At that moment, inside the palace of Amazon Lily, just as Hancock was about to discuss something important with her two sisters, the doors suddenly opened—
Elior stepped inside, with Hiyori following close behind.
Hancock looked up, blinking in disbelief. For a second, she thought her eyes were deceiving her. She even rubbed them once, twice—but he was still there.
"Th–This… Lord Elior!?"
Her voice trembled with shock.
"How is this possible? I was planning to sail to the New World tomorrow to find you myself!"
Without hesitation, Hancock rushed forward and threw herself toward him, her movements so swift that it looked like she was facing a formidable enemy instead of a beloved figure.
Earlier that same day, the Pirate Empress had returned from a voyage in which the Kuja Pirates had crushed three enemy crews and seized their treasure. She had planned to depart for the New World with her sisters the next morning—to visit Elior in person, and to have him remove the Celestial Dragon slave marks from their backs.
And of course… to see him again.
Yet now, the man she had been dreaming of day and night was standing before her, as if summoned from her heart.
Was this what people called a dream come true?
Hancock's mind spun. She could hardly believe it—Elior was here, in the flesh.
Elder Nyon and Hancock's two sisters, Sandersonia and Marigold, were just as stunned.
Elior himself had arrived on Amazon Lily! None of them knew how to react.
Moments ago, they had only spoken of him—now, he was right in front of them.
Elior regarded them calmly. "Do you have any objections to me visiting Amazon Lily?"
His tone was casual, almost teasing. He knew Hancock would welcome him warmly—perhaps even wish he would stay on the island forever.
By entering from the sky rather than forcing his way through the island's defenses, he had avoided unnecessary conflict.
And now, standing in the heart of the palace, he faced the most important women of Amazon Lily.
"N–No objections! None at all!" Hancock stammered, her usual pride vanishing. Standing before Elior, she looked like a shy maiden, her haughty aura replaced by pure admiration.
"I… I have no objections either!" Nyon blurted. What could she possibly say?
After all, Elior's subordinates had annihilated the entire Revolutionary Army in a single day. If he ever grew angry, he could probably sink the whole island into the sea.
And if she dared to oppose him… feeding Neptune creatures might be the least of her worries.
Elior was unimaginably strong—so much so that his title as the strongest Yonko was beyond dispute.
He had even slain seven Celestial Dragons with his own hands.
In recent months, no name in the world had been spoken more often than Elior.
Nyon could only sigh as she watched the normally imperious Hancock fidgeting like a nervous girl before him.
At the same time, the three women noticed the stunning beauty standing behind Elior.
"She's as beautiful as Lady Hancock!" one whispered.
"As beautiful as Big Sis herself!" gasped another.
"It's impossible to tell who's more beautiful! I didn't think anyone in this world could rival her!"
They were all speechless. For so long, Hancock had been acknowledged as the most beautiful woman in the world. Yet the woman following Elior —Hiyori — was every bit her equal.
Hiyori, too, was taken aback when she saw the Pirate Empress in person.
Even she couldn't deny it — Hancock's beauty was breathtaking, almost otherworldly. Her skin glowed with a faint warmth, her hair still damp from her bath, and her fragrance filled the entire hall.
For the first time, Hiyori truly understood why men and women alike were bewitched by the Pirate Empress.
But the thought that this woman might also be her rival—or even her sister-in-arms—made Hiyori's heart tighten with anxiety.
Such a powerful presence… such a dangerous woman!
Hancock, meanwhile, had also noticed Hiyori and felt her heart jolt. She knew that the women who lived with Elior were not ordinary.
And now, this woman behind him...
Could she be Elior's wife?
The idea alone made Hancock's mind swirl.
Elior finally broke the silence.
"Hancock, I came to stay for a few days—and to remove the marks from your sisters' backs."
"Ah?" Hancock blinked, taken aback.
He smiled faintly. "It'll only take a moment."
Using his mysterious ability Elior reached out. A soft white light shone from his palm, and in an instant, the slave marks that had scarred Sandersonia and Marigold for years vanished completely.
Gone — without a trace.
Nyon, Hancock, and even Hiyori stared in astonishment.
Hancock herself had never seen the process before—when Elior had removed her mark, she had fainted from the shock.
Now, watching it happen before her eyes, she could barely believe it.
The burn scars — once seared deep into their flesh — had completely disappeared as if rewritten from existence.
Hiyori covered her mouth, her heart pounding. Those scars… they had been branded into the skin with red-hot iron.
The cruelty behind such an act made her tremble with anger and pity.
Who could have done something so monstrous?
While she silently cursed the Celestial Dragons a thousand times over, she also understood something else.
When Sandersonia and Marigold revealed their marks, their entire bodies had trembled—not from fear of Elior, but from the memory of that pain and humiliation.
Now, with those marks erased forever, both sisters fell to their knees, tears streaming down their faces.
"Thank you, Lord Elior!" they cried in unison.
Hancock and Nyon also bowed deeply in gratitude.
Elior, however, waved it off as nothing.
"Think nothing of it, he said calmly.
Nyon quickly turned to Hancock. "Empress, hurry and have the best feast on the island prepared to welcome Lord Elior!"
At once, the palace staff scrambled to obey.
When the maids saw an actual man standing inside the Empress's palace, they nearly fainted in shock—but none dared to utter a word.
Soon, word would spread across Amazon Lily:
A man—the man—had entered the palace of the Pirate Empress herself.
But Hancock didn't care about the gossip.
For her, Elior wasn't like other men.
The rest of the world's males were nothing but filthy, unworthy creatures.
Elior was different.
He was a god who walked among mortals—one who had saved her from eternal shame and restored her pride.
Just that one act had shattered her defenses completely.
In her eyes, Elior was perfection incarnate.
Her heart had been utterly, hopelessly conquered.