Outside the Empress's chamber, Sandersonia traded a baffled look with Marigold.
"Sandasonia, what's going on with Sister?" Marigold whispered. "She told me to guard the door, and then… the noises… up, down… happy, then almost crying—what is even happening?"
"I don't know," Sandersonia muttered. "She only said no one is allowed in."
"Then we wait," Marigold decided, folding her arms.
Footsteps tapped down the corridor. Elder Nyon hobbled over with a towering girl in tow—barely thirteen or fourteen, yet already close to three meters tall.
"What's with all the commotion?" Nyon squinted at the door.
Sandersonia scratched her cheek. "Eheh… Sister's voice was… unusual."
"Unusual?" Nyon's eyelid twitched. Inwardly, she sighed. So it's happened again. Only one man can get Boa Hancock that flustered… that blasted Karl.
The tall girl beside her raised a hand, nervous but hopeful. "Elder Nyon… is it true? Her Highness will really allow me to serve at her side?"
Nyon glanced up at the girl—broad-shouldered, surprisingly light on her feet, eyes brimming with fierce confidence—and nodded to herself. "We'll discuss it with the Empress. For the future of Amazon Lily."
A moment later, the chamber doors opened.
Hancock stepped out with Karl at her side. Though a rosy flush still lingered at the edges of her cheeks, her gaze sharpened as it fell on the waiting party—regal composure sliding into place like a mask. Even so, the air around her carried a sweetness that made even Nyon's steady heart skip. Marigold and Sandersonia visibly swooned.
"Hancock," Nyon said, clearing her throat. "I have business—important business."
"If it's not truly important, another time," Hancock answered, casting a quick glance at Karl. "He hasn't eaten."
Nyon's mouth thinned. There it is. Aloud, she gestured the tall girl forward. "This is Aphelandra. She prevailed in the latest trials and has the makings of a guardian warrior. I want her to study at your side. Amazon Lily must always have an heir to leadership."
Karl followed the introduction with interest. Aphelandra—fast for her size, potential in spades. He dipped his head. "Good choice."
Hancock took one look at the girl and nodded. "I accept. I'll teach her administration and court matters—when I return."
"Return?" Nyon's eyes slid to Karl, and clarity clicked into place. Her scowl deepened. "You—! Treat her well, you hear me, boy!"
"How dare you scold my man!" Hancock snapped, hands already forming a heart as power stirred. "I'll turn you to stone—"
Karl stepped between them, palm up. "Easy. She's worrying about you. I don't mind."
Hancock huffed, the spark dimming. "Fine. I will treat Karl well."
Everyone else: …Isn't that backwards?
Karl pulled a small bound booklet from his coat and offered it to Aphelandra. "My notes on Haki training—flow, pressure, progression. Follow it step-by-step, and your strength will climb fast."
Nyon's brows rose despite herself. "We have our own methods… but insights from a top fighter are priceless. Thank you."
Hancock clapped once, the command tone back. "Sandersonia—arrange a meal. Plenty of dishes."
"Yes, Sister!"
"Come, Karl." Hancock's smile turned bright and unguarded as she tugged him toward the banquet hall. "You must be starving."
They ate. They talked. That night, with another long flight ahead, Karl took Hancock's advice and simply held her as they slept—no more, no less. Dawn glowed on Amazon Lily's cliffs when they rose.
Before leaving, Hancock rattled off orders to Nyon, then turned to Karl with a steady breath. "I'm ready."
Nyon intercepted Karl near the gate. "How long?"
"A month," Karl promised. "Then we're back."
Snow-white cloud wrapped Hancock's waist as Karl's flame-clouds unfurled. They lifted from the palace terraces and soared into the blue, Amazon Lily shrinking to a green crescent below.
Nyon watched them vanish, a long sigh slipping out. "A curse or fate… every Empress the same," she muttered—then faced Aphelandra, eyes steel again. "No matter. We'll forge the next one stronger."
Aphelandra straightened, clutching the Haki manual to her chest. "Understood, Elder Nyon. I'll work hard."
"Good." Nyon turned toward the training grounds. "Then let's begin. Amazon Lily's future won't wait."
Far above the Calm Belt, Karl and Hancock cut across the clouds—heading for Jaya, then Tiger Roar Island. Neither noticed the distant speck of a seabird circling them and then banking away, as if bearing news toward the wider world…
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