Hancock gazed at Mislanda with eyes full of admiration — like a starstruck fan looking at her idol.
But even though she didn't say a word, Mislanda already knew exactly what she was thinking.
"Heh… this skill isn't bad at all!"
Being able to see into someone's heart — now that was a useful ability!
"Let's try the next one!"
Mislanda closed his eyes again, then suddenly snapped them open — and froze.
After a few seconds, he quickly turned his head away!
Because this time, the ability he had activated was X-ray Vision!
No explanation needed for that one.
Let's just say… in Mislanda's eyes right now, Hancock was not wearing any clothes.
Though she was still a teenager — younger than him by a bit — she was destined to become the most beautiful woman in the world, and her beauty already showed hints of it even now.
Combined with the natural allure of the Love-Love Fruit she would one day eat...
Let's just say that for a hot-blooded young man like Mislanda, it was his first time seeing such a sight.
I mean, what man could keep calm when a stunning girl stood right in front of him — blushing shyly — and looked at him like that?
"Lord Mislanda, what's wrong?"
Noticing his strange reaction, Hancock stepped closer in concern.
She even reached out her hand to touch him.
Mislanda immediately grabbed her hand — and deactivated the All-Seeing Eye's power.
Whoo…
He took a deep breath, trying to calm the sudden storm inside him.
"Damn it… I actually reacted!"
He was nearly an adult — full of vitality — and there was another problem…
Dragon Essence.
That powerful essence granted him tremendous strength, but it came with a side effect — an instinctive dragon's lust!
Mislanda wasn't immune to it.
Every morning, let's just say… the hardest thing in the world wasn't diamonds.
Ahem. Anyway.
The point was — what he'd just seen hit him like a truck.
"Don't worry, I'm fine," he said with a small, forced smile.
While the All-Seeing Eye wasn't much use in combat, as a support tool it was incredibly powerful — and overall, he was satisfied with the Imperial Arm.
Now then…
Mislanda spun the roulette once more.
[Ding! Congratulations, host! You have obtained the Imperial Arm — Water Dragon Possession: Black Marlin!]
[Water Dragon Possession – Black Marlin: A ring-type Imperial Arm crafted from the organs of an aquatic Danger Beast. It allows the user to freely control surrounding liquids — including seawater and blood!]
As the system's voice faded, a sleek black ring engraved with the head of a dragon materialized on Mislanda's finger.
He examined it carefully — then grinned.
"Control over seawater…? That's huge."
Everyone knew — seawater was the bane of Devil Fruit users.
And in the world of pirates, the ocean was everywhere.
That meant that in Mislanda's presence, every Devil Fruit user would be naturally at a disadvantage!
Of course, that didn't make him invincible — some exceptions existed.
For example, Aokiji — the Ice Admiral.
Seawater didn't bother him at all.
"Still… not bad."
Aside from the rather useless Romantic Battery – Pumpkin and Wings of Freedom – Mastema, the other four Imperial Arms he'd drawn were all solid.
He hadn't pulled the one he really wanted, but this was a good time to quit while ahead.
"Thanks, Hancock."
Mislanda reached out and gently pinched Hancock's cheek, then turned and walked toward the beach.
He wanted to test Black Marlin's power for himself.
Hancock stood frozen for a moment, her hand rising to touch the spot he had pinched.
Her face flushed bright red again.
Soon after, at the shore of the deserted island — enormous dragons of water erupted from the sea, coiling and twisting into the air.
The nearby Sea Kings immediately fled in terror, as if sensing something far more terrifying than themselves.
Meanwhile, things at Navy Headquarters were far from peaceful.
Fleet Admiral Kong had just lain down to sleep when a call from the World Government came in.
The report: the Celestial Dragons' slave prison had been destroyed — over ten thousand slaves set free.
The World Government demanded the Navy take immediate action — both to recapture the escaped slaves and to arrest whoever had freed them.
When Kong heard this, he sat in stunned silence for a long time.
Someone had dared to attack the Celestial Dragons' property.
That was nothing less than a direct slap to the World Government's face!
Who could possibly be that bold?
After quickly gathering intel, Kong summoned Sengoku and the others.
When they heard the news, their expressions turned grim.
Even they, as Marines, detested the Celestial Dragons' slave trade — but they never dared intervene.
And yet, someone had done it.
"Fleet Admiral Kong," Sengoku said cautiously, "if we openly move to recapture the slaves… our reputation will take a massive hit."
He was absolutely right.
If the Navy took that stance, within three days their image across the world would collapse.
The Great Pirate Era had only just begun to stabilize; if the Navy's authority crumbled now, the consequences would be disastrous.
"I know," Kong replied after a pause. "So this time, our focus will be on the mastermind."
"As for the slaves… if they're pirates, arrest them. If not—let them go."
"Yes, sir!"
It was the only choice they had under the circumstances.
Just as Sengoku turned to carry out the orders, a familiar figure walked into the room.
Vice Admiral Garp.
Both Kong and Sengoku blinked in surprise.
Garp almost never came to see the Fleet Admiral — mostly because every time he did, Kong would try to persuade him to accept promotion to Admiral.
"Garp, what is it?" Kong asked, rubbing his temples wearily.
At present, the Navy had two Admirals: Buddha Sengoku and Black Arm Zephyr.
Zephyr had retired from active duty due to family reasons, now serving as the Navy's Chief Instructor.
That meant Sengoku was the only active Admiral under Kong's command.
If Garp agreed to promotion, it would take a huge burden off his shoulders — but the man refused every time.
Without a word, Garp placed a photo on the table.
It showed a young man in black, about twenty years old — Mislanda.
"Fleet Admiral Kong," Garp said solemnly, "I've got a hunch the one behind the slave prison incident is this man."
Kong frowned, picking up the photo.
"This is the same man you mentioned before, isn't it? Do you have any evidence?"
"None," Garp admitted, shaking his head. "But this guy isn't ordinary. A youngster who knows about God Valley — that's no coincidence."
Kong sighed and shook his head.
Garp had mentioned this before, but there was never any solid proof — just instinct.
"Garp… we'll keep an eye on him. I'll have the World Government monitor his movements more closely."
"But right now, our top priority is the slave prison case. If we don't handle it quickly, not only the Navy's reputation — but our relations with the World Government — will suffer."
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