Heroic Spirit Template in One Piece

The girls were stunned by Hancock's words, their eyes going wide with disbelief.

They could clearly sense the obsessive emotion radiating from her.

Which made her sudden confession even more shocking.

"Caelan… have you met her before, or something?"

Nami tugged on Caelan's sleeve and whispered suspiciously.

The rest of the girls looked at him with curiosity, eager to hear the gossip behind this unexpected romance.

"I've never even met her before. Haven't you all been with me this whole time? You should know that."

Caelan spread his hands with a helpless look.

But he could already guess what was going on.

Just as he suspected, killing two Celestial Dragons had triggered Hancock's side quest.

What he didn't expect was for that quest to fast-forward straight to the final cutscene.

"What in the world…?"

The women stared at the Empress in disbelief.

Even the most beautiful woman in the world, who had never even met him, had fallen head over heels for Caelan?

Was his charm really that overwhelming?

As Caelan chatted quietly with the women, the Empress spoke again.

"Caelan, leave these ugly women behind and become my king!"

Her slender white neck stretched like a swan's, proud and elegant. At 191 centimeters tall, she carried herself like true royalty.

Behind her, Elder Nyon and her two sisters buried their faces in their palms.

Even while suffering from lovesickness, as the ruler of Amazon Lily, she was still being far too brazen.

But in this situation, they had no choice.

Unbelievable. This woman is too much!

Even the most beautiful women in the world didn't deserve to be called ugly!

The women aboard the Wind Rider glared at Hancock, eyes nearly shooting flames.

They were all stunning in their own right. Being called ugly by Hancock was utterly insulting.

If it weren't for Caelan, they'd have taught this Empress a lesson right now.

But Hancock ignored their glares and focused solely on Caelan.

"I refuse."

Without a moment's hesitation, Caelan turned her down.

While it was flattering to be confessed to by such a beauty, he had no intention of accepting.

Becoming a "king" was absurd. It went against his nature.

Every girl aboard this ship was his precious little angel—his wings. He wouldn't give up even one of them.

"Caelan… is it because I'm not beautiful enough?"

Hancock clutched her chest, her face flushed not with embarrassment but with illness. She looked like she was about to burst into tears.

"…?"

Caelan frowned. Something wasn't right.

This wasn't the blush of love—it was the pale flush of someone gravely ill.

Could it be… lovesickness?

Her behavior perfectly matched the symptoms described in the lore of Amazon Lily.

"What's wrong with her?"

Caelan asked Elder Nyon.

"To be honest… Hancock is suffering from lovesickness. It's a terrible affliction unique to the rulers of Amazon Lily… If she can't be with the man she loves, her heart will literally break."

"We came to you because we hoped you could accept Hancock and cure her."

Elder Nyon sighed and explained everything.

"Oh? You seem quite sure I'd agree to help."

Caelan raised an eyebrow casually.

Not that he disliked Hancock. If treating her meant some… hands-on care, he'd do it.

But he didn't like being manipulated or used.

"You misunderstand."

"To request your aid, we've prepared 500 million Berries as a consultation fee."

Elder Nyon quickly clarified, breaking out into a sweat.

Then Rindo, a warrior of the Kuja Pirates, stepped forward with a suitcase.

"…"

Caelan's expression immediately softened.

He looked at Elder Nyon again and found her quite… pleasant to the eye.

His earlier sense of rejection disappeared without a trace.

He had to admit, she really knew how to handle people.

"If you're being that sincere, then I accept."

"From now on, Hancock will stay aboard my ship."

"Caelan… have you fallen in love with me?!"

Hearing his response, Hancock lit up with joy. The flush of sickness on her face noticeably faded.

"Well… we'd also like to request that you visit Amazon Lily, even if just briefly."

Elder Nyon asked cautiously.

"No can do. I'm busy and don't have time to go to Amazon Lily."

"But… without our Empress, Amazon Lily will be vulnerable to other pirates."

Elder Nyon looked distressed.

Without its queen, the island would have no protection.

"That's a fair concern."

Caelan nodded thoughtfully.

Taking away the Empress would indeed put Amazon Lily in danger.

But there was no way he could stay there—he had money to make.

After a moment of thought, Caelan came up with a solution.

"I'll take one Empress and return another."

"Go to Shakky's Rip-off Bar in the Sabaody Archipelago and bring back your former Empress."

"If that's still not enough… find Rayleigh."

He stopped Hancock from clinging to him as he spoke.

"Shakky… she's still alive?!"

Elder Nyon was shocked.

With Shakky's return, Amazon Lily would be able to hold on a bit longer.

But what about Rayleigh?

"Caelan, by 'Rayleigh,' do you mean the Silvers Rayleigh you defeated recently?"

"That's right. If there's any trouble, go to him. He's Shakky's old flame."

"If Rayleigh refuses, just mention my name. He'll know what's good for him."

That sly old man had nothing better to do anyway. He owed Caelan one for sparing him.

Now was the time to repay it.

"I'm so touched…"

Hancock's eyes sparkled with affection, and her body nearly collapsed into Caelan's arms.

This man had even reached out to someone like Rayleigh for the sake of her island.

How could she not fall deeper in love?

With Caelan's promise, Elder Nyon was filled with relief.

Now there was no need to worry about Amazon Lily's safety.

However, seeing Hancock act like a lovestruck fool still left her uneasy.

"Caelan, would it be alright if Hancock brought along a guard to look after her?"

Elder Nyon asked politely.

Caelan thought it over. That was reasonable. After all, Hancock was still a patient. Having someone to care for her made sense.

He looked around and saw Hancock's two sisters staring at him expectantly.

Absolutely not.

What if he accidentally walked into the wrong room at night?

"That one. Please."

Caelan pointed to the most beautiful woman among the Kuja Pirates.

A cool, stylish beauty carrying a rocket launcher.

Her name, if he remembered right, was Rindo.

(To be continued.)