed himself blameless throughout his life, but there were still a few things he'd done that were indeed not honorable.
One of them was secretly running away from Hancock's side.
No wonder. At that time, Naruto was still thinking about finding a way home and truly couldn't stay on Amazon Lily as a consort.
Or rather, as an "empress consort."
And now, although he had fulfilled his dream of returning home, he had taken on the responsibility of avenging his parents.
Naruto held his hands up in midair, not knowing what gesture to make. After hesitating for a moment, he still placed them on Hancock's back and gently patted.
Because he could feel that a small patch of his chest clothing had been dampened.
"Don't cry. Your subordinates are all watching."
Naruto whispered in Hancock's ear, then saw her lift her head, revealing a face wet with tears.
The Empress's appearance was already stunning enough to shame the moon and flowers, and now with the remaining teardrops on her face, she was even more beautiful.
It could be said that ninety-nine percent of men on this ocean would automatically trigger the "Mero Mero Mellow" petrification mechanism when faced with this scene.
The remaining small fraction were either human demons like Ivankov or fanatics immersed in their path like Hawkeye.
This naturally didn't include Naruto.
You could say Naruto was emotionally slow, but he understood what the feeling of liking someone was.
"Kid, didn't expect you to be quite charming."
Kurama suddenly spoke in Naruto's mind, his tone full of teasing.
"Shut up."
Naruto had no mood to bicker with this stinking fox right now.
Knowing he was in the wrong, he could only show an awkward yet polite smile.
His normally eloquent mouth was now tongue-tied.
The pure emotions from Hancock in his Observation Haki were blindingly "bright."
The pink emotion representing "love" and the white emotion representing "longing" intertwined together... hm? What was this?
At this moment, emotions representing "jealousy" and "unwillingness" suddenly mixed into Naruto's perception. Though they flashed by quickly, he still noticed them.
Following the direction of those emotions, he saw Stussy smiling radiantly not far away.
"We meet again, Naruto."
The gritted-teeth tone when Stussy called his name at the end could be clearly detected even without Observation Haki.
Hearing this voice, Hancock also turned around and saw Stussy, who had quarreled with her earlier.
With her sharp intuition, she immediately sensed that these two seemed to have an unspeakable relationship as well.
This was getting awkward.
Katakuri looked left at this one and right at that one.
On one side was the Empress, who had just displayed formidable strength; on the other was Mama's "Close Friend," the Queen of Pleasure District from the underworld.
Hiss... Naruto, you really are something... even a complete beginner should know the basics by now. For the first time, Katakuri felt an inexplicable emotion in his heart.
At this moment, he wasn't so concerned about the earlier incident and just wanted to see how Naruto would handle the current situation.
He didn't know what this emotion was.
If there were modern people here, they could answer him. This was humanity's natural yearning for "eating melons" [watching drama].
Being stared at by Stussy, Hancock instinctively felt annoyed, but then she saw the hands still embracing her waist and immediately showed a triumphant expression.
She even made a provocative face at Stussy from an angle Naruto couldn't see.
A cross vein immediately bulged on Stussy's temple.
She maintained her smile while standing up and walking to Naruto's side, trying to greet him in as calm a tone as possible.
"You haven't introduced me yet. What's your relationship with this Empress?"
Behind her, the four CP9 members were meeting Naruto again.
Their previous encounter had been unpleasant, so these four looked at Naruto with unfriendly eyes.
Even knowing they probably still weren't Naruto's match, they chose to stand behind Stussy to support their chief.
As the saying goes, you can lose the fight but not the attitude.
"Ah... Hancock, she's my..."
"Fiancée!"
Hancock broke free from Naruto's embrace and proudly raised her chin to look at the woman before her, fully displaying the noble temperament of a sovereign.
She finally understood why she disliked this woman.
Turns out she was a love rival!
No, not even a love rival.
After all, the one who had just been held by Naruto was herself! The one who made a marriage promise with Naruto was also herself!
"Oh? Is that so?"
Stussy's gaze toward Naruto was very dangerous. The displeasure in her azure eyes was about to overflow.
"Ahaha... this... this..."
Naruto couldn't quite respond to this.
Because Hancock really wasn't talking nonsense.
That's right, the two had indeed once made a so-called "marriage promise."
That was after Naruto had sent Hancock and the others back to Amazon Lily.
At that time, to give them self-protection ability when facing other dangers in the future, Naruto began using Captain Roger's personally taught training methods to put the three sisters through hellish training.
The two younger sisters quickly chose to quit due to their inability to bear the pressure, instead being trained by the then-regent, Granny Nyon.
But Hancock gritted her teeth and persisted, refusing to give up.
If Naruto had been able to persist under such training by relying on his belief in returning home and a certain tailed beast's chakra supply, then Hancock relied entirely on her own unyielding willpower and naturally strong physique.
Compared to young Naruto, sixteen-year-old Hancock, who had experienced various "gladiatorial fights" arranged by Celestial Dragons, was on a completely different level.
In the painful training, she never wanted to give up. In sparring, she got up again and again.
That was for herself and also to protect her sisters and Amazon Lily.
It was also during that time that Hancock issued a "challenge declaration" to Naruto.
Or you could call it a "marriage proposal declaration."
"Just wait, I will definitely do it!"
At that time, just to stimulate the girl's fighting spirit, Naruto made a promise in a joking tone.
As long as she could defeat him in sparring, even once, Naruto would agree to one thing for her.
No matter how difficult.
"Good! Then I want you to stay on Amazon Lily! Be my 'consort'!"
Later, Hancock really did it.
Although there was an element of Naruto going easy, she had indeed successfully "defeated" Naruto.
Then she impatiently issued the "Kuja Emperor's" command, preparing for the wedding.
This serious attitude left Naruto at a loss.
But since he had said it himself, he didn't plan to go back on his word.
What really made Naruto choose to leave without saying goodbye was another reason.
Because of Amazon Lily's tradition, men who landed on the island had to be executed. If not for Naruto's great favor to Hancock and others, he couldn't even set foot on the island.
And Hancock not only wanted to let Naruto land on the island but also make him her 'consort,' sharing her power. This behavior made it impossible for the old conservative faction to remain silent.
Even with Granny Nyon mediating, the arguments between both sides still couldn't stop, and rumors began appearing that shook Hancock's position as Empress.
They said she would abandon Amazon Lily like the previous Empress, and in the end, wouldn't even leave her name behind.
Seeing things reach this point, Naruto didn't hesitate further and decisively chose to leave without saying goodbye one night, leaving only a farewell letter.
This was the past between the two.
Seeing Naruto's stammering appearance, Stussy was getting genuinely anxious.
"But I heard this was supposed to be your engagement ceremony with Linlin's daughter."
Though she already knew the protagonists had changed, Stussy still brought up the previous matter as an attack method.
Little girl, don't think you can steal a man from me!
If not for her status, Stussy would have already lifted the curtain between them. How could it be Hancock's turn to make victory declarations here?
Indeed, after hearing this, Hancock finally remembered why she had been so angry before.
She immediately turned to look at Naruto.
Though she said nothing, she was full of pressure.
"That! You got it wrong. This time it's Big Mom and Orochimaru's wedding!"
Saying this, he looked toward Orochimaru, who had emerged from a mirror not far away, and quickly pointed over there.
"Look, that's the person!"
But these words couldn't eliminate Hancock's jealousy. She still looked at Naruto with a tearful expression.
Honestly, Naruto was someone who responded to gentleness but not force.
If you threw tantrums and made a fuss, he might strongly refuse and never compromise.
But with Hancock clearly being in the right and looking at you so pitifully, he really didn't know what to do.
A Shura field. This was truly a Shura field.
Just then!
A series of orderly footsteps suddenly came from nearby.
It was the elite Navy disguised as thugs!
They removed their simple disguises, and each drew their weapons.
The leaders also removed their hats, sunglasses, fake beards, and such, revealing their true identities.
"Naruto Uzumaki, we're now arresting you on charges of 'attacking the Holy Land' and 'killing Celestial Dragons.'"
Vice Admiral Tsuru read out the arrest warrant word by word, then the three thugs beside her stepped forward, preparing to attack.
"Sorry about this, kid. Interrupting your good time, but I am Navy after all."
Garp cracked his knuckles with an embarrassed smile.
But looking at his face, Naruto just wanted to say one thing:
No need to apologize. You came at the perfect time!
Seeing this, Hancock couldn't sit still and directly stood in front of Naruto.
"Boa Hancock, you are a 'Seven Warlord of the Sea' recognized by the World Government."
Momousagi looked at the Empress ahead and spoke righteously.
"A mere 'Seven Warlord' title... I don't care about it at all."
"If you want to take it back, go ahead! Today, with me here, no one can touch this man."
Kizaru exchanged glances with Naruto, looking at the bruises still on his face. The complaint "Aren't you the only one who's touched this man?" got stuck in his throat.
The appearance of Garp and others also completely alarmed Big Mom.
"Navy!"
A terrifying Conqueror's Haki pressure erupted from Cake Castle, sweeping over everyone present.