Chapter 20

The two domains of Conqueror's Haki clashed instantly, generating countless red bolts of thunder in their battle. Although the strike was not aimed at the warrior women in the hall, the aftermath of the clash still made everyone tense up, and their faces reflected astonishment.

— [B/C-class characters feel positive emotions towards the Sal, moderate, increasing experience by 3732] —

The experience had yet to reach the expected level, and Sal continued to intensify his Conqueror's Haki. The increase in intensity caused discomfort in his body, but fortunately, the effects matched his expectations. The Conqueror's Haki quickly suppressed Hancock's Haki, slowly pushing it back until the opponent's domain was reduced to a small circle.

Seeing this, everyone gasped. The Snake Princess, who was like a deity in their hearts, lost in the contest of the Conqueror's Haki, and lost decisively.

Awakened, Boa Sandersonia, covering her shoulders with clothing, exclaimed in surprise:

"How is this possible? Who is this person? His Conqueror's Haki is stronger than my elder sister's."

The confronting figures stood still while their Haki clash seemed to warp the air.

Hancock bit her lip. She never thought that the opponent's Conqueror's Haki would be so powerful. Only when faced with it in battle did she realize how overwhelming it was.

But admitting defeat was not an option for her. Since her Conqueror's Haki was inferior to the opponent's, the outcome would have to be decided in actual combat.

The field of Conqueror's Haki naturally dissipated. Hancock came under the direct influence of the opponent's Conqueror's Haki, her muscles tensed.

Powerful Armament Haki enveloped her smooth thighs, reaching such strength that Sal's eye twitched slightly. The most surprising aspect was the absence of a black texture.

This led Sal to surmise that the opponent might have reached the highest level of Armament Haki and earned the title of Pirate Queen.

"That strike is quite strong," he remarked.

Sal picked up a long sword that had been laying on the floor from the previous battles. It emitted a dark red light, enveloped in a powerful aura of Conqueror's Haki, occasionally releasing red bolts of thunder.( Just like shanks and Reighley)

Hancock's phoenix eyes wavered slightly; she felt a stir of awe before the power of the enemy's sword. Although she had seen others use the aura of Conqueror's Haki several times before, she didn't know the detailed origin of this power.

The arrow was already on the string, and it had to be released. Instantly, Hancock rushed toward Sal, striking at his vital points with her white legs.

"Perfume Femur!"

"Dominate, Shatter the Mountain!"

Under the observation of the Aura of Observation, Sal simultaneously swung his dark red long sword and confronted the soles of Hancock's high-heeled shoes.

The beautiful legs enveloped in Armament were not immediately shattered.

Compressed to their limits, the Armament stabilized for a few seconds under the influence of the Conqueror's Aura, exploding with countless dark red bolts of thunder.

In the stalemate, Sal felt that his hand was almost at its limit.

Fortunately, the Aura of Conqueror's finally overcame the enemy's Armament.

The dark red energy of the sword swirled past and sent Hancock flying dozens of meters away.

Her graceful figure landed confidently.

Her battle-hardened experience allowed her to avoid most of the sword's energy, but her clothing on the chest was cut in several places, offering a glimpse of spring.

The heels on her feet were split in half, leaving a red mark on the white sole. The discomfort made her take off the other high-heeled shoe, remaining barefoot as she glared at the man opposite her with a grim face.

Proud by nature, she couldn't accept defeat by an unknown man and immediately decided to continue the attack.

"I will never lose next time," she declared.

"...If the Queen of Nine Snakes wants to fight again, I will battle her to the end," Sal replied.

When a woman is determined to be unreasonable, convincing her is usually quite difficult. Sal was powerless to persuade her, so he could only rely on strength to change her mind.

As they prepared to clash again, a short figure darted between them. The old woman Gloriosa stopped Hancock and said:

"Snake Princess, that's enough, no more fighting; we agreed to spar only for a short time."

Gloriosa looked into her gloomy, beautiful eyes. She had been watching the entire battle closely. If the Snake Empress had been stronger, she wouldn't have stopped her, but the truth was that Sal was stronger.

Although she knew little about the technique used by the opponent, she was familiar with their names.

Advanced Conqueror's haki, a type of power that only the strongest people at sea can use. At this time, it's not in the national interests of Amazon lily to go to war with such a powerful opponent.

Hancock, whose facts had been revealed, lashed out in irritation, pushing Gloriosa, who stood in her way, aside with her long legs. Her expression constantly shifted. According to their arrangement, she indeed lost.

Suddenly, the two opponents noticed someone approaching and looked up.

Noise came from above as Straw Hat Luffy jumped down from the sky between them, holding his straw hat and addressing Sal with a smile:

"Sal, I'm here to help you. No matter who your opponent is, I'll help you take them down."

Sal could only look at Luffy speechlessly. Didn't you notice the woman behind you looks very displeased? You're just fanning the flames.

Hearing the man say she could be hit at will, Hancock's breathing quickened, and her round, smooth chest displayed an exaggerated curve. Without giving Sal time to react, she couldn't resist striking her long legs so quickly that only a shadow was left, so that Luffy didn't have time to dodge and received a direct hit to the head.

A loud "Boom..." was heard.

Luffy was thrown a hundred meters from the arena, falling deeply into a building, rolling over, his eyes rolled back, foam coming from his mouth, he was unconscious.

As if releasing her anger, Hancock calmly and coldly said:

"Augustus D. Sal, I lost this contest. You may leave the island of Nine Snakes."

Hancock said this and turned away, leaving Sal anticipating the next reward. The Pirate Queen's admission of defeat once again stirred everyone present.

"[S-level generates positive emotions towards the host, initial acknowledgment, experience increased by 1000]"

— [A-level generates normal emotions, medium and high surprise of the host, increases experience by 200, 500x2] —

— [B-level generates normal emotions, medium and high surprise of the host, increases experience by 30x14, 50x39] —

— [C-level generates normal emotions towards the host, medium and high surprise, increases experience by 8x1475, 12x4327] —

— [Level up: 55 (3790/54000)] —

The expected message did not arrive. I didn't expect that Boa Hancock would lose to me without any negative emotions. Perhaps this woman's character is not as bad as I imagined?

Sal felt his Armament Haki break through the limit and undergo qualitative changes with a level increase by 2 steps.

— [Host: Augustus D. Sal] —

— [Age: 26] —

— [Level: 55 (3790/54000)] —

— [Strength: Senior (Major General)] —

— [Physical Conditioning: Advanced (Major General)] —

— [Agility: Advanced (Major General)] —

— [Devil Fruit: Absent] —

— [Skills: Peak] —

— [Armament Haki: Advanced] —

— [Observation Haki: Advanced] —

— [Conqueror's Haki: Peak] —

— [Weapon: Ace] —

— [Points: 63796] —

His physical form was also outstanding among the major admirals of the headquarters. Not to mention the three colors of Haki and skills that far exceeded the same physical level.

His Armament Haki had reached an advanced level. With such power, even admirals had to take him seriously. Finally, he overcame the dilemma of insufficient Armament Haki, which previously prevented him from attacking high-level Devil Fruit users.

Speaking of which, everything went so smoothly that Luffy, who stepped up to take a hit, played his role as well. Otherwise, if the proud Pirate Queen had no choice, it would have been a bit challenging to make her admit defeat. It seems he should thank Luffy for that.

After the battle, the women in the arena gradually dispersed. They needed time to digest the unexpected attack from the Snake Lady.

Sal jumped over to the unconscious Luffy and looked at the child of destiny. Standing at 1.7 meters with a physique that didn't look particularly strong, the first impression the Straw Hat made on him was that Luffy truly resembled a young Roger in three parts, sparking a wonderful idea in his mind.

"If I kill Luffy here, what will happen to the world?"

The thought flashed through his mind, and Sal merely considered it. The current situation could not do without this maverick, and the world with him would be more interesting.

Someone once said that chaos is a ladder to ascend. He slung the unfortunate Luffy over his back and picked up the straw hat with one hand, an image etched in his memory. His palm felt every part of the straw hat, it retained the same familiar texture and feel, but it wasn't his straw hat. He placed the hat directly on Luffy's head and carried him to the palace.