One Piece: sign-in to Ryujin Jakka

After completely subduing the Sea King, Roman slowly sheathed Ryūjin Jakka.

He casually ran a hand through his hair and brushed it back, the corners of his mouth lifting in a confident smile.

"Ah… Looks like Hancock and the others probably saw that."

He paused, then glanced up toward the warship in the sky and activated his Rooster Talisman ability.

As his body slowly floated back to the ship, he thought to himself:

Well, if they saw it, they saw it. It's not like there were any outsiders around, right?

The moment he landed back on the deck, a small figure darted toward him.

"Roman!"

With a soft thud, Hancock had leapt into his embrace, burying her face in his chest.

She clung to him tightly, her large, bright eyes filled with unfiltered admiration.

"R-Roman, you were amazing!!!"

Her face flushed a rosy pink. Whether from embarrassment or the glow of the flames, even she couldn't tell.

"And… you looked so handsome. So gentle…"

Roman chuckled softly. He reached out and gently patted her head.

"Alright, let's keep heading toward Amazon Lily."

As he adjusted his cloak, Hancock's eyes never left him for even a second.

After all, what girl didn't dream of sweet romance? He had rescued them from that dark prison. Defeated an admiral candidate with overwhelming strength…

Even now, a Sea King thousands of meters long had been nothing before his sword. Most importantly, the phoenix tattoo on her back—it was drawn by Roman himself. She had stared at it for hours in her room, falling in love with it.

"Ahhh… I really am blushing too much~!"

"Big sister, what's wrong?"

"Are you okay? Your face is really red!"

Marigold and Sandersonia came to her side, glancing between their sister and Roman with strange expressions.

Even Roman found himself wondering if Hancock was getting a bit too excited…

But at that moment, he spotted a shadowy outline ahead. As the ship moved closer, the dark silhouette gradually revealed itself to be an island.

Towering peaks loomed from the center across the landscape, and faintly, one could see the forms of nine giant snake heads facing different directions.

Roman gently guided the warship down from the sky.

"Hancock," he said, "I think we've arrived at Amazon Lily."

Hancock snapped out of her bashful daze and turned to him. Her gaze, as if piercing through the hood of his cloak, tried to peer into his eyes.

"Roman… will we… see each other again?"

Her eyes sparkled with reluctance and longing.

Roman saw her emotions clearly. He crouched down in front of her and smiled.

"We will, Hancock. We'll meet again."

"Mm!"

Hancock nodded heavily, 

"Big sister~" 

Her two sisters watching silently at her side, saw her reluctance to part ways.

"I'm okay," she said softly.

Taking a deep breath, she collected herself.

"Let's go, Roman~"

"Mm."

With a flick of his hand, Roman activated his Rooster Talisman, lifting the four of them gently into the air and floating toward the island below.

The moment his feet touched the ground—

[Ding! Congratulations, Host, on successfully signing in. You have obtained: Armament Haki(Peak-Level)!]

Armament Haki—the real stamp of true powerhouses on the sea. To reach its peak is to obtain a strength countless warriors dream of but never attain!

Warm energy surged through Roman's body.

A fierce and untamed power began to awaken within him.

Though the power was now his, it would surely take some time to fully master it.

Just as the system's voice faded from his mind—

Whoosh!

Dozens of arrows suddenly shot out from the jungle!

Each one glinted with black—a clear sign of being coated in Armament Haki!

In the dead of night, they were near impossible to detect.

The arrows howled as they tore through the air, leaving visible ripples in their wake.

Roman's eyes narrowed.

A welcome ceremony, huh?

Roman hadn't expected such an enthusiastic welcome ceremony the moment they landed. Before he could make a move, Hancock stepped forward.

She lightly touched her lips and conjured a heart-shaped pink aura the size of a fist.

With a motion like drawing a bowstring, she let loose hundreds of tiny pink arrows!

Swish! Swish! Swish!

It was the first ability she had developed under Roman's guidance over the past few days in their journey.

The pink arrows struck the incoming barrage, causing partial petrification. Though minimal, it was enough to destabilize the enemy's attack.

The arrows veered off-course, crashing into the ground near Roman and leaving small craters.

At that moment—

A faint royal aura emanated from the small girl's figure.

She stood before Roman and shouted toward the jungle:

"I am Boa Hancock! I will not allow you to harm Roman!"

On Amazon Lily, everyone knew each other's names.

The moment the name "Boa Hancock" echoed across the forest—

The attackers stepped out.

Hancock's expression turned cold as she recognized them.

Instead of joy from familiar faces, she felt only burning fury.

"Why did you ambush us!?"

The current Empress of Amazon Lily looked from Hancock to the man behind her.

"There was a suspicious person."

Roman spoke calmly.

"I was just escorting them home. That's all—"

Before he could finish—

Snap!

The Empress raised her bow again.

"You're a man?! You dare set foot on Amazon Lily? Then… die!"

Amazon Lily prohibits all men. All Intruders are executed without mercy!

At her command, the warriors raised their bows once more and fired.

Roman sighed.

'So that's what this is all about…'

He had only planned to drop them off and leave. He didn't expect things to turn out this way.

But then again—

Amazon Lily was a nation of warriors. Everyone here could fight.

Another volley of arrows flew through the air.

Hancock instinctively moved to shield Roman.

But—

He gently placed a hand on her shoulder and stopped her.

"Hancock, let me handle this."

With that—

Roman raised his finger and lightly tapped the air.

"Bakudō #81. Dankū (Splitting Void)."

Shhhhk—

A translucent barrier formed in front of him, seemingly composed of air itself.

BOOM!

BOOM!

BOOM!

The Armament Haki coated arrows slammed into the barrier, but not a single one could pass through.

They shattered harmlessly, leaving only faint echoes in the night.

Just as the Empress of Amazon Lily prepared to attack again—

At that moment, a voice echoed from the distance…