Respect

"This man.... has the Color of the Supreme King?" Ran whispered in shock while just barely managing to sit up. She felt extremely lightheaded and intimidated by even looking at him.

Luffy looked at Sandersonia who had obeyed his command and put Marguerite down. He quickly grabbed and moved her away from them.

Luffy looked at Hancock who glared down at him from her throne. He smirked as he felt her trying to dominate him with her own Haoshoku Haki.

"Bring it on!" Luffy shouted as he unleashed his Haoshoku Haki again. Hancock gritted her teeth as she did the same. They let loose their Haoshoku Haki and clashed.

As soon as they clashed their own Haoshoku Haki, they caused a rippling shockwave effect and had black lightning crackling around the place.

When two Haoshoku users clash, they will generate black lightning—thin streams of black(w/ red) energy that crackles.

Sandersonia and Marigold squealed as they were pushed back by the shockwaves produced by the Haoshoku Haki clash. The arena was also shaking violently from the force of the Haoshoku Haki clash.

Luffy widened his eyes as he overpowered Hancock's Haoshoku Haki. The Empress gasped as she lost the clash. She staggered back and knelt down on the ground breathing heavily.

Sandersonia and Marigold decided to go full force. "Hebigami-Tsuki: Yamata no Orochi!!" Sandersonia shouted.

Forming her hair like seven snakes, Sandersonia uses them, along with her own head, like a hydra-like beast to attack an opponent. The fangs of these snakes are as strong as steel, and are capable of crushing stone.

When this attack is used with Marigold's 'Salamander' technique, it is said to be the ultimate absolute attack, as it aims to attack the target from all possible directions, leaving no percent chance of a blind-spot for the attack.

Marigold lit up a match and smirked. "Hebigami-Tsuki: Salamander!!!" She sets herself on fire, then forms her hair into two snakes on either side of her.

Sandersonia used her eight branches technique. The snakes rushed towards Luffy who used Soru to quickly dodge them all.

Luffy with his astonishing speed, wraps his arm around her neck and throws her to the ground.

"Ahh!!!" Sandersonia grunted in pain as she landed on the hard ground of the arena. Luffy stood on her snake body and looked at Marigold. "Get off my sister!!!!" She shouted angrily as she swung her halberd horizontally at him.

Luffy grabbed it as it was inches away from him. He squeezed it tightly and shattered into pieces.

Luffy then appeared in front of her with both of his arms stretched back drastically. Marigold raised her hands and hardened them with Busoshoku Haki, intending to block whatever attack he was about to throw her way. "Gomu Gomu no... BAZOOKA!!!!"

Luffy sent a double palm strike zooming towards Marigold. Marigold yelped as her Busoshoku Haki did nothing against his brute strength.

Significant physical force can also overcome this defense even if it comes from someone that does not know how to use Busoshoku Haki.

Luffy does know how to use it, but he chose not to because he isn't here to kill. He was only here to show the women their shortcomings.

Marigold was sent flying back to the edge of the arena, she destroyed the railings that were built on the edge.

She gritted her teeth as she stood up. Sandersonia also recovered and they surrounded Luffy front and back.

Sandersonia uses her eight branches technique again while Marigold did the same with her two branches.

Luffy bent backwards as the sisters prepared to finish him. "Gomu Gomu no..... GATLING!!!!!"

Luffy threw out a barrage of punches at blinding speeds, defending himself from the two sisters' strongest attacks.

He then kicked the two sisters in their stomachs sending them crashing at each other, and Sandersonia's body was lit on fire from Marigold's technique.

"AHHH!!!! IT BURNS!!!!!" Sandersonia screamed in pain as her clothes started to burn from the flames.

"Sister!!! I'm so sorry!!!! Get back quickly!!!" Marigold shouted out her apology and tried to push herself away, only to see their tails tied together.

"It burns!!! It burns!!! Save me!!!! Ahhhhh!!!!!" Sandersonia shouted as she tried to put herself out. Luffy appeared in midair with his feet steaming from using Gear Second and his belly extremely inflated.

His stomach was full of water he drank up. He dubbed this situational form of his Mizu Luffy.

"Mizu Mizu no..... BEAM!!!!!!" Luffy spat out a beam of water at the flaming Sandersonia, effectively soaking her and putting the fire out.

"Ugh..." Sandersonia groaned as she fell back. She almost fell out of the ring if not for grabbing the edge of the audience seating with ger long hands.

Luffy exited his Mizu Luffy form and returned back to normal. He looked at her back and widened her eyes, remembering Hancock's words about people seeing her and her sisters' backs.

He jumped onto her. The crowd was in uproar once again thinking he was trying to finish her off and he was just so cruel.

"Damn you, filthy man!!! Get off me!!!" Sandersonia shrieked at him. Luffy helped protect her secret by covering whatever it was on her back by lying down on her body.

"Don't move! Even if you're trying to kill me, I don't have any intention to do that." Luffy whispered to her calmly.

" Why you horrible little shit!!! Mari!! Kill him now while you have the chance!!! Oi!! What are you doing?!! " Sandersonia shouted at Marigold who was just standing there staring at Luffy in shock.

"It's no use, sister! Right now, that man there is the only thing that is protecting us! " Marigold shouted back. Sandersonia gasped and widened her eyes, realizing what her sister meant.

"Hey, you'd rather die than let anybody see that right? So just don't move and look cute." Luffy advised her while sighing in satisfaction. Her back was actually very soft for a snake's back.

"The ceremony is over!! Before the Gorgon Eye is exposed, evacuate the arena everyone!!!!" Hancock ordered everyone to leave the arena, which they do. She realized that Luffy is in fact helping Sandersonia. The arena becomes empty as soon as Hancock's orders are out.

"We are your enemies, we were fighting only moments ago... Why do you protect us? " Sandersonia asked him solemnly. Her views about men, especially Luffy were crumbling as the seconds passed.

"This thing that you don't want them to see, hasn't got anything to do with our fight. " Luffy whispered as he stood up. He appeared in front of her face and grinned at her.

"How about I help you get back on your feet?" Luffy asked, Sandersonia blushed and huffed. She looked away from his fierce gaze.

"Tch! Stupid man, I can get up by myself." She grumbled. Granny Nyon who was still here watching the interaction, smiled a little. Hancock, seeing Luffy's kindness, sat back on Salome and started crying silently to herself.

.

.

"Here, something to cover you." Luffy whispered as he wrapped his red coat around Sandersonia to cover her breasts.

" Thanks.... " She whispered back while looking down at the ground with shame clearly drawn on her face.

Not only had she and Marigold been defeated, they were rescued by their enemy. What's even worse was that their enemy was a man whom they've tried so hard to kill but failed horribly at doing so.

And now that same man who was previously their enemy, was now showing kindness to them.

It brought a lot of shame upon Sandersonia. But if it wasn't for Luffy, their secret would've been revealed for all to see. She was thankful that this man was as kind as he looked.

She and Marigold then looked up at Hancock. "We must apologize, sister!" Sandersonia told her. Marigold nodded.

"Not only did we lose, but we were saved by the enemy. " Marigold mumbled. Luffy who was sitting in between them, pointed at Hancock.

" Are you gonna fight me next?" Luffy asked her. Hancock shook her head.

"No, that is enough. I am not in the mood for this! You win this time, man!" Hancock replied through gritted teeth. Luffy pointed at the petrified trio behind him.

" Then turn these ladies back to normal, please. You should be able to do that, right? It would be kinda stupid if your power didn't allow it! And also, all they did was protect me! They've done nothing wrong! " Luffy shouted at her. Hancock huffed and closed her eyes.

She opened them again after a few seconds of silence and looked at Luffy's onyx black eyes. "You are right, I do have the power to reverse the petrification. However, you were also saying there was somewhere you would go by ship, yes? I shall grant you one wish!" Hancock smirked evilly while having an evil aura around her.

"Either I reverse the petrification or you leave this island safely! Choose one, and abandon the other forever! " Hancock demanded.

'Now, show me your true nature, man!!!' Hancock mused in her mind, she was 100% certain that he was going to choose the second option.

"Really?! That's great, miss! So you'll turn them back for me, right?! Hahahahahaha!!!! Thank you so much! " Luffy got on his knees and bowed his head gratefully at her. Hancock, Sandersonia and Marigold were baffled at his reply. Hancock was so shocked she was shaking a little.

"Wh-what....." Hancock stuttered out.

"He doesn't hesitate at all. A man with Haoshoku Haki of that calibre... For the sake of those who helped him, he willingly bowed his head..."

Hancock slowly walked down from her throne and passed Luffy who grinned happily at her. She had a shadow covering her eyes, Luffy didn't even know what emotion she was currently displaying.

Hancock turned her head a little to get a look at Luffy. Luffy started laughing while grinning warmly at her.

"Shishishishishi!!!!"

Hancock immediately stopped looking and focused her attention on the three petrified statues laid in front of her.

She blew a kiss at them, which caused small hearts to wash over them.

"Awaken."

To be continued.....