"Hold on, why are you executing us?" Luffy shouted urgently.
"Men are forbidden to enter Amazon Lily. You've violated the law and must be put to death," the captain stated. "Kill them!"
"No way, I have to save Ace! I can't die here..." Before Luffy could finish, he suddenly felt the air around him vibrate. Then, several Amazonian warriors holding bows and arrows collapsed, foaming at the mouth. However, there was one exception: the captain. She was surprisingly resilient and, although affected, managed to stay on her feet.
"What? This is... Empress Hancock's power?" The captain stared at the two men in the cage in astonishment. However, based on her judgment, it wasn't the straw hat-wearing man who acted, but the one behind him.
"Huh? This is Rayleigh's move..." Luffy realized.
"I told you it's Conqueror's Haki. Didn't I teach you before?" Linton facepalmed. "See what happens when you don't pay attention in class? You get your butt kicked."
"Uh... I was wrong," Luffy admitted.
"You..." Although the captain didn't understand how the other man could use Empress Hancock's power, she still shakily raised her bow and arrow, aiming it at Linton.
"I won't stop you, but if you attack me, I will destroy everything here," Linton said calmly to the captain. "I've tried my best to avoid conflict, but if you're not afraid to die, then all I can say is sorry. Sometimes I just can't control myself..."
The captain's hand remained on the bow and arrow, but it trembled slightly. For some reason, she felt that Linton wasn't joking. A sense of immense authority told her that this man meant what he said, and she didn't know why she felt this way.
"What exactly are you doing on Amazon Lily?" The captain didn't attack, but instead inquired.
"Nothing much, just wandered in by accident. If you give us a boat, we'll leave immediately," Linton replied.
"A boat? This is the Calm Belt. Ships can't sail here. Only Empress Hancock's ship can leave the island," the captain explained, as Hancock's ship was pulled by sea snakes, not propelled by wind.
Of course, Linton knew this and said directly, "Then have your empress take us away from here."
"What?" Everyone was shocked. To have their empress escort them away? This was too audacious!
"You're too bold!" the captain shouted.
"Don't be ridiculous. Nobody called me bold when I took down an admiral. She's just a Warlord of the Sea. Can't I show her some respect?" Linton said, spreading his hands.
"What?" All the women were stunned. Although they rarely left the island, they knew about the admirals and the Warlords of the Sea. This man claimed to have defeated an admiral? He was indeed a bit too daring.
"You..."
"You can't handle this, so let me talk to Hancock. She'll be back soon anyway," Linton said.
"Impossible, I can't let a madman like you..."
Before she could finish, a red light flashed in Linton's eyes, and the captain collapsed. Of course, Linton used Tsukuyomi, but the people around them didn't know that. They just thought Linton used Conqueror's Haki again.
"Anyway, just report this to Hancock when she returns," Linton said to the people outside the cage. "And if anyone else wants to step up, I don't mind putting them down too."
The captain was already the strongest warrior left on the island. Since she was defeated by Linton without even making a move, the remaining women warriors were helpless. It seemed that only the Empress could handle this matter now.
The outside quieted down a bit, and Luffy finally found a chance to speak to Linton, "Uncle, that ability is called Conqueror's Haki, right? Can I learn it?"
"You can't learn that," a woman outside the cage said before Linton could answer. Linton looked over and recognized her as Marguerite, one of the women who had saved Luffy earlier. One of her hobbies seemed to be observing men.
"It's an aptitude that only one in a million people possess, the Haki of a king," Marguerite explained.
"Huh..." Luffy scratched his head, clearly not understanding. "So... I can't learn it?"
"You can't," Marguerite stated.
"Don't listen to her nonsense. You actually have that aptitude," Linton countered.
"What?" Both Luffy and Marguerite were taken aback.
"Ace has it too, but like you, he doesn't know how to use it," Linton added.
"Really? So Ace can use it too? Seems like a lot of people I know can use it," Luffy said.
"Have you heard the family motto of the Gol family?" Linton asked. "Bloodline is everything. No matter how awesome other people are, it's only temporary. A truly awesome bloodline is what matters."
"Huh?" Luffy looked confused.
"Basically, it means your dad is awesome, so you're awesome too," Linton explained. "And my family is even more awesome, so you can't beat Ace, right?"
"I see..." Luffy had never been able to beat Ace since he was a child. "So that's the reason?"
"That's nonsense," Marguerite couldn't help but retort.
"Little girl, you've never even left this island. What do you know?" Linton pointed at Marguerite.
"I'm definitely not younger than you!" Marguerite argued.
"But I'm awesome. You know, in the outside world, as long as someone is awesome, no matter how old they are, others should call them 'daddy.' Like, 'Daddy Ma Yun'..." Linton explained.
"Huh? People outside have such a custom?" Marguerite was dumbfounded.
"If you don't believe me, you can ask someone who's been outside. Let them tell you. You know Whitebeard, right? Do you know how many people call Whitebeard 'daddy'?" Linton asked.
"Huh? Whitebeard..." Marguerite clearly didn't know.
"Really... I told you, you're ignorant," Linton said, shrugging.
"I have a feeling you're lying to me," Marguerite said.
"Silly child, why would I lie to you? You're not my nephew..." Linton replied.
"Huh?" Luffy, standing beside him, was confused and didn't understand the underlying meaning.
While Linton and Marguerite were bantering, someone suddenly rushed over and shouted to everyone, "The... The Empress is back!"
"Everyone, hurry up and welcome her!"
"But what about this situation?"
"There's no other way. We can only let the Empress decide."
Soon, everyone went to welcome the return of the Empress's pirate ship. Linton waited for a while, figuring that they wouldn't dare not report this incident. After all, the captain guarding the island had collapsed, and Hancock would definitely inquire about it.
Sure enough, not long after, Linton saw a group of people approaching the prison. He hadn't seen these people before. Judging from their fully armed appearance, they should be the crew of the Kuja Pirates. They had been outside the island, so they weren't as surprised to see Linton and Luffy.
"They really are men. Someone actually dared to come to Amazon Lily."
"Why don't we just kill them? The Empress doesn't want to see them anyway."
"But Elder Nyon said she wants to see them..."
"Bring them along. Let the Empress decide."
After some discussion, they decided to take Linton and Luffy to the palace. The palace of Amazon Lily was quite simple, with a Chinese architectural style. It didn't take long for them to reach the palace.
As soon as they entered, Linton saw Hancock. Honestly, as one of the officially recognized three most beautiful women, Hancock was indeed quite stunning. Linton couldn't help but look her up and down. He had to admit that apart from her rather tall height, Hancock had no other particular flaws. Her face and figure were simply perfect. Coupled with her gentle expression, she was indeed the type that could charm both men and women.
Hancock didn't find Linton's observation strange. After all... she was used to it.
Looking around, besides Hancock, her two sisters, Elder Nyon, and some ministers whose names he didn't know were all present. It seemed that this wasn't a meet-and-greet, but a trial, just not held in the courtroom.
"Who are you two, and why did you trespass on Amazon Lily? Don't you know that men are forbidden here?" It wasn't Hancock who spoke, but her sister, Marigold. Hancock didn't seem interested in this matter and was looking elsewhere with boredom.
"I'm Luffy. I don't know how I got here. I was just hit by someone and woke up here," Luffy said directly.
"You're lying!" someone shouted from the side.
"You're the ruler here, right?" Luffy said directly to Hancock. "Please lend me a ship. I need to save..."
"Hold on, nephew, let me handle this," Linton interrupted suddenly.
"I'm getting annoyed. Just kill them," Hancock said abruptly.
"Hear me out first," Linton insisted. "Actually, the two of us came here seeking refuge because we're being hunted by the Celestial Dragons."
"Hmm?" Hancock paused, surprised. "Celestial Dragons? Hunting you?"
"Yes, my nephew punched a Celestial Dragon," Linton said, pointing at Luffy.
"Celestial Dragon?" Luffy was taken aback for a moment, but then he remembered the guy with the fishbowl on his head. "That guy? He was so awful, hurting Hatchan like that. I'm the one who hit him."
"You hit a Celestial Dragon?" Hancock was visibly moved. She calmed herself down a bit and then looked at Linton. "And you also hit a Celestial Dragon?"
"Oh, I kidnapped three Celestial Dragons, ransomed them for a hefty sum, and then ripped off one of their arms," Linton said with a smile.
"What?!" Everyone present was shocked.
(End of Chapter)