A milky white glow shimmered at the tip of the right horn on Kaito's forehead, as the female hormones infused by Law were completely absorbed back into it and merged with Magellan's red toxic venom.
As the power of the right horn was released, Kaito also returned to his original body, transforming back.
From the way these women had reacted just now, he could tell the situation was urgent—Hancock's condition might be even worse than he had imagined.
So it was best to return to his true form, just in case Hancock became even more startled.
Kikyo, realizing the man before her was none other than the legendary Admiral Shikiryū, immediately waved her hand, signaling everyone to lower their weapons.
Kikyo, once a staunch enforcer of the rule "no man shall set foot on Amazon Lily," no longer cared about that at this moment. As long as she could bring Kaito before Hancock, she was willing to do anything.
Kaito could tell that Kikyo was the one with the highest status here. In a flash, he appeared in front of her and asked,
"I heard Hancock is sick. How is she now?"
Kikyo was startled by Kaito's sudden movement, shocked once again by the depth of his unfathomable power. Wiping the cold sweat from her forehead, she was just about to speak when the little girl beside her, Marguerite, suddenly chimed in,
"You look really weird. You don't look like us at all."
Kaito lowered his head to glance at her and, judging by her appearance, figured she must be the short-haired blonde Marguerite who'd met Luffy when he first arrived on Amazon Lily.
He smiled gently at her and asked,
"What's different about me?"
Marguerite studied Kaito carefully for a moment, then patted her small chest and replied seriously,
"You're flat here, and you look kinda fat!"
Kaito couldn't help but laugh at her blunt comment. He reached out to ruffle her hair and said,
"That's because I'm a man. And this isn't fat—it's muscle, got it?"
"You're a man!? But men aren't allowed here!"
Marguerite shrieked and ducked behind Kikyo. Kikyo gave Kaito an apologetic smile before turning and scolding her,
"Marguerite, you talk too much! Admiral Shikiryū is not like other men—he's Lady Hancock's boyfriend!"
Boyfriend...
Kaito raised an eyebrow. He knew that Kikyo's definition of "boyfriend" probably wasn't quite what he understood it to mean, but still... it sounded odd.
He waved his hand dismissively and said,
"It's fine, she's just a kid. Take me to Hancock—I need to see her condition."
"Yes! I'll take you right away!"
Kikyo was overjoyed that Kaito himself had brought up going to see Hancock. She instructed the others to stay behind while she led the way.
Before leaving, Kaito glanced back at Marguerite. After being scolded, she stood there with a pitiful expression, looking genuinely sorry.
Shaking his head, Kaito crouched down and pinched her cheek gently, speaking softly,
"Don't be sad. I'm here to help your Lady Hancock get better. She'll be just fine soon, so cheer up."
Marguerite stared blankly at the handsome face before her. Kaito was the only man she had ever seen in her life, and she thought to herself that he was a kind of "beauty" she had never known existed.
A thought suddenly bloomed in her mind—
So this is what a man is like? Are they all this good-looking?
Unfortunately, she was bound to be disappointed. Once she had the chance to sail out into the world, she would look back and realize—this was truly the peak.
...
Kaito followed Kikyo to the palace where Hancock resided. Standing guard at the entrance were Hancock's two younger sisters.
One was the slim, green-haired Boa Sandersonia.
The other was the chubby, orange-haired Boa Marigold.
Both of them were Zoan-type users of the Hebi Hebi no Mi—Sandersonia an anaconda, Marigold a cobra.
When they saw Kaito behind Kikyo, both of them were visibly shocked. They immediately recognized him—and they had absolutely not expected someone like him to come here.
Even though their elder sister held the esteemed title of Shichibukai and ruled over Amazon Lily, in front of this man... it just didn't compare.
Though they didn't want to admit it, the reality was undeniable.
They knew this man, even without the backing of the Marines, could easily flatten Amazon Lily with his own strength alone.
After all, he was the one who had singlehandedly defeated both Kaido and Shanks, two of the Four Emperors. The very thought of it was terrifying.
Sandersonia and Marigold both gulped as they looked into Kaito's deep purple Rinnegan eyes. They cautiously stepped forward and said with great care,
"You must be Admiral Shikiryū... We truly didn't know you had arrived. We apologize for not greeting you—it was our oversight!"
Kaito waved a hand, cutting straight to the point.
"Forget the formalities. Let me see Hancock."
Without waiting for a response, he walked straight between them and headed into the depths of the palace.
Left behind, Sandersonia and Marigold exchanged a glance. The excitement in their eyes was unmistakable—they knew now there was hope for their sister.
Kaito had already located Hancock's room. Like the master of the place, he made his way to her bedroom door and pushed it open without knocking.
Inside, at the far end of the room, lay Hancock on a large bed.
Standing beside her was a small elderly woman—Hancock's mentor and mother figure, Gloriosa.
The moment she saw Kaito enter, her eyes widened in shock. She was just about to speak when Kaito made a silencing gesture, immediately stopping her from saying anything.
Kaito slowed his steps and gently approached Hancock's bedside.
One glance, and he could tell she was in terrible condition.
Her eyes were shut tight. Her usually stunning face was flushed with a sickly red, and a faint expression of pain lingered there.
Even with someone standing right by her bed, she showed no reaction at all. For someone of her strength, this could only mean one thing—her illness had reached an extremely serious stage. It looked even worse than the time shown in the anime.
Kaito placed his hand on Hancock's forehead.
The heat that radiated from her skin was shocking—it even carried a faint burning sensation.
Luckily, Hancock's body was incredibly resilient. If she were just an ordinary person, she likely wouldn't have lasted even a minute before joining Sengoku in the afterlife.
Kaito gently stroked her smooth forehead, then leaned close to her ear and whispered softly,
"Hancock, can you hear me? It's Kaito... I came to see you."