Chapter 41: Invitation (Part 1)!
On Amazon Lily Island in the Calm Belt, atop a small two-story Western-style building in Kuja Castle, a black-haired young girl rested her chin on her hands, which were placed on the balcony railing, gazing at the distant sky.
After a short while, a young girl with emerald green hair walked up behind the black-haired girl.
"Big Sister, tomorrow is your birthday. Do you think Big Brother Buggy will make it in time?" The emerald-haired girl's eyes were full of worry.
"He will come. He said he would come to invite me, so he definitely will," a touch of unwavering belief emerged in the black-haired girl's somewhat unfocused eyes.
"But tomorrow, when it's your birthday, Sister, Her Majesty the Empress will be preparing to abdicate in your favor. If Big Brother Buggy doesn't arrive in time, everything will be too late. Why don't we go to Granny's place and call to ask if he's on his way? What do you say?" the emerald-haired girl couldn't help but suggest.
"There's no need to ask, Sandersonia. He said he would come, so he definitely will. I have a feeling he's almost here! By the way, where's Marigold? Isn't she at home?" Hancock, with her long black hair, turned her head and asked the emerald-haired Sandersonia.
"Marigold went outside the city. She said she was going to wait for Big Brother Buggy so she could come back and inform us at the first moment."
After hearing Sandersonia's words, Hancock stood up straight, and her perfect figure, which would make the vast majority of women envious, was instantly revealed.
"Let's go, we'll go outside the city together. Don't let her stay there alone."
"Sister, the Empress hasn't been letting you leave the city recently!" Sandersonia hurriedly reminded as she followed Hancock out.
"She's afraid I'll go find Big Brother Buggy. If the country-protecting warriors accompany us, there won't be any restrictions. Let's go!"
After speaking, Hancock prepared to continue forward, but just as she lifted her foot, she suddenly stopped.
"Sister, what's wrong?" Sandersonia asked, somewhat puzzled.
"Marigold, you're here, aren't you? Why can't I see you!" Hancock said something in the next second that extremely surprised Sandersonia.
"Marigold is back? There's no one here. Sister, did you sense incorrectly?" Sandersonia looked left and right and then said.
"I still can't hide it from Big Sister, huh? It seems my training in concealing my aura isn't up to par yet!" Accompanying the voice, a figure suddenly materialized in the empty living room. Who else could it be but Marigold?
Her mouth agape, Sandersonia could no longer remain calm. Dashing forward in a single bound, Sandersonia grabbed Marigold, spun her around twice, looked her up and down, and then asked, "How did you do that?"
"It's a Devil Fruit ability, right? Big Brother Buggy has already arrived?" With a smile that couldn't be concealed in her beautiful eyes, Hancock asked her younger sister, a slight upturn at the corners of her lips.
"Big Sister guessed everything, so boring. Big Brother Buggy is just outside the city gates. This Clear-Clear Fruit is what he prepared for us," Marigold pouted and said.
"So it's a Devil Fruit ability! It's truly magical! By the way, Marigold, when you came back, did you tell the country-protecting warriors to inform Her Majesty the Empress?" Sandersonia asked hurriedly.
"Uh, not yet. Wasn't I trying to give you all a surprise first? I'll go inform the country-protecting warriors right now." After speaking, Marigold turned around, and her body instantly disappeared from the living room.
"Let's go too. Call Granny and Paula; they're probably tired of waiting as well," Hancock said and strode outside.
Half an hour later, outside the main gate of Kuja Castle, Marigold, leading the current Empress, surprisingly arrived at the same time as Hancock and the others.
Looking at the somewhat glaring red nose not far away, the current Kuja Empress's eyes held a hint of gloom.
"Your Majesty the Empress, we meet again." Striding forward, Buggy, who had been waiting for half a day, walked over at the first opportunity.
"Pirate Buggy, who allowed you to enter the island? When we first met, I already said that even you could at most wait by the shore, let alone this man behind you, who doesn't even have the qualification to land," the current Empress said with great dissatisfaction.
"Pirates are free; where is there a place they cannot go? Let alone Amazon Lily, even if it's the Holy Land Mariejois, if I want to take a stroll there, who can stop me?"
Although he had agreed to the Empress's rather harsh conditions, that was because Buggy didn't want to make things difficult for Hancock, so he agreed to the terms concerning the two Devil Fruits. As for the Empress herself, if everyone talked amicably, it would be better for all. If she was going to give him an attitude, Buggy knew his own temper wasn't good either.
"You know my purpose for coming. A total of two fruits. Marigold has chosen the Clear-Clear Fruit. This remaining Float-Float Fruit is for Sandersonia." After speaking, Buggy opened the box in his hand, took out the fruit inside, and handed it to Sandersonia.
"Hmph, what Float-Float Fruit? Pirate Buggy, I remember my condition was two powerful fruits. Let's not even talk about the Float-Float Fruit; what kind of powerful fruit is this Clear-Clear Fruit?" the current Empress asked Buggy, her face grim.
"I asked Elder Nyon, and she said the condition for 'powerful' is based on the premise of protecting the citizens. The Clear-Clear Fruit can make anything it touches transparent. If Marigold puts her mind to mastering this fruit's ability, making the entire island invisible wouldn't be a difficult task. If they can't even see it, at the very least, it can prevent enemy attacks. May I ask, does this count as not powerful enough?" Buggy stared coldly at the current Empress and asked.
"Pirate Buggy, we don't even know if what you say can be done! Even if it can, it's only passive protection. This is not the result we want."
The Empress's words made Elder Nyon, who had been about to step forward, immediately halt her steps.
"If I hadn't even considered such a thing, would I have come? Sandersonia, eat this Float-Float Fruit first. After you eat it, you will understand this fruit's ability." Buggy didn't say much more to the current Empress but directly placed the Float-Float Fruit into Sandersonia's hand.
Looking at Buggy, then at Hancock, then at the people around her, Sandersonia directly ate the Float-Float Fruit in her hand.
In the next second, Sandersonia's entire person immediately floated up.
"Wow, Sandersonia can fly!"
"But what's the use of being able to fly?"
"Even if she can fly, she doesn't have any attack power. These two Devil Fruits simply can't compare to a talent who possesses Conqueror's Haki."
Watching the group of country-protecting warriors chattering endlessly, before Buggy could say anything, Daz Bonez behind him could no longer hold back.
(End of this chapter)