One Piece: Starting with Creating the Strongest Character Design

As Rayleigh withdrew the domineering aura surrounding him, the oppressive feeling that was almost suffocating suddenly dissipated.

This battle, which could hardly be called a "sparring match," has finally come to an end.

Shakky, standing to the side, watched Rayleigh's swift and clean movements as he finished his attack, especially the "Other Shore Blade" strike he had just executed with such seriousness. A moment of daze flashed in her eyes, and her thoughts seemed to be instantly pulled back to more than twenty years ago.

It was with this very attack that Rayleigh defeated the member of the Knights of God and saved him at the last moment.

After that, she quietly returned to the Sabaody Archipelago and continued to run her unassuming little bar, silently waiting for news of the Roger Pirates.

After the Roger Pirates disbanded, she and Rayleigh lived a quiet, secluded life here.

Over the years, she had long thought that she would never see Rayleigh use this move again.

Seeing that the two had finished their sparring and their breathing had gradually calmed down, Xia Qi collected her thoughts, a casual smile playing on her lips, and said, "The sparring is over. Would you like to come in for a drink?"

These words, though seemingly casual, actually have two layers of meaning. On the surface, they mean that they can take advantage of the drinking to discuss how to safely send the three Amazon girls back to Amazon Lily.

Secretly, this statement had already subtly revealed that she had developed a certain level of trust in Kitahara Tsune.

The group entered the bar in response. Xia Qi walked behind the bar counter with practiced ease, picked up the bartending tools, and skillfully manipulated the bottles with her fingertips, casually mixing a few drinks.

As she shook the cocktail shaker in her hand, she glanced up at Kitahara Tsune and asked casually:

"What flavor would you like to drink? Stronger or milder?"

Upon hearing this, Kitahara Tsuneo immediately displayed a strange expression, scratched his head, and truthfully replied:

"I am not yet an adult, and according to the rules, I cannot drink alcohol."

Xia Qi scoffed upon hearing this, "You're quite the rule-abiding kid. Here, have a soda."

This simple sentence, with its initial tentative tone gone, now conveys a genuine sense of closeness.

After finishing her drink, Xia Qi put down the glass, her expression gradually becoming serious, and slowly began to speak:

"I do have a way to contact Amazon Lily."

As she spoke, she pulled a Den Den Mushi (a type of electric scooter) from a hidden compartment behind the counter.

"This is the Den Den Mushi (snail phone) that specifically contacts Amazon."

"I already contacted you while you were sparring."

Xia Qi paused for a moment, then continued,

"However, the current empress is cautious and does not want to easily appear on this sea and cause trouble. After all, the Amazon Lily is located in the calm zone and has always been isolated from the world, and does not want to get too entangled with the outside world."

"They can only provide support at the edge of the doldrums; they won't go any further outwards."

Upon hearing this, Kitahara Tsune pondered for a moment, then immediately nodded and said:

"No problem, I should be able to personally take them to the area closest to the Amazon lily in the doldrums."

"When the time comes, you should communicate with the other party in advance to determine the exact location for the rendezvous. It's best to decorate the rendezvous ship a bit and keep it as inconspicuous as possible so that my naval colleagues don't realize it's a pirate ship, lest something unexpected happens."

Rayleigh and Shakky exchanged a glance, a knowing look flashing in their eyes.

Afterwards, the three of them sat around the table and discussed the details of the rendezvous. During this time, Xia Qi dialed the Den Den Mushi several times to confirm the time and place of the rendezvous.

However, the voice that came from the other end of the phone was not the current empress's clear and crisp voice, but an old-fashioned voice.

Kitahara Tsune pondered to himself, if he wasn't mistaken, the owner of that voice should be the former, former, former empress of the Amazon Lily, Flameflower.

After some discussion, the group finally finalized the plan:

When the time is right, Kitahara Tsune will take the three Boa sisters and Rayleigh to the vicinity of the agreed-upon Calm Belt.

At that time, Shakky will communicate with the other party in real time via Den Den Mushi, reminding them to decorate the pirate ship properly and cover up any traces of pirates.

Of course, the three Boa sisters and Rayleigh would also dress up specially, pretending to be a father and daughter who had been displaced and fled, in order to minimize their presence.

Kitahara Tsune would then use the pretext of rescuing those in distress to pick them up on a naval warship and take them to the agreed-upon rendezvous point.

After finalizing all the details, Kitahara Tsuneo did not linger. He rested for a while at the bar to relieve the fatigue from the sparring, then got up to say goodbye and returned to Area 5 of the naval warship.

During the discussions, Rayleigh made a suggestion: Kitahara Tsune could ignore the follow-up arrangements and rent a small boat to personally take the three little girls back to Amazon Lily, thus saving Kitahara Tsune the trouble.

But Kitahara Tsuneo politely declined, insisting on personally sending the three Hancock sisters back to Amazon Lily, stating that he wanted to take responsibility for these three helpless little girls.

Although Rayleigh didn't understand why Kitahara Tsune was so persistent, it was a good thing for him that someone was offering to help.

This way, he could save on the cost of renting a boat. He had recently lost almost all his money gambling and was now penniless, so he was happy to avoid this expense.

As for why Kitahara Tsune insisted on personally escorting the three sisters back, only he himself knew the reason.

He did this so that the three Hancock sisters would have a deeper impression of him.

For him, the perceptions and impressions of others are the key to improving his own abilities.

Moreover, with Rayleigh present, there's absolutely no need to worry about safety.

These past few days, he has not only been able to stay by Rayleigh's side and take the opportunity to learn about Haki training techniques, but he has also been able to further increase Rayleigh's awareness and attention towards him.

For the next few days, the three Snake Sisters stayed at Shakky's bar.

This was the first time in days that they didn't have to live in fear.

The warmth and comfort of the bar gradually relaxed their tense nerves, and long-lost smiles finally appeared on their faces.

Especially when they learned from Shakky that the proprietress in front of them was actually the former Empress of Amazon Lily, their joy was undisguised and their eyes were full of admiration.

They never imagined that one day they would actually see the former empress in person.

Hancock looked at Shakky and secretly made up her mind: In the future, she must become a strong woman like Shakky and protect her two younger sisters.

At the same time, she also remembered the two men who had helped her, Rayleigh and Kitahara Tsuneo.

She silently kept this kindness in her heart.

Xia Qi also specially changed the three sisters into simple and plain outfits, covering most of their faces.

After all, these three girls are very beautiful. It would be best to keep a low profile on this trip to the Calm Belt to avoid attracting unnecessary trouble.

Rayleigh simply changed into clean clothes and tidied his messy hair to make himself look presentable, not too sloppy.

After all, they were playing the roles of a father and daughter fleeing from war.