XX-level Hokage

Coco's eyes lit up again when her father was mentioned.

"Oh, right! Besides bringing local specialties, I'm also here to deliver a message!" Coco said, wiping her face. "Mom said the Dual Realm Gathering on the Red Earth Continent is about to begin. I heard that not only are we going, but the sisters from that Ninja Kingdom will also be coming!"

The Ninja Kingdom… Amber looked towards the other side of the sea, the direction of the world's end and the beginning of a new world. “My mother said that there is an older sister named Senju Manka over there, who possesses superhuman strength as great as my father, and another named Kurama Nobuyo, who can bring things in paintings to life.”

"I've heard about it too!" Coco gestured excitedly. "And that Kaguya... no, I mean, Otsutsuki Tenchen's older sister! I heard she looks like a fairy from a painting, and she's incredibly strong! I really want to fight them... no, I mean, cut them down!"

"You battle maniac." Amber gently poked Coco's forehead. "That was a family gathering, not a martial arts tournament. What we needed to show was our role as sea warriors."

The etiquette of a princess from a foreign power.

"Oh dear, etiquette is something Flora and Alice can handle," Coco said nonchalantly. "We'll take care of keeping things lively, right?"

Looking at Coco's vibrant smile, the slight sense of alienation that Amber felt from constantly sensing the passage of time seemed to have lessened considerably.

"Perhaps." Amber turned around and looked at her mother, who was cleaning up the mess. "Mother, shouldn't we get ready to set off?"

Amatsuki nodded, gazing tenderly at the two children: "Yes, the cherry blossoms in Wano Country are beautiful, but it's time to take you to see a wider world. Besides, it's been a long time since I've seen Mashiro and the other sisters."

"Then what are we waiting for!" Coco grabbed Amber's hand. "Let's go! My ship is docked in the harbor; it's the latest super-modified vessel by Master Franky!"

Carrot's off the line! Super fast!

"Slow down, Coco, I need to change my clothes..." "No need to change! You look great like this!"

Watching her daughter being pulled away by Coco, Tianyue Shi's smile deepened. "Youth is truly wonderful."

The wind blew across the fields of Jiuli once more, swirling up a shower of cherry blossoms.

Bonus Chapter: The Other Side of the Sea (The End)

Location: Calm Zone, Amazon Lily (Nine-She Island) Weather: Clear skies, mirror-like sea

As one of the most special autonomous regions in the "Ocean Kingdom", Amazon Lily still retains its strength and mystery.

On this battle island inhabited only by women, the worship of strength is the only truth. But today, the atmosphere in the palace's arena is unusually eerie.

"Um... Sister Philen, can I move now? My legs... my legs feel numb..." A weak voice rang out from the center of the arena.

The speaker was a girl who looked to be only sixteen or seventeen years old. She had dreamy pink wavy hair with a few strands of blue mixed in, and wore an exquisite taiyaki hair accessory on her head. She was dressed in a flowing feather dress like a mermaid princess.

Those big, watery eyes were always brimming with tears, as if she were about to burst into tears at any moment. She was Ruri, the daughter of Mashiro and the mermaid princess Shirahoshi.

At this moment, Ruri is maintaining the size of a human girl (about 1.6 times her current size), but that is not her current problem. Her current problem is that she is being tightly bound by a huge red and white python, used as a prop for "weight training".

Opposite her, a tall, powerful black-haired girl stood with her arms crossed, looking down at her.

The young woman had long, straight, jet-black hair, and beneath her hee-cut bangs were a pair of deep blue eyes with slightly upturned corners, exuding an innate arrogance and aloofness. She wore her signature high-slit nine-snake cheongsam, revealing a pair of slender, beautiful legs.

She is Boa Feren, the daughter of Mashiro and "Pirate Empress" Boa Hancock.

"How utterly lax!" Philen's beautiful eyes widened, one hand on her hip, her body leaning back at an exaggerated angle, her finger pointing at Ruri. "As the younger sister who inherited the noble blood of Father and Mother Shirahoshi, how could you be so weak! You were only entangled by my beloved snake, Salome II, for ten minutes!"

"But...but it's so tight, and it keeps licking my face," Liuli said pitifully, tears welling up in her eyes. "I want to go home and find my mother."

"Don't cry!" Philon said sternly. "Although you went to the deep sea to appease the rioting sea kings during this great flood, I heard that you were frightened by a giant squid and accidentally lost control of your size, causing half of Fishman Island's port to be packed with people."

"Th-that was an accident..." Liuli blushed, poking her two index fingers together in front of her. "I was just too nervous, and when I'm nervous, it suddenly gets bigger."

“That’s exactly why you need special training!” Philon stepped forward and poked Ruri’s forehead with his slender fingers. “If those sisters from the Ninja Kingdom see you acting so recklessly at the upcoming family gathering, wouldn’t you be making a complete disgrace to the Ocean Kingdom? Especially that Otsutsuki Kanzan, I heard she’s a perfect being.”

When the "family gathering" was mentioned, Liuli seemed to remember something, and her emotions calmed down a little. "But... Sister Zona said that as long as we bring delicious food, it's fine."

"What etiquette does that money-grubbing woman, Zona, know!" Philon sneered, then waved his hand at the giant python. "Alright, Second Prince, let her go. Now, let's move on to the practical training."

The giant python obediently released Liuli and affectionately nuzzled Philon's cheek. Liuli felt as if she had been granted a pardon, and plopped down on the ground, rubbing her sore arms.

Before she could even catch her breath, Philon's long leg swept over with a sharp whooshing sound, "Fragrant Kick!"

"Aaaaaah! Help!"

Liuli was so frightened that she instinctively closed her eyes, covered her head with her hands, and screamed.

At that very moment, something strange happened. "Boom—!!!"

With a burst of smoke and a pink glow, the petite girl vanished instantly. In her place stood a massive body, as large as a small mountain.

Philon's kick, powerful enough to shatter rocks, landed on... a finger.

To be precise, it was on one of Ruri's little fingers, which had reverted to its original size (even larger than Shirahoshi).

The enormous glass filled the entire arena, her head even breaking through the sunshade above, and her huge pink fishtail had to be awkwardly curled up due to the narrow space, directly crushing one side of the audience wall.

"Beep beep beep... I'm sorry! I've grown bigger again!"

The enormous glass object emitted a deafening cry, and large drops of tears, as big as washbasins, poured down, instantly creating artificial rain in the arena.

Soaked to the bone, Philon stood beside Liuli's fingers, veins bulging on her forehead. "Liuli!!!" Philon gritted her teeth, "This is my brand new cheongsam!!!"

Nine Serpent Palace - High-Rise Terrace

"Oh dear, it seems Philon is bullying Liuli again."

Boa Hancock leaned lazily against the python Salome, a glass of red wine in her hand, looking at the dusty arena in the distance, a proud smile on her lips, "Truly worthy of being my and Mashiro-sama's child, that sternness and strength is exactly the same as mine."

Sitting opposite her was the gigantic mermaid princess, Shirahoshi.

Although Shirahoshi can control her size to shrink because of Mashiro, she prefers to maintain her original, comfortable size in a respectful place like Amazon Lily.

"Lady Hancock, Princess Philen was only doing it for Ruri's own good." Shirahoshi smiled gently, her voice soft and sweet. "Ruri's personality is just like mine. She's always so timid. If only she had half of Princess Philen's strength."

"Hmph, of course." Hancock habitually wiped her hair. "However, Ruri's ability to freely switch forms is a unique gift bestowed upon Mashiro. I heard there's an Ancient Sea King causing trouble deep in the Calm Belt lately. Can Ruri handle it?"

When the topic turned to business, Shirahoshi's face showed worry: "Ruri... although she can hear everyone's (Sea Kings') voices, she's sometimes too confused and often misunderstands what everyone means. I'm very worried about her."

“In that case,” Hancock put down her glass, her eyes sharpening, “let Philon accompany her. It'll be a good opportunity to clear out the surrounding area before heading to the Red Line.”

The hidden dangers must be completely eliminated; this is an essential lesson for the future female lead.

Calm Zone - Deep Sea Area

A Kuja pirate ship, pulled by two enormous serpents, lay silently on the sea. "Listen carefully, Ruri."

On the deck, Philon, now dressed in a smart combat suit, stood with his hands on his hips, watching Ruri (who had transformed back into a human) peering into the water from the ship's hull.

(Regarding the size of the species), "According to intelligence, that ancient sea lord is located below this sea area. It is a relic of the previous era and has a very violent temper. If it is not completely subdued, the energy fluctuations when the interdimensional passage opens may drive it mad."

"Um...I understand." Ruri nodded weakly, clutching a lollipop tightly in her hand (it was given to her by Zona, who said it would relieve tension). "I'll talk to it properly."

"Remember, you are the master of the sea creatures! You must have authority!" Philon reminded him with exasperation.

“Majesty…” Liuli took a deep breath, trying to put on a serious expression, but with her chubby face, she looked even more adorable.

"Never mind, let's dive!"

Encased in specially coated bubbles, the two dived into the deep sea.

The deep sea is dark and quiet, with only giant bioluminescent jellyfish and fish swimming outside the bubbles.

As they went deeper, the surrounding atmosphere began to feel oppressive. An ancient and violent force surged within the seawater.

"They're here." Philen's Observation Haki instantly detected their target, and her eyes sharpened. "Over there!"

Following Philon's gaze, they saw a pair of enormous, crimson eyes, like searchlights, suddenly open in the deep trench.

It was a gigantic moray eel with an extremely contorted appearance, over five thousand meters long, its entire body covered in hard scales. Just by turning over, it...

It stirred up the undercurrents on the seabed.

"roar-!!!"

A visible sonic wave impact swept in.

"Wow, so big!" Liuli shrank behind Philon in fright.

"Idiot! Can it be bigger than you when you grow bigger?!" Philon roared irritably, then flashed out of the bubble (thanks to Vegapunk's technique and the special nature of the True White bloodline, she can fight underwater while holding her breath), "Since you won't talk, then I'll beat it into submission first!"

Philon's long legs created a vacuum wave in the water, with Armament Haki swirling around them.

Fragrant Kick - Deep Sea Strike! *Bang!*

A blow powerful enough to break steel landed squarely on the eel's nose.

However, the ancient sea king's hide was far thicker than imagined. It merely shook its head before angrily opening its massive maw, full of fangs, and lunging at Phyllen.

"Tch, even tougher than I imagined." Philon used the water to nimbly avoid the bite, but the eel's tail lashed out like a whip, the swirling current causing Philon to momentarily falter.

At this critical moment.

"No, you're not allowed to bully Sister Philen!"

A cry, tinged with sobs, traveled across the entire sea via special brainwaves.

Then, look, the tiny bubble bursts instantly. Boom!

Originally petite, Liuli lost control again due to extreme fear and the urge to protect her sister. This time, she didn't revert to her normal mermaid size, but... became even larger.

To Philon's astonishment, Liuli's body swelled up like an inflating balloon, transforming into a colossal mermaid comparable in size to the legs of "Zunesha". Her enormous hands flailing wildly in the deep sea made the once-massive ancient sea eel look like a tiny loach in front of her.

"oops!"

Having grown larger, Ruri couldn't see her feet clearly (if she had any), so she swung her enormous tail and slapped it directly onto the eel's head. *Splat*.

The ancient sea king, which had been so arrogant just moments before, was slammed into the mud of the trench by its tail, its eyes rolled back, foaming at the mouth, and it completely lost consciousness.

"Philan floated in the water, watching the scene before her, her lips twitching slightly. Is this... absolute power?"

Although it lacked any skill and was riddled with flaws, this overwhelming force achieved solely through sheer size was truly terrifying.

"Ming ming ming... Where are you, Sister Philon? The water is so murky I can't see anything." The giant glass is still crying, and the huge sound waves are making Philon's eardrums hurt.

Felix swam helplessly to the pillar-like eyelashes of the glass, and transmitted his voice with an air of dominance: "I'm here! Stop crying! That sea monster has already been knocked unconscious by your sitting on it!"

"Huh? Really?" Liuli stopped crying, her huge eyes widening as she looked down. Sure enough, the eel was lying in the mud like a dead fish.

"That's great." Liuli breathed a sigh of relief. "Peng Yi..."

Once she relaxed, the control mechanism within her body took effect again, and Liuli instantly transformed back into the 1.6-meter-tall girl, floating in the seawater, her whole body soaking wet, still tightly clutching the lollipop stick that had been soaked and dissolved by the seawater.

Philon grabbed Liuli by the collar and swam towards the sea with her.

"Although the process was embarrassing, the result was passable," Philon said softly, turning his face away.

"Hehe." Liuli chuckled foolishly, then her expression suddenly changed. "Ah! Sister Feilun, your cheongsam seems to be... torn."

"Shut up! That's battle damage! It's fashion!"

Several days later, in the port of Mary Geoise on the Red Line, the massive Royal Ark was ready to set sail.