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— — — — — — — — — — — —
Chapter's Events:
— — — — — — — — — — — —
"WHOOOOOAAAA!!! F…!! F…!! FRANKYYYY!!" Stars sparkled in Luffy's eyes, and even around his head, as he reacted with pure shock and excitement at Franky's new full-Cyborg form.
"Hold that thought, Luffy!! I don't even know what you're seeing, but can we save the awe for later?! We just received a warning — the battleships are almost upon us!!" Nami grabbed him, trying to snap him out of his daze before he wasted any more precious time.
"Chopper! Over here — he's losing a ton of blood!!" Usopp was holding onto Sanji, who was still bleeding heavily, calling desperately to Chopper, who was too busy saying goodbye to the giant bird.
"… O… O… One gorgeous girl… Two gorgeous girls… Three gorgeous girls…" Sanji, overwhelmed by the sudden ecstasy of beauty, was literally dying of bliss.
"AAHHH!!" In that very moment, the ship was struck by a sudden explosion, shaking violently.
"Uh-oh!! They're already within firing range!!"
"Should we fire back?! This doesn't look good at all!!" Usopp, completely terrified by the approaching Marine fleet, suggested counterattack in a panic.
…
"Open fire!! Sink that vessel at once!!!" On the Marines' side, the commanding officer barked the order to destroy the Thousand Sunny immediately.
"Slave Arrow!!!" But then, a soft yet sharply commanding voice rang out — and the Marines' cannonballs were intercepted midair by pink arrows, instantly petrified and crashing harmlessly into the sea.
"Hold your fire!! Cease attack!!"
"Th… That's…!!"
"The Kuja Pirates!!! Are you interfering with official Marine business?!" A voice from the loudspeaker of the Marine ship called out, clearly angry and surprised.
"Who… was so thoughtless as to place a battleship in my path?!!" exclaimed Hancock.
— — — — — — — — — — — —
Back on Amazon Lily, the mighty Kuja warriors were squealing like fangirls at the sight unfolding before them.
"Unbelievable! The Empress herself stepped in once again to save her beloved!"
"Who was so thoughtless as to place a battleship in my path?! What power, what presence — our glorious future Empress is unmatched!"
"Haha! Those poor Marine fools — the Empress is their enemy… There's nothing they can do to stop her, even if they tried."
"She's dazzling as always, radiating elegance like no other~"
Hancock had always been wildly popular among the Kuja warriors, especially those who loved her manga counterpart. And the young 'Empress' herself often visited this place.
She was even here now, quietly watching. Hancock had long grown accustomed to the admiration of Amazon Lily's women… and to being a radiant star wherever she went.
"It seems my counterpart wishes to help Luffy until he escapes the Sabaody Archipelago."
Hancock smiled, commenting on the scene herself.
"She loves him, after all. As long as she's still there, she's bound to help him…"
Shakky added with a knowing smile.
"Or maybe… she just wants one last glance at Luffy. After all, not even a battleship — or an entire fleet — could stop him from sailing now."
Gloriosa teased Hancock with a playful smirk.
"Robin seems to be the most informed about global affairs among the crew… The Revolutionary Army must have taught her a lot during the past two years."
Shakky exhaled more smoke from her cigarette as she shared her thoughts about Robin, who instantly recognized the Kuja Pirates.
"While the rest of the crew is still in the dark… That's a serious weakness — the crew should know more about the world they live in," Gloriosa noted critically.
"The world in the manga is totally different from our current reality, which seems so much more primitive, even though it's supposed to be further in the future… All of this, thanks to my father~"
Despite her youth, Hancock was well aware of that truth.
She knew everything she had now — and the state of the world — was thanks to her father.
Had her adoptive father never existed, she and her sisters would still be suffering as slaves under the Celestial Dragons, awaiting a savior like Fisher Tiger.
Thinking of Fisher Tiger, young Hancock and her sisters Sonia and Marigold were eagerly anticipating the Fishman Island arc, the very next one.
There, the truth about this mysterious man who freed slaves from Marigoa would be revealed, as Hancock had once told Luffy.
Her eyes lit up once more as she returned her focus to the manga unfolding before her.
The past shown in the manga didn't matter right now.
"And neither does the manga's future…"
Her gaze settled lovingly on Luffy's smiling face as she whispered those words.
…
Far away from the Grand Line, in the Sorbet Kingdom, Dragon stood silently, staring into the distance.
After a long moment, he let out a deep sigh.
At this time, Dragon was harboring a secret — one he hadn't told anyone, not even the Revolutionary Army, not even his father.
"To protect my son… I need to be even more careful."
He turned his eyes back to the sea one last time before heading back inside the Art Store.
…
Inside the Art Store, where members of the Revolutionary Army were gathered, the atmosphere was lively.
"Thankfully, I don't see any admirals nearby… Not even a vice admiral. Are they seriously underestimating Luffy's crew?"
Crocodile sneered in contempt at the Marines' tactics.
"Maybe they don't know Luffy's the one who defeated Brynndi World?"
Inazuma responded cautiously.
"Ooooh, my dear Sanji looks absolutely devastated… Sigh~"
Seeing Sanji's reaction after learning Luffy had been on the Island of Women, Ivankov felt genuinely bad that Sanji didn't think about the "paradise" he had ended up in.
"My lucky grandson!! Buwahahaha!!"
Garp burst out laughing after seeing Sanji's face burning with envy and despair.
…
— — — — — — — — — — — —
"Oh! It's Hancock!" Luffy shouted.
(Luffy… Now's your chance!) wink
"Eh?" Brook caught Hancock's playful wink through his binoculars and gasped in disbelief.
"Ahhhhh! She… She just winked at us!!"
"That's our chance! Let's get sailing!!" Luffy commanded, full of energy.
"Do you… know that Shichibukai?" Nami asked, utterly shocked.
"Yeah — I was sent to the Isle of Women. We're all buddies now." Luffy replied casually, as if it were no big deal.
"The Isle of Women?! The legendary dreamland?! That place is real?!" Usopp exclaimed, blown away.
"He's friends… with that Empress…?!!" Upon hearing this, flames of envy, sorrow, and heartbreak consumed Sanji. It was as if the entire world had betrayed him in this very moment.
Tears and snot streamed down his face as his heart shattered. He grabbed Luffy by the collar and screamed: "Oh, you'd better have been training hard!!!"
"Sure have!" Luffy responded with confidence.
"… Do you have any idea?! Any idea what I've been through?!!!" As Sanji reflected on all the suffering he endured, he swallowed his pride and let the pain escape only through his tears.
— — — — — — — — — — — —
All the Revolutionary Army members, including Kuma and Bonney, turned their eyes to Ivankov at that moment.
The grief, the sorrow, the pain Sanji felt… it wasn't something ordinary.
And Ivankov? He was the reason behind it all.
"Sanji is truly wounded… he's hurting deeply, man."
"Yeah~ I feel bad for the poor guy — nearly lost his manhood thanks to you."
"Nearly? Pfft! He did lose it — and then got it back! Did you not see that cover page where he was dressed like a woman?!"
Bonney burst out laughing, unable to hold it in.
"He's a proud okama now too…"
Ivankov added proudly, giving a thumbs-up as if everything went according to plan.
"Tch. Damn you. Why don't you and your kind go extinct already?!"
Crocodile slammed the table and stood up furiously.
"Calm down, Croco-boy~ Don't be jealous. I can help you explore your inner desires too, you know~"
Ivankov teased with a wink.
Crocodile's eyes turned blood red with rage. He wanted nothing more than to rip Ivankov's giant head off.
He was starting to regret joining this ridiculous army that had done nothing useful for him so far!
…
Sora felt her heart ache as she watched Sanji, consumed by jealousy and self-pity. Compared to his friends, his fate had been cruel and unfair.
"Especially Luffy…"
Even Sora couldn't help but think that Luffy had been incredibly lucky.
"But the misfortune that accompanied that luck… was something unbearable even for him."
Thinking of all the suffering Luffy endured during those two years, it was clear — Sanji's pain, while real, paled in comparison.
"Still, I believe Sanji suffered deeply… He's second only to Luffy in terms of hardship over those two years. Seems like Bartholomew Kuma didn't like him very much."
Bell-mère interrupted Sora's thoughts.
"The problem is… Sanji is too weak when it comes to women. That weakness turned into double the suffering when he ended up surrounded by okama who saw themselves as allies…"
"Allies? Sanji surely sees them as his worst enemies! Even the most evil pirates couldn't scare him like they do. Pfft, hahahaha!"
Bell-mère laughed heartily at Sanji's misery.
"In any case, it seems he came out of that hell more manly~"
She smiled with admiration.
"But on the flip side, he became even more vulnerable to women… He lost buckets of blood just from one look at Nami and Robin. I pity him — his romantic future looks… very grim."
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Upcoming chapter titles (spoilers):
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Chapter 894: Obstruction from All Sides to Ensure the Journey Begins.
Chapter 895: Straw Hat, Our Present Moments Are Alike.
Chapter 896: Sailing Towards Fish-Man Island!
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