When Luffy and the others arrived at Tree No. 13, they happened to run into Robin, Nami, and Marie. Seeing the two Pacifistas floating next to the women inside the coating bubbles, the crew immediately understood that the three had encountered the Marines. It was clear the Marines had failed, even losing the two cyborgs to the girls.
"Nami-san! Robin-chan! Are you two alright!" Sanji rushed toward Nami and Robin, swaying dramatically.
"Didn't you see me?" Marie calmly raised her foot and kicked Sanji away. It was noteworthy that Marie could kick Sanji away, even though he possessed a Logia Devil Fruit.
Luffy, Usopp, Chopper, and Franky excitedly pulled the two Pacifistas out of their bubbles and began touching them with fascination. These crew members were all highly enthusiastic about robots and machines.
"Nami, did you guys defeat these? You're super powerful!" Franky gave them an unreserved thumbs-up.
"Hmph, don't think we're weak just because we're women," Nami boasted, hands on her hips. "We were surrounded by a huge group of people, and we didn't even break a sweat beating them!".
In truth, Nami had broken out in a cold sweat when she saw how many enemies there were. If Robin and Marie hadn't been there, Nami would have been in real trouble. Although Nami was the main offensive power, they won so easily thanks to Marie's super ability to cover the enemy in paint. Without that trick, the enemies wouldn't have just stood there waiting to be hit. However, Robin and Marie decided not to point this out.
"Nami, Robin, Marie, you're amazing! You're definitely my partners!" Luffy said, showing his wide, toothy grin.
Luffy's compliment made Nami blush slightly. If Marie hadn't been there today, she and Robin would have probably had to face Sentomaru and others, and they wouldn't have won so easily. But Luffy didn't care about the details; he just knew that Nami, Robin, and Marie had won.
At that moment, Carl opened the bar door.
"Mr. Carl, we're here!" Luffy waved casually.
His crewmates also waved and nodded toward Carl. Carl nodded back but focused his attention on Rayleigh. "The Vice-Captain of the Roger Pirates, Silvers Rayleigh, it's an honor to meet you!".
Rayleigh stepped forward with a smile and carefully looked at Carl. "Carl, the great Lightning Swordsman, I've always wanted to see you too," he said, before adding, "Or maybe I've always wanted to scare all the Straw Hats".
"Huh? Silvers Rayleigh is..." Nami realized the truth only at this moment. It felt like a dream to be so close to a legendary figure she had heard about for so long.
Little 3, Jango, Franky, and the others had figured it out on the way back, and their reaction was similar to Nami's sudden surprise. As for Robin and Marie, Robin had recognized him immediately, but Marie didn't seem to care much.
Rayleigh walked straight into the bar. "Everyone, stop standing outside, come on in," he urged.
The Straw Hat Crew didn't hesitate and followed him inside. Once they were all inside, everyone was stunned because they saw the most beautiful woman in the world: Boa Hancock, the Pirate Empress.
"Wow! Who is this peerless beauty?!" Brook couldn't help but shout.
"Peerless... Peerless..." Sanji instantly petrified on the spot, with red hearts practically beating out of his eyes, mouth, and chest.
The rest of the men in the crew couldn't help but show their surprise, except for Luffy and Chopper, of course. After all, Luffy had no concept of beauty, and Chopper was just a reindeer. But what was stranger was that Bepo couldn't help but blush intensely.
"Who is she?" Luffy asked, picking his nose casually.
"One of the Seven Warlords of the Sea, the Pirate Empress Boa Hancock!" Law quickly regained his composure and introduced her calmly.
A Warlord?! Zoro, Jango, Little 3, Franky, and the others immediately became wary. Although the Pirate Empress was beautiful, not everyone was as lustful as Sanji, so they immediately took up a defensive stance.
In contrast, Nami, Robin, and Marie looked completely calm. Since Luffy and Carl were present, a mere Warlord couldn't pose any real threat.
"How dare you! Are you trying to use force against my Empress?" Boa Hancock asked, tilting her head back and looking down her nose at them.
Although she knew the other party was one of the Five Emperors now, she didn't want to be looked down upon. Furthermore, her habit of looking at people with her nostrils was deeply ingrained, and she did it even when facing a Marine Admiral, so she couldn't change it quickly.
"I'm sorry!" Bepo took the lead and apologized, bowing his head.
"His mind is so fragile!" Everyone was left speechless. They silently wondered why a white bear would be so easily subdued by a human female, especially when his crewmates were right beside him.
Rayleigh took the opportunity to ease the tension. "So, Hancock is here, too," he said. "It's been many years since we last saw each other!".
Shakky quickly added, "Rayleigh, Hancock is here because she needs our help. Also, the Straw Hats entrusted you with coating their ship, and I have already taken over the work. You'll be busy over the next few days". As she spoke, she winked at Boa Hancock.
Boa Hancock also realized she couldn't afford to offend the Five Emperors , so she snorted loudly and turned her face away. Rayleigh and Shakky both breathed a sigh of relief. The Straw Hat Pirates were now truly one of the Five Emperors, possessing the strength to fight the former Four Emperors. Hancock was definitely no match for them. Although the Straw Hat Crew seemed easygoing, if they were truly angered, even Rayleigh might not be able to stop them.
"Ahem, I was the one who offered to coat the ship," Rayleigh clarified. "Don't worry, my coating is top-notch. By the way, everyone must be hungry. You can order some wine and meat. I'll ask Shakky to give you a discount".
"A discount? Shouldn't it be free?" Luffy looked disgusted.
"Hahaha! I'd love for it to be free, but I don't own this bar!" Rayleigh laughed awkwardly. He helped Shakky bring out the wine and meat, and Luffy immediately began eating without any hesitation. Seeing this, his crewmates also started eating and drinking.
Carl asked, "The island seemed very lively just now; what happened?".
Zoro, Law, and Sanji suddenly gave Carl a knowing look that implied, "You know what you're asking," and they had no intention of speaking.
"Oh, I killed a Celestial Dragon, and then I ran into Kizaru," Luffy explained casually. "But Kizaru ran away without fighting me. Robin, Nami, and Marie seem to have met the Marines, but they beat them and stole two robots!".
As soon as the simple-minded Luffy finished explaining, there was a sudden ping-pong sound as a wine glass hit the floor and shattered.
Boa Hancock looked completely disbelieving. "You, you killed a Celestial Dragon?!".
Luffy looked puzzled but confirmed, "Yeah! That guy was a total jerk! He wanted to capture Chopper and Bepo to use them as things to cut up. I killed one in a fit of rage. I hate Celestial Dragons, and Sabo was almost killed by one of them!".
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